Pillow Astronaut

The Fallen

2012-01-27T08:30:00.003-08:00

The end of January and beginning of February is always a solemn occasion for the space industry, in that three major NASA tragedies all occurred in different years but in the same week, and it’s important to remember the contributions of the astronauts who risked their lives for our efforts in space exploration:

January 27, 1967... Apollo 1 lost
January 28, 1986... Challenger STS-51L lost
February 1, 2003... Columbia STS-107 lost

Houston, Texas

"They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget we've only just begun. We're still pioneers.

And I want to say to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. The future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.

I've always had great respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights, more crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and journeys continue. I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."

~ President Ronald Reagan
January 28, 1986

Challenger Memorial Park
(Click for entire Gallery)

"In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage, and daring, and idealism, we will miss them all the more.

All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country. The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand.

Our journey into space will go on."

~ President George W. Bush
February 1, 2003

Columbia Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery

Please take a moment of silence today to remember all those pioneers who have given their lives to science and space exploration. See Pillownaut.com for a complete list of all fallen astronauts and cosmonauts.

Pluto & Friends

2012-01-25T08:00:00.010-08:00

Research time! So it started bothering me that I'm fuzzy on the differences, chocolate or otherwise, between Dwarf Planets, Trans-Neptunian Objects, Plutoids, Plutinos, Scattered Disc Objects (SDO), Kuiper Belt Objects (KBO) and Oort Cloud bodies.

I've seen these terms bandied about, but not even the schmoes who coined them can decide what's what. Occasionally, the International Astronomical Union tries to set definitions in stone, but no one ever agrees... so it's like a high-IQ version of Congress without all the fancy neckties and sex scandals.

I initially planned this post as a learning experience for myself, whereby I might clear up confusion for others while researching and writing... alas, all I accomplished was confusing myself more. So, I encourage those interested to examine the linked definitions, and try not to start any fights. I settled for familiarizing myself with the most prominently debated objects, here listed smallest to largest:

1) Ceres
Classification = Former planet, Dwarf Planet, "largest asteroid"??
Approximate Diameter = 950 km
Ceres is the smallest identified "dwarf planet" in the Solar System and the only one in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, accounting for about a third of the belt's overall mass. Discovered in 1801, it was classified as the 8th planet for half a century. The surface of Ceres is a mixture of water, ice, and various minerals, with the possibility of sub-surface liquid oceans. NASA's Dawn space probe, launched in 2007, will reach and explore Ceres in 2015. Ceres was the Roman goddess of growing plants, harvest-time, and maternal love.

2) Quaoar
Classification = Dwarf Planet, TNO (plutoid)
Approximate Diameter = 1260 ± 190 km
Quaoar is a binary system orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper belt, and the very first TNO to be measured directly from pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope! It orbits 3.7 billion miles from the Sun with an orbital period of 287 years. Quaoar is named for the creator god of the Tongva, the native peoples from what is now Los Angeles. It has one satellite, Weywot, which may be a collisional ice fragment, though details about its orbit are unknown. The sky god Weywot was the son of Quaoar in Tongva lore.

3) 2007 OR10
Classification = Dwarf Planet "candidate," TNO (plutoid), SDO
Approximate Diameter = 875–1400km
2007 OR10 is currently the largest known Solar System object without an official name, though its discovery team nicknamed it Snow White, as it would have to be very bright to be detected by their survey. 2007 OR10 is on an orbit similar to that of Eris, circling the Sun every 552 years.

4) Orcus
Classification = Dwarf Planet "candidate," Plutino, TNO (plutoid), KBO
Approximate Dimensions = 946.3 +74.1−72.3km
Because their mutual resonance with Neptune constrains Orcus and Pluto to remain on opposite sides of the Sun in otherwise similar motions, Orcus is oft described as the "anti-Pluto." Orcus was a Roman underworld god and punisher of broken oaths, likely adapted from the Greek demon Horkos, the personification of Oaths and son of Eris. Using observations with the Hubble, astronomers detected a satellite, as yet unnamed and circling every 9 days. Scientists suspect that like the Pluto-Charon system, Orcus and its moon are likely tidally locked.

5) Sedna
Classification = Dwarf Planet "candidate," TNO (plutoid), SDO, new DDO?
Approximate Diameter = 1600 – 1800km
Sedna's precise orbital period is unknown, but calculated at between 10-12 thousand years. At the time of its discovery, it was the largest object found since Pluto in 1930, and also the furthest from the Sun. (Eris would prove further, though Sedna's elliptical orbit will overtake it around 2114). Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicate it is nearly as red as Mars. In Inuit mythology, Sedna is goddess of marine animals, who rules the underworld (Adlivun), where souls prepare for travel to the Land of the Moon (Quidlivun).

6) Haumea
Classification = Dwarf Planet, TNO(plutoid)
Calculated ellipsoid shape = 1,960×1,518×996 km
Haumea is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt which orbits the sun every 283 years. Calculations from its light curve suggest elongated ellipsoid shape, with its greatest axis twice as long as its shortest axis. Other indicators show unusually rapid rotation and a surface of crystalline ice. In Polynesian lore, Haumea is the Hawaiian goddess of fertility. Known moons are named after two of her daughters, Hi’iaka, patron goddess of the Orchid Isle, and Namaka, a water spirit.

7) Makemake
Classification = Dwarf Planet, TNO (plutoid), KBO
Approximate Diameter = 1800km
Makemake's discovery team used the codename Easterbunny for the object, because of its discovery shortly after Easter. In accordance with rules for Kuiper Belt Objects, it was named for a creator deity: Makemake was the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the folklore of the Rapanui, natives of Easter Island. Its low average temperature, about −243.2 °C, means its surface is covered with methane, ethane, and possibly nitrogen ices. Makemake orbits the sun every 310 years.

8) Pluto
Classification = Former planet, Dwarf Planet, TNO(plutoid)
Approximate Diameter = 2,390 km
Pluto, the most controversial due to its demotion from planet status, is about one-fifth the mass of Earth's moon. Like other members of the Kuiper Belt, Pluto is composed primarily of rock and ice. It has an eccentric orbit that causes it to periodically to come closer to the Sun than Neptune. Pluto was the Roman God of the underworld, derived from the Greek Ploutōn, another name for Hades. Pluto orbits the sun every 248 years, and has three moons: Charon (the ferryman who carried deceased souls across the River Acheron in Hades), Hydra (the multi-headed serpent who guarded Acheron) and Nix, (after "Nyx," the Greek goddess of darkness and night).

9) Eris
Classification = Dwarf Planet, TNO (plutoid), SDO
Approximate Diameter = 2,500 kmhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Eris is about 27% more massive than Pluto, making it the largest known "dwarf planet" in the Solar System, and the ninth-largest body known to orbit the Sun. Eris has an orbital period of 557 years. Discoverers originally called the object Xena, but the official name became Eris, after the Greek goddess of strife. There is one Eridian moon, Dysnomia, the demon of "lawlessness" … a humorous slant toward the first informal name, as portrayed by Lucy Lawless.

And for an absolutely brain-bending list of all the known TNOs, click here. I want all of these to be represented by chocolate!

Chocolate Planets

2012-01-23T06:00:00.009-08:00

Chocolate. Planets. Two of my favorite things. Together. My brain might explode any moment. How did it take someone so long to think of a chocolate solar system? And why isn't it sold in every grocery store?

This beautiful edible set of Chocolate Planets is available in Japan, though created by L'Eclat, a very French-sounding company which actually isn't French; it's a minor confection subsidiary of a Japanese chain of luxury hotels. So, if you want to eat these, you need to win the lottery and go stay in Osaka.

Chocolate Solar System

And, if Google translations are to be trusted, you can read their best guesses in English to review the flavor of each planet. For those of you averse to clicking around through foreign languages other than English, they are:
Mango coconut Mercury, lemon creme Venus, cocoa Earth, orange praline Mars, vanilla Jupiter, rum raisin Saturn, milk Uranus, and cappuccino Neptune.

The flavors have changed for the year 2012, and the site also noted the previous flavors. Somehow, I expected Jupiter to be a cherry swirl.

Chocolate Planets. And it's about time.

Also in 2012, L'Eclat has introduced a brand new line of Chocolate Meteorites! So very clever. Again, Google Translator is a fine tool for reading the entire meteorite page, and the accompanying flavors of the extra-terrestrial space rocks.

These confections are modeled after genuine meteorites found on various continents through the last two centuries. Because we needed chocolates shaped as chondrites. This truly opens up tremendous possibilities, both for culinary novelties and for education. Up to now the cleverest thing I think I've seen are gummy space shuttles, which are sold in various spots in Houston. We need more space foods!

Chocolate Meteorites

However... poor Pluto, utterly unrepresented. Demoted to the kiddie table once again. Perhaps someday we'll see another set with Eris, Pluto, Makemake, Ceres, Sedna and all the other potential dwarf planets! Wouldn't that be a more fun way to learn them?

Space Obameter 2012

2012-01-21T08:00:00.008-08:00

It's that time of year again! Today marks the three-year point of Barack Obama's presidency. Since he was sworn in, I have depended upon the dedicated folks at PolitiFact.com to update their Truth-O-Meter with his initial campaign promises.

This subsidiary website of the St. Petersburg Times published a compilation of over 500 statements of intent made by Obama, and is still tracking process on their "Obameter" by rating status as Promise Kept, Promise Broken, Compromise or In The Works. There's good news and bad news for us space enthusiasts…

#150: Code of Conduct for space-faring nations
Stalled in 2009, Compromise in 2010

#331: Re-establish National Aeronautics & Space Council
Stalled in 2009, Promise broken in 2010, No new status in 2011 or 2012

#332: Additional Space Shuttle flight
DONE in 2009, added flight STS-135 flew in 2011

#333: Speed development of next-gen space vehicle
In the Works in 2009 and 2010, still has same status throughout 2011
(So there appears to be some misunderstanding of the word SPEED, here ;)

#334: Use private sector to improve space flight
DONE in 2009, proven in a big way by SpaceX in 2010! Next SpaceX launch set for March 2012.

#335: Work with international allies on ISS
DONE in 2010

#336: Partner to enhance potential of ISS
DONE in 2009

#337: Use ISS for biological + physical research
DONE in 2009

#338: Explore whether ISS can operate after 2016
DONE in 2009. ISS now expected to remain in operation until at least 2020, and potentially to 2028

#339: Support human mission to moon by 2020
Stalled in 2009, Promise broken in 2011... o don't get me started on this one.

#340: Robust R&D on future human/robotic missions
Stalled in 2009, DONE in 2010

#341: Increase spending for long missions [Mars, asteroids]
Stalled in 2009, DONE in 2010

#342: Deploy global climate change monitoring system
DONE in 2009

#343: Improve climate change data records
In the Works in 2009, same status in 2010 and 2011...

#345: Enhance Earth mapping
DONE in 2009

#349: Support commercial access to space
DONE in 2010

#350: Revise regulations for export of aerospace technology
In the Works in 2009, same status in 2010 and 2011...

#351: School programs to highlight space science achievement
DONE in 2010

In 2009, I introduced their initial report card for all space-related promises. In 2010, the first update showed 7 promises kept, 7 in the works and 4 in a holding pattern due to budget restrictions or administrative debates. In 2011 we saw the most change, with nothing in "Stalled" status, and an increase in completions.

On this third annual update, we see 13 space promises kept (with one being considered as a "compromise"), 4 in the works and 2 promises broken. The overall picture has a track record similarly in the green:

Given the state of our government, the state of the economy, the nature of bureaucracy and the massive amount of sabotage this President has withstood in his first term, I wouldn't be at all ashamed to have the same track record!

Astronaut in the NASA Ward

2012-01-19T07:00:00.011-08:00

Dr. Serena M. Auñón (35) of League City, TX was one of the two flight doctors chosen in the last astronaut selection. The Galveston Daily News reported on her visit to the NASA ward at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where she visited with study subjects in the current flight simulation programs.

Participants David Sarmiento and William Widener were in the long-term bed-rest study in the Flight Analog Research Unit at the time, in the now-famed Head-Down Tilt. In this position, participants show physiologic changes similar to those expressed by astronauts in microgravity. Changes in blood pressure and blood plasma volume result when the heart works about 15-20% less, and of course the creation of bone mineral density in the body also changes.

Sarmiento, 35, a commercial diver from Maryland &
Widener, 42, a fitness instructor from North Carolina

Like many subjects before them, the newest recruits attest to a new appreciation of how astronauts cope with weightlessness on their missions, as they find the studies are both physically and mentally demanding. Said one new participant: "I have a greater understanding of the physical effects of zero gravity. It's not just floating. It affects your whole body."

Astronaut Auñón, who completed residencies in both internal medicine and aerospace medicine at UTMB, so she knows a little something about the value of the NASA studies:
"We learn a tremendous amount from astronauts and their experiences aboard the Space Station. Those numbers are small and a larger body of evidence is needed. Head-down bed rest is one of our best analogues. The women and men who volunteer to take part as subjects in the bed rest facility provide invaluable data regarding physiological changes in a 'weightless' environment."

It's also an amazing way to do your part for space exploration, and everything scientists learn about human bodies in these studies gets us closer to planet Mars. Still, it must have been nice to get some personal recognition from an astronaut! They of all people know how much sacrifice can be involved in the stringent protocols. Testing yourself in the way astronauts train? Not for sissies!

Other articles in the past few months regarding the studies have been very positive! We are truly seeing gratifying results in term of how space studies further our knowledge of how to live in micro-gravity, but also the practical benefits that can be applied to life on Earth:

July 13, 2011: Sentara Offers NASA-Developed Treadmill For Therapy
Space study treadmill used for orthopedic patients, senior rehabilitation conditioning, military members endurance and strengthening, etc.

November 29, 2011: Bed Rest Study Provides Invaluable Data for NASA
Information on exercise, muscles, bones and hearts to keep astronauts healthier.

December 21, 2011: From Here To Maternity
Months in bed to stop miscarriage? Practical considerations to involuntary bedrest.

January 2012: Rehab: Space Technology Helping to Heal & Strengthen
Space mission technology adapted and approved by the FDA for use in injury rehabilitation, Neuro-Muscular control, pre- and post- joint replacement surgery conditioning and athletic training.

These have also all been added to the archive of Articles on Pillownaut.com.

More Human Test Subjects Needed!

2012-01-17T06:00:00.007-08:00

With 2012 now in full swing, it's worth mentioning that Johnson Space Center personnel are screening participants for this year's ongoing studies.

Most of my wonderful and supportive longtime readers know how to become a paid volunteer for NASA... and so many have applied and passed the modified Air Force Class III physical, it's been my great pleasure to speak with some of the recent participants in the current studies ad they are accepted!

Female subjects are especially in high demand right now, simply because, in general, fewer females apply . The data on female participants is always the lighter level of the field. We just desperately need to put more women in space!

So if you know anyone who is eligible, or just in such good shape you think they might want to have a go at the NASA audition, tell me or tell them! The JSC website is continually accepting applications… and of course I should also mention that this being an astronaut screening year, completing a NASA Flight Simulation Study would look great on your astronaut application as well.

Amazingly, I still get questions about the very first study I did back in 2008, because when people go seeking information about the simulations, they more often than not run across my blog. I'm always happy to speak to people about the programs or the screening process, though it's a shame I spend the most time clearing up all the common misconceptions at first.

This year, scientists will be researching the benefits of exercise to counteract space-related heart, lung, muscle and bone issues, using various new equipment and compression garments.

As in past studies, they take baseline measurements at the beginning, try varying length of bedrest protocols (with or without stints on the "space station treadmill") and compare to resulting measurements at the end.

Two active studies are accepting applications right now, though others of differing lengths will become available soon. Come join the CFT or the ACG in 2012!

Best Places for Space Vacations in MMXII

2012-01-13T11:52:00.003-08:00

Yesterday, I described the worst places to vacation (unless you're a Mars analog), and today is for the best places to vacation. Talk about a major increase in worldwide Geekfests!

Among the "attractions" at the Incredible Adventures agency are the zero-gravity parabolic flights, always very popular… also, the unique "Cosmonaut For A Day" package. New to the list is the "Edge of Space" adventure:

Day 1: Arrive in Russia.
Day 2: Tour Moscow, then take a train to Nizhniy Novgorod. Shop. See Red Square.
Day 3: Briefing and spacesuit-fitting at the airstrip. Travel to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in a MiG-31 FoxHound Fighter Jet to see the black void and observe planetary curve. Vomit breakfast. Replace with Lunch.
Day 4: Back to Moscow, see a museum.

Note that the trip "must be booked 45 days prior to arrange security clearance. Subject to physical examination. If aged 40 or older you must also provide a copy of a recent EKG before being permitted to fly."

Then, I imagine, you still sign a piece of paper that says, in the appropriate 4-point-font Russian legalese, We aren’t responsible for expiring you, just write down a contact person's phone number so we know where to ship the gleefully grinning corpse.

All for the bargain price of thirty thousand dollars.

