Top 10 Moments in Space History

Top 10 Moments in Space History

The history of space travel dates back only a few decades, however, a lot has happened. There have been both highs and lows. As more nations enter the space race and a new era of space tourism begins, the world of space flight as we know it is changing vastly. Extraordinary events of the past such as the landing on the Moon to the multi-national efforts to launch the International Space Station captured the attention of the entire world, and it is only a matter of time before new events and technological advances make an even greater impact.

1. Landing on the Moon
   One giant leap for mankind. On July 20, 1969 Americans Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. make the first manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, using Apollo 11.
2. First Man in Space
   Cosmonaut Yuri Gargarin becomes the first man in space on April 12, 1961. Gargarin orbits the earth one time on the Vostok 1 spacecraft before returning to the ground.
3. The First Space Tourist
   On April 28, 2001, the Soyuz spacecraft TM-32 flies to the International Space Station with the first space tourist Dennis Tito, who pays the Russians $20 million.
4. Space station Mir is Launched
   On February 20, 1986 the core unit of Soviet space station Mir is launched.
5. Launch of the International Space Station
   The first component of the International Space Station, Zarya, is launched on a Russian rocket on November 20, 1998.
6. Launch of Spaceship One
   On June 21, 2004, Spaceship One became the first private-venture craft to leave the earth’s atmosphere and enter space. Thus, a new-era in space travel began.
7. First Man Made Object to Orbit the Earth
   On October 4, 1957, the USSR launches Sputnik 1, the first man made object to orbit the earth.
8. First American in Orbit
   The small Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft carries John H. Glenn, Jr., the first American in orbit, and orbits the Earth three times on February 20, 1962.
9. First Man Made Object to Make Contact with the Moon
   The Soviet launched Luna 2 on September 12, 1959, which became the first man made object to hit the moon a year later.
10. First Space Walk
    On March 18, 1965 the first space walk is made by Soviet Alexei A. Leonov on the Voskhod 2 and lasts a mere 12 minutes.

Tortoise with two heads....

Magdalena is not just a normal tortoise, the animal has two heads and five legs.

The reptile belongs to Roman Gresak from Zilina in Slovakia, who thought of a fitting name, “We call her Magdalena: one head is Magda and the second one is Lena”, Mr Gresak explained.

According to zoologists Magdalena’s unique case is comparable to the case of Siamese twins. During the pregnancy the embryos didn’t separate correctly.

Each of the heads has its own nerve system and the tortoise has got two brains, which work independently from each other. The question remains how the systems are connected within the body and which functions they share.

The tortoise would hardly survive in the wild though because other tortoises would exclude her from their collective.

Having two heads and five legs can also sometimes be a burden. “The second head sometimes doesn’t allow the tortoise to know where to go,” Mr Gresak said.

But one direction is already clear for Magdalena, the tortoise is heading for stardom. The Slovak press has announced that, similar to Paul the Octopus which predicted the Spanish win in soccer World Cup, Magdalena has been chosen to tip off the Ice Hockey championships, which take place in Slovakia this year.

7 Natural Wonders of the World

The provisional new seven wonders of nature have been chosen after a series of votes by the “New7Wonders Foundation” based in Zurich, Switzerland. The Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, Philippines’s Puerto Princesa River and Table Mountain in South Africa are the newly voted wonders of the nature world.

The Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, covers the area of a billion acres, encompassing areas in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The Amazon is home to at least 40,000 plant species, 3,000 freshwater fish species and over 370 reptile species exist in the Amazon. The Amazon is considered to have half of the planet’s remaining rainforests and be the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. The official list will be announced in 2012.

The Amazon Rainforest

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Vietnam’s Halong Bay, which is located in the north of the country, is made up of 1,600 islands and islets in various sizes and shapes. The islands, which are dotted with caves and can be accessed only by boat, were first listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994. There is aFishing Village in Ha Long Bay where people live in non-solid ground in a coastline of 2,000 islands. Children at the unique village go to the floating schools by school boats everyday.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil

The Iguazú Falls, which is one of Argentina and Brazil’s most popular touristic destinations, consists of 257 individual falls over 2.7 kilometers. Among them, the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s throat) with its U-shape offers best scene of these majestic waterfalls. Specially, over 2000 species of plants, 400 of birds and 70 mammals live in this area.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil

Jeju Island, South Korea

Jeju Island, South Korea’s subtropical volcanic island, is situated 130 kilometres off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula. Listed as a World Natural Heritage Site in 2007, the volcanic island is best known for its scenic mountains, waterfalls, forests, caves and beaches.

