Secret Science of the Occult

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary Ancient Discoveries - Secret Science of the Occult.

Do not let the title of this instalment of Ancient Discoveries mislead you. It is not a affirmation of the esoteric world of occult but rather a behind the scenes look at the technical wizardry employed to bedazzle worshipers and instill fear in attacking enemy forces bent on conquest and pillage.

How Does the Universe Really Work?

Our universe. It’s awe-inspiring, and baffling. From colossal explosions of stars, to the strange movements of tiny particles, each new discovery seems to uncover a new layer of mystery. Our understanding of the world around us has taken us from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age. Now, ironclad laws of physics are breaking apart. What we believe of reality may not be real at all. The future of humanity depends on our discovering how the universe really works. ~ Morgan Freeman, Through the Wormhole, How Does the Universe Work?

Since the ancient Greeks first speculated that everything they observed in reality was the result of the interaction of tiny particles they called atoms, great thinkers have tried to find a single mathematical formula that governs and explains the workings of the entire universe. So far, though, even minds as brilliant as physicists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking have been unable to come up with that single grand equation of everything, also known as the theory of everything, or the final theory. Nevertheless, they continue to try, because without that final piece of the puzzle that is reality, the sum total of what we know falls a bit short of making sense.

Today on Discovery Enterprise we join host Morgan Freeman on a quest to answer the question – How does the Universe work? This sixth episode of the second season is perhaps the best episode of the entire series that has aired to date.

Magnets and Magnetism

Today on Discovery Enterprise we focus our attention on magnets and magnetism and the technological applications associated with this familiar yet mysterious force.

With their strange forces of attraction and repulsion, magnets are an endless source of fascination, and the familiar red and black horseshoe-shaped examples have long been fixtures in children's toy boxes. But the world of magnets goes far beyond kids' stuff. From electric guitars to deep-space exploration, Modern Marvels® takes a fascinating look at the pervasive and powerful magnet, showing how it serves to underpin a vast range of the devices and technologies that we take for granted in the modern world.

Earth's Trojan

Considering that Mars  has them I have long expected Earth would have them too. Now it has been confirmed, there is an asteroid located in the Sun-Earth Lagrange point. Currently it has nor real name just a boring number  2010 TK7. My suggestion for a name is Fido because like a faithful dog it has kept earth company for years.

The WISE telescope scanned the entire sky in infrared light from January 2010 to February 2011. Connors and his team began their search for an Earth Trojan using data from NEOWISE, an addition to the WISE mission that focused in part on near-Earth objects, or NEOs, such as asteroids and comets. NEOs are bodies that pass within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) of Earth's path around the sun. The NEOWISE project observed more than 155,000 asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, and more than 500 NEOs, discovering 132 that were previously unknown.

The team's hunt resulted in two Trojan candidates. One called 2010 TK7 was confirmed as an Earth Trojan after follow-up observations with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

The asteroid is roughly 1,000 feet (300 meters) in diameter. It has an unusual orbit that traces a complex motion near a stable point in the plane of Earth's orbit, although the asteroid also moves above and below the plane. The object is about 50 million miles (80 million kilometers) from Earth. The asteroid's orbit is well-defined and for at least the next 100 years, it will not come closer to Earth than 15 million miles (24 million kilometers). .....

Journey to the Earth's Core

Humans have explored and settled every corner of the globe from jungles and deserts to the frigid polar wastelands. We have also taken our forays into the depths of the oceans and walked on the Moon. Yet, we have not made any real extensive headway into our planet’s interior.

Deep Sea Salvage

Today on Discovery Enterprise we focus our attention on the occupation and technology of Deep Sea Salvage.

Driven by the need for deep sea rescue and salvage capabilities, the US Navy Diving and Salvage Programs have gathered together a highly skilled team of divers, scientists and engineers, who have been involved in some of the most exciting and dangerous salvage operations ever undertaken. Ride aboard the USS Salvor, which is equipped with underwater remote operated robots and see how they were put to use following the crash of TWA Flight 800. We'll examine the bomb locating mini-sub Alvin and learn about "Saturation Diving" which allows divers to stay below for days at a time.

