The original Statue of Liberty torch — 3,600 pounds of copper and glass, and 16 feet tall — is being moved to the other side of Liberty Island. It took two years of worry and strategizing, but the day of truth is about to arrive for Doug Phelps. As part of a $100 million upgrade, the construction crew is moving the original Statue of Liberty torch from its resting place inside the statue’s pedestal, where it’s been on display since it was replaced in 1986, and relocating it to a new museum in Liberty Island.
Earth just had its 2nd-warmest October on record, according to NOAA data released Tuesday. NASA reported the same finding last week. The finding extends the planet's hot streak to 406 straight months with temperatures above the 20th century average. Meanwhile, the last colder-than-average month occurred in February 1985. This means that no one under the age of 32 has ever experienced a cooler-than-average month on this planet.
NASA's Voyager mission took advantage of a once-every-175-year alignment of the outer planets for a grand tour of the solar system. The twin spacecraft revealed details about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune -- using each planet's gravity to send them on to the next destination. Voyager set the stage for such ambitious orbiter missions as Galileo to Jupiter and Cassini to Saturn. Today both Voyager spacecraft continue to return valuable science from the far reaches of our solar system.
You could probably argue that the mind of the architect has never dreamed up a style of building quite as romantic as the Gothic fortress. There is something about its points and precision - sharp turrets pointing towards the heavens, a room at the top perfect for a trapped princess or a fairytale character in some curious peril - that sings across the centuries. What, after all, is the Cinderella Castle - the fibreglass fantasy which adorns Disney theme parks across the planet - but a modern evocation of this grand design?