This week brings us science fact:
Science Fiction:
And both combined, as Rocket and Groot return to space on an official NASA patch:
The Guardians of the Galaxy NASA patch and much more of both below, including some sort of con in, I think, San Diego:
The latest crew reach the International Space Station.
While back on Earth, robots walk like drunks:
The Pokémon Go app leads to fun for gamers, except when they discover dead bodies and encounter lurking muggers.
and cosplayers attend SF Cons and…
The big news: Juno is entering orbit around Jupiter, after a five-year journey. NASA’s mission page is here; Tweets are here.
More science-related news and video below.
We’ll give you Con and Cosplay content later this week!
A Japanese baseball game between the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Yakult Swallows played Ringu‘s Sadako and The Grudge‘s Kayako in a publicity stunt. Apparently a crossover movie is in the works. This is definitely a more horror-filled swing than that time Karloff took to home plate in full Frankenstein Monster make-up at a 1940 Hollywood Stars game.
Below: a meteor blazes over Phoenix, corporations look to the stars (or at least the moon and the asteroid belt), and cosplayers cosplay.
Today, Mars passes closer to Earth today than it has in eleven years.
And this past weekend saw a lot of SF conventions, including:
Apart from a Seattle Star Trek Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibit…
…this week also brings the resolution of a lawsuit over a fan film, a major medical breakthrough for AIDS treatment and the arrival at Kennedy Space Center of the craft that will head to the asteroid belt.
Alas, the internet rumors claiming….
Robot abbot:
Flying close to the sun:
The Solar Impulse 2 solar plane completed a successful crossing of the Pacific Ocean.
Peake Condition:
Astronaut Tim Peake completed the equivalent of a marathon on the ISS.
Inhuman Delay:
In movie space news, Marvel has removed the Inhumans from their current schedule, though it may be more of a rescheduling brought about by Spider-man’s arrival in the MCU. Unless, of course, Disney has a secret deal in the works to grab back the X-Men.
Puny god makes a guest appearance:
Live, from the uncanny valley:
As robotics technology develops, I suppose it was inevitable that some guy would build a Scarlett Johansson-bot.
And speaking of uncanny creepiness:
King Louie isn’t an orangutan in Disney’s strange new Jungle Book adaptation: he’s a Gigantopithecus!
What? You want actual news from space?
Blue Origin has another successful flight of its suborbital vehicle New Shepard.
And below….
What do we spy this week?
Besides some deep-diving children, who see like dolphins in the sea?
We have space news, a non-scamming Nigerian astronaut, new discoveries, ancient Middle Earth battles, and more, below:
The bordertown of Sarnia, Ontario, hosts its own one-day Con, the Sarnia Pop Culture Show. I spent most of the time working panels, but I captured a little of it. Fandom is everywhere!