You saw it on the news. You read about it in the press. But now you can learn the inside story of the team that launched the world’s first civilian rocket into space.

As many of you know, I was one of the team leaders of this historic mission.  On May 17, 2004, after years of agonizing rocket crashes and catastrophes — some quite spectacular — we accomplished our remarkable goal.

I stuffed the book with 90 full-color photos to bring the adventure to life in vivid detail.  It’s 244 pages long in a wonderfully oversized 6×9 format.  (Paperback size wouldn’t do justice to the glorious color images.)  Check out the covers here.

You can order the book from Amazon by clicking here.

I encourage you to check out my book’s companion Web site at www.TheNewRaceToSpace.com.  You’ll see lots of interesting videos and other neat stories. And, as a bonus, you can save $2.00 if you use the Web site’s special ordering link and enter Discount Code NDE55XNW.

My brother-in-law, Larry, gave my wife, Elsie, a musical Christmas ornament 23 years ago — when he was just 8 years old.  23 years later, the Christmas ornament still plays its song — Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — with the ORIGINAL BATTERY.  It would seem technically impossible.  But, for some unexplained reason, the ornament keeps working.

Not even today’s advanced lithium batteries would function for 23 years.  (Their shelf life is approx. 10 years.)  And back 23 years ago, the battery that was glued into the ornament was the cheapest possible — as the entire ornament only cost Larry a few dollars.  The battery should have lasted four or five years, at most.  But now we’re just two years short of a QUARTER CENTURY.

Would you like to see and hear the ornament for yourself?  Here’s a link to a YouTube video of Elsie and Larry playing the ornament on December 12, 2010.  And here’s a link to a YouTube video of Elsie, Larry, and other family members playing the ornament just a couple of days ago — on December 18, 2011.

You can also scroll down and click on the images below — to immediately play our 2010 and 2011 family YouTube videos.

None of my engineer buddies (in fact, no one who I’ve talked to) has been able to suggest a plausible reason why this ornament continues to play, year after year.  Hence it’s why our family has named it our “miracle Christmas ornament.”

Now, I’m not saying that this ornament is divinely powered.  For us, the phrase  is simply a fun way to talk about our annual family tradition regarding this amazing, never-quit, holiday gift.

How long will it keep going?  Will it make a full quarter of a century?  Impossible to predict.  We’re in uncharted territory.  I’ll keep you posted through the next couple of years.

Let me take this moment to wish a heartfelt “Happy Holidays” to all of my readers — of all faiths — around the globe.  Thank you for letting me be part of your world each week.

-- Eric

From December 12, 2010:

From December 18, 2011:

I come across all sorts of gizmos and gadgets.  One that struck me as truly brilliant is the “iCADE” iPad arcade cabinet.  Just pop in an iPad and — presto! — you’ve transformed it into a classic arcade (see picture) capable of playing dozens of your Atari favorites, like Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Missile Command, Battlezone, Super Breakout, and (one of my personal favorites) Tempest.  (I spent way too many hours playing Tempest in the arcade at UConn.  But I digress…)

I found the iCADE on sale at ThinkGeek for $69.99 (about 30 bucks less than other online stores).  Here’s the link:  http://bit.ly/s56vbe

And, yes, I bought one.  Couldn’t resist.

NOTE:  To complete the iPad-to-iCADE metamorphosis, you’ll also need to download the games from the Apple App Store.  Some are free (like Missile Command), some are 99 cents, and you can download the full collection of 100 Atari games for $14.99.  Enjoy!

I recently came across a Bushnell BackTrack Point-5 ultra-portable GPS at an L.L. Bean store.  It was on sale for $79.  I couldn’t resist finding out what such a low-priced GPS unit could do.  The unit also features a digital compass, altimeter, thermometer, and clock.

I was pleasantly surprised.  This little unit performed like a champ.   Within about 20 seconds of popping in two AAA batteries, the unit had already “locked” onto GPS satellites.  With a press of a button, the unit stored my location.  It gave me a choice of five location icons, as the device will allow up to five “waypoints” to be kept in memory.

My wife and I then went for a few-mile hike in an area with plenty  of hills, trees, and thick brush.   The  BackTrack Point-5 made our return trip simple.

With its small size and attached carabineer, you can just clip it onto your belt or backpack — and off you go.  For easy hikes, it may be all you need.  For more complex journeys, it would make a great backup.

If you’re looking for a “stocking stuffer” for the person who appreciates  unique gadgets, this should certainly be a pleaser.

HEAD’S UP:   I already thought it was a super deal for $79.  But I’ve also spotted it for just $68 at Walmart (online only) and $67 on Amazon.

Check out a minute-and-a-half video and product details at this link.

Image courtesy Bushnell

If you can locate the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and you have a good pair of binoculars or small telescope, you’ll be able to observe a supernova along with amateur and professional astronomers all over the world.

The best time for viewing is right after sunset, before the moon comes up and washes out the sky with its reflected light.

