The images section will surely be a hit, because it’s basically a treasure trove of cool and free wallpapers for you iPhone. There are two galleries available – the NASA image of the day and the Astronomy picture of the day. Is there any difference between the image of the day and the picture of the day?

The videos and updates sections offer more content, with YouTube clips in the former and twitter feeds in the latter.

Check out the app’s official page for more info. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can download it here (iTunes link). Do you think the other government agencies should come up with their own apps? I wonder what the IRS app would offer.

[via MethodShop]

Just as America’s Army was developed to simulate the Army experience without all that pesky paperwork and obedience, NASA’s game is set so simulate the astronaut experience. Astronaut’s aim is to expose a new generation to the intelligence and technology that the space program is built upon, and perhaps in doing so, recruit tomorrow’s engineers and astronauts.

The game is designed around mission-based play that promises to expose gamers to all the challenges of space exploration, just without the floating around. Personally, I could do without that anyway… but that may mean I’m not the target demographic!

[EDGE via Massively]

Gee, that design looks somehow familiar… and undeniably slick as a hanging light fixture. Definitely a lot cooler than a boring old ceiling fan (uh, except not literally).

Not that I’m insinuating anything here, but this sure looks like something that would have fit right into that summer movie with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. iTrek, was it? Star Gleam? I forget. But if you’re painting everything in your home white and adding a few touches of chrome, you might want to drop $189 on this space travel-approved chandelier.

[via SlipperyBrick via Gearfuse]

The Galactic Suite will look more or less like these artist renditions. Before customers can get to these glorified pods, they’ll have to undergo an eight-week training course, which will be conducted on a freaking tropical island. Then they’re off to the shuttle for the day and a half trip to the pods. Galactic Suites Ltd. Xavier Claramunt compares the pods to a mountain retreat, because there’s no staff there. But the shuttle will be docked with the pods the whole time, meaning the astronaut-pilots will be staying with the visitors, who by the way will wear velcro suits that stick to the walls of the Suite. Stay in a space hotel and be like Spiderman in one go. Damn you rich people.

Claramunt et al claim that a “billionaire space enthusiast” has invested $3 billion in their project, and that they already have 43 people on the reserved list. I hope these customers donate millions to charity too. I mean I know it’s their money, but come on. Whether the hotel will be operational in 2 years or in 5, space tourism will eventually take off and there will be takers, but these outrageous prices just makes me think how misplaced our priorities can be sometimes. But as I always say, it’s your money, so do what you want with it. If you’re interested, you should check out the company’s website for more info.

[via Yahoo! News via DVICE]

Problem is, the robot’s lithium ion batteries might succumb to the Moon’s nighttime temperature, which according to Inhabitat can be as low as -240°F (-151°C). Fortunately Whittaker and company still have more than a year to go to figure out a way to prevent the rover from suffering robotic hypothermia.

The rover has also been entered in Google’s $30 million (USD) Lunar X Prize, a challenge to build a robot that will – well whaddaya know – “safely land on the surface of the Moon, travel 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send images and data back to the Earth.” Aside from the solar panels, the rover is also equipped with a total of 8 motors, 2 in the hub of each wheel, a radiator (I think it’s not in the picture above).

I wish Dr. Whittaker and his collaborators at Astrobiotic Technology good luck. Also Dr. Whittaker, I suggest you contact the folks at College Humor; I hear they’re selling something that might be able to help protect the batteries from the cold.

[via Popular Science]

Pardon the lousy pose; the boy got hit by a meteorite. Give him a break. Anyway. On with his story. As if being struck by a meteorite wasn’t awesome enough, the Telegraph article which reported Gerrit’s experience is titled “14-year-old hit by 30,000 mph space meteorite.” Uhuh. German scientists have confirmed that the rock is indeed a meteorite, but methinks the Telegraph pulled a fast one on readers with that title.