However, for those of us who don’t SNEEZE MONEY in response to pollen season, there are other space-themed vacations that are easier on the wallet: Space Camp, the Alpine Astro Village, and my personal Bucket List topper, Bright Horizons and Eclipse watching trips by Insight Cruises.

The Holland America liners visits stunning ports of call all over the world, sponsored by Scientific American and/or SKY & Telescope, with a bent to giving geeks all the science, computers, and astronomy they can handle!

Last season, the Bright Horizons series covered evolution and astronauts, and even "The Physics of Star Trek", along with optional day trips to the Arecibo radio telescope.

This year, they have increased the numbers of lectures and seminars aboard-ship, acquired some Big Name Scientists as guests, literally trippled their science-themed outings, and even have a shore excursion to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN!

Want to watch the transit of Venus from Hawaii? An eclipse from Australia? March with some penguins? Perfect! I’ve been on a handful of cruises, but tend to get bored on the ship because I don’t enjoy poolside lounging or buffet-hopping. Bingo and napkin-folding? Yeah, not so much. But I would be all rapt attention at any of
their listed cosmology lectures.

Who else is on board??

Worst Places for Space Vacations in MMXII

2012-01-11T10:07:00.003-08:00

With special thanks to the TripBase Travel web site, we give you...

The punchline, of course, is that when nerds look at vacation destinations in even the most brutal conditions, we have a different reaction than normal humans.

We don't look at a desert, ice cavern or crater and rule it out because bikini-clad bimbos on roller-blades couldn't get banana lime rum cocktails to our beach lounge chairs fast enough.

We think, Wow, that would be a great spot for a Mars Analog project.

Okay, okay so there may be bubonic plague ridden rodentia meandering about, or say, radioactive waste... and you know, maybe a lava flow here and there... but if nothing else, geeks love a challenge.

We can build suits for that. We can find habitats that allow us to survive in just about anything. Inhospitable environment? BRING IT. And then we can use that data for a potential moon base.

Don't believe me? Check out the real thing... and sign up for one!

And the Rocket Woman Tiara Goes To...

2012-01-09T06:52:00.021-08:00

A young Russian photographer named Lana Sator (Лана Сатор) and her friend Dmitrii Blinov (Дмитрий Блинов), for five consecutive nights in December 2011, waltzed right into a rocket factory near Moscow –- encountering few locked doors, and absolutely no guards.

That's Lana. And that's a security camera. Useful, isn't it?

Together they took nearly a hundred photographs, which Lana published on her Live Journal. The result? A nasty gram from the Russian government, ordering her to delete them, and televised warnings to state-run facilities from Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Roskosmos Chief Vladimir Popovkin.

In case you ever wondered what Russian rocket engine factories look like

Lana responded by giving them a sweet middle cyber-finger, refusing to remove the photos from her blog, whereby she shall henceforth be known as the Sovereign Supreme Goddess of Badassery.

At the end of her picture display, she even THANKED the factory's security service for "their irresponsible approach to protection of the property". Brassy!

Yellow perimeter lights indicate the only working cameras/sensors

In one of her many photo captions, she says that on the first trip through the darkness of the Khimki Forest to enter the factory, she was scared, but enjoyed the thrill of fulfilling her dream by seeing the NPO complex, saying that such an unforgettable experience was one of the sensations that make life exciting.

Energomash (Энергомаш) Test pipes for liquid fueled engines

Test stands consists of a static drum (fuel is supplied to where the engine is fastened), moving parts (the tube on wheels, which merges with the rim of the static part) and pipe exhaust (the closed red lid).

Exhaust Nozzle Chorus

Since 1929, ENERGOMASH © Group Enterprises have created 60 different types of liquid rocket engines for space launch vehicles and military hardware, including the parts and stages for the Zenit, Angara, Proton and Soyuz.

Ground Control to Major Absence of Guards

As the two intrepid photographers wove their way through many tunnels, floor levels, pipes for directing engine exhaust, and even a control room, they were able to freely navigate stairwells and elevators, none of which even required keys.

(Mind-blowing! Even the low-level software companies I've worked for in the past required magnetic badge access to every floor, and special card keys for elevators… heck, even for photocopy machines! Nevermind that this is a government installation… I've worked at private corporations that have better security for their supply closets!)

So... I wonder if I'm in line for a letter from the Russian government now? Good luck trying to find me. My own family can't manage that half the time...

Galileo Figaro Magnifico

2012-01-07T08:32:00.003-08:00

On January 7, 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei discovered Jupiter's satellites Callisto, Io and Europa. He was on a roll with his new-fangled telescopio, as only a week later on January 13th, he also spied Ganymede, later confirmed to be the largest moon in our Solar System.

These four Jovian moons, initially titled "Medician stars", are now referred to as "the Galilean satellites", and Galileo's observations of their orbits would be instrumental in over-turning the belief [cough*wishful-thinking*cough*cough] that ALL objects in the universe revolved around Earth, including our Sun.

Galileo, Figaro, Magnifico, oh oh oh...

This particular Copernican concept was a hard-sell during the time of the Roman Inquisition. Various clerics – up to and including the Pope – denounced him as sacrilegious, censored his books, attempted to bar him from teaching or publishing, and ordered him to undergo a trial before the Holy Office of Rome.

At his sentencing in June of 1633, ten Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, as commissioned by the Apostolic See as 'Inquisitors-General against heretical depravity in Christendom', read the following statement in court:

"We pronounce, sentence, and declare that you, Galileo, because of the things deduced in the trial and confessed by you, have rendered yourself according to this Holy Office vehemently suspected of heresy, namely of having held and believed a false doctrine: that the sun is the center of the world and does not move from east to west, and the earth moves and is not the center of the world, and that one may hold and defend as probable an opinion after it has been declared and defined contrary to Holy Scripture."

Galileo was placed under house arrest until his death at age 77 in 1642.

Me with the Galileo craft model at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

A few centuries later, the joke was on them, since Galileo got a NASA spacecraft named after him to study those very moons; and to date, we have no spacecraft named after anyone in the Inquisition. So there.

Jupiter has 63 confirmed satellites, and one floating trouble-maker being argued over by chaps who are much smarter than I, so I'll not venture an opinion. Time will tell if #64 nails the audition, but in the meantime, the Voyager, Hubble, and Galileo craft offered interesting portraits of the fantastic four:

Ganymede is larger in diameter than Mercury, with ice and silicate crust covering underground ocean in some areas. Abundant craters and mountains surrounded by lava flow indicate ancient origin.

The next largest, Callisto, is considered a likely spot for a human base when we reach Jupiter, as study indicates the presence of water ice, ocean, carbon dioxide and possible organics.

Io is the most geologically active object in the Solar System with over 400 volcanoes, many higher than Earth’s Everest. Lava flows often invade the frosty sulfur dioxide surface, creating yellow, red, green and black compounds, creating a "pizza planet" exterior.

Europa, smallest but perhaps best-known, is about the size of Earth's moon and has an oxygen atmosphere. Its bright, smooth [well, un-cratered] crust led to the hypotheses that it is quite young, and may also have oceans beneath its surface.

Vote For Camilla!

2012-01-05T11:52:00.009-08:00

As much as I'd love to see her debate Rick Perry (slam dunk win, no contest), and go for the GOP nomination so those folks would embrace science at a higher level... today we will focus on Camilla's social media awards!

And what a great day for STEM! I wasn't even going to post today, but sometimes the stars just line right up and I can't help but share. I was pleased to find a wonderful article on IO9 about a study across 86 countries showing there are no biological difference between male and female mathematical abilities.

How delightful, I thought. People are finally realizing the only differences are cultural opportunities and expectations, and these can eventually be overcome when the benefits of education are made known to all.

One of the best way to spread the word is through social media, something miss Camilla Corona SDO dedicates herself to each and every day.

Our favorite NASA mascot was nominated for a Shorty Award in the "Non-Human" category, credited for her tireless efforts to encourage children, particularly young girls, in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) pursuits!

Mine was vote number #20, but we still need at least 17 more to overtake the hot spot, so if you have a Twitter account, definitely visit the Shorty Awards page for Camilla to tweet your support!

You can also follow Camilla_SDO on Twitter, or the Camilla SDO Facebook Page... and of course, if you missed her television appearance before the final Space Shuttle launch, you can check her out on YouTube!

Kiss My Baktun

2012-01-03T09:08:00.018-08:00

Well, I was going to research more calendar fodder for today, because that research has been so fascinating and enlightening. However, I wound up spending yesterday (final day off, go figure) repairing my Facebook Firefly applications. Who knew migrating 15,000 fans would be anything but smooth??

So, today I'll just be rambling, stream-of-consciousness style, about the things on my mind since I saw a New Year's Day comment on my last blog post. In the past year, I have noticed:

Seriously, I've had people attack me like *I* personally demoted Pluto. But, you don't start a blog because you want to keep your opinions to yourself -- so, this opinion piece is especially for longtime reader Bill Lisleman:

In the Mayan calendar, the long calendar count begins in 3,114 BC and is divided into roughly 394-year periods called B'ak'tuns. Mayans held the number 13 sacred and the 13th B'ak'tun ends next year. Or ended this year. Or we might be way off.

The Mayan calendar marks the end of a 5,126 year old cycle somewhere between October 2011 and April 2013. Different scholars have done different math. Various crackpot groups have claimed a Mayan god of war or destruction & creation will resurrect, others claim a grand celestial event will occur.

Yah, actual Mayan descendants counter with a weary eyeroll, it merely marks the termination of one period and the beginning of another. Kinda like taking down your 2011 wall calendar and hanging the 2012 one. Casting cataclysmic consequence onto this simple phenomenon is a little like accusing someone of murder for offing a stuffed animal.

Don't Move Or The Bunny Gets It

To my intense shock and looming lack of respect, even the Discovery and History Channels have contributed to this preposterous hype, relying on 20th century re-interpretations of meagerly educated contemporary writers – and completely ignoring the fact that nothing in our cosmic neighborhood is due for alignment, explosion, death by solar flare, or even close orbital flyby.

The National Institute of Anthropological History in Mexico issued a statement, hoping to quell the barrage of apocalyptic waves, stating calmly that "The messianic thinking of Western culture has distorted the world view of ancient civilizations. The Maya did not think about global warming or predict the poles would fuse together. We merely project our current worries on them."

On a level that even Bigfoot Hunters could understand, there are now banners all over Facebook proclaiming: "The Mayans couldn't predict their own demise, what makes you think they can predict ours?"

Common sense. ‘Nuff said.

The Non-Committal Messiah

As tempted as I am to write off the nutjobs who can't quite grasp reality, it's often no laughing matter. Even you believe it's all harmless, history shows us that failed fake doomsday predictions have deadly real-life consequences, including mass suicides, lost life savings, isolating cult behavior, the splitting apart of entire families, and even people killing their own children.

Don't humor anyone who wants you to panic. Doomsday prophesying has been a hallmark of religious literature for thousands of years, and shouldn't be all that convincing in a scientific age.

The very reputable Live Science site produced a brief list of Ten Failed Doomsday Predictions. Feel free to point these out to people who haven't yet wrapped their brains around the pattern.

Further, the History and Archaeology Department of the Smithsonian compiled a fact-filled list of Ten Notable Apocalypses That Obviously Didn't Happen from 2800 B.C. to Present.

The Big Bang Happened on a Tuesday

2012-01-01T05:00:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year! Well, today is what Pope Gregory XIII decided would be your new year. On his own precious reformed calendar. The phenomenon we of the Gregorian persuasion are preparing to call "New Year's Day in the Year 2012" is also...

1390 ... according to the Persian Calendar

1433 ... according to the Moslem Calendar

1728 ... according to the Coptic or 'Alexandrian' Calendar

2555 ... according to the Buddhist Calendar

2761 ... according to the Babylonian Calendar

4710 ... according to the Chinese Calendar
(After January 22 will be known as The Year of the Dragon)

5772 ... according to the Hebrew Calendar

5125 ... according to the Maya Great Cycle (Final Phase)

12.19.19.0.5 ... in the Mayan Long Count

2455927.5 ... according to the Julian Calendar

2009-ish ... according to Christ's (actual) [alleged] {continually controversial and argued amongst scholars} birth circa 4 or 6 or 8 B.C.

And lastly, my personal favorite:

12012 ... according to the Holocene Calendar

If you don't know what all these are, you should. Start Googling. And get used to the word "lunisolar". Oh wait, don't bother unless you want a massive headache.

My point is merely that various methods of naming and counting are ultimately haphazard, each based upon when particular cultures developed sufficient writing systems, then used them to legitimize divine events and/or documented astronomical monitoring technology with varying degrees of accuracy.

QUESTION: In cosmological time, if we're all bent on counting planetary rotations, sorting by moon cycles and grouping heliocentric trips around our nearest star... wouldn't it make more sense to count the actual age of the Earth? In such case it would be – give or take a miniscule margin of error in geologic dating techniques – approximately 4,540,000,000 and counting.

Even better… let's count from the creation of the universe, lovingly referred to as the BIG BANG. That would make it somewhere around the year 13,700,200,000.

Remember this when you are filling out your tax return.

Space Moment of the Year

2011-12-30T15:00:00.010-08:00

It's rare that I quote the words of others on my blog, since I prefer to share my own musings. Occasionally, however, I find something so stirring that I ask the author for permission to share. In most cases, this has taken the form of op-ed type paragraphs, photographs from space events, or journal entries from studies.

Featuring a poem is definitely a first! But I found this beautiful piece of writing so elegant, so profound, and so very moving, I thought I would make it my final post for 2011.

"This piece was built using Adobe Photoshop CS5. The background image is of the "Black Eye Galaxy" M64. Image credit goes to NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI), with acknowledgments to S. Smartt (Institute of Astronomy) and D. Richstone (U. Michigan).

The poem is my creation--inspired largely by reading Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson's excellent book Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries." ~ Jake

Space Highlights of the Year

2011-12-29T14:00:00.009-08:00

Amazing happenings in space, other than July's final Shuttle launch...

January: Royal Pain in the X-Files?! PSSRI scientists announced that they expect humanity to find an alien civilization in the next two decades or sooner, and advised governments of all nations, supervised by UN committee, to draft action plans for First Contact: "Should it turn out that we are not alone in the Universe, it will fundamentally affect how humanity understands itself—and we need to be prepared for the consequences."

Unsurprisingly, one evolutionary palaeo-biologist insisted Earth must prepare for the worst. Hawking felt vindicated.

September: Einstein set a speed limit and it seems some physicists think neutrinos are breaking it, so are we gonna have a problem with that, Theory of Special Relativity? If Faster-Than-Light particles are found, we will see a whole lot of excitement and controversy in the world of particle physics. However, the only thing that shocked me was that it was NEWS to so many.

The initial theory was put forth by a Portuguese cosmologist named João Magueijo in a fantastic book called "Faster Than The Speed of Light" (2003). He was clearly ignored, but espoused the theory of Variable Speeds of Light (VSL), insisting that during creation and development of the Universe, light waves have fluctuated. Most young physicists know the work, and those who comprehend quantum mechanics are very familiar... but trying to get the Old Guy Contingent to embrace new parameters of classical physics is like buying your 20-year-old canine an iPhone.

October: Three scientists who watched stars explode and deduced from these supernovae that the universe is expanding at an increasing rate shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. Dark energy, anyone?

November: Mars500 "landed on Earth" after 520 days of simulation inside the "spaceship" in which they traveled to the red planet, frolicked upon the surface of the red planet, then flew home. Can humans cope with the emotional stress and isolation of long duration-spaceflight? They emerged, pale, grinning, and still sane. Radiation and Micro-Gravity sims of the same duration would be harder, methinks.

December: HISTORY, baby! Astronomers discovered Exoplanet Kepler-22b, the first planet outside the solar system orbiting in the Galactic Habitable Zone (GHZ) around its star. Could life potentially exist? With each passing year, we clever little hairless apes get closer and closer to being able to detect such evidence!

Space Photos of the Year

2011-12-28T13:00:00.008-08:00

Shamelessly using this week's theme as an excuse to publish this picture, which I would distribute every day if I could.

Dream. Come. True.

That's me. That's Space Shuttle Atlantis. I was photographed with this beautiful orbiter on July 7th of this year, whilst cavorting with numerous other space enthusiasts, journalists and KSC workers.

The following morning, I laughed I cried I watched in awe as she took to the skies for the final time, providing the curtain call to the Space Shuttle Program.

I still cannot believe I took this photograph.

It took days to sink in. Actually, it took weeks to sink in. Someone recently tweeted the 6-month anniversary of the launch, and I realized it is still sinking in.

It was my great honor and joy to witness this amazing piece of human history in the year 2011.

Space BAH of the Year

2011-12-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

Just when you thought there were certain staples in life you could count on.
Time Magazine released their annual Year in Review book. 138 pages for $35. Casey Anthony and Justin Bieber got larger photographs and text blocks than the Space Shuttle Program, 1981-2011. Lady Gaga got two pages. No joke.

That's right, space fans. 30-year program benefiting all humankind via exploratory science, medical + agriculutral + biological research, and international relations? One paragraph.