Cars, Planes and Rocket Ships of the Ancients

Today on Discovery Enterprise we explore the exciting possibility that the ancient civilizations of the classical world already had a conceptual inkling of transportation technology presaging that of the modern world.

Extrasensory perception (ESP): Is There a Sixth Sense?

Today on Discovery Enterprise we join host Morgan Freeman in another exciting episode of “Through the Wormhole” that will take us on beyond the five known senses into the realm of the paranormal of the sixth sense and Extrasensory perception (ESP).

Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch are the tools most of us depend on to perceive the world. But some people say they also can perceive things that are outside the range of the conventional senses, through some other channel for which there is no anatomical or neurological explanation. Scientific researchers who study such abilities call them extrasensory perception (ESP), but lay people often refer to them as the sixth sense

Destination Titan

Today on Discovery Enterprise we will embark on a two billion mile odyssey to Saturn’s Moon Titan as we follow in the wake of the intrepid Cassini spacecraft and its Huygens Titan lander.

It’s a voyage of exploration like no other – to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon and thought to resemble our own early Earth.

Comet Catastrophes

It has happened before, and it could happen again. Somewhere out in the dark depths of the Oort cloud there lurks a comet with our name on it.

Imagine the awesome effect of a three-mile wide comet crashing into the Indian Ocean.

Our ancestors may have witnessed global catastrophes that, today are lost in the mist of time and only dimly remembered in the myths and legends they weaved to explain traumatic episodes beyond their comprehension. These myths and tales may contain proverbial lessons key to our survival as a species.

Can We Travel Faster Than Light?

Light speed is called the ultimate speed limit of the universe and humanity will always remain confined to the solar system because of it, leaving other star systems and other galaxies forever beyond our reach. Unless, that is we can break the light barrier or circumvent the laws of relativistic physics and find short cuts in the fabric of space-time in the form of White Holes and Wormholes. These are the cosmic gateways that theoretically can zip you across vast distances in the twinkle of an eye or take you on voyages to parallel universes and on journeys across vast eons of time.

Nightmare

I saw this video months ago but found it too disturbing to post at the time. Now that  Shuttle missions are finally over I'm posting it. There were two lost Shuttle missions  thankfully there  will be no more.

James Burke on the Moon

Today on Discovery Enterprise we commemorate the forty second anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing with two retrospective documentaries presented by BBC veteran science journalist and science historian James Burke ten years after the event.

Happy Birthday and Godspeed John Glenn

No person alive has been more closely associated, for so long, with America's triumphs in space during the late 50s and early 60s than Ohio native John Glenn.

Here, on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday (July 18, 2011), we at Discovery Enterprise, present this film biography of Astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. It portrays Glenn's youth in New Concord, Ohio, his service as a combat pilot in World War II and the Korean War, and highlights of his momentous adventure as the pilot of Friendship 7.

On October 29, 1998, he became the oldest person to fly in space, and the only one to fly in both the Mercury and Space Shuttle programs, when at age 77, he flew on Discovery (STS-95). Glenn and  Scott Carpenter are the last surviving members of the Mercury Seven.

The John Glenn Story - 1963

Godspeed, John Glenn

The Siege of Troy

Today on Discovery Enterprise we journey back in time three thousand years to one of the most epic battles of ancient history – the Siege of Troy

For three thousand years the Siege of Troy has remained steeped in mystery. Journey with us in this exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series Ancient Discoveries, to the site in Turkey believed to be the location of the real Troy, as we analyze one of the world's greatest historical battlegrounds for new clues.

Ancient Discoveries - Machines II (Ancient Power)

Today on Discovery Enterprise we explore the technology of Ancient Greece and Rome that allowed these two civilizations to harness the natural power of water, the Sun and electricity in ways we never would have imagined.

This instalment of Ancient Discoveries examines how the ancient Romans and Greeks harnessed the natural forces of nature to power their civilizations.

Did Archimedes use solar power, creating the ancient equivalent of a death ray to defeat the Romans? Was he the first to concentrate the power of the sun for its utilization as an ancient defensive weapon?

Early historical accounts of the battle of Syracuse in 212 BC claim that Archimedes used polished shields to focus light onto the sails of the invading Roman ships and set them ablaze.

