12 Out-Of-This-World NASA Facts

Find out why NASA's most accurate calculations only use 15 digits of pi.
12 Out-Of-This-World NASA Facts

Of all the United States governmental agencies, the most interesting one has definitely got to be the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA has absolutely captured our imagination and intrigue … exploring beyond on our puny planet and helping us to figure out what is going on in the universe. Besides putting the first humans on the Moon, the agency is responsible for products we use in our everyday lives. 

Although Shania Twain may not be impressed much by rocket scientists, we certainly are. For as limited as humanity is (hey, we barely understand our own bodies) it’s incredible that we are actively exploring beyond our planet. Hurtling living beings beyond our atmosphere and somehow figuring out how to get them back? We can barely figure out how to make an effective paper airplane. It’s amazing that people of the same species can do those kinds of calculations. With that said, here are some facts about NASA to keep you thinking to infinity and beyond…

NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson was the only American not on Earth during 9/11

CRACKED.COM NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson was the only American not on Earth during 9/11 Не watched the Twin Towers collapse from space.

Source: Independent 

Astronaut ice cream has never been to space

CRACKED.GOM Astronaut ice cream has never been to space Although created with NASA funding, the freeze-dried ice cream has never made it on a spaceship ... it's too crumbly to be practical.

Source: Particle

NASA dumps its trash in the Pacific Ocean

CRACKED.COM NASA dumps its trash in the Pacific Ocean Point Nemo (the most remote oceanic area, located between New Zealand and South America) is a spacecraft cemetery for multiple countries.

Source: Inverse

NASA is confused as to what just crashed into the Moon

CRACKED.COM NASA is confused as to what just crashed into the Moon The 'mystery rocket body' left an equally mysterious double crater on the Moon's surface on March 4, 2022.

Source: USA Today

Guy Bluford was the first Black American astronaut in space

CRACKED.COM Guy Bluford was the first Black American astronaut in space MF43E MF43G In 1983, he was a crew member of the Orbiter Challenger. The first person of African descent in space was Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez in 1980.

Source: NASA

Astronauts may experience the "overview effect"

CRACKED.COM Astronauts may experience the overview effect This phenomenon refers to the powerful shift in perspective that happens when you view the Earth from space, causing a dramatic shift in priorities.

Source: NASA

Buzz Aldrin almost didn't go to the moon because of his personality

CRACKED.COM Buzz Aldrin almost didn't go to the moon because of his personality Aldrin was said to have a personality that grated on several of the other astronauts so Armstrong was offered the chance to replace him with Jim Lovell, but Armstrong refused because he believed Lovell deserved his own mission to command.

Source: Smithsonian

NASA doesn't make money off merch with its logo

CRACKED.COM NASA doesn't make money off merch with its logo NASA Even at gift shops at NASA facilities, NASA doesn't make one cent as their logos are in the public domain. The gift shops are run by Hudson Group (which you probably by their airport stores). NASA can, however, approve or deny requests for its use.

Source: LA Times

2/3 of NASA astronauts were Boy or Girl Scouts

CRACKED.COM 2/3 of NASA astronauts were Boy/Girl Scouts As of 2011 (which is, okay, pretty outdated), there were 312 people selected to be astronauts, with at least 207 identifying as a Boy or Girl Scout. 11 out of the 12 people to walk on the moon were.

Source: NASA

NASA

CRACKED.COM NASA only uses 15 digits of П =3.141592653 7932384626 For the highest accuracy calculations, NASA only needs to use 3.1415 59265358979. Even when doing calculations for the circumference of a circle with a radius of 46 billion light years (the entire visible universe) to an accuracy equal to the diameter of the simplest atom, you would only need 39 or 40 decimal places

Source: NASA

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