Journey to the center of the earth

"Three, two, one, and liftoff!" said a NASA commentator as the Parker Solar Probe lit up the dark night sky aboard a Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 3:31 am (0731 GMT). The unmanned spacecraft aims to get closer than any human-made object in history to the center of our solar system. The probe is designed to plunge into the Sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, during a seven-year mission. It is protected by an ultra-powerful heat shield that can endure unprecedented levels of heat, and radiation 500 times that experienced on Earth. Strange veil NASA has billed the mission as the first spacecraft to "touch the Sun." In reality, it should come within 3.83 million miles (6.16 million kilometers) of the Sun's surface, close enough to study the curious phenomenon of the solar wind and the Sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, which is 300 times hotter than its surface. The car-sized probe is designed to give scientists a better understanding of solar wind and … [Read more...] about NASA blasts off historic probe to ‘touch Sun’

Blood rushed up his head, swelling the face as gravity dropped to near zero. Three days later, the swelling started to go away, and with it, bits of skin. That’s just a glimpse into how going to space on Russian flight Soyuz 37 felt like, Lieutenant General of the Air Force Pham Tuan said as he shared his story with hundreds of Vietnamese students at Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City on May 19. On July 23, 1980, Tuan became the first Vietnamese and the first Asian to travel into space. Accompanying him on the mission launched from Baikonur Space Center was his Russian mentor, astronaut Viktor Vassilyevich Gorbatko. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he was already a national hero, the first Vietnamese pilot to shoot down a U.S. B52-bomber during aerial combat on December 27, 1972. But an astronaut’s job was a whole lot different from that of a fighter pilot. Tuan recalled stress taking its toll on his sleep, which he had none for many days as the body adapted to … [Read more...] about Home isn’t just Vietnam, it’s Earth: Asia’s 1st astronaut recalls historic journey

I’ve been to the darkest place on Earth. It was a trip to Son Doong Cave in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Binh. One of the people joining me on that trip was Doctor Howard Limbert, an expert from the British Cave Research Association, the man accredited with discovering the cave. The biggest underground ecosystem on Earth has “astonished” cave experts and nature lovers around the world, according to international media. After trekking underground for three days, we reached the darkest spot. Dr Limbert told us all to switch off our torches. “This is one of the darkest places on Earth,” he said. I immediately felt suffocated. Darkness completely consumed us. I raised my hand in front of my face but could not see it. I looked down at my feet but couldn’t tell where I was standing. At that moment, I thought: Is this what it feels like to die? When we are still conscious but our bodies have gone. At that moment, I realized how powerless … [Read more...] about The greatest cave on Earth can’t speak, so we need to give it a voice