Meteorites do enter Earth’s atmosphere at 5-figure speeds, but unless they weigh thousands of tons, the layers of atmosphere are going to break them down and slow them down to 200-400 mph. Still fast, but not 30,000 mph fast. I’m willing to bet my future firstborn that Gerrit’s meteorite did not hit him at 30,000 mph, because if it did, then at the very least Gerrit would have a hole in his hand.

[via Gizmodo]

Now, thanks to sculptor Andy Hill of Electro Art Works, you can own your very own one-of-a-kind ray gun. Each of Andy’s creations has a Buck Rogers-esque retro-future style, and is handmade from a mix of recycled and found objects.

And while none of these ray guns contain any circuitry that could actually blow up a planet, most of them do have a spring-loaded trigger to make you FEEL powerful.

Each one dons a perfectly appropriate name like the Leviton Vaporizer, The Exterminator or my personal favorite, the Buzzkill 5000.

Each one is a unique work of art, complete with a backstory about the battles and far-off planets they’ll be used on in the distant future (…the year 2000 – I just had to say that).

Some of the models shown above have already been sold, but a couple are currently available for about $300 to $350 (USD), a pretty good deal considering your plans for interplanetary domination.

You can check out all of Andy Hill’s retro-futuristic ray guns, as well as a bunch of of really cool robot sculptures at Electro Art Works.

Instead of just beeping when it’s time to get up, the Rocket Launcher Alarm Clock offers up a vocal countdown every morning, then fires a rocket into the air if you don’t turn it off before the timer runs out. If you don’t get to it before lift-off, you’ll have to run across the room, pick up the rocket, and place it back on the clock base to stop the alarm. And just in case you were worried about it, the rocket has a squishy foam tip, so you don’t need to worry about it poking your eye out when it lands on your head.

Ready to blast off into space? If you live in the UK, find one at DrinkStuff for £14.67 or in the States, head over to Perpetual Kid and plunk down your $25 bucks.

The shape of the chair is definitely weird; even Varier says it’s weird. And we all know that weirdly shaped furniture = expensive furniture. Not one to rebel,the Gravity Balans sells for $1,200. Clearly only handsome painters with level 2 stubble who love to nap after painting will be able to afford this.

Each of the 250 Gravity Balans recliners will be signed and numbered by its designer, Peter Opsvik. Buyers can customize their purchase with various colors and accents, and can even choose to have a “kid-friendly” version. I assume that the kid-friendly version can be used to go sledding. While experiencing zero gravity.

[via Asylum]

The robot imitates how a grasshopper builds up its energy before prior to jumping: “We’ve made a robot that jumps in a similar way to the grasshopper, but uses electrical motors to slowly store the energy needed to leap in its springy skeleton.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Before jumping, the robot squashes its spherical shape. When it is ready, it releases the stored energy all at once to jump to heights of up to half a metre.”

Forget land surveys, Rhodri. Think big. Think robot ninjas.

[University of Bath via robots.net]

Eagle this is Houston, what’s poppin? Over?

“Yeah, so.. I float over to where the cooler’s supposed to be, but in it’s place there’s this…I’m looking at this machine labeled “Urine Recycler”. Over.”

Don’t tell me it’s broken again! Dammit Timmy, I thought I told you to fix the Urine Recycler on the Endeavour!

“Houston, Houston: I don’t think it’s broken.”

What? So what’s the problem?

“The concept is the problem Houston. I have a problem with the whole freaking concept behind this machine.”

Eagle we spent $154 million on the Urine Recycler –

“And I spent half of my life training to do what? Drink my own — Jeebus Houston! How much does Gatorade cost nowadays?! How much for tap water?! What is this, Jackass? Am I being Punk’d or something?”

Eagle it’s not always urine; it also recycles moisture and sweat–

“I’m crashing the ISS on your ass in 3-2-1 you sadists.”

[via Scientific American]

The DZ7090 not only features a futuristic dot-matrix LCD digital face, but enshrouds it in a shiny patent silver metallic band that’s sure to bring out the Major Tom in you. And if silver isn’t your thing, there’s also an even more gaudy gold version (but that might get you kicked out of the Space Academy, you rebel, you.)

