Look to the west around 7:30 and you might catch a view similar to the photo above of a Delta II rocket with a COSMO-SkyMed 3 earth observation satellite in the night sky. Exact launch time is 19:28:21 on October 24, 2008. Caption for photographer Brian Webb’s image above (taken November 8, 1997) reads:

“The Delta II carries the Iridium 38, 39, 40, 41, and 43 satellites into orbit as its sunlit contrail is suspended in the dusk sky. The webmaster took this photo during the late portion of the first stage burn just before main engine cut-off (MECO). The bright white dot on the right is the planet Venus.”

The rocket’s trail will likely appear differently depending on where you view it.

Additional information: http://www.spacearchive.info/vafbsked.htm

Carbon molecules discovered in outer space may become the super lightweight materials of future automobiles and airplanes, according to MIT’s Technology Review.

In 1985, British scientist Harry Kroto and two other researchers discovered a molecule with 60 carbon atoms shaped like a soccer ball, and that molecule became named “Buckyballs” (after Buckminster Fuller). This molecule is evident in space, and its discovery earned Kroto the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1996.  

What they have since been able to do with the carbon molecules is make thin sheets of material 10x lighter and 500x stronger than steel. This new material, dubbed “Buckypaper,” also conducts electricity like copper or silicon, and disperses heat like steel or brass.

Buckypaper is possibly the material which will go into lightweight, energy-efficient aircraft and automobiles, more powerful computers, improved TV screens and other products.

“If this thing goes into production, this very well could be a very, very game-changing or revolutionary technology to the aerospace business,” said Les Kramer, chief technologist for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, which is helping fund the Florida State research.