Spaced Out Roundup

by Mike Krumboltz

Ever try to count all the stars in the sky? Don't. Scientists recently announced that there may be a billion (that's with a "b") more stars out there than they originally thought.

A buzzy article from the Discovery News explains that astronomers "may have underestimated the tally of galaxies in some parts of the universe by as much as 90 percent."

How could sky watchers have missed so many stars? Apparently, astronomers rely on ultraviolet light signatures to determine the number of stars in the cosmos. But that might not be the most accurate way to go about conducting a census of the universe. "In the case of very distant, old galaxies, the telltale light may not reach Earth as it is blocked by interstellar clouds of dust and gas -- and, as a result, these galaxies are missed by the map-makers." The story inspired a slew of searches on everything from "how many stars in the sky" to "how to count stars."

That epic miscalculation was only one of several space-related stories making news. Also soaring to the top of the Buzz: A homemade helium balloon and camera that captures images from the edge of space. Brit Robert Harrison's homemade device can soar 20 miles above the earth. The photos it takes are incredibly impressive. So impressive, in fact, that NASA reportedly got in touch with the father of three. They apparently told him that the space agency would have had to have spend millions of dollars to get similar results. Harrison's budget was a comparatively modest $815.

Clearly Mr. Harrison is resourceful with his funds, but even he would be jealous at the idea of an International Space Station (ISS) "man cave," complete with its very own robot butler. That's right, kids. A robot butler. In space. Aw. Yeah. Here's the scoop: According to blog Universe Today the ISS will soon be getting a new Multi Purpose Logistics Module. Eventually, the Module could be transformed to a quiet place where astronauts can get away from it all. Best of all, the proposed den may have a helpful resident. The Robonaut 2 features a human-like torso, head, and arms that astronauts can control via virtual-reality. Best of all, it never complains about Cheeto dust, a problem in any true man cave. Robonaut 2 will be joining the ISS on April 5.