Berserk bimbo in a bacon dress? TWO. PAGES.

Some of my pals tried to comfort me by saying they wouldn't buy it, and agreed it was ridiculous that pop culture trumped science, politics and nature. A few asked about other public figures, which I had to try to recall from memory, because I sure wasn't about to buy that book.

Kim Jongs Il & Un shared one page. The Iceland volcano also had its own page. No mention of bin Laden at all. The movie "Avatar" filled another two-page spread.

So, I say to Time Magazine in 2011... Bah!

Space Commercial of the Year

2011-12-26T11:09:00.003-08:00

Dream come true for one special lottery kitty!

Of course, I wish there were more space-themed commercials to choose from, but across the board, I have yet to see anything during the Superbowl that tops this! Enjoy :)

How To Find Treasure From Space

2011-12-23T08:00:00.014-08:00

I mentioned yesterday that Geoff Notkin of the Meteorite Men gave me a copy of his book, which now holds the distinction of being the tome in my personal library with quite utterly the longest title ever:

But, accurate, certainly. And so full of passion! There is something so compelling about someone who is excited about how they make their living... those amazing people who bound out of bed and cannot wait to do what they do. Seeking bits of an alien world is a unique mission, as evidenced by Geoff's eloquent introduction:

"Meteorites are the most remarkable things on our planet, and they are not even from this planet. They are pieces of extra-terrestrial rock and metal that have fallen onto the surface of the earth. Meteorites are at tangible link with an existence outside of the world we know and are, literally, visitors from outer space… within them are clues to the origin of suns, planets, asteroids, and possibly, even life itself. They are valued by enthusiasts because a space rock is, perhaps, the most intriguing of all collectibles."

If he wanted to light a fire under people to make them want to go hunt meteorite themselves, this book absolutely succeeds!

Then I look at pictures like this and realize
I'm quite cozy at home watching on TV, thanks.

Well, even if I never canvas a frozen Russian steppe with a metal detector, thanks to Geoff I can now intelligently articulate regmaglypts, chondrules, ablation, bolide, and strewnfields. Can you tell the difference between a fall and a find? How about the difference between a crater and an impact pit?

About halfway through the book was the intriguing sentence, "Nothing gets Meteorite Men co-host Steve Arnold more charged up that a good fireball chase!" Alrighty then. What's a fireball?

Well you can find that out, and more, in these helpful and educational pages – but don't think it's all fun and games. One must consider, as Notkin highlights from experience, the pitfalls of permits vs. trespassing, local laws for space rock hunting – and let's pretend for a moment that field equipment isn't exactly cheap.

Backhoe rentals. Also not cheap.

Another reality of the meteorite hunting life is all the "meteowrongs" one is apt to dig up in serious pursuits, and Geoff describes a hilarious list of objects he's unearthed over the years, including unexploded bombs and missiles! So my sofa is looking comfier all the time.

But hey, for those of you more apt to frolic in the wild with shovels and snappy multi-pocketed utility vests, remember:

"Most meteorites spent millions of years traveling through the vacuum of space at temperatures approaching absolute zero. When meteorites land on our planet, they are immediately exposed to oxygen and moisture, and the process of terrestrialization begins. Iron starts to oxidize, the decay of radioactive isotopes commences, and delicate fusion crust will begin to corrode. The sooner a fresh fall is delivered into the hands of a researcher, the more valuable it is to science. There is a real urgency to recover new falls and get them to labs as quickly as possible."

You haven't lived until you've dug holes in every continent

So are there any catches to living the exciting life of a meteorite man? A few, says Geoff. Seems he has a growing pile of boxes crowding into his life, filled with rocks. The senders want to know if they have found meteorites? But wait, I said, puzzled; the book clearly indicates how to identify meteorites in the laboratory and in the field.

Geoff laughed. He knows. He wrote it. But even with the advised magnet tests, estimations of weight and density, and describing varying means of visual identification based on features, it turns out that he increased rather than lessened the numbers of people sending him rocks in boxes!

Punchline: read his book, or the Meteorite Identification Tips on his Aerolite web page, you won't need to spend money to mail a rock to anyone. You'll have all the information you need to identify true meteorites!

Human nature: People want to send a rock to the guys on TV, so they can tell their friends about it.

Someday, I want to look this happy standing inside an Impact Crater

What's next for the Meteorite Men? Well, I'm personally hoping to see an ANTARCTICA ROAD TRIP! Catch Meteorite Men on the Science Channel Monday evenings. If you miss the show at its premiere time, it's also run twice more for you night owls, and can also be found On Demand in many areas that offer DirecTV.

All photographs from © Aerolite Meteorites LLC, gratefully re-used here with permission of the Meteorite Men. In order, they were taken in Australia, Kansas, Poland and Chile.

Meteorite Hunter Geoff Notkin

2011-12-21T10:00:00.030-08:00

And last but not least for This Week In Pictures, the finale of Akimel A-al Astronomy Night in Phoenix, Arizona. The final speaker of the evening was none other than Geoffrey Notkin of the Meteorite Men!

He let me touch his rock. And this one was heavier than I am! (I think I asked him where he found it, and he told me, but I was so bowled over by all the fun that I promptly forgot. If I find it on his website somewhere, I'll update later. ;)

Heather & Geoff

Being oblivious to most things on cable television, I was something of a buzzkill latecomer to the space rocks party, but was quite immediately hooked by their adventures once I tuned into the new episodes!

Geoff tells great stories, works hard to engage people interactively in the science of his calling, and truly brings to life the excitement of being a meteorite hunter -- whether it's fun, rugged, intoxicating, cold, crowded, rewarding, life-threatening... or all of the above:

здравствуйте = Russian = Hello!

Like astronaut Bill Gregory before him, he spoke about his training and knowledge base, then took questions from the children. He also then challenged them to answer questions about things they were learning at their Astronomy Night event, and passed out copies of his book to those who offered up correct responses.

Geoff kept the audience well-engaged, and stayed for hours displaying his meteorite samples, answering questions about his tools of the trade, and signing autographs or posing for photos with everyone who asked.

I also managed to get a signed book, which I've been reading hungrily and will describe tomorrow. For the entire suite of pictures from the evening, see the Astronomy Night album in my Picasa Gallery.

Astronaut William Gregory

2011-12-20T05:00:00.015-08:00

...Continued Astronomy Night awesomeness from yesterday, and a further promise to keep it short on the babbling this week. More pictures, more videos, less text! I give you, Shuttle Pilot Gregory!

Me with astronaut Bill Gregory

I Love A StarMan With Two First Names. That would be USAF Lieutenant Colonel William Gregory, pilot of STS-67 in 1995, the record-breaking mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

At the time of the mission, Bill and his crew set a duration record of 16 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes and 46 seconds, while completing 262 orbits and traveling nearly seven million miles.

Long story short, Bill showed some fun mission videos, narrated a great slide show, spoke at length and then fielded the usual astronautesque questions from surrouding children about what it is like to live and work in weightlessness, and how one trains for those spacey duties.

I think my favorite story was about how it was his job to clean the space toilet. Still want to be a pilot? Not all glamour and glitz, it seems.

On a more serious note, my favorite part is the video clip above, showing a lightning storm Gregory filmed from space! Awesome stuff.

His mission was also the second flight of the ASTRO telescope, which can be seen in one of the slides.

See the entire collection of photos in the Astronomy Night album on Picasa, which also includes images of a few other scheduled events, as listed on the giant screen behind Bill's head!

And seriously, if you child's school is NOT holding an evening like this at least once per year, find out why. Science Matters.

Astronomy Night AZ Style

2011-12-19T03:30:00.008-08:00

After departing Houston on Road Trip #432 (that's just a wild guess), I drove through Arizona (it's rather IN THE WAY if one hopes to reach California) and stopped in Ahwatukee (a suburb of Phoenix) to join a giant crowd of fellow nerds (genus: Not-Trekkie-Nerds) at Astronomy Night at the Akimel A-al School!

That may have been the most distracted compound sentence to ever appear on my blog. But, it's December and you're all too busy shopping to read things carefully anyway. So posts this week will be largely pictorial...

8th graders know more than you do

This delightful annual event for students, parents and local space enthusiasts is open to the public, so I didn't even have to sneak in just because I'm a hopeless astronaut groupie!

Yes, there was an astronaut there, and I will feature him tomorrow... but first! Check out some of the amazing projects completed by the 7th and 8th graders of the local Middle School.

Pluto still gets lots of love

I must say, it was so immensely gratifying to see such widespread interest in so many areas of science by energetic and curious youngsters, many of whom incorporated profound research and even some beautiful works of art into their chosen projects.

Clearly, this school benefits from enthusiastic teachers, involved parents, and participation from local clubs and museums -- including the Saguaro Astronomy Club, the Phoenix Astronomical Society and even the esteemed Challenger Space Center of Arizona -- many of whom sent speakers, laptop presentations, interactive games for all ages, and even models of asteroids.

Local teacher trained by NASA Marshall to handle Moon Rocks!

The evening's festivities included telescope viewings in nearby sports fields, a portable Planetarium, and... door prizes. Well, any reason to sell raffle tickets at school events -- heaven knows the government sure doesn't value science enough!

Conveniently, and in addition to the Space Shuttle pilot who spoke, there was also a meteorite pro on-hand to answer questions about extra-terrestrial rocks and how to find them on Earth. When YouTube finally starts cooperating this week instead of ruthlessly changing all of our channel front formats, I'll embed a few clips for our viewing pleasure...

What, indeed?

Check out my Astronomy Night album in my Picasa Gallery to see more wonderful projects from a whole lotta smart kids, including cosmological breakfast cereals and NASA space suit diagrams. Many more videos and pictures to come of this great event, so stay tuned!

Mars500 Tweetup!

2011-12-14T07:00:00.018-08:00

In early November, the Mars500 crew left the isolation of their spaceship when they "landed" back on Earth after a 520-day mission simulation to the Red Planet.

Following the official hatch opening, the crew faced continued medical checks and follow-up studies that were compared to their pre-simulation data. Alexey, Sukrob, Aleksandr, Wang, Romain and Diego (the latter two are keeping everyone updated from their Twitter accounts) will for some time remain under the eye of the mission controllers as data is analyzed, but can now enjoy all those things they probably took for granted before in life... family and friends... sunshine and trees... life on Earth!

Some members of the crew are on a rock star tour of sorts, attending PR events sponsored by the ESA for the European members in France, Italy and Spain. Each of these are designed to communicate their experiences and early sim results to teachers, university students, media and other space agency reps.

On December 6th, a Mars500 Tweetup was held in Rome for a select lucky few; Luca Di Fino of Rome, who tweets under the @ Luke2375 handle, was kind enough to share some of his wonderful photographs from this fun event.

Romain, Kate, Stefania & Diego...
The Mars500 crew and the AFSC crew!

Two of the attendees of the Tweetup were none other than @SpaceKate and @Stelgys – you may remember them from the Mars500 All Female Symbolic Crew, a group of science-minded ladies who closely followed the Mars500 project over the past 2 years.

Luke is a physicist involved in the ALTEA experiment aboard the ISS who also writes the ALTEA Space blog in English and the LucaDiFino blog in Italian. Both carried reports of the Mars500 Tweetup and fantastic photos.

Using the hashtag #mars500tweetup, he even compiled every Tweetup contribution from the event in Rome! Great job!

The Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMBP-RAS) recently published a Mars500 Simulation completion report, with an introduction by Roskosmos head V. A. Popovkin.

The 16-page PDF media kit includes details on psychological evaluations, off-nominal situations, Mars surface rock-collecting simulation, system verifications, crew health verifications, medical controls, and scientific programs of the mission.

Asteroid Astronauts

2011-12-12T07:00:00.016-08:00

Every astronaut or cosmonaut who has perished in space flight (3), died during launch (7) or died during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere (8) have been commemorated with various posthumous medals, statues, memorials and museum exhibits.

Some have had libraries, schools or streets named after them in their hometowns, or even geological formations on the Moon or Mars titled in their memory. Still others have been the subjects of songs, documentaries, and one disaster was dramatized in a TV movie.

Among all these variations, all the fallen space travelers have one specific honor in common... all have asteroids named after them.

Soyuz 1 crew:
1836 Komarov (Vladimir)

Soyuz 11 crew:
1789 Dobrovolsky (Georgi)
1790 Volkov (Vladislav)
1791 Patsayev (Viktor)

STS-51-L Challenger crew:
3350 Scobee (Francis "Dick")
3351 Smith (Michael)
3352 McAuliffe (Christa)
3353 Jarvis (Greg)
3354 McNair (Ronald)
3355 Onizuka (Ellison)
3356 Resnik (Judith)

STS-107 Columbia crew:
51823 RickHusband
51824 MikeAnderson
51825 DavidBrown
51826 KalpanaChawla
51827 LaurelClark
51828 IlanRamon
51829 WillieMcCool

I'm an Asteroid.
So get out of the way...

Many other space travelers have also had asteroids named after them for various reasons, and while not as exclusive as the group of Moon Walkers, it's a pretty darned small club!

In order of discovery + naming, they are:

1772 Gagarin (Yuri) - Russia
2552 Remek (Vladimír) - Czech
4763 Ride (Sally) - USA
6469 Armstrong (Neil) - USA
6470 Aldrin ("Buzz") - USA
6471 Collins (Michael) - USA
7749 JackSchmitt - USA
9496 Ockels (Wubbo) - Holland
9512 FeiJunlong - China (Renamed)
9517 NieHaisheng - China (Renamed)
12790 Cernan (Gene) - USA
13606 Bean (Alan) - USA (Renamed)
21064 YangLiwei - China
22442 Blaha (John) - USA
22901 IvanBella - Slovakia

All are Main Belt Asteroids. See the accompanying links to examine their orbital paths, physical parameters and circumstance under which each was discovered.

For general information about asteroids, go to the Goddard Space Flight Center Planetary Science page for the Asteroid Fact Sheet.

The Astronaut State

2011-12-09T10:00:00.008-08:00

Do you know how special the state of Ohio is to NASA? 21 astronauts were born in Ohio, 4 more moved there as small children and thus consider Ohio their home, and 12 more got their college degrees in Ohio! Wow.

Why so many from Ohio? Perhaps it's because two great astronaut role models, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, are from Ohio. Perhaps it's because, thanks to the Wright Brothers, Ohio is the birthplace of flight? Probably a combination of both, and given early education about famous flyers from their state, more folks from Ohio grow up dreaming about the stars!

Still, the number of inhabitants in Ohio (which contains only 3% of the entire American population) is rather low in comparison to California, Florida or Texas, where one might expect a greater showing in the astronaut corps. Nope! Percentage-wise, Ohio tops the list with their magic #21:

1921: John Glenn - Cambridge
1926: Karl Henize - Cincinnati
1928: James Lovell - Cleveland
1930: Neil Armstrong - Wapakoneta
1930: Donn Eisele - Columbus
1931: Charles Bassett - Dayton
1949: Kenneth Cameron - Cleveland
1949: Judith Resnik - Akron
1951: Ronald Parise - Warren
1952: Ronald Sega - Macedonia
1952: Terence Henricks - Bryan
1955: Carl Erwin Walz - Cleveland
1955: Donald Thomas - Cleveland
1956: Gregory Harbaugh - Cleveland
1956: G. David Low - Cleveland
1956: Michael Gernhardt - Mansfield
1957: Michael Foreman - Columbus
1958: Nancy Currie - Troy
1962: Mary Ellen Weber - Cleveland
1962: Michael Good - Parma
1965: Sunita Williams - Euclid

Ohio is also the only state to boast nearly an entire mission crew from within their borders! Ohioans definitely followed STS-70 with great prid, because four of five astronauts on Space Shuttle Discovery -- Nancy Currie, Tom Henricks, Don Thomas, and Mary Ellen Weber -- were from Ohio. Then Governor George Voinovich attended the launch and made the fifth crew member, Kevin Kregel, an "honorary Ohio citizen".

During the flight, the mission control center played the Cleveland Indians baseball song as a wake-up call for the crew. (Nancy Currie was actually born in Delaware but moved as a baby to Troy, Ohio… so she considers this her "hometown" . What do you think? Should we them get away with that one?)

I am not always enamored of their choice of words, but CRACKED.com did commentary on how "Ohio Is Full of Astronauts" in one of their famously sarcastic essays, Six Insane Coincidences You Won't Believe Actually Happened.

Terribly amusing, but don't click if you're easily offended by profanity. Cracked.com isn't always Safe-For-Work!

Moonies

2011-12-08T08:04:00.008-08:00

Of the 522 space travelers I had the pleasure of researching and studying throughout November while creating my Astronaut Birthplaces Map, perhaps the most exclusive group of astronauts are the Moonwalkers: 12 humans who walked on the Lunar surface between July 1969 and December 1972.

All were male. All were American. All were Caucasian. All were born between 1923 and 1935. Three of the 12 men were Texans. One, Buzz Aldrin, earned a PhD.