The Promise and Peril of Tides and Currents

Today on Discover Enterprise we will continue to explore the undersea universe and explore the beauty, mystery and awesome power of our planetary ocean’s tides and currents.

Tides and currents are part of our planetary ocean’s circulatory system carrying energy and nutrients to maintain life on Earth.

The oceans, since time immemorial, have been a source of bounty, supplying humankind with basic needs like food and transportation, and delighting us with its beauty and awe inspiring wonder.

Humanity is now turning to the seas once again, seeking another vital resource – energy. Within and beneath the waves lie proven reserves of clean, renewable energy contained within these tides and currents that offer great promise and potential to humankind. Yet, with this great promise comes great peril.

Are There More Than Three Dimensions?

We move and live in a universe comprised of three spatial dimensions: length, width, and height. However, Einstein revealed what was once unimaginable: time is actually a dimension and linked with space itself.

The Destruction of Sodom and Gommorah

Today on Discovery Enterprise we explore one of the greatest mysteries of the Bible the - Destruction of Sodom and Gommorah.

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is mentioned in chapters eighteen and nineteen of the book of Genesis. Can new discoveries in geology, archaeology, astronomy and climatology provide clues to what may actually have happened?

Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space

Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the award winning documentary - Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space.

Now, that the United States of America is retiring the Space Shuttle with no clear replacement currently in sight the question on many peoples minds has become: Is America about to relinquish the Economic and Military High Ground of Space?

The Machines of the East

Today on Discovery Enterprise we explore the Science and Technology of the Islamic Golden Age with another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series of Ancient Discoveries - Machines of the East.

This instalment of Ancient Discoveries exams the remarkable inventions of Arabic engineers such as Al-Jazari amongst others.

The Space Shuttle - The End of an Era

Today on Discovery Enterprise we join Star Trek’s William Shatner in bidding a fond farewell to America’s spaceplane and a remarkable era of achievement as we enter an age of uncertainty with regard to America’s future in Space.

The Second Assassination of JFK and the End of America’s Manned Spaceflight Program

After July 8^th, 2011 and more than thirty years of service, America’s Space Shuttle fleet will take to the skies no more. Today on Discovery Enterprise we present the award winning documentary “The 2nd Assassination of JFK” which explores what this may mean for the future of the American Space Flight program and the thousands of men and women at the Kennedy Space Center who will be losing their jobs and livelihoods.

The Space Shuttle program has been marked by incredible triumphs and blighted by devastating tragedies but will be remembered as an impressive chapter in the history of human space exploration. The question remains –Where do we go from here?

“The 2nd Assassination of JFK” focuses on the historical and future significance of American manned space flight and the importance of the United States remaining on the forefront of space discovery.

It also commemorates the Florida Coast's pivotal role in human space discovery. The future of the Space Program is examined through thought provoking interviews with astronauts, NASA engineers and the residents of the Space Coast in Florida, among others. With massive budget cuts from previous and current US administrations, the United States will soon be losing the collective workforce and genius behind America’s Space endeavours.

The Machines of Ancient China

Today on Discovery Enterprise we explore the technological revolution of Ancient China in another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series “Ancient Discoveries – Machines of Ancient China”.

Underwater Universe - Predators of the Deep

The Underwater Universe will present unprecedented beauty and peril in equal measure to future undersea colonists. Another of these perils will be the - Predators of the Deep.

The predators of the Underwater Universe have evolved to become our planet's most efficient killing machines. This episode explores the top five deadliest animals that no thinking human wants to tangle with, each more deadly than the next. But there is an unexpected twist, the number one predator might soon be replaced by another, far more menacing killer as ocean conditions change and traditional apex predators die out.

Does Time Really Exist?

Today on Discovery Enterprise we join host Morgan Freeman in another exciting episode of “Through the Wormhole” that will take us on a voyage of Discovery to answer to the question – Does Time Really Exist?

Living in Parallel Universes

Today on Discovery Enterprise we once again explore the possible existence of universes parallel to our own.

Parallel universes are strange hidden worlds, where an alternative reality exists and have been the subject of many a science fiction novel for decades.

