asunburntcountry:

indefensible:

In 1957, Denis Cox - then 12 years of age - sent a letter to Australian scientists outlining his designs for a rocket to rival that of the Soviets.

Now, some 52 years later, he’s going to get a reply. Click through for a story that will charm your inner nerd child.

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Shark Habitats From Space : Discovery Channel

This is Shark Bay in my home state of Western Australia and it’s teeming with sharks.

This satellite image was taken by NASA’s Terra satellite in 2004, capturing the blue-green bloom of phytoplankton glowing in Shark Bay.

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Parkes Radio Telescope in the early 1960s. Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. (via CSIRO)

‘From 8 minutes and 51 seconds after the TV was switched on (and some 6 minutes and 42 seconds after the first step), the world witnessed the historic 2 1/2 hour Apollo 11 moonwalk from pictures received by the Parkes Radio Telescope’ (CSIRO).

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isay:

This bad ass is the British attempt to enter the space race. It’s called the Black Arrow and was a project that might have brought my father to Australia, had it not been for my mother not wanting to leave the UK. Curses. File:Black Arrow (150021646).jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This is the personal patch of Paul Scully-Power (image via spacefacts.de), a payload specialist and the first Australian born astronaut in space.

The patch features a kangaroo flanked by the Southern Cross however it leaves no doubt that Scully-Power is a US citizen.

Scully-Power flew on Space Shuttle Challenger STS-41G in October 1984.

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Astronaut Andy Thomas before flying to the Mir Space Station on Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-89 1998. via nasa.gov

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butterflyeffects:

I was 7 years old  in 1979 when Skylab reentered the atmosphere and crashed not far from where I live in Perth, Western Australia.  Some friends of mine went out looking for pieces and brought back a wheelbarrow full of it.  I was thrilled when they gave me a piece.  Skylab!  It was so exciting…

My bubble was burst somewhat when I took my little bit of broken fibreglass to school for show & tell and my teacher called me a liar in front of the class.  She didn’t believe my piece of Skylab was real.  Some teachers are stupid and mean.

I wish I still had that piece of Skylab.

photo via

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ALMOST 30 years after fining NASA for littering the local area with debris from abandoned space station Skylab, the Shire of Esperance has received a $US400 cheque.

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Europa 1 rocket leaves launching pad at Woomera Rocket Range, South Australia, 1973 via Nation Archives of Australia

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ELDO [European Launcher Development Organisation] launching site, Woomera, Europa 1 rocket rests on launch pad via National Archives of Australia

Woomera Rocket Range, South Australia. 1967.

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Title : Long range movie camera at Woomera, South Australia [photographic image] / photographer, W Brindle. 1 photographic negative: b&w, acetate
Date : 1956

via National Archives of Australia

Woomera Rocket Range in the South Australian desert was a rocket launch site and is now mainly an aerospace testing centre. The Woomera Test Facility is the largest test range in the world. At 127 000 square kilometres it’s about the size of England. http://www.woomera.com.au/range/range.htm

Since the 50s and 60s Australia has dropped the ball on space science. It is a national embarrassment that Australia does not have a space agency. Australia is the only OECD country without a space program. If Bulgaria can manage to have a space agency then Australia can too.

In November 2008 the Senate Standing Committee on Economics recommended Australia create a space agency to coordinate the nation’s space science efforts (Senate Committee Report: Lost in Space? Setting a new direction for Australia’s space science and industry sector)

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