Year: 2016

Categories
Television X-Files

The X-Files: Babylon

  • February 15, 2016

The X-FilesThe 206th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash) guest star.

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Categories
Astronomy Science & Technology Uncrewed Spaceflight

ASTRO-H / Hitomi

  • February 17, 2016

HitomiJAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, launches the ASTRO-H X-ray observatory satellite, nicknamed Hitomi, from Tanegashima Space Center. Carrying equipment provided by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, Hitomi is intended to remain operational for three years, conducting X-ray astronomy from low Earth orbit. Though the launch proceeds without apparent problems, major technical issues will prevent Hitomi from fulfilling its mission objectives.

Categories
Television X-Files

The X-Files: My Struggle II

  • February 22, 2016

The X-FilesThe 207th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish, William B. Davis, Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash) guest star in the tenth season finale.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Categories
Deaths Matters of Life & Death Star Trek Television

Gary Hutzel, Star Trek effects supervisor, dies

  • March 1, 2016

Gary HutzelFormer Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel dies. His duties as a visual effects coordinator on Star Trek: The Next Generation led to a supervisory role on both that series and its spinoff, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Hutzel’s work continued in the 21st century re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica and its own spinoff series, Caprica. His other credits include the movie Spy Kids and the Syfy series Defiance. Mr. Hutzel was 60.

Categories
Crewed Spaceflight International Space Station

The One-Year Mission ends

  • March 1, 2016

Scott KellyHaving traveled to the International Space Station as part of the Expedition 43 crew, astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko return to Earth after their heavily-publicized “One-Year Mission”, along with cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. Though the duration of the “One-Year Mission” is closer to 11 months, Kelly has broken the American record for continuous time spent in space. NASA hopes medical data gathered during his stay will help to keep future astronauts healthy, both physically and mentally, on long-term flights to such future destinations as Mars.

Categories
Deaths Matters of Life & Death Movies

Tony Dyson, Star Wars droid builder, dies

  • March 4, 2016

Tony DysonThe designer and builder of the original R2-D2 props/costumes for Star Wars, roboticist and former toy designer Professor Tony Dyson, is found dead in Malta. Using Ralph McQuarrie’s artwork as his guide, Dyson built eight full-size R2 units for the 1977 film, some of them remote-controlled marvels of electronics, and others hollow shells to be operated by actor Kenny Baker. Dyson’s other film credits included Superman II and the James Bond film Moonraker. He provided other specialized droids for the original trilogy, and later formed a droid builders’ club in the UK, though he was legally forbidden by Lucasfilm to use his original 1976 design specifications. Some of his proteges went on to build R2 units for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Mr. Dyson was 68.

Categories
Uncrewed Spaceflight

ExoMars

  • March 14, 2016

ExoMarsThe European Space Agency’s unmanned Mars Trace Gas Orbiter, nicknamed ExoMars, lifts off via a Russian Proton rocket on a course for Mars. Carrying a small lander named Schiaparelli (named after the Italian astronomer who was instrumental in early mapping of Martian surface features via telescope), ExoMars is scheduled to arrive at the red planet in October 2016, deliver the Schiaparelli lander, and then enter orbit to search for traces and origins of methane in the Martian atmosphere, to determine if the presence of that gas – usually associated with biological activity on Earth – is geochemical in nature, or is derived from another source. Plans then call for ExoMars to join the fleet of artificial satellites relaying communications from current and future Mars-exploring rovers and landers to Earth through the 2020s.

Categories
Astronomy Science & Technology Uncrewed Spaceflight

Hitomi breaks contact

  • March 27, 2016

HitomiJapan’s Hitomi satellite, launched in February on a three-year X-ray astronomy mission, suddenly breaks contact with JAXA ground controllers when they begin power-up and checkout procedures. Only brief telemetry signals are received from Hitomi before it falls silent. JAXA initiates emergency procedures to contact Hitomi and diagnose the problem, though some telescopic observations from Earth indicate that pieces of the spacecraft have fallen away from the spacecraft itself.