Pluto’s fourth and fifth moons named
Two tiny, recently-discovered satellites of dwarf planet Pluto have new named ratified by the International Astronomical Union; P4 is renamed Kerberos and P5 is renamed Styx. The names – related to the “underworld” theme that has governed the naming of Pluto and its moons to date – overlooks a popular online vote that suggested one of the moons should be named Vulcan, after Mr. Spock’s home planet in Star Trek. Kerberos, discoverd in 2011, is believed to be approximately 20 miles in diameter and orbits Pluto at a distance of roughly 37,000 miles. Styx, first sighted in 2012, is even smaller, with an estimated diameter of 15 miles, orbiting only 1,200 miles from Pluto, making it the innermost satellite (a distinction previously held by Pluto’s near-twin, Charon). NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will have the opportunity to see the new moons up close when it does a flyby of Pluto in 2015.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture soundtrack
Soundtrack specialty label La-La Land Records releases a long-awaited 3-CD set featuring – for the first time – the entirety of Jerry Goldsmith’s soundtrack from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Including spin-off singles (such as Shaun Cassidy’s infamous vocal version of the Ilia theme), unused music from an early draft of the score, and extensive liner notes, half of the set’s limited print run of 10,000 copies sells out within days, forcing the label to ask customers to wait for the rest of the copies to arrive at their warehouse.
Eureka: Mirror, Mirror
Syfy airs the 75th episode of the science fiction series Eureka, starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Joe Morton. Felicia Day (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Tembi Locke (Sliders) guest star.
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Eureka now streaming on Amazon Prime
James Doohan diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
Best known to Star Trek fans around the world as the original Enterprise’s tireless chief engineer, actor James Doohan and his family reveal that the actor is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. In an interview given to British satellite channel Sky News, Doohan’s wife says that thus far, the problem has only manifested itself as a frustrating loss for words. Doohan, now 84 years old, is due to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and plans to make one final convention appearance in late August alongside a rare reunion of the entire original surviving cast of Star Trek at an event titled “Beam Me Up, Scotty…One Last Time”.
Stargate SG-1: Seth
Pay cable channel Showtime premieres the 45th episode of Stargate SG-1.
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Stargate SG-1 now streaming on Amazon Prime
The Outer Limits: The Haven
Showtime airs the 102nd episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Torri Higginson (TekWar, Stargate Atlantis) guest stars.
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Perversions Of Science: Panic
The seventh episode of the adult-themed science fiction anthology series Perversions Of Science, based largely on stories published in Weird Science magazine, premieres on cable network HBO. Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl), Jamie Kennedy (Scream), and Harvey Korman guest star.
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Giotto comet chaser launched
The European Space Agency launches the unmanned Giotto space probe, designed to rendezvous with and observe Halley’s Comet during the comet’s pass through the inner solar system in 1986. The first-ever ESA mission aiming for a target beyond Earth orbit, Giotto is based loosely on the design of ESA’s GEOS satellites, with thick aluminum and Kevlar shielding to help the probe survive potential impacts with cometary matter as it closes in on Halley’s nucleus. Giotto is the first spacecraft ever to use Earth itself for a gravity assist maneuver (which later becomes standard practice with such space vehicles as Galileo, Messenger and Juno). It will go on to become the first vehicle to visit a comet.
Tales Of The Unexpected: Youth From Vienna
ITV airs the 82nd episode of the anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected. Dick Smothers, Sharon Gless, and Heather Locklear guest star.
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Tales Of The Unexpected now streaming on Amazon Prime
Jungle King
Japanese arcade game manufacturer Taito introduces its latest game, Jungle King, though the game will be known by that name for all of three months. A sampled “Tarzan yell” draws the legal wrath of the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate, and Taito rushes to replace the loincloth-clad player character with a more covered-up, pith-helmeted explorer, retitling the game Jungle Hunt in the process.
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Electric Light Orchestra – Time
Electric Light Orchestra‘s ninth album, the science fiction/time travel concept album Time, is released, featuring the singles “Hold On Tight”, “Here Is The News” and “Twilight”. For the first time, almost all of the album’s string parts are played on keyboards.
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Hear about it on the Sci-Fi 5 podcast
Survivors: Revenge
The 11th episode of Terry Nation’s post-apocalyptic series Survivors, Revenge premieres on the BBC.
The Tomorrow People: The Medusa Strain, Part 4
The ninth episode of The Tomorrow People is broadcast on ITV. Roger Bizley (I, Claudius) and Dave Prowse (Star Wars) guest star in the fourth and final part of a four-part serial.
Doctor Who: The War Machines, Part 2
The 124th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is the first complete story to take place in modern day England since An Unearthly Child.
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TIROS-10
NASA and the United States Weather Bureau launch the tenth and final experimental TIROS weather satellite, TIROS-10. Continuing to test technological upgrades for a fully-functional weather satellite fleet, TIROS-10 also provides additional coverage during hurricane seasons, and remains operational for exactly two years, at which point NASA begins a planned shutdown and phase-out of the experimental TIROS satellites in favor of the Nimbus and ESSA weather satellites.
Science Fiction Theatre: 100 Years Young
The 13th episode of the syndicated science fiction Science Fiction Theatre airs on stations across the U.S. Hosted by Truman Bradley, the episode stars Ruth Hussey and John Abbott.
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