“I come at space from a standpoint of a romantic belief that it really is part of our destiny, and it has been tragic to see what has happened to our space program over the last 30 years,” said Gingrich who is running neck and neck with wealthy tax evader Mitt Romney.

This is a markedly different tone from when he was Speaker of the House in 1995 and teaching a class at Georgia’s Reinhardt College, where he infamously told students “that they’d be better off” if NASA had “disbanded” after the Apollo moon landings. His press flack quickly retreated on the statement and said Gingrich was just being a “college professor talking about his ideas of the way things should work,” and not advocating for the dismantling of the space agency. It should also be noted, that under his leadership (and President Clinton’s), the budget for NASA was slashed by $715 million during his first year as speaker. Not surprisingly, he likes to lie about other things as well.

Separate “crew” members are responsible for the ship’s thrusts, right-left turning, maneuvering, “repairs” and etc. Part arty wow, part social experiment, “flying” this thing involves a lot of on-the-spot group collaboration, or as WNYC’s Carolina Miranda recalls, “heated shouting.” Sounds fun. When the ship crashes, everything spins, disorienting and spectacular… sounds very fun.

Created by indie game developers Babycastles and open-source software developer Ivan Safrin, Space Cruisers will be on view and playable at the Rose Center for Earth and Space for the American Museum of Natural History’s after-hours party Cosmic Cocktails and Space Arcade tonight, 6:30pm to 8:30pm and costs $75 to attend. Way cheaper than going to space, right?

The photos comprising the clip were taken this month.

Enjoy your space porn with a classic:

See it ripple with frequent lightning, glow with populated clusters and otherwise display its terrestrial splendor, whilst rubbing in the fact that some deep-pocketed Rusky will be enjoying it instead of NASA.

A brief five day trip will run the Nouveau Russkies around $160,000 plus the $825,000 for the trip. Once in space, they can gander at poor people of the Earth through large portholes, take showers in sealed compartments — instead of the sponge baths astronauts take at the International Space Station — and feast upon “braised veal cheeks with wild mushrooms, white bean puree, potato soup and plum compote” delivered via rockets, instead of munching on frieze-dried nutrient cubes.

If something goes wrong, the Russian astronauts will fetch someone from the International Space Station to go help. Wonder who’ll get stuck with space tourist duty…

You can buy the 4.5 X 6.5 card, complete with “Velcro strips which were used to affix it inside the spacecraft” at the RR Auction sale of space paraphernalia on January 13. Starting bid is $1000.

Unlike the Moon porno-cuffs, the subject is identifiable — Playboy Playmate DeDe Lind, Miss August 1967 who liked steak and dancing and 44 years later still looks peppy.

Did you see the lunar eclipse last night? Astronomy fans were especially excited since it occurred during the winter solstice. The last time that happened was 1638 and will be another 83 years before it happens again. Here’s what it looked like from Brooklyn.

(Photos: Andy Outis)

In case you were wondering why the Earth’s shadow casts a red hue on the Moon, NASA offers this explanation:

Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway. You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it’s not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.

And here’s a video from Gainsville, Florida:

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.