Technology Slice

International Space Station Cooling Glitch

International Space Station Cooling Glitch – Half of the International Space Station’s cooling system suddenly shut down during the weekend, forcing the astronauts to power down equipment and face the likelihood of urgent spacewalking repairs. After huddling Sunday, NASA managers gave preliminary approval for a pair of spacewalks, the first of which would take place [...]

Tags: Alarms, Ammonia, Astronaut Tracy Caldwell, Astronauts, Board Operations, Chores, Circuit Breaker, Cooling System, Dyson, Electronic Equipment, Glitch, International Space Station, Jumper Cable, Nasa Managers, Occupants, Outpost, Routine Maintenance, Safeguard, Spacewalk, Wheelock
Posted in Science

Space Shuttle Discovery Comes Home

Space Shuttle Discovery Comes Home – The space shuttle Discovery safely returned to Earth after bad weather caused NASA Mission Control to postpone the shuttle’s landing three times. Discovery and its seven astronauts landed at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center runway 33.

Tags: Ammonia, Astronauts, bad weather, Bunks, Center Runway, Coolant, Home Space, Kennedy Space Center, Million Miles, Mission Discovery, nasa, Nasa Mission Control, Occupants, Orbits, Science Experiments, Space Shuttle Discovery, Space Station, Tonnes, Touchdown, twitter
Posted in Science

Open Question: Why do people think aquariums are bad for hamsters?

Like almost everyone i’ve heard says that aquariums are bad for hamsters. I disagree. I have a syrian hamster, she is in a 30 gallon aquarium, which is 12 x 36 floor space, bigger than ANY hamster cage I’ve ever saw. So why is it “bad” for them? I get dissed ALL the time for having mine in an aquarium.

Here’s what I’ve been told:

1. not enough space. I totally disagree, it’s bigger then anything else i’ve seen.

2. Not enough ventilation. Mine has a wire mesh top, and there is plenty of ventilation, because it’s pretty huge for a hamster, and the sides aren’t that tall at all.

3. nothing to climb on. For me, I don’t see that as a problem, i see it as a good thing. Mine used to climb on the wire cage i used to have, fall from the top, and sometimes landing on a hard plastic food dish or getting hit by the water bottle.

4. no wheels. Actually, they have wheels that stand up on their own. And i have chew toys, blocks, puzzle playgrounds, an igloo, a hammock(hanging from the wire top), a cube, a strawberry shaped house, a cozy bed, and a snack-shack hideaway.

5. ammonia buildup. I use carefresh ultra, which blocks ammonia buildup better than anything, so that’s not true either.

So, is there any REAL reason I shouldn’t house my syrian in an aquarium? And does anyone else feel the same way about being lectured about aquariums, and saying to “go for a wire cage or bin cage instead” , and aren’t bin cages practically the same thing, except it only has a couple holes for air and made of plastic?

Thanks, and feel free to express your opinions on this subject, because I won’t bite if you disagree.

Tags: 30 Gallon Aquarium, Ammonia, Couple Holes, Cozy Bed, Floor Space, Food Dish, Hammock, Hamster, Hamster Cage, Hamsters, Hideaway, Open Question, Plastic Food, Playgrounds, Real Reason, Snack Shack, Syrian Hamster, Water Bottle, Wire Cage, Wire Mesh
Posted in General