A former NASA engineer and now-YouTuber has created a viral sensation with a video documenting efforts to send an egg to near space to test if it cracks up on landing.
Tomorrow is December first, I’m feeling a bit wistful, and it’s raining. I’m not big on shoveling but I can’t help thinking that snow would be much more fun.
So, a haiku.
November passes. Leaves cling to branches despite Rain that should be snow.
I am working on story edits today and found myself needing to look up a lunar technicality. Next thing I know, I was reading a detailed account of the first lunar spacewalk at Tranquillity Base. I thought you might enjoy it too.
July 20, 1969: The day began on the farside of the Moon. Armstrong, Aldrin and crewmate Mike Collins flew their spaceship 60 miles above the cratered wasteland. No one on Earth can see the Moon’s farside. Even today it remains a land of considerable mystery, but the astronauts had no time for sight-seeing. Collins pressed a button, activating a set of springs, and the spaceship split in two. The half named Columbia, with Collins on board, would remain in orbit. The other half, the Eagle, spiraled over the horizon toward the Sea of Tranquillity.
“You are Go for powered descent,” Houston radioed…
This also got me thinking about the farside of the moon. We’ve learned a lot about it since these images in 1959:
Orion entered a distant lunar orbit on at 4:52 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 25, where the spacecraft will remain for about a week to test systems in a deep space environment about 40,000 miles above the lunar surface before beginning the journey back to Earth.
Confession time: We did not celebrate Thanksgiving yesterday.
For scheduling and supply reasons, it’s often odd to celebrate the holidays of a country other than the one you are in. Mr Man was at the office all day yesterday, I was working too, and it all seemed like a bit much.
Today, however, it’s turkey time! Well, not actually turkey, because apparently it’s impossible to find fresh turkey outside of Canadian Thanksgiving (in October) and the frozen variety requires far too much planning. So, roast chicken. Also mashed potatoes and acorn squash and cranberry sauce and stuffing and other dishes that say Turkey Day to me.
Because I want to take time to be thankful, even if I can’t be thankful for turkey.
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The turkey is totally fine with this. Photo by Chris Henry on Unsplash
Today, much day job work, which takes up both actual time and mental space. Post lunch, I took a pass at a couple of drabbles but they weren’t ready, started a couple of nonfiction essays but they didn’t quite gel, looked through my files for a quote but didn’t like any of them, then tossed in the towel and went back to my work-related to do list.
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