SpaceX Dragon spacecraft flying formation with International Space Station. Image: NASA

“Looks like we’ve got a Dragon by the tail,” said NASA astronaut Don Pettit.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule safely berthed to the International Space Station today, greeted by cheers in mission control and pronouncements about how a new era is beginning in orbit.

The Dragon did something that has happened dozens of times before — made a successful rendezvous with the space station to deliver supplies. But it’s the first privately-owned spacecraft to make the trip.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Mike Suffredini, NASA’s space station program manager, this afternoon. “I can’t tell you how proud we are to have been a part of this historic moment.”

“We’re incredibly excited,” said Elon Musk, the founder and head of SpaceX. “There’s so much that could have gone wrong and didn’t.”

NASA hopes private American companies will inexpensively deliver supplies, and eventually astronauts, to the station, something the U.S. has been unable to do without foreign help since the space shuttles were retired last year.

NASA TV

The berthing was done achingly slowly — standard procedure when two ships fly together in orbit at more than 17,000 miles per hour.  Rather than let the Dragon maneuver itself for a docking, astronaut Pettit reached out with the station’s robot arm to grab the approaching ship.

NASA TV

NASA said under current plans, Dragon will remain docked to the space station for unloading until May 31.  After undocking, SpaceX will order the ship to re-enter the atmosphere and splash down in the Pacific off the Southern California Coast.

NASA TV

“This is a fantastic thing,” said Musk, surrounded by cheering SpaceX employees in California, “but there are better things to come in the future.”

(Getty Images)

Researchers at Oxford University in England are taking on a big challenge with their latest DNA investigation: Bigfoot.

Scientists at the university’s Wolfson College have begun a study that sets out to identify the types of animals and species that hikers and mountaineers around the world have identified as Bigfoot, Yeti, and Sasquatch, according to the Associated Press.

Geneticist Bryan Sykes, who is leading the study, is asking anyone with evidence of Bigfoot or a Yeti to send in their evidence and help scientists figure out what the mythical creature actually could be. The scientists will perform DNA analysis on hair or other samples to try and identify the species of animal, according to the report.

“I’m challenging and inviting the cryptozoologists to come up with the evidence instead of complaining that science is rejecting what they have to say,” Sykes told Discovery News. He could not be reached by ABC News.

Sykes said he really doesn’t expect to find solid evidence that Bigfoot exists, but he’s keeping an open mind. He said it would be wonderful to find a species scientists didn’t previously know about — perhaps, as the project puts it, a “collateral hominid.”

Reports of Yetis began with pictures of giant footprints in the snowy Himalayas in the 1950s, and there have been sightings rumored in mountainous regions around the world.

People with evidence of Bigfoot, including hair, skin, or teeth samples, are urged to send a description of their items and photos to the researchers. Sykes and his team will then ask to sample the most promising evidence, and compile a full DNA profile for each of the samples.

“As an academic I have certain reservations about entering this field, but I think using genetic analysis is entirely objective; it can’t be falsified,” Sykes told Discovery News. “So I don’t have to put myself into the position of either believing or disbelieving these creatures.”

Stuntman  Gary Connery  plummeted from 2,400 feet — without a parachute — and landed completely unscathed in the middle of more than 18,000 cardboard boxes in Buckinghamshire, England, today.

Connery became the first person to jump out of an aircraft  wearing only a wingsuit and land without a parachute, the jump organizers said.

After exiting the helicopter, Connery, 42, reached speeds of 80 mph and then slowed to 50 mph before hitting the boxes. The jump lasted about 50 seconds.

“I feel incredible, just completely elated,” said Connery. “I have been training and planning for this record attempt for many years now, and I am so proud to have achieved a world first.”

Image Credit: Karen Sutton/Limelight Marketing/Getty Images

This time-lapse video of an annular solar eclipse was shot Sunday by Cory Poole, a 33-year-old physics and math teacher from Redding, Calif., who has  an interest in science and astronomy.

“Once I found out that the path of the annular eclipse went directly through my hometown, I knew I had to figure out how to record it,” he said today. “The eclipse itself was an amazing experience. Seeing pictures and video doesn’t do it justice.”

Poole told ABC News in an email that he’d researched solar telescopes and found that with a certain type of solar filter, a photographer could see prominences — “those little flame-like things protruding from the sun” — as well as granulation and detail on the surface.

