Ace Pride Star Wars Icons For Asexual Awareness Week

A Halo for NGC 6164

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Things You Might Not Know About Our Sun

The sun is a star, a hot ball of glowing gases at the heart of our solar system. Its influence extends far beyond the orbits of distant Neptune and Pluto. Without the sun’s intense energy and heat, there would be no life on Earth. And though it is special to us, there are billions of stars like our sun scattered across the Milky Way galaxy.

Impress Your Friends with These Sun Facts:

If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, the Earth would be the size of a U.S. nickel

The temperature at the sun’s core is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit

Our sun is more massive than the average star in its neighborhood. Nearly 90% of stars are less massive, making them cooler and dimmer

The sun contains 99.9% of all matter in our solar system

During a single second, the sun converts 4 million tons of matter to pure energy

It would take about 1 million Earths to fill the sun if it were a hollow ball

The sun rotates on its axis approximately once every 27 days

The sun is 93 million miles away from Earth and is almost 5 billion years old

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Daily Affirmation 394.

You are allowed to have trouble accepting your identity. You are allowed to struggle with your asexuality. It is not easy, or comfortable to be questioning or avoiding parts of yourself, but it is normal. It is human. And it does not mean that anyone else is allowed to invalidate who you are.

Daily Affirmation 388.

You are never required to explain how your asexuality works. You are never required to defend your asexuality. You are allowed to walk away from people who expect you to.

Space Food

The holiday season is upon us and much of the festivities revolve around food. While you decide whether to sauté or steam your green beans, let’s take a closer look at what astronauts eat while in space.

Since the start of human spaceflight, we’ve worked to improve the taste, texture and shelf life of food four our crews. Our food scientists are challenged with developing healthy menus that can meet all of the unique requirements for living and working in the extreme environment of space.

Consider the differences of living on Earth and in space. Food scientists must develop foods that will be easier to handle and consume in a microgravity environment. These food products require no refrigeration and provide the nutrition humans need to remain healthy during spaceflight.

Freeze drying food allows food to remain stable at ambient temperatures, while also significantly reducing the weight.

Fun Facts About Space Food:

Astronauts use tortillas in many of their meals

Tortillas provide an edible wrapper to keep food from floating away. Why tortillas and not bread? Tortillas make far less crumbs and can be stored easier. Bread crumbs could potentially float around and get stuck in filters or equipment.

The first food eaten by an American astronaut in space: Applesauce

The first American astronaut to eat in space dined on applesauce squeezed from a no-frills, aluminum toothpaste-like tube. Since then, food technology has cooked up better ways to prepare, package and preserve space fare in a tastier, more appetizing fashion.

All food that is sent to the space station is precooked

Sending precooked food means that it requires no refrigeration and is either ready to eat or can be prepared simply by adding water or by heating. The only exception are the fruit and vegetables stowed in the fresh food locker.

Salt and pepper are used in liquid form on the International Space Station

Seasonings like salt and pepper have to be used in liquid form and dispensed through a bottle on the space station. If they were granulated, the particles would float away before they even reached the food.

Food can taste bland in space

Some people who live in space have said that food is not the same while in microgravity. Some say that it tastes bland, some do not like their favorite foods and some love to eat foods they would never eat on Earth. We believe this phenomenon is caused by something called “stuffy head” This happens when crew member’s heads get stopped up because blood collects in the upper part of the body. For this reason, hot sauce is used A LOT on the space station to make up for the bland flavor.

Astronaut ice cream is not actually eaten on the space station

Even though astronaut ice cream is sold in many science centers and enjoyed by many people on Earth, it’s not actually sent to the space station. That said, whenever there is space in a freezer heading to orbit, the astronauts can get real ice cream onboard! 

Instead of bowls there are bags and cans

Most American food is stored in sealed bags, while most Russian food is kept in cans. 

With all these new facts about space food, you’ll have plenty to talk about over Thanksgiving dinner. 

Here’s a picture of what the crew aboard the space station will enjoy this year: 

Smoked Turkey

Candied Yams

Rehydratable Corn

Potatoes Au Gratin 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Butterfly Nebula

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Milky Way over Spencer Bay, Moosehead Lake, Maine

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Galactic Standstill Lake Tenaya, California

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Daily Affirmation 386.

Your asexuality is not something you should be ashamed of. Your asexuality is not something that you should regret because of how it might affect your relationships. Your asexuality is not bad, regrettable, or shameful.

♥ Asexuals and Aromantics are valid and deserve our respect, without our questioning ♥