Here’s a link to an excellent one-and-a-half-minute YouTube video by Berkeley Lab scientist Peter Nugent that will help you spot and view the supernova:   http://bit.ly/qilPZ9

For additional information and images, visit the USA TODAY article at http://usat.ly/okjuOS.  (Click on the “BEFORE” and “AFTER” buttons in the USA TODAY interactive image.)

Image of The Pinwheel Galaxy (where the supernova is occurring) courtesy of Reuters and The Guardian.

According to a news report from the BBC, the world’s smallest electric motor “could have applications in both nanotechnology and in medicine….

“The butyl methyl sulphide molecule was placed on a clean copper surface, where its single sulfur atom acted as a pivot….  As well as forming a part of the tiniest machines the world has ever seen, such minute mechanics could be useful in medicine — for example, in the controlled delivery of drugs to targeted locations.

“The next thing to do is to…couple it to other molecules, lining them up next to one another so they’re like miniature cog-wheels.”

To read the complete BBC report, visit http://bbc.in/qZKTg4

Amazon’s Android-based Kindle tablet is about to send shock waves through the tablet PC marketplace.  The device is still so top secret, no photos have yet leaked out (but you can bet they will over the next few days).  Here’s what we do know:

*  Full-color 7″ screen
*  Two-finger multi-touch screen interface
*  Runs a specially customized version of Android 2.2
*  $250 — about half the cost of Apple’s base iPad

Amazon has a huge, loyal customer base and almost unlimited content. Its release of what will be an impressive full-color tablet PC, running the popular Android operating system, will be a game changer.  No, it won’t knock Apple off its roll with the iPad.  But it will make a serious dent.  As for the other tablet makers?  They’re in deep doo-doo.

Volkswagen’s annual car-design competition has a particularly bold entry by designer, Zhang Yuan.  Her design — called the Volkswagen Aqua — runs on hydrogen fuel cells that drive powerful fans for lift and propulsion.  The vehicle is designed to continually transition between land and water (snow and ice, too), so you could literally travel anywhere over any terrain.  Anticipated top speed is 62 MPH.

Check out a recent article at Discovery.com here:  http://bit.ly/jQXfGz

Fuel cells are becoming more and more viable as a zero-emission power source.  For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell.

Image courtesy Zhan Yuan / Volkwagen

I received lots of e-mails regarding my 3D human-organ “printer” articles.  On the lighter side of 3D printing are the amazing new “factory in a box” devices available to the public.  Make model cars, cutlery, drink bottles, chess set pieces, a lunch box, toy soldiers — let your imagination run wild — with just a push of a button.

MakerBot’s “Thing-O-Matic” is one of the leading gadgets in this new marketplace.  For $1,225, you can manufacture with plastic almost any hand-sized object you can imagine.  Just plug the Thing-O-Matic into your PC’s USB port and (using supplied software) it squirts out molten plastic, layer by layer, until your creation is completed.

Check out an excellent article from the UK’s DailyMail here http://bit.ly/fCQvkY.

Look out, Mars.  Here comes one bad-ass dune buggy.  If all goes as planned, the Mars Sciences Laboratory (MSL) — nicknamed “Curiosity” — will blast off to Mars early this winter.  It’s about the size of a Mini Cooper — five times larger than the previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity — and can travel faster, farther, and over rougher terrain than its Mars-vehicle cousins.

Curiosity is an audacious technical marvel in search of past or present life on Mars.  It uses a state-of-the-art radioactive power system to generate electricity and heat.  It’s jam-packed with a multi-million-dollar laboratory of scientific instruments.  And its ingenious landing system is right out of a science-fiction novel:  A “sky crane” will literally lower Curiosity from an above-flying descent stage to the Martian surface.

The launch window is November 25th through December 18th.  Pencil in August 2012 for a wild ride down to the Martian surface.

Rendering courtesy NASA / JPL-Caltech

On June 30th, the NHTSA provided exceptions to allow the “Transition” — the flying car by Terrafugia — to be driven on any road or flown from any regional airport.  With a push of a button, the wings extent or fold up.  For more info, visit www.terrafugia.com.

Even though tomorrow’s launch of the Space Shuttle marks the end of this venerable space-launch system, NASA still has a few innovations up its sleeve — including a bag designed to turn astronaut urine into a “sugary drink.”

In the 1960s, the rage was “Tang” in space.  Today it’s a sports drink that I’ve dubbed “Sweet Pee.”  (If that name becomes a hit, remember where you heard it first.)

Image courtesy Wired Magazine

Google’s popular “voice search” tool for mobile devices is now being rolled out to the desktop.  That’s one of the announcements Google execs made today at an event in San Francisco.  If you’re running the Chrome browser, you’ll now see a little microphone icon which, when clicked, will allow you to speak the item you are searching for.  (Chrome is an excellent & fast browser, BTW.)

Google also unveiled a “search by image” feature inspired by its mobile Google Goggles app.  Insert an image and Google will try to provide a search result that it feels is associated with that image.