All but one were military men. Jack Schmitt was the lone geologist, and the only one who didn't serve in the armed forces. Of the remaining 11, seven were Navy men and four were in the Air Force.

Three are now already deceased: Conrad, Shepard and Irwin.

The nickname "Buzz" originated in childhood when his sister mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer", and this was shortened to Buzz. Aldrin made it his legal first name in 1988. When signing his name, he now tends to cross out "Edwin" on photographs or in older books.

Eugene Cernan's distinction as the last person to walk on the moon meant that Purdue University of Indiana would hold the honor of being the alma mater of both the first person to walk on the moon and the last. Neil Armstrong earned Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering. Cernan earned his B.S. in electrical engineering.

Modern space suits possess urine collection hoses with pelvic attachments, and it is assumed that men will fit one of the available sizes: L, XL or XXL. In deference to astro-egos, there is no S or M. This was not the case with the Apollo EVA suits. Among the 100+ items left on the surface of the moon by Armstrong and Aldrin are four urine collection assemblies – two Large and two Small. Which man wore which size remains unknown.

The Apollo 11 moon-walkers are the only astronauts to have a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, though their marker is actually round. You know, in the shape of the moon.

Number nine John Young was also the first commander of a Space Shuttle orbiter.

The youngest at the time of his moonwalk was 37. The eldest was 47.

Scott. Everest. Moonrock.

While not a lunar surface veteran, Scott Parazynski (STS-66, STS-86, STS-95, STS-100, STS-120) took a moon rock and other small remembrances of fallen astronauts to the summit of Mount Everest in 2009. He is the first and only astronaut to climb the world's tallest peak. So perhaps that is the smallest club, after all ;)

Astro Birthdates & Milestones

2011-12-06T09:00:00.013-08:00

Continuing from yesterday? On my domain, there is a full list of all astronauts listed by birth month, and then another with all astronauts listed by birth year. Both are handy for seeing the oldest to youngest throughout all the world space agencies, and I thought it might also be fun for people to see if they share a birthday with a space traveler.

Then again… someone who is a real space geek might start wondering if any of those dates held interesting facts or milestones. Someone with time on their hands might actually look for patterns.

For instance: In terms of birth dates, the oldest space traveler was Georgi Beregovoi of the Ukraine, a Cosmonaut born April 15, 1921, just 3 years after the revolution that dethroned the last tsar, and put Lenin at the head of communist Russia. John Glenn clocks in second, born on July 18, 1921… when World War I officially ended under President Warren G. Harding.

The youngest space traveler is Yi So-Yeon of South Korea, a KAP taikonaut born June 2, 1978. Russia has recently selected new cosmonauts born in the 1980s, but as yet none have flown. This record will continue to change, of course, where as Beregovoi will always be the "earliest born earthling who went into space".

Pays to be a dreamer...

Jack Lousma is the only space traveler from Earth born on February 29th. He celebrates his birthday every four trips around the sun when we have a Leap Year!

NASA astronaut Gregory Linters was born October 4, 1957 – the very first astro-child born after Sputnik was launched. He was the first Space Race Baby!

The most space travelers were born in the month of August. Second place, May. December and July are tied for the least number of Astros, at 33 apiece.

Since 1923, at least one space traveler has been born every year until 1973. The leanest years were 1924 and 1938, when only singles are on record: Deke Slayton (NASA) and Jean-Loup Chrétien (CNES) , respectively.

The year that saw the most births of future astros? 25 space travelers were born in the year 1956.

On April 12, 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space and return safely. Belgian spationaute Frank De Winne (ESA) was born April 25th of that same year, the first space traveler born into a space-faring world.

On July 20, 1969, Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong become the first humans to land on the lunar surface. American astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson (NASA) was born August 14 of that same year, the first space traveler born after the historic moon walk.

Happy Birthday Astronaut!

2011-12-05T07:00:00.004-08:00

Looooong blog post... probably one of the longest I will ever print, but an interesting reference if you enjoy calendaring and comparing.

BEHOLD, a list of all 522 space travelers from Earth, listed by their birth month and day, and then another column by YEAR. NO astrology remarks please, this is a haven of science.

If your day isn't represented, you could still be the first person in history to grab that date! Apply now!

January 1, 1942 Gennadi Sarafanov (RKA), Russia
January 1, 1947 Vladimir Titov (RKA), Russia
January 1, 1956 Sergei Avdeyev (RKA), Russia
January 1, 1959 Abdul Ahad Mohmand (Intercosmos), Afghanistan
January 3, 1959 Fyodor Yurchikhin (RKA), Georgia
January 4, 1970 Christopher Cassidy (NASA), USA
January 6, 1933 Oleg Makarov (RKA), Russia
January 6, 1948 Guy Gardner (NASA), USA
January 6, 1957 Colin Michael Foale (NASA), England
January 6, 1963 Philippe Perrin (ESA), Morocco
January 7, 1935 Valeri Kubasov (RKA), Russia
January 7, 1941 Frederick D. Gregory (NASA), USA
January 7, 1951 Talgat Musabayev (RKA), Kazakhstan
January 8, 1942 Vyacheslav Zudov (RKA), Russia
January 11, 1926 Lev Dyomin (RKA), Russia
January 13, 1949 Rakesh Sharma (Intercosmos), India
January 14, 1943 Shannon Lucid (NASA), China
January 15, 1969 Anatoli Ivanishin (RKA), Russia
January 16, 1946 Michael Coats (NASA), USA
January 16, 1948 Anatoly Solovyev (RKA)
January 16, 1952 L. Blaine Hammond (NASA), USA
January 16, 1955 Jerry M. Linenger (NASA), USA
January 17, 1943 Daniel Brandenstein (NASA), USA
January 18, 1958 Jeffrey Williams (NASA), USA
January 20, 1948 Jerry L. Ross (NASA), USA
January 20, 1930 Buzz Edwin Eugene Aldrin (NASA), USA
January 21, 1950 Joseph R. Tanner (NASA), USA
January 22, 1955 Thomas David Jones (NASA), USA
January 23, 1930 William R. Pogue (NASA), USA
January 23, 1949 Robert D. Cabana (NASA), USA
January 24, 1952 William Readdy (NASA), USA
January 26, 1952 Mario Runco, Jr. (NASA), USA
January 28, 1939 John M. Fabian (NASA), USA
January 28, 1950 David Hilmers (NASA), US
January 28, 1951 Leonid Kadenyuk (RKA) , Ukraine
January 29, 1942 Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez (Intercosmos), Cuba
January 29, 1948 Mamoru Mohri (JAXA)

February 1, 1935 Vladimir Aksyonov (RKA), Russia
February 1, 1961 Daniel Tani (NASA), USA
February 3, 1958 Joe F. Edwards, Jr. (NASA), USA
February 5, 1947 Mary L. Cleave (NASA), USA
February 6, 1961 Yuri Onufrienko (RKA) , Ukraine
February 7, 1929 Konstantin Feoktistov (RKA), Russia
February 7, 1932 Alfred Worden (NASA), USA
February 7, 1963 Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper (NASA), USA
February 9, 1954 Ulrich Walter (DLR), Germany
February 9, 1960 Peggy Whitson (NASA), USA
February 10, 1968 Garrett Reisman (NASA), USA
February 11, 1960 Richard Mastracchio (NASA), USA
February 13, 1939 Valery Rozhdestvensky (RKA), Russia
February 13, 1939 Sigmund Jähn (Intercosmos), Germany
February 13, 1942 Donald Williams (NASA), USA
February 13, 1964 Stephen G. Bowen (NASA), USA
February 14, 1947 Phạm Tuân (Intercosmos), Vietnam
February 15, 1944 Aleksandr Serebrov (RKA), Russia
February 15, 1964 Leland Melvin (NASA), USA
February 19, 1932 Joseph P. Kerwin (NASA), USA
February 19, 1948 Byron Lichtenberg (NASA), USA
February 19, 1952 Rodolfo Neri Vela (NASA), Mexico
February 19, 1956 G. David Low (NASA), USA
February 20, 1943 Aleksandr Aleksandrov (RKA), Russia
February 20, 1954 Vasili Tsibliyev (RKA)
February 20, 1972 Anton Shkaplerov (RKA) Crimea
February 21, 1964 Mark E. Kelly (NASA), USA
February 21, 1964 Scott J. Kelly (NASA), USA
February 22, 1952 James Bagian (NASA), USA
February 23, 1928 Vasili Lazarev (RKA), Russia
February 23, 1949 Marc Garneau (CSA), Canada
February 23, 1959 Clayton Anderson (NASA), USA
February 26, 1928 Anatoly Filipchenko (RKA), Russia
February 26, 1958 Susan J. Helms (NASA), USA
February 29, 1936 Jack Lousma (NASA), USA

March 1, 1924 Deke Slayton (NASA), USA
March 2, 1960 Mikhail Tyurin (RKA), Russia
March 3, 1942 Vladimir Kovalyonok (USSR), Belarus
March 3, 1946 James C. Adamson (NASA), USA
March 3, 1949 Bonnie J. Dunbar (NASA), USA
March 3, 1949 James S. Voss (NASA), USA
March 4, 1965 Yuri Lonchakov (RKA), Kazakhstan
March 5, 1953 Valery Korzun (RKA), Russia
March 5, 1962 Robert Curbeam (NASA), USA
March 6, 1927 Gordon Cooper (NASA), USA
March 6, 1937 Valentina Tereshkova (RKA), Russia
March 6, 1946 Patrick Baudry (CNES), Cameroon
March 7, 1936 Loren Acton (NASA), USA
March 7, 1940 Viktor Savinykh (RKA), Russia
March 8, 1952 Vladimir Vasyutin (RKA) , Ukraine
March 9, 1934 Yuri Gagarin (RKA), Russia
March 10, 1961 Laurel Clark (NASA), USA
March 11, 1956 Curtis Brown (NASA), USA
March 11, 1963 Marcos Pontes (RKA), Brazil
March 12, 1923 Walter “Wally” Schirra (NASA), USA
March 13, 1970 Aleksandr Samokutyayev (RKA), Russia
March 14, 1928 Frank Borman (NASA), USA
March 14, 1934 Eugene Cernan (NASA), USA
March 14, 1939 William B. Lenoir (NASA), USA
March 14, 1963 Pedro Duque (ESA), Spain
March 14, 1967 Michael Fincke (NASA), USA
March 16, 1927 Vladimir Komarov (RKA), Russia
March 16, 1932 Walter Cunningham (NASA), USA
March 16, 1959 Michael J. Bloomfield (NASA), USA
March 17, 1930 James Irwin (NASA), USA
March 17, 1936 Ken Mattingly (NASA), USA
March 18, 1954 James F. Reilly (NASA), USA
March 18, 1957 Christer Fuglesang (ESA), Sweden
March 20, 1960 Yuri Shargin (RKA), Russia
March 21, 1941 Dirk Frimout (NASA), Belgium
March 22, 1951 Musa Manarov (USSR), Azerbaijan
March 24, 1932 Lodewijk van den Berg (NASA), Netherlands
March 24, 1951 Kenneth Reightler, Jr. (NASA), USA
March 24, 1957 Scott J. Horowitz (NASA), USA
March 25, 1928 James Lovell (NASA), USA
March 26, 1962 Yuri Gidzenko (RKA) , Ukraine
March 28, 1946 Wubbo Ockels (ESA), Netherlands
March 29, 1931 Aleksei Gubarev (RKA), Russia
March 29, 1947 Aleksandr Viktorenko (RKA) , Kazakhstan
March 29, 1957 Michael Foreman (NASA), USA
March 29, 1965 William Oefelein (NASA), USA
March 30, 1957 Yelena V. Kondakova (RKA), Russia
March 31, 1957 Patrick G. Forrester (NASA), USA

April 1, 1946 William Frederick Fisher (NASA), USA
April 1, 1973 Sergei Volkov (RKA) , Ukraine
April 3, 1926 Gus Grissom (NASA), USA
April 4, 1964 Satoshi Furukawa (JAXA) , Japan
April 5, 1949 Judith Resnik (NASA), USA
April 5, 1950 Franklin Chang-Diaz (NASA, Costa Rica
April 6, 1957 Paolo A. Nespoli (ESA) , Italy
April 9, 1950 Kenneth Cockrell (NASA), USA
April 9, 1963 Timothy L. Kopra (NASA), USA
April 11, 1941 Frederick Hauck (NASA), USA
April 11, 1942 Anatoly Berezovoy (RKA), Russia
April 11, 1965 Piers Sellers (NASA), England
April 12, 1937 Igor Volk (RKA) , Ukraine
April 13, 1949 Jean-Jacques Favier (CNES), Germany
April 14, 1929 William E. Thornton (NASA), USA
April 14, 1942 Valentin Lebedev (RKA), Russia
April 15, 1921 Georgi Beregovoi (RKA) , Ukraine
April 15, 1951 Marsha Ivins (NASA), USA
April 15, 1951 John L. Phillips (NASA), USA
April 15, 1956 Gregory Harbaugh (NASA), USA
April 15, 1960 Mikhail Korniyenko (RKA), Russia
April 15, 1965 Soichi Noguchi (JAXA) , Japan
April 16, 1956 David McDowell Brown (NASA), USA
April 16, 1959 Michael R. Barratt (NASA), USA
April 17, 1964 Andrei Borisenko (RKA), Russia
April 20, 1945 Gregory Olsen (Space Tourist), USA
April 20, 1955 Donald Pettit (NASA), USA
April 21, 1951 Aleksandr Laveykin (RKA), Russia
April 21, 1962 Sergei Zalyotin (RKA), Russia
April 25, 1961 Frank De Winne (ESA), Belgium
April 27, 1942 Valeri Polyakov (RKA), Russia
April 27, 1953 Ellen S. Baker (NASA), USA
April 28, 1943 John Oliver Creighton (NASA), USA
April 28, 1949 Jerome Apt (NASA), USA
April 28, 1956 Paul Lockhart (NASA), USA
April 28, 1957 Léopold Eyharts (ESA), France
April 29, 1953 Nikolai Budarin (RKA), Russia
April 30, 1957 Duane G. Carey (NASA), USA

May 1, 1925 Scott Carpenter (NASA), USA
May 2, 1957 Dominic Gorie (NASA), USA
May 3, 1949 Albert Sacco (NASA), USA
May 4, 1956 Michael Gernhardt (NASA), USA
May 4, 1959 Maurizio Cheli (ESA) , Italy
May 5, 1941 Anatoli Levchenko (RKA) , Ukraine
May 5, 1949 Oleg Atkov (RKA), Russia
May 5, 1960 Douglas H. Wheelock (NASA), USA
May 5, 1965 Fei Junlong (CSNA), China
May 6, 1949 David Leestma (NASA), USA
May 6, 1952 Chiaki Mukai (JAXA) , Japan
May 6, 1955 Donald A. Thomas (NASA), USA
May 6, 1966 Aleksandr Skvortsov (RKA), Russia
May 7, 1959 Tamara E. Jernigan (NASA), USA
May 8, 1952 Charles Camarda (NASA), USA
May 9, 1931 Vance D. Brand (NASA), USA
May 10, 1958 Ellen Ochoa (NASA), USA
May 10, 1963 Lisa Nowak (NASA), USA
May 12, 1962 Gregory H. Johnson (NASA), England
May 13, 1942 Vladimir Dzhanibekov (RKA), Uzbekistan
May 13 1956 Aleksandr Kaleri (RKA), Latvia
May 13, 1957 Claudie André-Deshays Haigneré (ESA), France
May 14, 1952 Donald McMonagle (NASA), USA
May 14, 1957 William G. Gregory (NASA), USA
May 14, 1964 James M. Kelly (NASA), USA
May 15, 1942 Anthony W. England (NASA), USA
May 15, 1949 Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. (NASA), USA
May 15, 1975 Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger (NASA), USA
May 16, 1945 Brewster Shaw (NASA), USA
May 16, 1954 Dafydd Williams (CSA), Canada
May 17, 1967 Joseph M. Acaba (NASA), USA
May 18, 1930 Don L. Lind (NASA), USA
May 19, 1939 Richard Scobee (NASA), USA
May 19, 1948 Jean-Pierre Haigneré (CNES), France
May 19, 1955 Pierre Thuot (NASA), USA
May 20, 1944 David M. Walker (NASA), USA
May 20, 1951 Thomas Akers (NASA), USA
May 20, 1964 Paul W. Richards (NASA), USA
May 21, 1942 Robert Springer (NASA), USA
May 21, 1945 Ernst Messerschmid (DLR), Germany
May 23, 1958 Thomas Reiter (ESA), Germany
May 24, 1951 Ronald Parise (NASA), USA
May 24, 1972 Maksim Surayev (RKA), Russia
May 25, 1931 Georgi Grechko (RKA), Russia
May 25, 1964 Ivan Bella (RKA), Slovakia
May 25, 1965 John D. Olivas (NASA), USA
May 25, 1969 Dmitri Kondratyev (RKA), Russia
May 26, 1951 Muhammed Faris (Intercosmos), Syria
May 26, 1951 Sally Ride (NASA), USA
May 27, 1948 Aleksandr Volkov (RKA) , Ukraine
May 30, 1958 Michael Lopez-Alegria (NASA), Spain
May 30, 1963 Helen Sharman (Project Juno), England
May 28, 1944 Paul Scully-Power (NASA), Australia
May 30, 1934 Alexey Leonov (RKA), Russia

