Is PowerPoint responsible for the woes of

Is PowerPoint responsible for the woes of the Space Shuttle? Well, no, but it’s not helping any. “The deeper problem with the PowerPointing of America — the PowerPointing of the planet, actually — is that the program tends to flatten the most complex, subtle, even beautiful, ideas into tedious, bullet-pointed bureaucratese.”

• business
• Edward Tufte
• infovis
• Microsoft
• NASA
• Powerpoint
• software
• space
• Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle Discovery lands safely, thank goodness.

Space Shuttle Discovery lands safely, thank goodness.

• NASA
• space
• Space Shuttle

Fantastic must-read article slamming NASA with regard

Fantastic must-read article slamming NASA with regard to the Space Shuttle program. I’ve been following Maciej’s del.icio.us links about the Shuttle for weeks now and was wondering if he’d get around to writing it up. Worth the wait.

• exploration
• Maciej Ceglowski
• NASA
• space
• spacehshuttle

A whole lake of ice has been discovered on Mars

A whole lake of ice has been discovered on Mars.

• Mars
• science
• space
• water

Google Moon: explore the Apollo landing sites

Google Moon: explore the Apollo landing sites in the Google Maps interface.

• Apollo
• Google
• Google Maps
• maps
• Moon
• NASA
• space

Space Shuttle launch scrubbed because of faulty fuel sensor

Space Shuttle launch scrubbed because of faulty fuel sensor.

• NASA
• space
• Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is set to return to space today

The Space Shuttle is set to return to space today. Looks like you can watch a live video stream of the launch onthe web.

• NASA
• space
• Space Shuttle

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will take the

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will take the first detailed photos of the Apollo landers/rovers/etc on the moon since 1972.

• Apollo
• Moon
• NASA
• photography
• space

Explanation of NASA’s launch countdown

Explanation of NASA’s launch countdown. T-20 minutes doesn’t necessarily mean there’s 20 minutes until launch.

• NASA
• space

Is there a large methane lake on Titan?

Is there a large methane lake on Titan?.

• solarsystem
• space
• titan

NASA Commission says Space Shuttle still not

NASA Commission says Space Shuttle still not safe enough for flight.

• NASA
• space
• Space Shuttle

Gaia telescope will map the Milky Way with 1.5 gigapixel camera

Gaia telescope will map the Milky Way with 1.5 gigapixel camera.

• astronomy
• photography
• space
• telescope

After being grounded for more than two

After being grounded for more than two years, the Space Shuttle is set to launch next month.

• NASA
• space
• Space Shuttle

We’re still finding lots of new moons

We’re still finding lots of new moons around the planets in our solar systems. Twelve new ones were just discovered around Saturn and Jupiter now has 63.

• astronomy
• jupiter
• saturn
• space

Cassini spacecraft finds complex hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Titan

Cassini spacecraft finds complex hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Titan.

• cassini
• life
• space
• titan

Dammit, it looks like the Hubble is

Dammit, it looks like the Hubble is going to die after all.

• astronomy
• Hubble telescope
• NASA
• space

NASA is going to repair the Hubble

NASA is going to repair the Hubble instead of letting it die.

• astronomy
• Hubble telescope
• NASA
• space

Hubble photographs unique rectangular nebula

Hubble photographs unique rectangular nebula.

• astronomy
• Hubble telescope
• photography
• space

Amazing Hubble photo of Saturn’s rings

Amazing Hubble photo of Saturn’s rings.

• astronomy
• Hubble telescope
• photography
• saturn
• space

Is the Hubble Space Telescope ready to come down?

Is the Hubble Space Telescope ready to come down?.

• astronomy
• Hubble telescope
• space

Pioneer Space Plaque Redesign by Edward Tufte

Edward Tufte, well known amongst information & Web designers for his trilogy of ID bibles, puts a bit of magic into the possibility of Earth’s first contact with aliens:

Since the principles of physics hold everywhere, magic is conceivably a cosmological entertainment, with the wonder induced by theatrical illusions appreciated by all, regardless of planetary system. Accordingly the plaque aboard the Pioneer spacecraft for extraterrestrial scrutiny billions of years from now might have escaped from its conspicuously anthropocentric gestures by showing instead the universally familiar Amazing Levitation Trick.

Who says information designers don’t have a sense of humor?

• design
• Edward Tufte
• space