He said that after searching on YouTube for similar eclipses and coming up with nothing, he decided to give it a try.

“There’s something magical about seeing it with your own eyes,” he said today.

Click Here for Pictures: Annular Solar Eclipse 2012

AP Photo/NASA

It was to have been the dawn of a new era, private companies launching into space and on to the International Space Station.

The first such launch was set for before dawn this morning, and it came tantalizingly close.

But the SpaceX rocket never got off the ground.

The launch was aborted just half a second before liftoff.

It was so close, that even NASA announcer George Diller was caught by surprise.

“Three, two, one, zero and liftoff,” said Diller. Then he realized the rocket was still on the pad, “We’ve had a cutoff. Liftoff did not occur.” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell blamed high combustion pressure in engine no. 5, one of nine engines needed for liftoff.

Onboard computers detected the problem, and shut everything down.

Shotwell said engineers will now being trouble shooting to find and fix the problem, and switch out the engine if necessary.

The next possible launch date is next Tuesday, May 22.

Despite the disappointment of today’s near-launch, Shotwell insisted, “This is not a failure. We aborted with purpose”, she said, “It would be a failure if we were to have lifted off with an engine trending in this direction.”

SpaceX is one of a handful of private companies racing to get into space, hoping to send cargo and eventually astronauts to the space station for NASA.

With the space shuttles parked in museums and NASA relying on the Russians for space transportation, the agency is looking to private companies to fill in the gap.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told ABC News, these commercial companies are “now going to be primarily responsible for building and operating, and we’re going to buy the service from them or purchase the service from them.”

NASA has shelled out $396 million to SpaceX for test flights, like this mission. It also has a $1.6 billion contract with the company for 12 cargo flights to the space station.

SpaceX is the dream of billionaire Elon Musk, who made his fortune creating PayPal.

He began his space efforts a decade ago.

Before the launch he was both realistic and optimistic.

Musk told ABC News, “I think we are more likely than not going to succeed in this mission but it is a test flight. And there is certainly any number of things that could go wrong. And so we may not actually. We have 2 more flights for later this year. So I’m confident that one of those flights will make it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Annular solar eclipse of Jan. 15, 2010, seen from Qingdao, China. ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

Enjoy the sun.  If you live along a narrow band across the southwestern United States, Sunday afternoon will bring the rare treat of an annular solar eclipse — a ring of sunlight as the new moon, passing between Earth and the sun, blocks most, but not all, of the sun’s disc.

Mind you, this is not the kind of eclipse of which you usually see pictures — the moon blocking the sun completely, creating a few moments of near-night in the middle of the day, with only the sun’s ethereal corona visible around the moon’s edges.  The sky will darken a bit, but there will still be a blindingly bright ring (an “annulus” in Latin) of sun, and it’s dangerous to look directly at it.

Still, there will be a striking sight to see, if you look at a heavily-filtered image projected onto a screen through binoculars or a small telescope, or protect your eyes with No. 14 arcwelders glass (not something found at most hardware stores).

The ring will be visible Sunday afternoon in a strip that begins on the California-Oregon coast and stretches southeastward across Reno, Nev., the Grand Canyon, and Albuquerque, N.M., and ends at sunset near Lubbock, Texas.  In the map here, the best viewing is in the yellow band; outside it, people will see a partial eclipse.

Path of annular eclipse from Northern California to West Texas. Michael Zeiler/Eclipse-Maps.com

The moon’s shadow moves quickly. Times when the moon’s disc will be most centered over the sun’s are as follows:

• Eureka, Calif.: 6:28 p.m. PDT
• Reno, Nev.: 6:31 p.m. PDT
• Albuquerque: 7:36 p.m. MDT (note the time zone change)
• Lubbock: 8:36 p.m. CDT (another time zone change)

Why this rare annular eclipse?  Because the moon, constant in size as it appears, does not move in a perfect circle around us.  Its orbit is slightly elliptical.  On average, it’s about 239,000 miles away, but at its closest it comes within about 225,000 miles of us.  At its farthest — as it will be Sunday — it’s a little more than 250,000 miles away.  It’s just enough of a difference so that the moon will only cover 88 percent of the sun.

(You may recall the “super moon” of two weeks ago; that night the full moon coincided with the low point of the moon’s orbit, making it look a little more vivid than usual.)

