Space Station Sunday: Three Cheers For The One-Year Crew!

Happy Sunday, space fans!  It's been another outstanding week in orbit, and an exciting week ahead.  Here's what was up!

The One-Year Crew enjoys a few more micro-gravity backflips
before they're much more difficult on Earth.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

The Opportunity Of Unity: Virgin Galactic Has A New Spaceplane On The Horizon

With the imminent return of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly from his near-yearlong post on the International Space Station, humanity has once again become publicly aware of how cool it is for people to exist in space.  Now, entrepreneur Richard Branson is set to up the ante by sending up a new spaceship...and anyone who can pay the price can be a passenger.

SPACE.  PLANE.
YES.
(Image courtesy arstechnica.com.)

Wash 'N Roll: New Prototype "Bike Washing Machine" Launders Via Your Legwork

Chores are never pleasant, but what if you could get more than one of them done at the same time, get exercise, AND help the environment as you did so?  With this new invention, you'll be feeling good, looking good, and doing good, all at once...

What's next, a rowing machine whose flywheels spin a clothes dryer?
(Please steal that idea and make it real, Chinese students.)
(Image courtesy thehomesteadguru.com.)

Seek Guidance (Through Traffic) From Morgan Freeman's Voice

The demand is simple:  you need to go places, which likely requires directions.  Those directions can be read off of a boring old map, or a guy who once played God can liltingly illuminate them for you.

"Get busy ridin', or get busy dyin'."
(Image courtesy buzzfeed.com.)

Space Station Sunday: Two Dropoffs Before Next Liftoff

Good afternoon, space fans!  What wonders were worked on this week, hundreds of miles above our heads?

It's all about solar:  the station's solar arrays soak up the rays.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

3D In The UAE: Dubai's Latest Architectural Innovation Is A 3D-Printed Office Building

The world has watched Dubai build all manner of architectural artwork...first by rising phoenix-like to form a bustling desert oasis in record time, then erecting sights like the massive Burj Khalifa tower, or islands in the shape of the entire world.  Now, they're setting the stage for a new kind of innovative intrigue...

Your future workspace could be one of these cozy little rounded rectangles.
BTW, that's the Museum of the Future in the background.
(Image courtesy techspot.com.)

World Peace / Space Pieces: Russia Could Convert Missiles To Destroy Asteroid Threats

Remember that whole Cold War thing between the US and Russia, with all the missiles and arming up and whatnot?  Yeah, all those spare, fortunately-unused weapons didn't exactly vanish.  However, scientists in Russia are working to put them to another effective (if hopefully unnecessary) purpose...

Because pointing these at the sky is still better than pointing them at America.
(Image courtesy foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com.)