24 September 2011 by Michelle.

How do you light the inside of a windowless room? With a bottle of water, of course! Driven by the outrageous price of electricity in the Philippines, Illac Diaz developed this economical and environmentally-friendly alternative. And in just four months, more than 15,000 bottles have been installed. How does it work? Imagine cutting a hole in the roof. Light enters, but so does the rain. Now plug the hole with a bottle of water. Sure, the bottle allows light in and not the rain, but the sunlight entering the bottle refracts in the water, spreading out into the room below! See these water bottles in action here.

Posted in sustainability, news, light, physics | No Comments »

8 September 2011 by Michelle.

As part of the Apollo program, United States astronauts (one was also a geologist) walked on the Moon six times between 1969 and 1972, the only times humans have set foot on another celestial body. Will we ever return? As the BBC describes, NASA has released high-resolution images of the Apollo landing sites, all located on the near side of the Moon. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera has been orbiting the Moon since 2009 at an average altitude of 31 mi (50 km) to gain information about potential future landing sites, and was able to move into an orbit bringing it just 13 mi (21 km) above the surface. Think the astronauts left the Moon in pristine condition? The pictures reveal tire tracks, astronaut boot prints, and discarded pieces of equipment.

Share your thoughts: Would you go to the Moon if you had the chance?

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