June 1, 1928 Georgiy Dobrovolskiy (RKA) , Ukraine
June 1, 1954 Jeffrey Ashby (NASA), USA
June 2, 1930 Pete Conrad (NASA), USA
June 2, 1956 Mark Polansky (NASA), USA
June 1, 1950 Gennadi Manakov (RKA), Russia
June 2, 1978 Yi So-yeon (KAP), South Korea
June 4, 1965 Shannon Walker (NASA), USA
June 4, 1967 Robert S. Kimbrough (NASA), USA
June 5, 1956 Richard Searfoss (NASA), USA
June 6, 1932 David Scott (NASA), USA
June 6, 1956 Jay C. Buckey (NASA), USA
June 8, 1937 Bruce McCandless (NASA), USA
June 8, 1965 Stanley Love (NASA), USA
July 9, 1943 John Casper (NASA), USA
June 9, 1946 F. Drew Gaffney (NASA), USA
June 10, 1929 James McDivitt (NASA), USA
June 11, 1944 James van Hoften (NASA), USA
June 12, 1949 Yuri Baturin(RKA), Russia
June 13, 1945 Ronald J. Grabe (NASA), USA
June 16, 1940 Taylor Gun-Jin Wang (NASA), China
June 18, 1937 Vitali Zholobov (RKA) , Ukraine
June 19, 1933 Viktor Patsayev (RKA) , Kazakhstan
June 20, 1941 Ulf Merbold (ESA), Germany
June 20, 1945 James Buchli (NASA), USA
June 20, 1948 Gary Payton (NASA), USA
June 20, 1953 Brian Duffy (NASA), USA
June 20, 1954 Ilan Ramon (ISA), Israel
June 21, 1958 Gennady Padalka (RKA), Russia
June 21, 1964 Oleg Kononenko (RKA), Turkmenistan
June 21, 1965 Yang Liwei (CSNA), China
June 22, 1930 Yuri Artyukhin (RKA), Russia
June 23, 1930 Donn Eisele (NASA), USA
June 24, 1946 Ellison Onizuka (NASA), USA
June 26, 1925 Pavel Belyayev (RKA), Russia
June 26, 1952 William Pailes (NASA), USA
June 26, 1956 Bernard A. Harris, Jr. (NASA), USA
June 27, 1937 Joseph P. Allen (NASA), USA
June 27, 1951 Sidney M. Gutierrez (NASA), USA
June 27, 1956 Sultan Salman Al Saud (ARABSAT), Saudi Arabia
June 28, 1946 John M. Lounge (NASA), USA
June 29, 1955 Charles Precourt (NASA), USA
June 29, 1962 George D. Zamka (NASA), USA
June 30, 1951 Stephen Oswald (NASA), USA

July 1, 1961 Kalpana Chawla (NASA), India
July 1, 1963 Ed Lu (NASA), USA
July 2, 1940 Georgi Ivanov (Intercosmos), Bulgaria
July 2, 1952 Linda M. Godwin (NASA), USA
July 2, 1959 Wendy B. Lawrence (NASA), USA
July 3, 1935 Harrison “Jack” Schmitt (NASA), USA
July 3, 1943 Norman Thagard (NASA), USA
July 4, 1961 Richard Garriott (Space Tourist), England
July 5, 1952 Terence Henricks (NASA), USA
July 7, 1960 Kevin A. Ford (NASA), USA
July 8, 1935 Vitali Sevastyanov (RKA), Russia
July 10, 1942 Pyotr Klimuk (Intercosmos), Belarus
July 11, 1950 Lawrence J. DeLucas (NASA), USA
July 12, 1957 Richard Husband (NASA), USA
July 13, 1934 Aleksei Yeliseyev (RKA), Russia
July 13, 1950 George Nelson (NASA), USA
July 14, 1936 Robert Overmyer (NASA), USA
July 17, 1959 Janet L. Kavandi (NASA), USA
July 18, 1921 John Glenn (NASA), USA
July 19, 1943 Roy D. Bridges, Jr. (NASA), USA
July 20, 1941 Vladimir Lyakhov (RKA) , Ukraine
July 22, 1942 Toyohiro Akiyama (Tokyo Broadcasting System), Japan
July 25, 1932 Paul J. Weitz (NASA), USA
July 25, 1957 Daniel W. Bursch (NASA), USA
July 26, 1949 William Shepherd (NASA), USA
July 26, 1951 William S. McArthur (NASA), USA
July 27, 1946 Toktar Aubakirov (RKA), Kazakhstan
July 27, 1961 Daniel C. Burbank (NASA), USA
July 27, 1972 Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (ANGKASA), Malaysia
July 28, 1961 Scott Parazynski (NASA), USA
July 30, 1953 Aleksandr Balandin (RKA), Russia
July 30, 1954 Gregory C. Johnson (NASA), USA
July 30, 1962 Vladimir Dezhurov (RKA), Russia

August 1, 1944 Yuri Romanenko (RKA), Russia
August 1, 1946 Richard Covey (NASA), USA
August 1, 1963 Koichi Wakata (JAXA) , Japan
August 2, 1934 Valery Bykovsky (RKA), Russia
August 2, 1949 Bertalan Farkas (Intercosmos), Hungary
August 3, 1935 Georgi Shonin (RKA) , Ukraine
August 3, 1951 Hans Schlegel (ESA), Germany
August 3, 1964 Joan Higginbotham (NASA), USA
August 4, 1943 Michael J. McCulley (NASA), USA
August 4, 1955 Andrew M. Allen (NASA), USA
August 4, 1955 Charles Gemar (NASA), USA
August 5, 1930 Neil Armstrong (NASA), USA
August 5, 1941 Leonid Kizim (RKA) , Ukraine
August 6, 1950 Winston E. Scott (NASA), USA
August 6, 1962 Gregory Chamitoff (NASA), Canada
August 7, 1956 Kent Rominger (NASA), USA
August 7, 1962 José Hernández (NASA), USA
August 8, 1940 Dennis Tito (First Space Tourist), USA
August 8, 1948 Svetlana Savitskaya (RKA), Russia
August 9, 1971 Roman Romanenko (RKA), Russia
August 11, 1961 Frederick Sturckow (NASA), USA
August 12, 1951 Charles E. Brady, Jr. (NASA), USA
August 13, 1942 Robert L. Stewart (NASA), USA
August 14, 1943 Jon McBride (NASA), USA
August 14, 1952 Mark C. Lee (NASA), USA
August 14, 1969 Tracy Caldwell Dyson (NASA), USA
August 15, 1959 Scott Altman (NASA), USA
August 15, 1947 Sonny Carter (NASA), USA
August 16, 1933 Stuart Roosa (NASA), USA
August 16, 1939 Valery Ryumin (RKA), Russia
August 16, 1958 Peter Wisoff (NASA), USA
August 17, 1952 Kathryn C. Thornton (NASA), USA
August 17, 1952 Thomas J. Hennen (NASA), USA
August 17, 1953 Robert Thirsk (CSA), Canada
August 18, 1954 Umberto Guidoni (ESA) , Italy
August 18, 1958 Sergei Treshchyov (RKA), Russia
August 19, 1935 Story Musgrave (NASA), USA
August 19, 1946 Charles Bolden (NASA), USA
August 19, 1962 Michael Massimino (NASA), USA
August 20, 1938 Jean-Loup Chrétien (CNES), France
August 22, 1932 Gerald P. Carr (NASA), USA
August 23, 1952 Klaus-Dietrich Flade (DLR), Germany
August 23, 1956 David Wolf (NASA), USA
August 23, 1967 Dominic A. Antonelli (NASA), USA
August 24, 1946 Richard N. Richards (NASA), USA
August 24, 1949 Anna Lee Fisher (NASA), USA
August 24, 1960 Steven W. Lindsey (NASA), USA
August 24, 1960 Franz Viehböck (Austromir), Austria
August 24, 1962 Mary E. Weber (NASA), USA
August 24, 1964 Salizhan Sharipov (RKA), Kyrgystan
August 25, 1960 Lee Archambault (NASA), USA
August 25, 1965 Andrew J. Feustel (NASA), USA
August 26, 1932 Joseph Henry Engle (NASA), USA
August 26, 1942 John E. Blaha (NASA), USA
August 26, 1959 Kathryn P. Hire (NASA), USA
August 27, 1941 Yuri Malyshev (RKA), Russia
August 27, 1958 Sergei Krikalev (RKA), Russia
August 27, 1965 Oleg Kotov (RKA) , Ukraine
August 28, 1960 Leroy Chiao (NASA), USA
August 29, 1948 Charles Walker (McDonnell Douglas), USA
August 29, 1959 Chris Hadfield (CSA) , Canada
August 29, 1960 Thomas Marshburn (NASA), USA
August 30, 1971 K. Megan McArthur (NASA), USA
August 30, 1931 John "Jack" Swigert (NASA), USA
August 31, 1945 Leonid Popov (RKA) , Ukraine
August 31, 1953 Pavel Vinogradov (RKA), Russia

September 1, 1961 Christopher Ferguson (NASA), USA
September 2, 1944 Claude Nicollier (ESA), Switzerland
September 2, 1953 Gerhard Thiele (ESA), Germany
September 2, 1959 Guy Laliberté (Space Tourist), Canada
September 3, 1944 Sherwood Spring (NASA), USA
September 5, 1929 Andriyan Nikolayev (RKA), Russia
September 6, 1946 Bryan O'Connor (NASA), USA
September 6, 1955 Carl Walz (NASA), USA
September 7, 1939 S. David Griggs (NASA), USA
September 9, 1952 Lee Morin (NASA), USA
September 9, 1956 Anatoly Artsebarsky (RKA), Ukraine
September 10, 1933 Yevgeny Khrunov (RKA), Russia
September 10, 1945 Richard Mullane (NASA), USA
September 10, 1948 Charles Simonyi (Space Tourist), Hungary
September 11, 1935 Gherman Titov (RKA), Russia
September 11, 1937 Robert Crippen (NASA), USA
September 11, 1967 Randolph Bresnik (NASA), USA
September 12, 1940 Roger K. Crouch (NASA), USA
September 12, 1966 Anousheh Ansari (Space Tourist), Iran
September 14, 1950 Huu-Chau “Eugene” Trinh (NASA), Vietnam
September 14, 1958 John Herrington (NASA), USA
September 15, 1941 Mirosław Hermaszewski (Intercosmos), Poland
September 16, 1956 Kevin R. Kregel (NASA), USA
September 17, 1930 Edgar Mitchell (NASA), USA
September 17, 1930 Thomas P. Stafford (NASA), USA
September 17, 1943 Samuel Durrance (NASA), USA
September 17, 1961 Pamela Melroy (NASA), USA
September 18, 1932 Nikolai Rukavishnikov (RKA), Russia
September 18, 1944 Charles Veach (NASA), USA
September 18, 1954 Takao Doi (JAXA) , Japan
September 18, 1973 Mark Shuttleworth (Space Tourist), South Africa
September 19, 1957 Richard M. Linnehan (NASA), USA
September 19, 1965 Sunita Williams (NASA), USA
September 20, 1960 James Pawelczyk (NASA), USA
September 21, 1945 Bjarni Tryggvason (CSA), Iceland
September 21, 1955 Richard Hieb (NASA), USA
September 22, 1965 Robert Satcher (NASA), USA
September 23, 1944 Loren Shriver (NASA), USA
September 23, 1961 William C. McCool (NASA), USA
September 24, 1930 John Young (NASA), USA
September 26, 1948 Vladimír Remek (Intercosmos), Czech Republic
September 27, 1952 Dumitru Prunariu (Intercosmos), Romania
September 27, 1966 Stephanie Wilson (NASA), USA
September 29, 1942 Clarence W. Nelson (NASA), USA
September 29, 1959 James D. Halsell (NASA), USA
September 28, 1940 Aleksandr Ivanchenkov (RKA), Russia
September 29, 1966 Liu Boming (CSNA), China
September 30, 1949 Michel Tognini (ESA), France
September 30, 1964 Stephen Frick (NASA), USA

October 1, 1950 Boris Morukov STS-106 (RKA), Russia
October 1, 1964 Eric A. Boe (NASA), USA
October 2, 1939 Yuri Glazkov (RKA), Russia
October 3, 1935 Charles Duke, Jr. (NASA), USA
October 3, 1951 Kathryn D. Sullivan (NASA), USA
October 4, 1957 Gregory Linteris (NASA), USA
October 5, 1929 Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (NASA), USA
October 5, 1930 Pavel Popovich (RKA) , Ukraine
October 5, 1958 Brent W. Jett, Jr. (NASA), USA
October 5, 1958 André Kuipers (ESA), Netherlands
October 7, 1969 Karen Nyberg (NASA), USA
October 8, 1956 Janice E. Voss (NASA), USA
October 8, 1959 Carlos I. Noriega (NASA), Peru
October 9, 1957 Yuri Usachov (RKA), Russia
October 10, 1946 Franco Malerba (ASI) , Italy
October 10, 1958 John M. Grunsfeld (NASA), USA
October 10, 1962 Rex J. Walheim (NASA), USA
October 10, 1966 Zhai Zhigang (CSNA), China
October 11, 1936 C. Gordon Fullerton (NASA), USA
October 12, 1932 Jake Garn (NASA), USA
October 13, 1952 Michael R. Clifford (NASA), USA
October 13, 1962 Michael T. Good (NASA), USA
October 13, 1964 Nie Haisheng (CSNA), China
October 15, 1964 Roberto Vittori (ESA) , Italy
October 16, 1956 James H. Newman (NASA), Micronesia
October 11, 1936 C. Gordon Fullerton (NASA), USA
October 17, 1933 William Anders (NASA), Hong Kong
October 17, 1956 Mae Jemison (NASA), USA
October 20, 1963 Julie Payette (CSA), Canada
October 21, 1950 Ronald McNair (NASA), USA
October 21, 1966 Douglas G. Hurley (NASA), USA
October 22, 1933 Donald H. Peterson (NASA), USA
October 24, 1961 Susan Still (NASA), USA
October 24, 1966 Jing Haipeng (CSNA), China
October 25, 1935 Russell “Rusty” Schweickart (NASA), USA
October 26, 1940 Gennadi Strekalov (RKA), Russia
October 26, 1955 Stephen Robinson (NASA), USA
October 27, 1946 Terry Hart (NASA), USA
October 27, 1946 Steven R. Nagel (NASA), USA
October 27, 1953 Michael A. Baker (NASA), USA
October 29, 1952Valeri Tokarev (RKA), Russia
October 30, 1946 Robert L. Gibson (NASA), USA
October 30, 1953 Aleksandr Poleshchuk (RKA), Russia
October 30, 1957 Aleksandr Lazutkin (RKA), Russia
October 30, 1961 Ronald J. Garan, Jr. (NASA), USA
October 30, 1964 Sandra Magnus (NASA), USA
October 31, 1930 Michael Collins (NASA) , Italy
October 31, 1949 Terrence Wilcutt (NASA), USA

November 1, 1953 Jan Davis (NASA), USA
November 2, 1944 Jeffrey A. Hoffman (NASA), USA
November 3, 1954 Kevin P. Chilton (NASA), USA
November 5, 1948 Robert J. Cenker (NASA), USA
November 5, 1961 Charles Hobaugh (NASA), USA
November 5, 1961 Alan Poindexter (NASA), USA
November 5, 1962 B. Alvin Drew (NASA), USA
November 8, 1936 Edward Gibson (NASA), USA
November 8, 1947 Margaret Seddon (NASA), USA
November 8, 1948 Dale Gardner (NASA), USA
November 10, 1933 Ronald Evans (NASA), USA
November 11, 1946 Vladimir Solovyov (RKA), Russia
November 12, 1937 Richard H. Truly (NASA), USA
November 14, 1930 Edward White (NASA), USA
November 14, 1933 Fred Haise (NASA), USA
November 14, 1956 Ken Bowersox (NASA), USA
November 15, 1959 Timothy “TJ” Creamer (NASA), USA
November 16, 1950 Carl Meade (NASA), USA
November 17, 1944 John-David Bartoe (NASA), USA
November 18, 1923 Alan Shepard (NASA), USA
November 18, 1951 Mark N. Brown (NASA), USA
November 19, 1956 Eileen Collins (NASA), USA
November 19, 1962 Nicole P. Stott (NASA), USA
November 19, 1964 Nicholas Patrick (NASA), England
November 19, 1958 Jean-François Clervoy (ESA), France
November 20, 1968 James Dutton (NASA), USA
November 21, 1933 Henry Hartsfield (NASA), USA
November 22, 1930 Owen Garriott (NASA), USA
November 22, 1942 Guion Bluford (NASA), USA
November 23, 1935 Vladislav Volkov (RKA), Russia
November 25, 1940 Reinhard Furrer (NASA), Austria
November 26, 1937 Boris Yegorov (RKA), Russia
November 26, 1963 Richard R. Arnold (NASA), USA
November 27, 1952 Jim Wetherbee (NASA), USA
November 28, 1951 Barbara Morgan (NASA), USA
November 29, 1949 Kenneth D. Cameron (NASA), USA

