1 November 2009
Vote Early and Often!
Remember when I mentioned a few weeks ago that I submitted a blog post about MSL as an action-adventure hero to ScientificBlogging’s science writing competition? Well they have announced the finalists and I’m one of them! From now until November 22, all the finalist posts are open for voting. You can vote for as many entries as you want each day, every day! So that means that you can vote …
31 October 2009
NaNoWriMo 2009
Well, it’s that time of year again. Against my better judgement, I have decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) again this year. For those unfamiliar with NaNo, the idea is to write a >50,000 word novel in the month of November. It’s a great way to get over the inner editor and just write, and I’ve been putzing around with this year’s story idea since earlier this …
30 October 2009
Big Picture: Ares 1-X Launch
The Big Picture has a great series of photos of the Ares 1-X launch, including some really fascinating shots of all the preparation that went into it. Check it out!
29 October 2009
New Photos of Stuff on Other Worlds
I always make the mistake when on vacation of taking too many pictures of scenery and not enough pictures of people. Years down the road, the most interesting photos are not landscapes, but the ones that we can look at and say “I remember when we did that!”. And that’s why I think it’s great that we now have cameras around the Moon and Mars that can do the same. …
28 October 2009
Ares-1X Test Launch Successful!
In case you missed it, this morning NASA launched the Ares-1X test rocket from Cape Canaveral. It was originally supposed to launch yesterday morning, but was delayed due to: a stuck cable, a boat that got within the danger zone where the rocket was expected to splashdown, and my new favorite vocabulary word “triboelectrification”. Triboelectrification is the build-up of charge due to friction, and there was apparently some concern that …
22 October 2009
NASA Human Spaceflight Review Final Report
Today, the “Augustine commission”, a group of aerospace and space exploration leaders tasked by president Obama to review NASA’s human spaceflight efforts, released their final report. It is available here, and I encourage you to read it. The set of recommendations in the report will form the foundation upon which the future of space exploration is built. I have not read the whole thing yet, but here is the concluding …
19 October 2009
Dozens of new Extrasolar Planets
The universe just got a little more crowded! Space.com is reporting that Astronomers using the European Souther Observatory’s 3.6m telescope in Chile have discovered 32 new extrasolar planets. The smallest of these could be ~5 earth masses, while the largest would dwarf Jupiter! Check out the full story here.
15 October 2009
Mars Art: HiRISE Dust Devils and Dusty Dunes
It’s been a while since I posted any “Mars art” but I just came across this Bad Astronomy post and had to share. The short explanation of the photo is that dust devils spiraling across these sand dunes have removed the red dust but left behind dark sand in artistic swirls. For a more detailed description, check out Bad Astronomy, and to take a closer look at the image itself, …
MSL: Mars Action Hero
MSL is like James Bond. Want to know why? Check out my new post over at ScientificBlogging. I’ve submitted it to their University Science Writing Competition, so head on over and check out my entry, and while you’re there take a look at the many other excellent entries. As I understand it, the folks at ScientificBlogging will select finalists, and then voting will open up. And if I am lucky …
13 October 2009
Carnival of Space #124
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. – Oscar Wilde In fact, some of us have managed not only to look at the stars, but to blog about them. Luckily, there is a nice one-stop-shop for space-related blogs from the past week: the 124th Carnival of Space, hosted this week at We Are All In the Gutter. Go check it out!
