Let's say you've got nothing else going on, and you decide to launch a mission to Mars, as you do. Technically, assuming you had the rocket and the launch pad and the range clearance, the time and money, etc, you could do that tomorrow some time. BUT, this is a little like Steven Wright's assertion…Read more Interplanetary Superhighway (Math, Geometry, and Mars Missions)
Satellite
Mars and Venus
I've been trying all week to get this written - and by using this title I don't mean to raise any men vs. women / war vs. love discussions. Not even a suggestion that the two stereotypes are reversed (Mars is a desert, but perhaps still harbors life? Venus is more of the raging acid-hot…Read more Mars and Venus
Post-Launch Pics, Antares/Cygnus NG CRS-10
I actually paid attention to my alarm clock and got up at 3:30 am on Saturday morning. It was a cloudless night, and perfect conditions for NASA to launch a resupply mission to the ISS. I posted an update to my original Friday night post on the pending launch - but for those normal people…Read more Post-Launch Pics, Antares/Cygnus NG CRS-10
Cygnus/Antares Launch, 4:01 am EST, November 17, 2018
Update 11/17 - The launch was successful and on schedule. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a couple pics from my perspective. I'm having a hard time keeping up these days, between work and kid schedules - so I thought I was going to miss this entirely. Fortunately (unfortunately?) weather intervened and…Read more Cygnus/Antares Launch, 4:01 am EST, November 17, 2018
Goodbye, Kepler
Imagine, for a moment, what the world would have been like in the 15th and 16th centuries, if Magellan, de Gama, Cortez, Columbus, and all the other seafaring European explorers heading out for "the New World" knew exactly what they were in for. If, Viking exploration aside, the entire European population was aware not only…Read more Goodbye, Kepler
Rocket Science (Astronomy: Week of 5/13/18)
On Friday, SpaceX made the news again with the successful launch and recovery of their upgraded Falcon 9 booster, the Block 5, this time carrying a Bangladeshi telecommunications satellite into orbit. Like many tech breakthroughs, the success of the Falcon 9 series has almost become routine to the point that it doesn't get any attention…Read more Rocket Science (Astronomy: Week of 5/13/18)
Ah… Spring, and Stuff (Astronomy: Week of 4/1/18)
As I write this, on 3/31/18, a Blue Moon is rising on the night before Easter Sunday. By convention (and agreement per the Council of Nicaea in the year 325), Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs after the Vernal Equinox - one of the few remaining holidays that…Read more Ah… Spring, and Stuff (Astronomy: Week of 4/1/18)
International Space Station
The International Space Station cruises by Orion in this 20-second exposure, Jan 25, 2018. On board (and in this picture): Anton Shkaplerov (Russia), Commander; Mark Vande Hei (USA); Joseph Acaba (USA); Alexander Misurkin (Russia); Scott Tingle (USA); Norishige Kanai (Japan)
Orbits, and Orbital Decay (Astronomy: Week of 1/21/18)
In case you haven't heard, China's first space station, Tiangong-1 is about to make an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. That's an 18,750 pound (8,500 kg) chunk of stuff, about to fall in a blaze of glory. We don't know when, and we don't know where.... but probably some time in March, 2018. To understand…Read more Orbits, and Orbital Decay (Astronomy: Week of 1/21/18)
Venus and Mars, and maybe Hubble? (Astronomy: Week of 10/1/17)
Fall is in the air! Crisp days, and cool clear, low humidity nights are becoming the norm. Not to mention long nights, of course. For now, the Summer Triangle is still high overhead after sunset, and the Lonely Star of autumn (Fomalhaut) is rising. The Milky Way is still putting on a show, for a…Read more Venus and Mars, and maybe Hubble? (Astronomy: Week of 10/1/17)
Astronomy: Week of Feb 12, 2017 (Iridium Flares, and that Comet!)
Limited time showing on comets and flashing spaceships.
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 