› added 6 years ago

141

TIL that after discovering Jupiter's intense radiation belt , NASA needed a last minute fix to shield the exterior cables of the Voyager deep space probes. They sent a technician to the local supermarket, bought all of the kitchen grade aluminum foil, and wrapped it around the cables.

Read more amp.businessinsider.com

via reddit.com

WkkBX TIL There are still large concrete arrows across the US from the Transcontinental Airway System, which helped pilots prior to radio navigation
aXx0 TIL that in World War II, rationing laws prohibited the sale of freshly-baked bread because “the tastiness of just-baked bread is likely to encourage people to eat it immoderately”. Bread had to be at least 24 hours old before it was sold.
Wkj7B TIL the Japanese Shinkansen train network opened in 1964 and consists of 1,717 miles of track with trains reaching 200 MPH or 320 KM/H. Over the Shinkansen’s 50 year history there have been over 5.6 billion riders & not a single death or injury due to accident.
OoNa1 TIL that Jack Kirby - co-creator of Captain America - had street fights with Nazi sympathisers and later fought behind enemy lines in WW2.
W5LA TIL The term “pipe dream” came from people having fantasies from smoking an opium pipe.