December 1, 1951 Aleksandar Aleksandrov (Intercosmos), Bulgaria
December 1, 1967 Konstantin Kozeyev (RKA), Russia
December 1, 1967 Terry Virts (NASA), USA
December 3, 1934 Viktor Gorbatko (RKA), Russia
December 3, 1960 Steven Swanson (NASA), USA
December 4, 1945 Roberta Bondar (CSA), Canada
December 4, 1952 Ronald Sega (NASA), USA
December 5, 1947 Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa (Intercosmos), Mongolia
December 5, 1949 Bruce Melnick (NASA), USA
December 8, 1927 Vladimir Shatalov (RKA) , Kazakhstan
December 12, 1951 Steven Hawley (NASA), USA
December 12, 1964 Kenneth Ham (NASA), USA
December 14, 1936 Robert A. Parker (NASA), USA
December 14, 1954 Steven MacLean (CSA), Canada
December 14, 1960 Catherine “Cady” Coleman (NASA), USA
December 18, 1934 Boris Volynov (RKA), Russia
December 18, 1951 Andrew Thomas (NASA), Australia
December 18, 1956 Reinhold Ewald (ESA), Germany
December 19, 1951 Frederick W. Leslie (NASA), Panama
December 19, 1957 Michael E. Fossum (NASA), USA
December 21, 1945 Millie Hughes-Fulford (NASA), USA
December 22, 1961 Yuri Malenchenko (RKA) , Ukraine
December 23, 1937 Karol J. "Bo" Bobko (NASA), USA
December 24, 1969 Ole g Skripochka (RKA), Russia
December 25, 1959 Michael Phillip Anderson (NASA), USA
December 27, 1970 Naoko Yamazaki (JAXA) , Japan
December 28, 1968 Akihiko Hoshide (JAXA) , Japan
December 29, 1958 Nancy Currie (NASA), USA
December 29, 1962 Barry Wilmore (NASA), USA
December 30, 1953 Daniel T. Barry (NASA), USA
December 30, 1958 Steven L. Smith (NASA), USA
December 31, 1948 Viktor Afanasyev (RKA), Russia
December 31, 1956 Martin J. Fettman (NASA), USA

Again, the link to an additional resource page showing this same list sorted by birth year is available over at Pillownaut.com! :)

Crowds, Chaos & Commerce

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

Wow... is it that time of year again already? Didn't I just scrape the tinsel off my boot from the last round? *Sigh.* Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Pretty soon we will just call the entire winter season: "Shoptember".

I went to the grocery store at 6:15am this morning (no joke – the best time to produce-shop, quickly and painlessly, is before 8am), and then made it a point not to go near any merchants, large or small... an embargo that will remain in effect until December 31st. I'm a nerd. Most of my friends are nerds. And you certainly don't want us shopping in packs. Here's why:

If you have a nerd on your Shopping List (and you do, or you are one), remember that we honestly don't understand why anyone leaves the comfort of their wireless laptops to visit malls anymore. You can order online from ThinkGeek and have anything delivered to your doorstep. That's been my rule for clothing and necessities for some years now.

I am not even remotely kidding. Click the links to see these genuine products:

Stay Puft Marshmallows With Added Caffeine

Groaning, Shuffling Remote Control Zombie
Braaaaaaaaaaaaains….

LabCutter Science Cookie Cutters

Delicious Science For the Foodie Nerds

The Mad Scientist Annoy-A-Tron

STAND BACK, I'm Going To Try Science shirts

Magic Wand-shaped Programmable TV Remote Control

Wooden Catapult & Trebuchet Kit
Some assembly required, but we live for those words...

Talking Bacon

Ten Little Zombies: A Children's Book
For parents determined to raise apocalypse-prepared progeny...

USB Rocket Launcher

CTRL + ALT + DELETE Coffee Mug Set
Microwave Safe!

Avoid anything Hello Kitty or things with the word "nerd" actually on them. We already have phasers and remote control Millennium Falcons, so don't bother. Favorable options will be anything preceded by the designation "Ninja", any and all "red shirt" jokes, and of course, anything at all with the NASA logo on it.

The best place for the latter is The Space Store & NASA Gift Shop... though I deliberately refrained from posting individual products from here, because once I get rolling, I wind up broke.

And remember, the first rule of Bacon Club is… you do not talk about Bacon Club. Your friendly neighborhood 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100100 thanks you.

Astro Websites

2011-11-30T08:00:00.004-08:00

Okay, back to Astronaut trivia! While researching my new Space Map series, I read the profiles of all 522 space travelers from 51 nations, and linked to their profiles at their various programs or space agencies.

Along the way, I noticed that some astronauts, in addition to government biographies, had their own web sites. However, it was not as many as I would have thought! I found 44 total, but would love to hear from anyone who may know others.

A few other space sites have older lists, but most are incomplete or out-of-date in terms of those sites that no longer exist. So here is the most updated listing I could compile:

Buzz Aldrin http://buzzaldrin.com/

William Anders http://www.heritageflight.org/content/

Jerome Apt http://www.orbitexperience.com/

Alan Bean http://www.alanbeangallery.com/

Roberta Bondar http://www.robertabondar.com/

Fernando Caldiero http://www.frankcaldeiro.com.ar/

Duane Carey http://www.astronautbiker.com/
*Award for Awesomest Domain Name

Scott Carpenter http://www.scottcarpenter.com/

Gene Cernan http://marklarson.com/genecernan/

Franklin Chang-Diaz http://franklinchangdiaz.com/

Leroy Chiao http://leroychiao.blogspot.com/

Pete Conrad http://www.peteconrad.org/

Walter Cunningham http://www.waltercunningham.com/

Charles Duke http://www.charlieduke.net/

Ron Garan http://fragileoasis.org/

John Glenn http://www.johnglennhome.org/

Richard Gordon http://www.dickgordon.com/

Umberto Guidoni http://www.umbertoguidoni.eu/

Miroslaw Hermazewski http://hermaszewski.com/

John Herrington http://www.rocketrek.com/

Jose Hernandez http://www.astrojh.com/

Thomas Jones http://home.comcast.net/~skywalking/

James Lovell http://www.lovellsoflakeforest.com/
*Okay, this one is a restaurant, a little off-theme...

Ed Lu http://www.edlu.com/

Yuri Malenchenko http://www.yurimalenchenko.com/

Franco Malerba http://www.francomalerba.it/

Edgar Mitchell http://www.edmitchellapollo14.com/

Mike Mullane http://www.mikemullane.com/

Story Musgrave http://www.storymusgrave.com/

William Nelson http://billnelson.senate.gov/

William Oefelein http://www.adventurewrite.com/

Greg Olsen http://ghoventures.com/bio.aspx/

Scott Parazynski http://www.parazynski.com/

William Pogue http://www.williampogue.com/

Dumitru Dorin Prunariu http://www.prunariu.org/

Vladimír Remek http://www.vladimirremek.cz/

Sally Ride http://www.sallyridecamps.com/

Wally Schirra http://www.wallyschirr a.com/

Rusty Schweickart http://www.well.com/user/rs/index.html/

Rick Searfoss http://www.astronautspeaker.com/

Deke Slayton http://www.dekeslaytonmuseum.com/

Thomas Stafford http://www.staffordmuseum.com/

Franz Viehböck http://www.franzviehboeck.com/

Edward White http://www.cmgww.com/historic/white/index.php/

Al Worden http://www.alworden.com/

John Young http://www.johnwyoung.org/main/jy1.htm/

Meteorite Men

2011-11-28T07:00:00.002-08:00

Take everything you learned from yesterday's trivia flap, and get ready to have your world ROCKED (literally) by the new season of Meteorite Men! Sounds like a band of science super heroes, doesn't it?

Those who might read regularly know that I have a borderline-loathing for most television. It takes an awful lot to get my attention onto something other than NASA TV. Many of you feel the same way I do, so I thought I'd provide this handy list of reasons to watch Meteorite Men:

Pros: No hoarders, no toddlers, no tiaras, no dancing, no Kardashians.

Cons: I have not gone on a road trip with these chaps, and I resent it deeply.

Geoff & Steve at the Secret Alpha Site in Kansas

Seriously? I've thrice driven through Kansas, and joked to a friend that the state colors were "Red, White & Boring" -- but if I had known there were olivine meteorites to be had, I may have stayed longer. It's truly amazing what you can find when you know how and where to look. Turns out Kansas is America's "Cosmic Bullseye", with more meteorites per square mile than any other state!

This is just one of the many things I have learned watching their adventures; all the James Bondy toys (watch for their industrious amphibious vehicle, the Rockhound) must just tickle the gadget geek contingent, but being more of an academic, I like the part where they meet up with experts from esteemed universities to verify the possible history and authenticity of their extra-terrestrial treasures.

Season three of the popular Science Channel series premieres tonight (11/28/11) at 10pm ET, but of course check your local listings for specifics. Now that there are thousands of channels to choose from, I learned the hard way that satellite company details can often be harder to find than meteorites themselves.

No matter the weather conditions, with or without paved roads, through swamps and deserts, intrepid explorers and world-prominent meteorite hunters Geoff Notkin & Steve Arnold pursue some of the rarest ancient objects on Earth, compliments of the cosmos.

Tonight's first episode will see them visiting to secure a sample from the Morasko Crater Field of Poland, and also pay a visit to the amazing SOFIA, the Boeing jet serving as NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Airborne Astronomy.

The season will feature eight episodes total, taking the Meteorite Men through a few US states, across remote areas of Russia, up through northern Sweden to the Arctic Circle and into Whitecourt Crater in Canada. Brave, they are! Heck, I've only been as far north as Edmonton...and that was more than snowy enough.

If you're an off-the-grid dweeb like me who lacks cable television, you can watch their YouTube channel clips or also go onto Amazon MM, where episodes are $1.99 apiece. Worth every rock.

Sky Bullets

2011-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

The word meteor comes from the classical Greek meteoron, which means "atmospheric event", and technically, this modern term refers merely to the streak of photons trailing a meteoroid. A meteoroid, in turn, is any interplanetary object bigger than a speck of dust and smaller than an asteroid.

The atmosphere is something of an Ellis Island stopover. Once it hits Earth, a meteoroid undergoes a scientific immigration process to become a "meteorite".

I particularly like "Aurora Particles" and "Fireballs"

The strewnfield is the area where meteorites from a single fall are dispersed. There are two ways strewnfields can form:
1. Mid-Air Fragmentation happens when a large meteoroid enters the atmosphere and explodes due to thermal shock, sending pieces of material over a wide area.
2. Impact fragmentation is exactly how it sounds, usually creating a circular crater and spreading debris in a smaller, concentrated area.

About 4 billion meteoroids hit Earth every single day; that's about a hundred tons per day of meteor dust. However, most are so tiny as to be harmless, even though they travel at hundreds of kilometers per second.

Photo of Arizona Meteor Crater I took from an airplane!
(Click for closeup)

The largest meteorite known to hit Earth has never been moved from where it fell in Africa. Weighing 60 tons and landing about 80,000 years ago, the "Hoba West" has been declared a national monument by the government of Namibia.

To protect it it from the estimated 100,000 meteoroids that will hit it during it's 20-year life span, the International Space Station is covered with Kevlar ... about a foot thick! This same material is used to manufacture bullet-proof vests.

Perseid Meteor Shower

Meteor showers are named after the constellations they appear to be falling from.

In Sylacauga, Alabama in 1954, a woman named Ann E. Hodges was napping in her home when an 8-pound meteorite smashed through her roof, bounced off a radio and struck her in the arm and hip. This was the first recorded meteoroid to hit a human being on Earth.

If you happen to find a fallen meteorite, the Meteoritical Society demands that you donate 20% or 20 grams (whichever is smaller) for research, but it's all right to sell the rest... unless you live in South Africa, where meteorites are protected under National Heritage Law and must be surrendered whole to authorities.

Astro Entertainers

2011-11-25T09:00:00.004-08:00

Heaping capsule-fulls of astronauts have been featured in or interviewed for space program documentaries and science shows. Still others have consulted on feature films about historical events.

Many many many astronauts have appeared on talk and variety shows, alongside Ed Sullivan, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Johnny Carson, Oprah Winfrey, Craig Ferguson, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.

Almost an entire Shuttle Endeavour crew appeared on "Home Improvement". Commander Dick Covey and his team from STS-61 discussed repairing the Hubble Space Telescope. Story Musgrave and Claude Nicollier got in some good zinger jokes alongside the laugh track, Jeff Hoffman played a video of himself on EVA, imitating Tim Allen's famous manly grunt… and Tom Akers displayed some of the tools used in space... one of which Tim Taylor tried to "shoplift"! Mission Pilot Ken Bowersox went on to feature in two more episodes as the series progressed.

In their first attempt at comedy acting… turns out they were pretty good space travelers! Dudes, don't quit your weightless jobs.

In perhaps the most famous astronaut movie of all time, actor Tom Hanks portrayed Astronaut James Lovell in Apollo 13 (1995), based on Lovell's book Lost Moon. Lovell himself makes a cameo in this movie, playing the captain of the USS Iwo Jima at the end of the film.

In the children's genre, Buzz Aldrin appeared on "Sesame Street"! Kenneth Stanley Reightler, Jr. also appeared on the Barney and Friends home video "Barney in Outer Space".

Buzz Aldrin also performed with partner Ashley Costa on season 10 of "Dancing With The Stars". At 80, he was the oldest dancer to ever appear on the show, though after Waltz, Foxtrot and Cha-Cha numbers, he was eliminated by audience vote in round 3.

Season 7, Episode 12 saw NASA Goddard hosting Top Chef: Gastro-Nauts, which featured TJ Creamer and Tracy Caldwell Dyson on the ISS, displaying some onboard nutritional choices. Later in the food judging panel of the same airing, Buzz Aldrin, Sandra Magnus and Leland Melvin tasted some of the cheftestants' attempts at making palatable dishes for use in microgravity.

Leland Melvin and fellow astronaut Sunita Williams also appeared with their dogs in the 7th season of NatGeo's "The Dog Whisperer".

Daniel T. Barry was one of 16 contestants on the CBS program "Survivor: Panama-Exile Island", operating within the La Mina tribe. He came in 11th place, being the 6th person voted off the island on Day 15 of the reality competition trials.

Astronaut Thomas David Jones is a science/space contributor for the Fox News channel.

Astonishingly, no astronaut has ever hosted Saturday Night Live.

Americans in Space II

2011-11-23T07:30:00.010-08:00

Map completion! My newest project is a mapping of where every space traveler was born. And it's been a heck of a lot of reading... 522 profiles altogether, of astronauts, cosmonauts, spationautes, taikonauts and the first handful of space tourists.

I've just finished the final column in the listings, and used this resource to place the final markers on the Google map, showing a total of 51 nations that have contributed to off-Earth exploration.

For a larger map of the birth places, you can also go straight to the source on my Google site.

In each case, the very first person into space from various ethnic groups are noted, as well as those who walked on the moon, perished in unfortunate disasters, completed famous firsts or still hold world records.

Along the way, I kept track of how many NASA astronauts came from each state. The leaders of the pack are New York, California, Texas and... Ohio? Well, the first three are no surprise, given their large populations. However, percentage wise in comparison to inhabitants, OHIO is the state that has contributed the most to the Astronaut Corps -- and there was even an all-Ohio Space Shuttle crew!

Perhaps it's because Neil Armstrong was from Ohio? He must have inspired a great many people from his state to become space travelers.

Number of astronauts per state

Also, there are thus far NO astronauts from Vermont, Wyoming, Nevada or Alaska? Well, if you are from one of those states, you could still make history as the first!

I also tracked birthdates and names along the way, and have been compiling separate research pages for those stats... interesting stuff. See all the first names of the space travelers, and perhaps you share a name with someone who isn't Story Musgrave... because let's face it, the chances of another Story astronaut are pretty slim. Birthdates, including breakdowns of birth months and birth years are still to come; stay tuned!

Tech notes: If you are using IE9 or upgrade to Firefox8, the custom icons can disappear at random. O the joys of technology! ;)

Note also that since the map grew so large, all the markers do not show up on one page. Google requires a scroll down through the place holders to skip to the next set of markers.