Jeju Island, South Korea

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Indonesia’s Komodo is considered to be the world’s largest living lizard which is best known for its unique fauna and its unusual inhabitant. Komodo National Park covers three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar and some smaller ones. The national park was originally founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon.

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Puerto Princesa River, Philippines

Puerto Princesa River is the longest navigable underground river in the world which can be traveled by an organized boat ride. The river emerges directly into the South China Sea; hence, its lower portion is subject to tidal influences. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is 8.2km long and home to more than 250 bird species, 800 plant species and at least 295 types of trees.

Puerto Princesa River, Philippines

Table Mountain, South Africa

Table Mountain is the level plateau edged by impressive cliffs which forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town. The unique shaped mountain has withstood six million years of erosion. The place is home to at least 2,200 plant species and over 1,470 floral species.

Table Mountain, South Africa

New 7 Wonders of nature 2011

World's Longest Railway Platforms

 

Longest

The longest railway platforms in the world are:

• Gorakhpur Junction station is going to have a platform that would be 1.3 km long and that would then be the longest platform in the world.
• Kharagpur, West Bengal, India: 1,072 m (3,517 ft) (longest in the world).
• State Street Center subway station, Chicago, Illinois, USA: 1,067 m (3,501 ft) (longest in United States)
• Dunedin Railway Station, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) (longest in southern hemisphere)
• Cheriton Shuttle Terminal, Folkestone, United Kingdom: 791 m (2,595 ft) (longest in Europe)
• East Perth railway station, Perth, Western Australia: 770 m (2,526 ft) (longest in Australia)
• Kalgoorlie railway station, Perth, Western Australia: 760 m (2,493 ft)
• Sonepur railway station, Sonepur, Bihar, India: 738 m (2,421 ft)
• Flinders Street Station, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: 708 m (2,323 ft)
• Port Pirie, South Australia: 701 m (2,300 ft)
• East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Kowloon, Hong Kong: longest platform with platform screen doors 300 m (984 ft)

African Gadgets: What “Hi-Tech” Means in Africa

When two civilizations collide, very interesting realia can be born on the edge. Hardly can we imagine the way of life in other countries but here are some examples for you to try to picture how people live in Africa.

In the world where there are no iPods, not even CD-players, here is a good way-out for the music fans:

Either there is no network or this man just likes how this improvised earring looks:

This one just looks so real:

This one should be used on the banners advertising Sony laptops:

African kids are so creative:

The following construction obviously took much time to build but, boy, it works like a charm:

A home-made wheel chair: a white plastic garden chair, two big bicycle wheels and two children’s bike wheels.

This one is not quite a gadget but it so vividly demonstrates the people’s way of life: they seem to never have an emergency:

Dozens of Ways to Reuse an Old Computer Keyboard

Who could have thought that a computer keyboard is one of the most reused computer parts: there are plenty of things you can do with it!

Here are some coolest ideas how to recycle your old computer keyboard:

Keyboard Seedling Starter

Source

Source

Keyboard Car

Source

Keyboard Necklace

Source

Keyboard Ring

Source

Source

Keyboard Ear Rings

Source

Keyboard Cufflinks

Source

Keyboard Pins

Keyboard Bag

Source

Keyboard Shoes

Source

Source

Keyboard Tie

Keyboard Belt

Source

Source

Keyboard Clock

Source

Source

Keyboard Lapel Pins

Source

Keyboard T-shirt and Pants

Source

Shift Pendant

Source

Source

Keyboard Fridge Magnet

Source

Computer Key Garland

Source

Keyboard Chair

Source

Keyboard LED Collar

Source

Keyboard Sculpture