Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

Maggie goes places and talks to people. Find out where she'll be speaking next.

  • http://twitter.com/bradgall Brad Gall

    I’m looking forward to the book in the next 10-20 years that explains how the internet put humans into space.

    • timquinn

      and the follow up about how the space race put computers into every home and office.

  • kartwaffles

    Recorded on VHS, apparently.

  • http://artdonovan.typepad.com Art

    Once again,  shot with my Uncle Anthony’s 8mm Kodak “Vacation Master”.

  • s2redux

    For now, I just like seeing all that fire up close.

    I am so using that on my next Date Night. Thanx, Maggie!

  • GTA_John

    Good, very good.  But this, to me, reaches *awesome*  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlz5u1OBe_c#t=2m38s — I’m certain that I first found this on the NASA site in HD but cannot find it now. 

    • dpamac

      Agreed. That’s a beautiful film. But for awesome, in the it makes me giggle because “OH MY GOD FIRE,” is the static engine test of all five engines for the Saturn V first stage. I wish there were sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8DOXrhkHE8

      • GTA_John

         One of the Youtube links on that page takes you to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DariW4PUBOo — it does have some sound.  However, “sound” is a somewhat relative term here.  During a shuttle launch, people in the viewing stands (about 3 miles away) were exposed to about 120db (where 140db or so … don’t quote me, use your favourite search engine … is the threshold of pain).  Obviously, the closer you got to the launch pad the louder it got. 

        I’ve been around since well before Alan Sheppard and I never managed to get to Canveral/Kennedy/Canaveral for a launch … though I did visit between a couple of shuttle launches and still have a NASA mug after exiting via the gift shop!  Anyway, even with the noise suppression water, numerous birds are killed during each lift off — so it must get a tad difficult to carry on a conversation at normal levels.

      • Ed Carr

         http://youtu.be/9mCWv1axGCE

        • dpamac

          If it’s wrong to be in love with a rocket I dont’ want to be right.

  • rvernon

    100,000lbs of thrust?  Awwww…that’s cute.  If you want to go all Tim Allen on this, try 3.6 million lbs of thrust.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNBenbXJYF8

  • http://www.jimdraws.com Thorzdad

    Is Bezos’ group using NASA tech and advisers, too?

  • http://taupist.myopenid.com/ Anonymous

    Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor with a really big weed burner, that’s Just Plain Lazy.