The Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA) has released high-definition video captured by the Kaguya moon probe moments before crashing onto the lunar surface on June 11.
The 3D movie was created based on observation data captured about 12 minutes prior to the controlled crash, as the probe headed toward its final destination near the Gill crater. The video goes black at the end as Kaguya moves into the dark area of the moon.
JAXA has also released a few still images of the view during the final approach:
It can't make sushi yet, but a human-like robotic hand developed by Kyoto-based factory automation firm Squse is dexterous enough to handle it like a pro.
The fleshy robot hand, which weighs 340 grams and consists of soft silicone skin stretched over a polycarbonate skeleton, has 22 pneumatically-powered artificial muscles that enable it to bend its fingers like a human hand. The robot can perform 20 different moves, ranging from a delicate two-finger pinch to a full-hand squeeze.
According to Squse, the robot's delicate grip makes it suitable for a variety of manual labor jobs that require a human touch, such as handling parts in the factory, packing food, or even harvesting crops on the farm. The hand might also be used as a prosthetic limb, say the developers.
"Unko-san," a new anime series about a brown turd-shaped fairy with lots of luck, is fast becoming the rage among high school girls in western Japan. Short episodes of the anime are now showing in the Osaka area on Kansai TV's "Otoemon" music program. The stories revolve around Unko-san -- whose name is a play on the Japanese words for "luck" (un) and "crap" (unko) -- and his quest for happiness on Lucky Island, which is populated by a host of other poo fairies.
Astronaut Koichi Wakata, who has been living aboard the International Space Station since mid-March, has carried out a series of offbeat space experiments proposed by the Japanese public.
The experiments, which the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has dubbed "Try Zero-G," consist mainly of physical exercises and gymnastics (including calisthenics, push-ups, flips, twirls, cartwheels, overhead soccer kicks, and swimming). In addition, Wakata folds clothes, rides a ?magic carpet,? squirts water from a syringe, puts eyedrops in his eye, and attempts to propel himself through the room by flapping a fan. He also enlists the help of a fellow astronaut for some arm wrestling, hand-shaking, slap sumo, and tug of war.
[Soundtrack: "Seashell" by Skylab (from the "Skylab#1" CD)]
WAHHA GO GO, the latest nonsense machine by Tokyo-based multimedia art "company" Maywa Denki, is a manually operated device designed just for giggles. To activate the machine -- which looks like a skeletal humanoid with accordion-like lungs and a big toothy grin that takes up half its head -- simply spin the heavy metal disk mounted on its torso. WAHHA GO GO rears back its head, takes a deep breath, and exhales through artificial vocal cords to emit an uncanny laugh that invites you to laugh along with it (or at it).
In its final days before crashing into the surface of the moon on June 11, Japan's KAGUYA explorer has been shooting high-definition footage of the lunar terrain from low altitude.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which operates the HD camera-equipped probe along with public broadcaster NHK, has uploaded two videos on YouTube.
The first video (embedded above) was shot from an altitude of about 11 kilometers (7 miles) up, at between 45 and 52 degrees south latitude and 262 and 263 degrees east longitude.
The second video, which offers a view of the Antoniadi lunar crater, was shot from an altitude of about 21 kilometers (13 miles) up, at between 64 and 70 degrees south latitude and 186 and 188 degrees east longitude.
After its launch in late 2007, KAGUYA started in orbit about 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the moon. In February 2009 the probe dropped to an altitude of 50 kilometers (31 miles), and in April it dropped to between 10 and 30 kilometers (6 - 19 miles).
The KAGUYA probe will end its scientific exploration of the moon with a controlled impact on the lunar surface. The crash, scheduled for 3:30 AM (Japan standard time) on June 11, 2009 (6:30 PM GMT on June 10, 2009), will occur in the shadow on the near side of the moon, at 63 degrees south latitude and 80 degrees east longitude.
The red star shows where KAGUYA is expected to crash
JAXA has not announced whether the probe will film its own demise.
Here is some awesome turn-of-the-century footage of "Robo Alpha" (noise artist Government Alpha in robot disguise) rocking Detroit. (Best enjoyed at maximum volume.)
Nothing says "marriage or bust" quite like the Marriage-Hunting Bra (Konkatsu Bra), a new concept lingerie by Triumph International designed to help the marriage-minded woman find a husband by displaying how much time remains until she hopes to tie the knot. (Watch video.)
In addition to the easy-to-read LED display that shows the number of days until the wearer's ideal wedding date, the white lace bra -- which has the look and feel of a wedding dress -- features a ring holder and convenient pockets for a pen and official stamp seal, which will be needed when filling out the marriage license application.
Triumph, which unveils a new concept bra every six months, hopes the Marriage-Hunting Bra will encourage more people to get hitched, even though it is not for sale. The creators were inspired by Konkatsu-Jidai ("The Times of Marriage-Hunting"), a recent best-seller by Toko Shirakawa that looks at Japan's declining marriage rate and the growing difficulty that people in their 30s and 40s face when seeking marriage partners.
Recent statistics indicate that 47 percent of men and 32 percent of women in their early 30s are unmarried. These figures appear to be on the rise as people focus more on career than on family, and as people increasingly view marriage as a personal preference, not an essential part of life.