NASA Astronaut Groups

2011-11-21T05:00:00.005-08:00

One for the trivia geeks! Or you know, kids. Do kids still get into space history these days? Do they still want to be astronauts? Let's hope so, because sometimes it can be both fun and humorous. The previous class of astronauts bestows a nickname on every new class of astronauts selected. To date, the NASA astronaut groups are:

Group 01: April 9, 1959 - The Original Seven or The Mercury Seven
Group 02: September 17, 1962 - The New Nine (Also: Nifty Nine)
Group 03: October 17, 1963 - The Fourteen
Group 04: June 28, 1965 - The Scientists
Group 05: April 4, 1966 – The Original 19
Group 06: October 4, 1967 - XS 11 or The "Excess Eleven"
Group 07: August 14, 1969 – (No nickname on record)
Group 08: January 16, 1978 – TFNG (Thirty Five New Guys)
Group 09: May 29, 1980 - (No nickname on record)
Group 10: May 23, 1984 - The Maggots
Group 11: June 4, 1985 – (No nickname on record)
Group 12: June 5, 1987 - The GAFFers
Group 13: January 17, 1990 - The Hairballs
Group 14: March 31, 1992 - The Hogs
Group 15: December 8, 1994 - The Flying Escargot
Group 16: May 1, 1996 - The Sardines
Group 17: June 4, 1998 - The Penguins
Group 18: July 26, 2000 - The Bugs
Group 19: May 6, 2004 - The Peacocks
Group 20: June 29, 2009 – The Chumps

The First.

Trivia tidbits:

Group 2: The New Nine included Neil Armstrong.

Group 4: The Scientists Included the first medical doctor in space (Joe Kerwin) and many of the folks who ran experiments on Skylab.

Group 6: The "Excess 11" were assigned as backup crew members for the last Apollo missions or as backup for Skylab, though many later flew as Shuttle Mission Specialists.

Group 8: Ironically, the "Thirty Five New Guys", the only gender-specific nickname, included the first American woman in space, Sally Ride.

Group 10: Of this group, main Maggot William Shepherd would become the commander of the first ISS crew (Expedition 1).

Group 12: The nickname GAFFers is an acronym for "George Abbey Final Fifteen".

Group 13: The "Hairballs" nickname came after the class put a black cat on its group patch.

Group 14: Beginning with the Hogs, non-US astronauts representing their home nations' space agencies trained alongside NASA personnel as mission specialists.

Group 16: The "Sardines" were so named because they were the largest class since TFNG's.

Group 17: Garrett Reisman said that "Dodos" was kicked around for a nickname because a dodo is a flightless bird and it would be a while before any of them flew. It was changed to Penguins, another flightless bird, the difference being that dodos are extinct...

Group 18: The Peacocks group was the first to include Educator mission specialists.

Not the last.

Kosmonautica

2011-11-18T09:00:00.005-08:00

Cosmonauts Aleksandr Volkov and Sergei Krikalev were aboard Space Station Mir during the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. When they left Earth, they were Soviets. When they returned to Earth, they were citizens of the Russian Federation, and remain the only two space travelers whose citizenship changed while they were away from their planet.

A total of 112 cosmonauts have traveled in space, 77 from Russia and 35 from other former-Soviet republics. Only 3 out of the 112 were female.

Since 1951, precisely 268 cosmonauts have been selected for training in 18 rounds of candidate groups. In other words, far more than half of the cosmonauts selected have never actually flown missions. 156 vs. 112.

Why? Quite a few were unremarkably grounded due to medical reasons over the years, and still others participated in simulations or experiments, but simply never flew because there weren't enough projects to go around. Four were released due to "disciplinary reasons" involving alcohol, and a fair smattering disappeared after "personal" differences. A few died in air crash or car accidents, one was injured from a parachute jump, and another drowned during survival training. One was invited to retire due to a weight problem. The worst case, claiming to be in a "crisis of soul" after suffering depression and alcoholism, stepped in front of a train.

Mayhap the weirdest washout of all time, for any space program? Valentin Yershov was selected as a cosmonaut for the Soviet Union, but then locked out from training by TsPK ("Star City") director G.T. Beregovoy, because Yershov refused to become a member of the Communist Party.

Soviet Lunar Lander

The majority of stand-bys were so because of programs that simply never happened, such as the planned Soviet Lunar Landing, the un-realized all-female Soyuz mission, the not-built TKS spacecraft and Almaz space station, and the one-time-launched Buran shuttle orbiter.

Cosmonaut with the worst luck ever? Probably Pyotr Koldin, who was selected five times for missions, and grounded each time, due to project cancellations, re-assignment to the backup crew, or to make more room in the capsule so that spacesuits could be worn by the remaining two crew members.

Two science cosmonauts were named "Mars". Seriously. Their surnames were Rafikov and Fatkhullin.

The latest round of five Russian cosmonauts were chosen in December of 2010 as the RKKE-18 group. The youngest person now actively training for space travel, Syvatoslav Morosov, was born in August, 1985. The year "Back to the Future" and "The Breakfast Club" were released.

NASA plans to select new astronauts in 2012... wonder if they will select anyone younger?!

Kosmonaut Komrades

2011-11-16T07:00:00.009-08:00

As always, research into the Russian space program is a learning experience in spelling and pronunciation, and it's been quite the eye-opener to seek out the profile of every Russian Cosmonaut!

Of the cosmonauts chosen over the decades, fewer have flown percentage-wise than in other space agencies, due to unfortunate program cancellations along the way. Despite this, the Russians hold more important space-related records and milestones than any other nationality!

The Soviet Space Program was born in 1951, when the largest nation and its surrounding territories were known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Or more correctly, in Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (CCCP).

In December of 1991, many of the former republics declared independence from the Soviet Union, giving way to the Russian Federation or "Rossiyskaya Federatsiya" and I'll spare you the Cyrillic pretense on that one. Almost everyone, in every language, just says RUSSIA.

While the space program of the nation certainly had border changes and budgetary challenges, most of their centers retained the same hardware and personnel, regardless of location or project. An admirable feat for a nation in flux! The new additions to the Space Travelers Map were all born within the boundaries of Russia, and those on earlier flights of course lay claim to Soviet citizenship.

It is worthwhile to note, however, that on the entire list, many cosmonauts of outlying territories at one time considered themselves Russian by birth, if not specific ethnicity – such as those from Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Crimea, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Turkmenistan, the Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Inclusive of Yuri Gagarin's historic flight for humanity, 77 Russians have followed him into the vacuum. Mapping their hometowns is no small feat, being that you have to find both the Russian words on Google, and then fit it to a corresponding spelling in English -- and the vowel variations get pretty wild.

Do you know how many ways there are to spell Alexei, Alexi, Aleksey, Aleksei, Alexandr, Alexander, Aleksandr and Aleksander? Well, now you do.

However, perhaps most puzzling pattern along the way is the glaring LACK of female cosmosnauts, after Russia went pretty far out of their way to put the first woman in space as quickly as they could!

Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova
First man and first woman in space

Technical note: In many browsers, you will have to scroll down through the Marker listing on the left side of the screen, and move to page 2 in order to see the Russian additions. In still other browsers (Cough*cough Why would you still be using Internet Explorer anyway?!) the markers may disappear at random when you zoom.

Soviet Snowstorm

2011-11-15T05:00:00.014-08:00

On this date in 1988, the first and only "Russian Space Shuttle" launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

At 06:00:02 Moscow Time, the Energia super-heavy booster carrying a reusable orbiter blasted off, sending the unmanned mission into orbit. This single Buran mission circled the Earth twice in 206 minutes, then automatically landed at the Yubileiniy Airfield in Baikonur.

November 15, 1988: Буран-Энергия = Buran-Energiya

In February of 1976, the Central Committee of the Communist Party planned a program to "respond to the threat" of the American Space Shuttle, which was intended to replace rockets while lowering the cost of launching satellites. Energia-Buran systems, in contrast, were planned as carriers of nuclear weapons – and, as a secondary goal, would assemble and supply Mir-2, their planned space station at that time.

Including prototypes and models, there were 14 Burans – though only two were fully functional and flight-worthy. The first took one space trip, and was then put into a Baikonur hangar for years before being destroyed when the roof collapsed under heavy snow in 2002. The second? Never made it out of the yard in which it was constructed, and was later moved near the Cosmodrome for public display.

Over the 18 year period in which the program was active, 1 million people in 1,286 companies and 86 Soviet ministries were involved in various scientific and industrial aspects of designing, construction and testing.

Sadly, the overall cost of the Burans, which reached nearly 17 billion rubles by 1992, was too much for the weak economy when the USSR fell, and the Soviet Snowstorm program was officially abandoned in 1993.

Glory to the Soviet people – the pioneers of space!

For awesome photographs and schematics of the Energia-Buran systems, including a side-by-side comparison to American space shuttles, see the BURAN.RU site.

For Buran technical specifications and timeline, see also the Russian Space Web.

If you're feeling particular adventurous, you can still visit the Buran at the Cosmodrome, and learn all about how they moved it with no trawler... though a safer and more accessible Buran model is located in the Technik Museum Speyer in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Astronautica

2011-11-11T09:00:00.008-08:00

The entire human population that has ever lived on Earth is estimated at 107,602,707,791 (approaching 108 billion). Thus far, 522 humans have traveled off the planet and into space.

Of these 522 people across 53 different nations, 54 were women and 468 were men.

201 space travelers from 9 nations have completed extra-vehicular activities outside of crafts, space stations or on the surface of the Moon. Of these 201 EVA performers, 9 were women and 192 were men.

Under-Represented

First woman in space Valentina Tereshkova married the only bachelor Cosmonaut in 1963, Andrian Nikolayev. They were the first two space travelers to marry, and also the first to produce a child when their daughter Elena was born in 1964.

15 more couples married within the Astronaut Corps of America, Russia and Europe. Of those 15 couples, 4 have since divorced.

The first married American astronauts were Anna and William Fisher, who already wedded when selected by NASA in 1978. Their first child was born in 1983. When Anna flew aboard Shuttle Discovery in 1985, she became the first mother in space.

Three travelers have become fathers during their missions. While on Space Station Mir for a week in October of 1991, Franz Viehböck welcomed a daughter named Carina; he also has the distinction of being the first Austrian in space.

While aboard the ISS, Michael Fincke became the first parent on a long-duration space mission, being in orbit for four months, then going home to meet Tara, the daughter born while he was off-Earth in 2004.

Randolph Bresnick also became a parent while in orbit on a 10-day mission, having been aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-129 when his daughter Abigail Mae was born in November 2009.

For sums as high as $35 million, seven individuals have flown as "Space Tourists". Still others were generated by commercial interest, not government agencies.

The first Japanese man in space, Toyohiro Akiyama, was a commercially sponsored "Space Journalist" for the Tokyo Broadcasting System. He flew aboard Soyuz TM-11 to reach Mir in 1991, and completed as many broadcasts as he could, despite acute space sickness.

The first Briton in space was Helen Sharman, who responded to a Project Juno BBC radio advertisement asking for applicants; after beating about 13,000+ other hopefuls, she flew aboard Soyuz TM-12 to Mir in 1991, where she operated in food chemistry, and conducted both medical and agricultural experiments.

Americans in Space

2011-11-09T07:14:00.009-08:00

Map time, once again! My newest project is a mapping of where every space traveler was born. If you understand how CTRL+F works, this is shaping up to be a searchable resource.

The numbers have emerged, showing 310 American space travelers, 78 Russian space travelers, and 134 astronauts, cosmonauts, spationautes and/or taikonauts from an incredible array of 51 other nations!

Americans will take up the other two columns. This week, I completed A through J, as listed alphabetically. In each case, the very first person into space from various ethnic groups are noted, as well as those who walked on the moon, perished in unfortunate disasters, completed famous firsts or still hold world records.

Next week will be J-Z, and then I will follow up the last phase with all the Russians. I'll be adding the Cosmonauts last, because two Russian rookies are due to make their maiden voyages this November 14th on the next Soyuz launch! But anyway, back to the first batch of Yankee colonists:

The map looks a bit more cluttered than the one for agencies or space museums, since plotting 522 people is more intensive.

However, a truly interesting part of the research time is recognizing patterns along the way. For instance, who knew there were 5 guys named Oleg who went to space, but only one named Anthony.

Alas, there are no Heathers. So... wow, the spot for the first Heather is still up for grabs! There's hope for me.

Do you share a name with a space traveler? Check out the directory of names at my secondary page for Astronaut First Names.

Many common names are conspicuously missing -- just the odds of the selection game, and as "name fads" move through the eras, we will certainly see changes.

The most common name for a space traveler? Michael. A whopping 16 Michaels have gone into space. But, only one guy named Jügderdemidiin. Go figure.

ASHOS & ASCANS

2011-11-06T06:00:00.007-08:00

Ever thought about being an astronaut? Calls for applications are publicized about every 4 years now; the last set was in 2008-2009… and hey, what do you know? There is another call now for selections taking place throughout 2012-2013.

You can see details at the Astronaut Selection Office, which uses the USAJOBS interface, where "Astronaut Hopefuls" or ASHOS are screened in group pools, then sectioned into the pilot category or mission specialists (latter classification also eventually includes payload specialists and mission educators).

2009 ASCANS class complete basic training!

The minimum education requirement to be eligible as an astronaut candidate is a Bachelor's degree. The first person to fly in space with a PhD was Buzz Aldrin, who earned a Doctorate of Astronautics at MIT.

Being a SCUBA diver reeeeeeeally helps. Learn that.

Also, learn Russian. And if you’re really into thinking ahead, learn Chinese.

Things that cannot be learned? An astronaut candidate for the ISS or Exploration Vehicle program must be between 62 and 75 inches (157–190cm) tall. Blood pressure must remain under 140/90 in a sitting position to pass the physical. Visual acuity must be correctable to 20/20 on the Snellen chart.

About two thirds of the US Astronaut Corps have military backgrounds, so service is helpful though not a must. Most of the military candidates from the Navy, followed closely by the Air Force. Handfuls come from the Marines and Army, and 2 have served in the Coast Guard.

Pilots fly the spacecraft and are eligible to become Commanders, while Mission Specialists perform scientific experiments and spacewalks. For Pilot candidates, the minimum pilot time experience is 1,000 hours in a jet.

The ASHOS.org website, though sadly inactive since 2002, still has great tips and descriptions for making it to ASCAN status, not the least of which is their Ten Commandments:

Keep smiling, but not grinning.

Keep your humor harmless, pure and perfect.

Keep your weaknesses to yourself. If you don't point them out to others, they will never see them.

Never complain; make survival look easy.

You are expected to say something nice after each flight, class, or simulation.

If you can't say something nice, say something nice anyway.

In particular, practice saying, "Thanks for pointing that out, sir/ma'am. I'll really work on that."

Be aggressively humble and dynamically inconspicuous. Save your brilliance for your friends and family.

Remember, whatever is encouraged is mandatory. Whatever is discouraged is prohibited.

Nothing is sometimes a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say

Once a person is selected as an Astronaut Candidate, or ASCAN, they must undergo an intense 2-year training program before they are eligible to be inducted into the Astronaut Corps. Even once selected, it may take up to 10 years before an astronaut's first space flight.

For many years, ASHOS have used the Astronaut Hopefuls Yahoo Group to communicate, and more recently have tried Facebook Group pages for sharing their experiences.

Mars500 Lands on Earth

2011-11-04T11:00:00.003-07:00

After 520 days inside the space ship, the crew of the Mars500 project opened the hatch this morning! Well, morning for me. At 4:00 am crazy space lady time, which was about 2:00 pm in Moscow, 6 men who have dedicated 2 years of their lives to the most complex Mars voyage simulation returned to Earth.

FULL PRESS CONFERENCE SET FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th

You can watch the replay on the ESA site, a brief affair where Sukrob, Romain, Wang, Diego, Aleksandr and Commander Alexey emerged from their facility and took turns addressing their applauding organizers (and the press) in 6 languages – Russian, English, French, Chinese, Italian and Spanish. They were then whisked away for medical checks, after which they were finally reunited with their families.

The joy of Twitter allowed me to watch along with my friend Stefania in Italy, who noted they looked good but PALE. You would be too if you hadn't seen the sun in 520 days! She also cracked that they "show no sign of post zeroG dizziness! ;)" … LOL! Okay, so the sim skipped some aspects of spaceflight, such as weightlessness, but the overall exercise yielded amazing results for researchers on the physiological and psychological effects of isolation.

RIA Novosti declared the experiment a success because no participants opted out, everyone stayed healthy, and according to Mars 500 executive officer Alexander Suvorov, all retained their working efficiency throughout the project. None of the scientists are surprised with these outcomes, given the rigorous screenings for tough, experienced, dedicated Marsonauts.

Only the best of the best would go to the Red Planet, something detractors should keep in mind before criticizing science objectives they barely understand. I won't mention names, and I certainly won't link to the Bozo Factor – but some alleged "news" outlets have entirely missed the point of examining how the human body reacts to stress and prolonged confinement.

Unexpected findings included decrease in metabolic rates for all crew members, reduced motor performance and increased levels of sleep disorders. It's useful to know what we would be up against when we are prepared, as a species, for long-duration manned flights to other planets.

Are we ready for that? Of course not, and no one in the Mars500 program suggested that the rocket should be ready tomorrow. The single biggest barrier in getting to Mars is the onslaught of invisible beams from our nearest star. They're aware.

