Gravity Probe B gets heavy with gravity

It has taken 52 years, but one of Nasa’s longest-running projects has helped confirm Einstein’s genius once again.

The Gravity Probe B experiment used four perfectly engineered gyroscopic spheres to put two of Einstein’s key predictions about the nature of gravity to test.

His theory of relativity predicted that a massive object, such as Earth, would bend and twist the four-dimensions of space-time (three dimensional space merged with time) around it.

Gamma-ray bursts, served two ways

Two recent revelations about the formation of gamma-ray bursts have inspired Cosm's finest chef to create a pair of truly galactic recipes. Bon Appétit!

Recipe 1: Black hole and star flambé

This delightful recipe is slow-burner that will certainly surprise your guests and keeps on giving that gamma-ray goodness for several weeks

Until recently gamma-ray bursts were one of the biggest mysteries facing astronomy. Discovered by mistake in the 1960s by satellites looking out for Soviet nuclear weapon testing, gamma-ray bursts are short-lived blasts of gamma-ray photons that, for a fraction of a second, can outshine even the biggest galaxies.

Cosm graphic 'appears censored' in print!

Those of you who opened your Metro newspaper this morning with Cosm-induced anticipation, might have been confused to find that Cosm had not only travelled back in time to 1961, but that a crucial graphic had been rendered unreadable.

Perhaps, as it travelled between 1961 and 2011, Cosm brought with it a Soviet-era censorship officer who, although confused at being dragged into the 21st century through a tear in space-time, still managed to prevent the Metro from revealing top secret information about the Russian's Vostok 1 space craft?

It may have been something as mundane as a cock up in the printing, but the carefully targeted nature of the 'printing error' leads me to believe that a KGB agent from 1961 somehow infiltrated the Metro's headquarters in Kensington, London and 'edited' away the sensitive data about Vostok 1.

I have informed the editor of this breach in security.

In the meantime, you can read the full, uncensored graphic here at CosmOnline.

Now I must go. There is someone dressed in black at the front door....

... and the back door....

... and the windows....

.... oh boy...