For more information on this breaking news, check out the following article at SearchEngineLand.com:  http://selnd.com/mg13Jp

Smartphones, laptops, and tablets will soon be as thin and flexible as a piece of paper.  This is not science fiction.  It’s already happening.

According to Gizmag.com: “Researchers from the Human Media Lab at Canada’s Queen’s University have created a fully-functioning floppy smartphone [that they call a] Paperphone.  The Paperphone can do things like making and receiving calls, storing e-books, and playing music. [It] conforms to the shape of its user’s pocket or purse, and can even be operated through bending actions.”

“This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper,” said its creator, Roel Vertegaal, who is also the director of the Human Media Lab. “You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen.”

In just a few short years (perhaps sooner) computers like the MacBook Air will seem like boat anchors…the iPad will feel like a cast-iron frying pan…and you’ll be able to carry your smartphone like a dollar bill in your wallet.  It’s all right around the corner.

If you’re in marketing, advertising, publishing, or media services — this is critical knowledge if you want to stay ahead of the curve.  Two years from now, don’t say I didn’t give you a heads up….

The world is on the verge of a startling transformation in publishing.  E-readers, like Kindle, only present existing content in a digital form.  That’s blah.  Child’s play.  The true revolution in publishing is about to unfold before our eyes…and, in fact, all of our senses.

The future of publishing is an immersive, multi-media platform that allows users to interact with the content.  Not just display it.  But actually create an experience that’s unique to each and every reader (or, more appropriate, each participant).

Software platforms to develop such immersive content are becoming available.  I encourage you to view the following four-minute video:  http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_matas.html.  It will blow you away.

From a marketing standpoint, the possibilities and opportunities are boundless….

For instance, imagine creating interactive “product placements” that are unique to not only the content of the material — but also tailored to the reader’s / participant’s unique purchasing habits.  The information cloud — and now the publishing technology — will start making this very possible.  And very soon.

In the news or on the Web, you may have spotted a chair that appears to stand on just one leg.  Want to know the secret?  It’s revealed here:  http://on.mash.to/kg3WBM

As my parents will attest, as a child I would wake them up at all hours of the night to see unique celestial events.   From meteor showers to planetary peculiarities, I’d bring them outside in my PJs to witness whatever spectacle was occurring.   Many decades later, these curiosities are still fascinating to me.   Click on the picture for an enlarged depiction. And the following is a nice summary by Space.com:

“If you get up any morning for the next few weeks, you’ll be treated to the sight of all the planets except Saturn arrayed along the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky.  For the last two months, almost all the planets have been hiding behind the sun, but this week they all emerge and are arrayed in a grand line above the rising sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible, and you can add Uranus and Neptune to your count if you have binoculars or a small telescope.  This sky map of the six planets shows how they should appear at dawn to observers with clear weather and an unobstructed view.”

(PeopleForum) Watch out, smokers. Sweatshirts may soon fashionably display more than you want to know about that smoke you’re exhaling.

Two NYU graduate students have created an interactive project called “Warning Signs.” According to WNYC Culture, the duo has made sweatshirts that change color when exposed to high carbon monoxide levels. The shirts feature a heart or set of lungs — when the fabric is exposed to pollution (ranging from cigarette smoke to car exhaust), blue veins appear on the organ image.

Co-creator Nien Lam enjoyed watching his shirt in action: “When people would step out to have a cigarette, they would see our project, and then feel guilty going out to have that cigarette realizing, ‘Oh, this is actually what I’m doing to myself.’”

The American Lung Association reports that six in 10 Americans live in places with dangerous levels of air pollution. Cigarette smoking leads to over 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone. 600 million trees are destroyed per year to make dry tobacco.

The students are now considering clothing with alcohol sensors. They may have the liver change color when the wearer has consumed too much.  For the full article, visit http://bit.ly/feq3Nc

(WKDQ) Sure, he discovered the theory of general relativity, but compared to 12-year-old Jacob Barnett, Albert Einstein is starting to look like a slacker. According to BlipPitt, Barnett has already begun working on an expanded form of Einstein’s revolutionary theory, which has since been validated by professors at Princeton University. His IQ is currently 170 — higher than Einstein’s. Not bad for a 12-year-old, huh?  For the complete article, visit http://bit.ly/hJwEqj

To fight temperatures that can reach 122°F (50°C), robotic clouds will float above Qatar to shade the stadiums during World Cup play.   According to TIME, “The clouds are essentially massive blimps, filled with helium, and will be floated above stadiums.  Four onboard solar-powered engines will allow the clouds to be controlled from the ground, shifting along with the sun’s zenith, serving as a huge umbrella in the sky to shade spectators and athletes.”   Cost: $500,000 each.   Read more at http://ti.me/htSFPc

Updated version can automatically route drivers around high traffic areas by analysis of current conditions and historical traffic patterns.  Users can turn on a traffic layer to see current traffic conditions.  For more info, visit http://bit.ly/g1ynQJ.