The Interior Department points out that a number of national parks — Redwoods and Lassen in California, Zion in Utah, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona, Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico — will all be at the center of the eclipse path.

But if you’re in the eclipse path, you really just need a place with a good clear view westward.  (Check our weather page for a local forecast, though most of the eclipse zone can expect clear skies, at the moment.)  You may want to go to a local observatory or planetarium, where viewing parties are likely.

And if you don’t feel like investing in welder’s glasses, you may be happy — seriously — with a piece of paper, or leafy trees around you.  Prick a small hole in the paper and it will act as a tiny lens, projecting a miniscule image of the sun onto the pavement.  Likewise, take advantage of the natural pinholes in many leaves.  As the eclipse approaches maximum, look down, not up.  If you’re lucky, you’ll see hundreds of little eclipse images dancing on the ground beneath your feet.

APPLE TV $99

Your grad is already living in an HD world and technology is doing its best to keep up. Apple has released the third generation of its Apple TV, bringing full 1080p HD and a new user interface to the tiny box that lets you stream video content from various sources.

For those apartment-hopping or possibly moving to a new city for a new job, there’s really no reason to sign up for cable, or make a huge commitment when you can stream movies and TV shows from iTunes, Netflix, MLB.TV and other subscription services. YouTube is available, of course as well as the ability to stream your own HD videos from your mobile devices using AirPlay over your Wi-Fi network. In fact, the Apple TV makes a great companion for your iPad as it will send movies, music, photos and video games to the TV screen using Apple’s AirPlay technology.

You’ll need to buy an HDMI cable separately.

< Click Here For More Info >

Logitech UE Air Speaker $399

Gone are the days of moving stereos and receivers and speakers, all your grad needs today is an AirPlay-enabled speaker and an iOS device and the music will flow. There are a few on the market but Logitech’s UE Air Speaker with dual tweeters and woofers is so stylish and elegant, it will fit nicely on any bookshelf or table.

AirPlay speakers let you take advantage of Apple’s ability to send uncompressed music from iTunes or an iPad/iPhone. You just need them both connected to your Wi-Fi network to get great-sounding audio that can fill a room. A built-in docking station lets you charge your device and play music at the same time.

< Click Here For More Info >

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 8GB $249

If you’re looking for a budget-priced tablet, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 for $249 is a great option. It has a 7-inch-screen, of course, front (VGA) and rear-facing (3MP) cameras and it’s running Android’s latest Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Unique to the new line of tablets is a built-in IR blaster that turns the tablet into a smart remote for your TV. The remote is powered by the Peel app, which, after learning which home entertainment products you use and who your provider is, provides a guide to help you find your favorite shows. For those who like to play along with a second screen, the Smart Remote also lets you share what you’re watching with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter.

The Galaxy Tab 2 is W-Fi only, which keeps costs down, so you’ll have to provide your own connection now that you’re off the wired campus. Though the tablet provides only 8 GB of storage, it does feature a slot for a MicroSD card to expand up to 32 GB.

< Click Here For More Info >

MARCHON EX 3D GLASSES $22-$75

If your grad is a movie buff, don’t let them get caught with geeky movie theater 3D glasses. Stylish glasses make a great gift that can be used over and over.

Whether you choose the wear-over model, the kind that fits right over your prescription glasses, or clip-ons that do just that, you’ll look great taking in a Real 3D movie or staying home to watch a passive 3DTV.

Marchon’s glasses are made with patented curved-lens technology, which allows for a wider field of peripheral viewing, giving you optimal 3D viewing. They’re Real 3D certified and compatible with most passive 3D technologies, such as TV’s and gaming systems.

HD PENCAM – MINI 720P VIDEO CAMERA & RECORDER $99

Here’s a high tech take on a tradition graduation gift. It’s a pen, but it’s also an HD video and audio recorder. So you can play James Bond, or take it with you to grad school to record notes and lectures. The Swann HD PenCam Mini 720p looks like an elegant ballpoint pen, with ribbed casing and gold trip, but it’s also got a teeny lens that lets you shoot video or stills at the push of a button. For students wanting to devour every minute of a lecture, you can add a 16GB MicroSD card which Swann says will hold up to eight hours. Data is uploaded via USB to your computer, which is also how you recharge the pen. Ink refills come the old-fashioned way.

