NASA Might Nuke Incoming Meteors

NASA is partnering with the National Nuclear Security Administration on a program that would employ nuclear missiles to defend against a major threat to national security: meteors. After a 60-foot-wide space-rock exploded in the skies above Russia in 2013 and injured 1,500 people, both organizations began to more seriously consider methods to protect from future attacks. The two have agreed upon sending nukes into space …

Up-Close Video of a Turntable’s Needle

Even the most avid record collectors might have trouble explaining the inner workings of a turntable, but thanks to a set of up-close images taken by Ben Krasnow, it’s now a little clearer. Using a scanning electron microscope, the electrical engineering wizard and current Google [x]-er created a short clip of a turntable’s needle as it traces a vinyl record’s groove, converting each minuscule curve …

Crowd-Funded Lunar Mission One Might Happen

Lunar Mission One is creeping slowly toward becoming the first international, privately crowd-funded space effort. With the help of the United Nations—who are currently speaking with the company’s owners—it could become a ground-breaking alternative to slow, government-funded programs that (so far) have been the only way to accrue enough capital to enter outer-space. By relying solely on private investors, companies and the general public for …