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Posts Tagged ‘NASA’

Curiosity Knows

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on September 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Some days the day job is a little hectic, and what I’d really like is a moment to get away from it all, you know?

Curiosity knows. The intrepid rover has been on Mars since 2012 and is still very much out of the office. 

In fact, let’s check in. Where is that little bundle of human ingenuity is now?

Curiosity Rover Location Map – NASA Science

And what has it seen? So much!

Photos: 13 Years on Mars

Being away from the rest of us doesn’t mean Curiosity isn’t getting the best dirt. In fact, its latest discovery has the potential to stir up what we know about life on Mars! 

Here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson to break it down for us:

As Neil asks, “Could we have Martian neighbors?” If yes, would they fancy a mid-afternoon coffee break?

I know I could use one.

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

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To the Explorers

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , on August 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Astronaut James Lovell, Apollo 13 commander, dies at 97

“James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering, has died. He was 97.”

(If you’re curious, here’s a quick refresher on the Apollo program.)

And because so many of us know of Lovell from the excellent movie version of his most famous mission, here’s Tom Hanks’ appreciation:

Tom Hanks pays tribute to Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell

“There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own. Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy.” 

Here’s to the brave, to the can-do, to the explorers among us. Humanity is the better for you.

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Photo by Ken Cheung on Unsplash

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Andromeda Revealed!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on August 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes a picture is worth much more than a thousand words:

Andromeda Galaxy Panorama Features Over 200 Million Stars

Stitching together more than 600 overlapping snapshots, the panorama serves as the largest photomosaic ever assembled from Hubble Space Telescope observations. Across its 2.5 billion pixels are a vast and vibrant assortment of 200 million stars, a mere fraction of Andromeda’s entire population. Taken in its entirety, the panorama is not only a technological or photographic achievement, it’s also a critical glimpse into the Andromeda galaxy itself.

And here’s the video version. 

Andromeda revealed!

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Photo by Kyle Goetsch on Unsplash

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Real Life Dune

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I have a folder of interesting articles, quotes, and ideas. When the cicadas are buzzing and the temperature is too hot to think of anything particularly timely, I search that folder for stories that might interest you.

Today, this treasure trove of ideas wants you to know about a critical space station issue: water.

Water recycling is paramount for space stations and long-duration missions − an environmental engineer explains how the ISS does it

When you’re on a camping trip, you might have to pack your own food and maybe something to filter or treat water that you find. But imagine your campsite is in space, where there’s no water, and packing jugs of water would take up room when every inch of cargo space counts. That’s a key challenge engineers faced when designing the International Space Station.

Real life Dune! Ok, not really, but kind of! And this is exactly the sort of technology that can benefit the Earth-bound among us too.

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Photo by Jônatas Tinoco on Unsplash

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Magical Things

Posted in Entertainment, Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on August 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I enjoy the fact that there is always something new to learn. Some things are big, like the latest on asteroid deflection from NASA’s DART program, and some are small, like the fact that Dan Aykroyd had a cameo in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (Did you know that? I didn’t, until last night when I did a double take and said, “Wait, the guy with the mustache and the British accent. Was that Dan Aykroyd?” It was!)

Of global importance or not, these facts are all interesting reminders that there is always something new around the corner, if you keep looking.

And that, I think, is magic.

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Photo by Matthias Müllner on Unsplash

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Tomorrow, in Space

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on February 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Ever wondered what it’s really like to be an astronaut? Do you wish you could ask someone all those burning space questions you’ve got in the back of your mind (and who doesn’t)?

Tomorrow is your lucky day!

Astronauts Are Streaming Live on Twitch—and You Can Talk to Them

This Wednesday evening, you’ll be able to join two astronauts—one of whom is in space right now—on a live stream from space and ask them questions about what it’s like to live and work on the ISS.

…

You can ask your very own question if you remember to tune in on Wednesday, February 12, at 11:45 a.m. EST (8:45 a.m. PST) on NASA’s Twitch channel.

I’m posting this now to give you time to prepare your best questions and to stock up on snacks like freeze dried ice cream, the weirdly addictive treat I’ve loved since childhood.

For fun, here’s an article on space food, even more on space food, and a sample menu from the International Space Station:

Why do typos matter? Ask the “cried apples”! Also, I am hungry now.

Apparently I’m interested in space food😉 No matter what space stuff you’re into, you’ve got a chance to ask about it tomorrow!

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Not an astronaut, but fun all the same. Photo by Iván Díaz on Unsplash

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A Brief Explainer, or What’s That Up in the Sky?

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , on February 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

What’s the Difference Between Asteroids, Comets and Meteors? We Asked a NASA Scientist

So, what’s the difference between asteroids, comets, and meteors? Well, asteroids are rocky, comets are icy, and meteors are much smaller and are the shooting stars that you see up in the sky.

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Photo by Ken Cheung on Unsplash

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Art Is Inevitable

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , on January 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

A NASA astronaut may have just taken the best photo from space—ever

Check out the article for the specific photo, but this is from the same series:

Image Credit: NASA, Donald Pettit

For more of Astro Don’s imagery, see his photos at the Portraits of a Planet exhibit, his book Spaceborne, or find him on social media.

“Art is an inevitable consequence of being human – even in space.”

— Donald R. Pettit

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Advent in Spaaaaaaaace!

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on December 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Today, a public service announcement: The Atlantic is doing a special advent calendar, in spaaaaaaace!

I mean, technically everything we humans do is “in space” because Earth is in space, but this is a little different:

2024 Space Telescope Advent Calendar – The Atlantic

…the 17th annual Space Telescope Advent Calendar, featuring remarkable images from both NASA’s Hubble telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. Every day until Wednesday, December 25, this page will present a new, incredible image of our universe from one of these two telescopes. Be sure to come back every day until Christmas…

Enjoy!

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Us, in space. Photo by NASA on Unsplash

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A Poem on the Occasion of the Year’s Last Supermoon

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2024| 1 Comment »

This weekend marks the final supermoon in what has been a months-long fall cycle of supermoons. If you have a chance to look up, you can see the moon’s super hurrah for the year before its orbit takes it farther away from us. 

Here’s NASA’s quick explanation for the supermoon, when the moon is closest to us, and its inverse, the micromoon.

The next full supermoon will be on November 5, 2025. Until then, a micropoem.

Night’s shadows await

the Moon’s sly smile, waxing bright

as She steals the stars.

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Photo by Tony Detroit on Unsplash

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