< Click Here For More Info >

Image Credit: Research Center for Earth Operative Monitoring

This photo is the highest resolution image of earth ever taken and it didn’t come from NASA. The image was captured by Russian weather satellite, Electro-L, and unlike NASA’s famous “blue marble” photo, it is a single shot, not a composite of different images.

The 121 megapixel photo was taken as Electro-L orbited 22,369 miles above the equator, according to Gizmodo. The satellite took a photo every half hour combining four different wavelengths of light, three visible and one infrared. The infrared light is the reason the vegetation appears orange in the image.

In the video below, the photos, which were taken in May of 2011, are combined to show the passage of time.

Image credit: Berkeley Lab

Viruses might eventually be able to power the very phone, computer or tablet you’re reading this article on. And we’re not talking about those digital viruses or infestations — trojans, worms, and whatnot.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab have found a way to generate power using human viruses. Yes, those viruses inside your body. With a harmless specially engineered M13 virus, the group has been able to power a small display. The viruses can covert mechanical force into electricity.

“In near future,  we believe that we can develop personal electric generators. Basically, all of our daily activity related to mechanical movement (or vibration): walking, jogging, typing, etc.,” Seung-Wuk Lee, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Physical Biosciences Division, told ABC News. “For example, by installing our piezoelectric thin films on your shoes, we can convert our walking energy to electric energy. Therefore, with a phone in our pocket connected to our shoes, we can charge our phone.”

So how does it all work? While there’s lots of science to it all, the scientists tapped a finger on an electrode coated with the viruses and the viruses then converted the force of the tap into an electric charge.

And that force is critical to the equation. This is the first time electricity has been conducted by “harnessing the piezoelectric properties of biological material,” Berkeley Lab’s press release states. What that really means is that it is the first time electricity has been made by a combination of force and viruses.

But the scientists are picturing even broader uses. “In the future, because our M13 virus-based piezoelectric material is biocompatible, we can implant the virus-based piezoelectric power generator in our body and capture our heart perspiration as a electric power source of the biomedical devices or biosensors. Therefore, no more charging of your pacemakers, hearing aids, personal health monitoring sensors,” Lee explained.

However, this is still a ways out. According to Lee, the current power generation from the virus-based generator is not enough to power a phone yet.

“We are currently working on enhancing the power output of the virus-based piezoelectric generators,” Lee told us. “Through our approaches, we believe that we can achieve power enhancement 100-1000 times and develop the personal power generator  in near future.”

                                                                Image credit: Courtesy Greg Berns

Do you ever wonder what your dog is thinking, with his tail wagging, tongue out the side of his mouth? Does he really love you as much as you think?

Researchers at Emory University are one step closer to finding out. They are now conducting MRIs on dogs, looking for clues to what they’re thinking.

“We don’t really know what a dog is thinking because they can’t talk,” Greg Berns,  professor of Neuroeconomics at Emory University, told ABC News. “So more often than not, we project our own feelings and thoughts on them as if they’re coming from them, but they’re not — they’re coming from us.”

Giving a dog a brain scan should not be that hard.  But there was one problem: using anesthesia to sedate a dog alters its brain activity. They have to be fully conscious for an accurate scan.

Berns had a theory. If we can train dogs to skydive or rescue a drowning swimmer, why can’t we teach them to sit still for 10 minutes to conduct a successful MRI?

So he began training his dog Callie, a two-year-old Feist, or southern squirrel-hunting dog, to crawl into an MRI machine and sit still long enough for an accurate scan of her brain.

Once she was properly trained, the team did a number of scans, with fascinating results — and insights into what Callie was thinking.

“The first task was to see if we give hand signals to the dogs, can we see what parts of the brain are responding to see hand signals?” Berns said.

The answer was yes.

During the tests, researchers showed Callie hand signals she had already learned — one that meant she would get a treat and one that meant she wouldn’t.

When Callie was given the signal that she would get a treat, there was a clear difference in the scan in the area of the brain that processes feelings of reward.

“It proves they’ve transferred the meaning of the hand signal to something that’s important to them,” Berns said. “It’s really getting at the start of how a dog processes dog-to-human communication.”

And Berns said he thinks this new insight into what dogs are thinking will open many more doors in the future.

“I think this lets us see how the dogs are responding to us, and in a very practical sense, it’s going to show us better ways to communicate with them, better ways to train that are not exclusively dependent on treats and punishment.”