intern

International Space Station springs system coolant leak

The International Space Station is leaking ammonia coolant used to prevent the station's power systems from overheating, but it doesn't pose a danger to the crew, NASA announced Thursday.

Crew aboard the space station alerted Mission Control to the appearance of small white flakes floating away from the station's P6 truss solar array this morning, NASA said in a statement. The ammonia loop affected is the same loop at which spacewalking astronauts attempted to troubleshoot a leak last November, NASA reported.

"There's a very steady stream of flakes or bits coming out as the truss … Read more

'Google Palestine' label stirs both sides of Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Google has swapped in the word "Palestine" for "Palestinian Territories" on its search site for the area, prompting comments from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The word appears directly beneath the Google logo and above the search field on the site's home page, www.google.ps, and the change follows a vote by the United Nations' General Assembly late last year to grant Palestine the status of "non-member observer state."

"We're changing the name 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine' across our products," Google spokesman Nathan Tyler told the BBC on … Read more

Wringing out a space station washcloth makes water clingy

Thanks to astronaut Chris Hadfield and a series of videos from the Canadian Space Agency, we've had incredible access to all aspects of life on the International Space Station. Activities that are so mundane here on Earth (like clipping nails and heating up some spinach) become things of wonder in zero gravity. That's why we're all going ga-ga over Hadfield wringing out a washcloth.

If I told you nearly 600,000 people would tune into YouTube to watch a piece of cloth get wrung out, you would probably laugh and tell me to take the day off. Fortunately, we're not all suffering from a mass delusion. Hadfield soaking up a washcloth with water and then wringing it out really is that cool.… Read more

Girl Scouts to award badge for video game development

While camping, gardening, and public speaking are important to being a stand-up scout, the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles has decided that video game development should also be included as a prestigious badge.

The Girl Scouts has teamed up with Women in Games International to create the new badge, according to GirlGamer. The aim is to get the scouts interested in engineering and software development. The badge will be part of the Girl Scout's STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum.

"Our ultimate goal is to create a STEM-aligned video game badge for the Girl Scouts of … Read more

Kingsoft Office (International) 5.3.1 Review

Can't open MS Office documents on your smartphone or tablet? Kingsoft Office (International) gives you a full office suite on your device to help you get any job done. Since it's basically a Microsoft Office clone, it's not the prettiest app you'll find but it is incredibly powerful when it comes to processing documents.

Kingsoft Office (International) installed on our device without any problems. The app works with most of the file formats you'd expect in an office suite -- DOC, TXT, XLS, and others. It can even read and edit PDFs if you need … Read more

BIQ House: World's first building powered by algae

There's long been speculation and research about algae's potential as a power source. The fast-growing plants waste three-quarters of the sunlight they absorb, so what if that energy could be captured and converted?

That's the premise behind BIQ House, designed by architectural firm Splitterwerk. It's a new algae-powered building that's opening on April 25 as part of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg, Germany. The building's east and south facades are covered in a system of louvres. Filled with microalgae, these louvres form 200 square meters of panels to power the building. … Read more

Google battles human trafficking with global hotline

It's estimated that more than 20 million people worldwide are currently victims of human trafficking. Put in perspective, that's nearly the equivalent of the entire population of Australia.

In an effort to combat human trafficking and provide help for victims, Google has launched a new joint project with three advocacy organizations -- Polaris Project, Liberty Asia, and La Strada International. Dubbed the Human Trafficking Hotline Network, this project aims to create a consolidated global hotline connected to a data-driven network.

Here's more on the project from a blog post by Google Ideas director Jared Cohen and Google … Read more

Astronauts don't cry: Chris Hadfield shows tears in space

There's no crying in baseball, and there's no crying in space.

While zero gravity doesn't have an impact on tears forming, it has an effect on if they fall -- and they don't. The water that builds up in your eyes from crying will stay there until the bubble gets so big it moves to another spot on your face, or it's removed. It's not very pretty or graceful.

Watch how Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield -- commander of the International Space Station and maker of all sorts of entertaining space videos -- demonstrates what … Read more

Astronaut Chris Hadfield shows off his spacesuit waltz

Flying aboard the International Space Station isn't just fun and games; members of the crew have to examine their equipment to keep everything in ready-to-use condition. One of the most important pieces of equipment is the spacesuit worn by astronauts when they leave the ISS to go out into the universe.

Spacesuits are made to keep a human body alive in the harsh, anti-gravity environment of space, but they are also used inside a ship should there be a change of pressure.

They are often constructed to help keep the wearer comfortable, keeping in mind mobility and the need to collect solid and liquid waste, "Spacesuits are just really one person spaceships," ISS Commander Chris Hadfield explains in his video. … Read more