And speaking of Bowie in space, please relax and enjoy this musical interlude…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And just like the androgynous Bowie before it, the watch fits either men or women. So what are you waiting for? Get in your spaceship, blast off for the Diesel Time Frames shop, and plunk down your $140 spacebucks (or is that Starbucks?)

Handmade by Australian gadget builder RareBeasts, the battery-operated projector uses a super-bright green LED and a delicate wooden screen through which the light is shines.

So if you think the aliens are among us (or you just want to be among them), you can pick one up over on Etsy for $35.

The system combines both an MP3 player and a compact speaker system in a single conical device. Just plug it into an outlet, add your tunes on an SD or MMC memory card, and you’re ready to play your tunes. The system recently landed at DealExtreme for just under $90, including a 1GB Toshiba SD card.

All this talk about space capsules, and now I can’t get that 1970s Far Out Space Nuts show out of my mind.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

“I said lunch, not launch!” Classic stuff.

But give the watch a shake or tap on its screen, and the dots scatter around the surface to display the time.

Chinese Industrial designer Lv Zhogfang’s TIWE watch is just at the concept stage, but I’m really hoping he manages to get these produced. I’ll be the first in line.

[via MoCo Loco]

The Shenzhou VII rocket phone conjures up images of 1950s science fiction with its orange spaceship design. While it is definitely different, the shape isn’t particularly practical. In addition to being too big to fit comfortably in your pocket, it’s just a little too phallic for me. I just envision trying to go through airport security with one of these and a very Spinal Tap moment would ensue.

[Phonedaily via Le Journal du Geek]

The Fohenz Aqua FA-350 2.1-channel sound system features the requisite blue LED accent lights and comes in either white or black glossy finishes. The satellites and subwoofer look sort of like Apollo spaceship landing capsules to me (or giant Hershey’s Kisses when I’m feeling hungry.)

I’m baffled by the specs on these speakers, offering “RMS” wattage around 1.2 watts per channel (2.5 for the subwoofer), but “PMPO” wattage rating of a whopping 1200 watts. I’m gonna take a wild guess that the higher number is grossly exaggerated, and that they’ll sound about the same as any other cheap computer speakers. Still, they do look pretty cool.

They’re available from Korea’s dcx design shop for 21,000 KRW (just about 22 bucks), so at that price I wouldn’t expect much from these other than looks.

These Fuwarito lamps look like the earth and the moon, but are just simple helium-filled mylar balloons with an LED built into the bottom. Each light comes with a two cans of helium gas and weighted base to keep them from floating away. Turn the lights off, and you’ll feel like you’re floating around the galaxy with these hovering planetary bodies. They can be found at Japanese retailer ASCII for ¥3,343 each (about $27 USD.)

All you need to do is add one of those laser star projectors to complete the effect.

The TAM Rocket Belt is a complete rocket pack system which is custom fitted to the exact specifications of the pilot. It can lift a person of up to 300lbs., and has flown to heights over 100 feet in the air. It even includes the equipment necessary to make your own rocket fuel (using highly pressurized peroxide, so it’s not combustible.) They even throw in 10 training flights to make sure you don’t kill yourself before you take it home.

The only downside is that it only holds enough fuel to propel you into the air for about 10 to 15 seconds, so you won’t be going very far.

[via Geekologie]

If you can make out the cryptic diagrams above, little metal planets orbit a larger central planet at the middle of the “universe.” One planet signifies hours, another minutes, and the last tiny planet is the second hand. You can really only tell what time it is by viewing the clock from above, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not so bad. When viewed from the side, it still looks cool.

The clock is made out of aluminum and has an acrylic resin case to protect its mechanism. It’s just ¥3,990, which works out to be about $35 bucks, if you can manage to get one shipped overseas.

[UPDATE 4/24/2007: It looks like ThinkGeek has managed to import a handful of these from Japan, retailing for $49.99 each]