Multiverse?

Unknown “Structures” Tugging at Universe, Study Says (National Geographic):
On the outskirts of creation, unknown, unseen “structures” are tugging on our universe like cosmic magnets, a controversial new study says.

Everything in the known universe is said to be racing toward the massive clumps of matter at more than 2 million miles (3.2 million kilometers) an [...]

Bleeding Taters

The Technocrat tells us about the Boomerang Nebula:
The Boomerang Nebula (also called the Bow Tie Nebula) is a protoplanetary nebula located 5,000 light-years away from Earth in the Centaurus constellation. The nebula is measured at 1 K (−272.15 °C/−457.87 °F), the coldest place known in the universe. The Boomerang Nebula was formed from the outflow [...]

Reading: China’s Progress in Space Technology

Published recently by the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College:  Kevin Pollpeter, Building for the Future: China’s Progress in Space Technology during the Tenth 5-Year Plan and the U.S. Response:
The Chinese government is using space power to increase its influence at home and abroad and hopes to leverage the [...]

Research: Humans in Outer Space”

Now this looks interesting:
Call for Expressions of Interest from the ESF Standing Committee for the Humanities (SCH) and the ESF Expert Committee European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC)
The deadline for online submission of Humans in Outer Space Call for Expressions of Interest is Saturday 31 May 2008.
Space age has reached its 50th anniversary. Development of robotic [...]

Off-world Origami

An unexpected juxtaposition here. Japanese scientists are teaming up with origami experts to launch a paper airplane from orbit. Tests have gone well:
In a test outside Tokyo in early February, a prototype about 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) long and 5 centimeters (2 inches) wide survived Mach 7 speeds and broiling temperatures up to 230 Celsius [...]