Parallel universes sound like a myth and downright fantasy, but a surprising number of leading scientists believe they are real.

The Americas Before Columbus

Today on Discovery Enterprise we continue to commemorate the two hundred and thirty fifth anniversary of the founding of the United States of America and embark on an odyssey through time into the mysterious world of ancient American history to shed a light on a different history of the Americas.

History books traditionally depict the pre-Columbus Americas as a pristine wilderness where small native villages lived in harmony with nature. But scientific evidence tells a very different story: When Columbus stepped ashore in 1492, millions of people were already living there.

Dixie Victorious

Four score and seven years after the founding of our great nation, the United States of America found itself embroiled in a bloody civil war pitting brother against brother and father against son.   History records that the Union won this bitter conflict thus preserving the integrity and unity of the American republic.

Today on Discovery Enterprise in order to commemorate the two hundred and thirty fifth anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, we take another foray into alternative history and explore the world of Dixie Victorious and visit an alternate timeline where the Confederate States of America (C.S.A.) won the American Civil War and the institution of slavery persists till this day.

Our point of diversion occurs when the imperial powers of Great Britain and France intervened on the side of the Dixie Republic resulting in the defeat of the Union forces at Gettysburg in 1863………

My plan for the Conquest of Space

We are at the dawn of  the great  new age of human space exploration ….. or at the beginning of the long dark night of human space abandonment. Experts are not sure which , maybe it will be both.  On one hand the Space Shuttle is being retired and it been years since China launched an astronaut. That means the Russian Soyuz , a vehicle first  flown in the time of “I  Dream of Jennie”  and flared purple trousers , will be the only way to get humans to Space.  On the other hand Space entrepreneurs are building new launch vehicles and crewed spaceships but they have yet to put anyone into orbit.

Many scientists and scholars have thought hard about this problem and made recommendations to governments on how a robust, sustainable, Space exploration program could be had. In fact,  President Obama ordered the Augustine commission to report on the matter. Politicians gave the report  the expected serious consideration.  Congress then showed geat  confidence in NASA.  Fully aware that despite several expensive efforts NASA has not built a new orbital rocket for  30 years,  it  bravely ordered the agency to build a new super heavy lift rocket without adequate funding.    

So with that background I'll like to present my own plan for space exploration which I'm sure will be treated with the same degree of respect as any proposal by those learned scholars.

Who Really Discovered America?

Today on Discovery Enterprise in order to commemorate the two hundred and thirty fifth anniversary of the founding of the United States of America we explore the question - Who Really Discovered America?

This documentary explores the possibility that a number of explorers discovered the New World long before Christopher Columbus staked his claim in 1492.

No less than a dozen cultures have tales of these adventurers woven into their histories, but they are noticeably absent in American history books. This documentary explores the possibility the Chinese, Japanese, Polynesians, Norse, Welsh, Irish, Ancient Hebrews and the Solutreans all made it to the Americas earlier than Columbus.

Add Who Really Discovered America? to your DVD collection which is available from Amazon.com.

Who Really Discovered America On YouTube 

 

Who Really Discovered America?

Can We Make It To Mars?

Today on Discovery Enterprise we explore the question - Can humans survive a trip to Mars and back that could take two to three years?

This episode of NOVA scienceNOW hosted by Neil Degrasse Tyson, explores all of the perils of a journey to Mars, including deadly meteoroids, bone and muscle deterioration, and cosmic radiation.

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson checks in with scientists who are developing new ways to keep astronauts alive on such a journey. Among the innovations covered are meteoroid-proof materials, new space foods and spacesuits, and novel modes of transport, such as plasma rockets. This episode also profiles young female scientist and daredevil Vandi Verma, part of the team that drives the Mars rovers on the Martian surface.

Add this exciting episode of NOVA scienceNOW to your DVD collection which is available from Amazon.com.

NOVA Science Now: Can We Make It To Mars?

Ancient Discoveries - Mega Ocean Conquest

Today on Discovery Enterprise we again explore the exciting field of underwater archaeology with acclaimed documentary series “Ancient Discoveries”

“Mega Ocean Conquest” reveals how an ancient destroyer rammed its way to victory in one of the most significant of sea battles.