Brain neurons are annihilated by high-speed particles emitted by the Sun, and during a 520-day mission, an astronaut might lose between 13-40% of his or her brain. Yikes. (For comparison, the average Alzheimer patient loses about 5% per year). So until we invent effective protection from radiation, actual missions are still considered to be "in development." Heads up: sims like this count as development. And they matter.

I'd also like to give a shout out to my cyber-buddy @Mantic59, who said in June of 2010, and I quote: "This will be interesting to follow but I am very skeptical that they'll complete it. Too many psychological factors."

So here, finally, is my official response: "They made it!"

I waited more than a year for that. ;)

Star Sailors

2011-11-03T09:00:00.005-07:00

Return of the Trivia Series! :)

An astronaut, cosmonaut, taikonaut or spationaute is a person who leaves the planet Earth and travels into space.

Most of the terms are derived from Greek words, nautes (ναύτης), meaning "sailor" and:
English: ástron (στρον) meaning "star"
Russian: kosmos (κόσμος) meaning "universe"
Chinese: taikong (characters) meaning "empty space"
French: spatium (borrowed from) the Latin word for "space"

In the United States, the term "astronaut" is typically applied to an individual when they are accepted into NASA and their training begins, while in Russia, an individual is not labeled a cosmonaut until a successful space flight.

The Chinese and the European terms are perhaps the most aptly descriptive. The Russian and English versions are rather mild misnomers. Humans have not yet "sailed" through any significant portion of the known cosmos, or anywhere near stars.

To be more accurate, America and Russia have many "low-earth-orbit-nauts" (wouldn't LEO-Nauts be a much cooler word??) and "lunar-nauts."

On November 3, 1958, the Soviet Union launched the first Earthling into space to orbit the Earth. Sadly, there was no recovery plan for Laika the dog, and there are many stories and guesses as to how and when she died inside the capsule Sputnik 2 after numerous orbits. Laika's trip proved that it was possible for a living creature to leave Earth’s atmosphere, and also sparked animal rights debates all over the world.

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin earned the distinction of being the first human to fly into space. His annual captain's salary was approximately 640 rubles. Translated into US currency, that worked out to about $18 per year.

Alan Sheppard, the first American in space and the fifth Apollo moon-walker, hit a golf ball on the moon that soared 2,400 feet, or nearly one-half a mile.

Besides golf balls, everyone knows that the lunar landing teams tended to leave experiments, flags and plaques on the moon with each trip. Less well known is that they also left space boots, mission patches, cameras, storage containers, tethers, oxygen filters, metal tools, and many other items future alien archaeologists are sure to find fascinating.

Space Travelers Birth Map

2011-11-02T04:26:00.009-07:00

Map time!

As soon as I typed that, I realized it sounded like "Nap time". I wish. But no, these Google maps take a lot of research, a lot of typing, a lot of marking and a lot of time. Absolutely worth every minute. Over the past year, I created a map of all the space agencies in the world, and then all the space museums; the newest project is a mapping of where every space traveler was born.

Of course, the majority were born in the United States and Russia, and upon compiling a worldwide roster, I wimped out in terms of mapping those first. They're MASSIVE. So, I first tackled all the smaller space agencies and miscellaneous nations who spawned astronauts.

Like the other map projects, columns will be added over time until the map is completed; phase one was a pretty big chunk, consisting of 134 people who traveled into space with NASA, RKA, JAXA, ESA, CNES, CSA… and I also included the first few space "tourists" who paid for the pleasure.

The icons are fairly easy to navigate, with each map-marker color representing the decade in which the astronauts were born. Another key shows the format for all the space travelers' listings. Right now, the listings include 51 nations, with the Ukraine (most born during USSR era), China and Canada including the biggest showings.

China is right now screening their first two female astronauts, and may make the list a bit longer in the not-too-distant future. We'll keep tracking.

In each case, the very first person into space from that nation or ethnic group is noted. So come have a look, and see which Earthlings have thus far traveled into the vacuum!

For a larger map, you can also go straight to the source on my Google site. Next up, some American astronauts!

The Last Day Every Human Was On Earth

2011-10-30T06:00:00.005-07:00

October 30th! This date generally slides right by most people, when in fact it is one of the most amazing dates in the history of humanity.

It was, among other things, the day Orson Welles caused panic with his "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast (1938), the day Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off for STS-61-A, its final successful mission (1985) and sadly, still reigns as "Devil's Night" in some places each year.

In the year 2000, it was also the LAST DAY EVERY HUMAN WAS ON EARTH!

ISS Expedition 1
Sergei Krikalev, William Shepherd & Yuri Gidzenko

On October 31st, one NASA astronaut and two Roskosmos cosmonauts launched in the Soyuz TM-31 to the International Space Station for Expedition 1, giving the ISS it's very first resident crew.

During their time on the ISS, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev inhabited and unpacked the critical equipment for the Zvezda, Zarya and Unity modules, established initial communications with Mission Control centers in Houston and Korolev, hosted three Shuttle crews and with them, installed the Destiny scientific research module.

Since that time, there have always been at least two Homo sapiens in low Earth orbit. Many don't recognize the day for what it is... perhaps only future generations will appreciate that this mission marked the beginning of humanity's permanent colonization of space.

A securely enduring position in space is a fragile accomplishment, both practically and financially. Space station Mir was in orbit for 15 years, but often unmanned for periods of time. Russia's Mir was occupied without breaks between 1989 and 1999, and toward the end of 2010, the ISS finally broke this record with more than a decade of continuous habitation.

A gap between old and new hardware is always a future possibility, but today we have a greater chance of many nations or even private enterprises achieving a presence in space for overlaps. One day, we may even look back through multiple stations, yearning wistfully for a time when it wasn’t so darned crowded in our sky.

So, remember October 2000! Someday, your great-great-grandchildren may want to know what you were doing the day our species established a permanent off-Earth presence. Fingers crossed!

NPP Launch

2011-10-27T07:40:00.007-07:00

Ever followed a rocket launch with 0% chance of weather violation?? Me neither. So who's getting up in the wee small hours to see the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 2:48am PT?

The NPP is a collaborative effort between NASA and NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and serves as the first Earth-observing satellite of the NPOESS, or National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System.

Is that enough acronyms for ya?

The spacecraft was designed for a 5-year orbital life, in which it will monitor the Earth's weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment.

The NPP will launch into orbit on Delta II, from Space Launch Complex 2W (VAFB). Delta 2 rockets have sent 49 NASA payloads into orbit, and environmental satellite NPP, which is about the size of an SUV, will be number 50!

There are 5 key instruments on board:

The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) will create temperature and moisture profiles for weather forecasting models.

The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) will monitor atmospheric pressure patterns, hoping to improve weather forecasts.

The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) is just what is sounds like and will map and profile ozone fluctuations.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) will collect visible and infrared views of Earth's surface processes, such as wildfires, land changes, oceanic properties, and ice movement.

The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) will measure reflected solar radiation, emitted terrestrial radiation, and total radiation.

Follow status updates at Spaceflight Now, or watch NASA Television, and hey, killing time during launch coverage is a perfect opportunity to print out the PDF and build the NPP Satellite Paper Model Kit!

Cosmic Road Warrior

2011-10-25T06:00:00.003-07:00

I loathe clutter. I am the complete opposite of a pack rat (is there a word for that?) in that I love to get rid of things. Sometimes people come into my house and think no one actually lives there. I think part of that development was growing up in a house full of knick-knacky things everywhere, and part is that I would simply rather collect "experiences" than "stuff."

For example, everywhere I go, I tend to seek out the local Hard Rock Cafe to see memorabilia from the music world. The food blows, but hey look, Bobby Darin's necktie! Roy Orbison's sunglasses! I love that. I also love collecting state lines, in terms of crossing them... though I've almost got that activity wrapped up.

However, in the vein of Experience Collection, I have a new hero at SPACEYCHICK.com.

I seek out space hardware and history and rockets and novelties everywhere I go, and these days it's tough to find a city where I haven't cruised a science museum -- but her collection is stunning!

Check out the Spacey Chick website to see Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, Space Centers, space monuments, etc... as well as many astronaut "signings."

If you're interested in finding out where all these items reside for public display, it's a fantastic guide, because she also lists each museum, city and state. Truly an amazing scrapbook of museum mileage!

Pennan Brae Apollo 17

2011-10-21T05:00:00.004-07:00

Bold, beautiful, and stellar! Moody, romantic... and delightfully lunar. It's the new song "Lonely Heart" from Pennan Brae's 3rd Album Early Rise.

For those of you out of the musical loop, Pennan Brae is a singer-songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia, whose music has enjoyed radio play across Canada, Australia and the US.

His newest video includes awesome Saturn V footage, genuine Apollo capsule close-ups, old films of Mission Control, and the singer himself in a classic snoopy hat and 70s space suit, cavorting on the moon with a chained Space-Race Princess... wait, what?

Well, according to his YouTube Channel, the Apollo 17 music video for "Lonely Heartbeat" is:

Set during man's last visit to the moon on December 11th, 1972 with Apollo 17, where Pennan pilots the Saturn V Rocket to rescue Agent Stardust from the hairy grasp of Comrade Kalashnikov. It's a Cold War Lunar Battle -- USSR vs. USA; hammer & sickle versus the stars & stripes. Directed by Tim Cash of Far From Earth Films & shot in Oregon, the piece features Nicole Mintiens & Chris Buffalo Folsom.

Definitely unique, and reminiscent of the 1980s classic era of music video, which is what I liked best about it. That and the beautifully enchanting lyrics:

As days shorten to night
We squeeze hold each other tight
Autumn breeze picks up speed
Firefly does its dance
To this thing we call romance

Waves to shore slowly lap
In our black and white photograph
As night gives way to dawn
This path we’ll continue on
Our vibe certified priceless
Ringing true from East to West...

Nice. :)

Universal Mind Blowers

2011-10-19T07:04:00.006-07:00

CRACKED is at it again. Well, technically, CRACKED is at it every day, but I only pay attention when they talk about space... as evidenced by my previous spot-lighting of their take on astronaut training, and why it blows.

Yesterday, prolific and long-time writers Cooney & Quercia teamed to provide us with The 6 Most Mind-Blowing Things Ever Discovered in Space.

When I saw the title, like any space nerd, I wondered: How the heck did they ever narrow THAT topic down to only SIX? There are billions and billions of mind-blowing things out there! However, their choice half-dozen are quite interesting:

#6. Blingworld = A Planet Made of Diamond they want towed back to Earth

#5. CosmoDrool = Huge Rain Cloud which is really a black hole spouting water

#4. God's Light Saber = Trillions of space lightning bolts the size of the Milky Way

#3. Ice Sun = A star you could actually land upon without bursting into flames

#2. A Star 1,500 Times Bigger Than Our Sun

#1. Gargantuan Blob from the Beginning of Time

Why no one on any Star Trek series ever found that last one is a complete mystery to me. That episode would write itself.

I was impressed with the commentary on everything but #2. Because yeah, newsflash: there's huge stuff out there. NASA geeks will not even be remotely shocked by this, although to their credit, the CRACKED staff puts a pretty humorous spin on it.

But seriously, no magentars? No hypervelocity stars? For that matter, what about gravity?? Ah well, I'm a space cadet and they're comedians, we'll forgive them their brevity. For more space fun in the CRACKED archives, see:

6 Reasons Space Travel Will Always Suck

5 Retarded Space Travel Ideas (That Might Actually Work)

5 Soviet Space Programs That Prove Russia Was Insane

7 Bizarre Sounds From Outer Space

7 Horrible Ways The Universe Can Destroy Us Without Warning

Warning: Mature Humor. Open on home PC, not work PC. Because these are un-PC.

50 Years of Meteorites

2011-10-18T06:00:00.007-07:00

I used to live in Chandler, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, and quite near Arizona State University. This week, I find myself wishing I was still there!

For the space enthusiasts in the area, you have a wonderful opportunity to attend a symposium at ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration, who this month will celebrate 50 years as the heart of research activities on meteorites and other planetary materials.

Founded in 1961 by Geo-Chemist Carleton Moore to concentrate on collection and analysis, the Center for Meteorite Studies is now home to the world's largest university-based meteorite collection, providing a hub for scientists who conduct inquiries into the origin and evolution of the solar system.

To commemorate their five decades of operations, click here to register for their special events on October 21st at the ASU Tempe campus!

After the sun goes down, all attendees are invited to the roof of the Batemen Sciences center to participate in telescope viewing and meteorite handling at their Astronomy Open House.

Um ... Murray?

Among the highlights will be getting to hear and/or meet esteemed professor and CMS Director Meenakshi Wadhwa, and attend lectures by prominent researchers on "Meteoritics and Cosmochemistry: Past, Present and Future".

In the past? The aforementioned Carleton Moore flew to Houston to retrieve Apollo 11 lunar samples in 1969, and in years following, he and his team analyzed more than 200 more through 1972. The present? Today the center houses specimens representing more than 1,650 separate meteorite falls – including several meteorites from Mars and the Moon.

The analyses of Apollo samples not only bolstered the reputation of the center as a research facility, they also set the precedent for the study of other types of planetary materials by ASU researchers in what will be a rich and varied future.

To read more about the many NASA missions to which ASU is contributing, see their Science & Tech pages about ASU in Space.

Managing Our Space Ship

2011-10-14T13:19:00.009-07:00

Earth is not truly a "Sphere" but rather an "Oblate Spheroid" – flattened slightly at the poles and bulging at the equator by about an extra 43 kilometers. Gravity is slightly greater at the poles than at the equator.

We know more about space than we know about the bottom of Earth's oceans.

Earth is about four times the size of it's Moon, and the volume of the Moon is the same as that of the Pacific Ocean.

About 0.01% of the world's water is present in rivers and lakes, and 4.34% is fresh groundwater. 1.65% of Earth's water is "locked" in glaciers or polar icecaps, and a whopping 94% is salt water. If all the salt were to be extracted from the oceans and seas? There would be enough to cover all the continents five feet deep.

Of all known forms of animals life ever to inhabit the Earth, only about 10 percent still exist today.

Earth's rotation speed is at its maximum in late July, early August and at its minimum in April. The difference in the length of the day is about 0.0012 seconds. Rotation is also slowing down, and an extra second is added to atomic clocks every few years. Millions of years ago, a solar day on Earth was 20 hours long. It is believed that, after a few million more years, Earth days will be 27 hours long.

The length of time it takes for Earth to orbit around the Sun is 365 and a quarter days, or 365.2564 to be exact. It is that extra .2564 days that creates the need for leap years.

To make up the extra quarter which isn't counted, we add extra day in every year divisible by 4 – 2004, 2008, etc. – unless it’s divisible by 100 (1900, 2100, etc)… unless it’s divisible by 400 (1600, 2000, etc). The next Leap Year is 2012.

On average, nearly a thousand tons of meteor dust falls to Earth's surface each day. Most burn up as they fly through the atmosphere, but those making it to the ground are then called meteorites. About 900 meteorites land per year around the world, but most land in Earth's oceans.

Colloquially, most people use the words "air" and "oxygen" interchangeable, but Earth's atmosphere nearest the crust of the planet contains 78% nitrogen and only 21% oxygen. Argon at 0.9%, carbon dioxide at 0.033% and other minute gases account for the rest.

XKCD

2011-10-13T06:17:00.009-07:00

If you are a nerd and you are missing the web-comic XKCD, well... OMG you are a nerd and you are missing XKCD!

Mostly funny, often educational, sometimes entirely too disturbing in its accuracy.

Created and updated by Randall Munroe, this stick-figure high-IQ South Park at xkcd.com has spawned collective geek projects, geek commercial products and even a book over the years... though I'm no sure how well that sells, given that the archives are entirely free and the author encourages people to use his comics on their websites and blogs.

It's rare that you find any kind of hacker-head who doesn't regularly check XKCD, and who isn't a big fan of the commentary on life philosophies and human relationships as compared to the conventions of mathematics, computer science, physics, space exploration and nerd culture.

I am, unsurprisingly, partial to the space-related toons, which I have collected over time until I felt a fair list was in order for my Space Humor category:

http://xkcd.com/202/ Moon Landing YouTube

http://xkcd.com/254/ Janeane Space Station Mystery

http://xkcd.com/258/ Moon Landing Hopelessness

http://xkcd.com/307/ Star Wars

http://xkcd.com/482/ Labeling the Vacuum Void ... Awesome!

http://xkcd.com/578/ Firefly
http://xkcd.com/579/
http://xkcd.com/580/

http://xkcd.com/695/ Spirit Rover

http://xkcd.com/681/ Gravity Wells

http://xkcd.com/713/ Space Station Dating Game

http://xkcd.com/962/ The Fermi Paradox

TIP: Hover the cursor over each cartoon to see humorous "subtext". ;)

Dancing On The Fringe

2011-10-11T06:30:00.001-07:00

This tin foil hat dance just gets better and better! First, I found an MIT study showing that tinfoil hats actually amplify rather than block signals conspiracy theorists think they need to protect themselves from. Next, some tinfoil hat enthusiasts attacked me in the Comments section of my blog, accusing me of being narrow-minded about government and/or alien threats.

Through it all, I surmised in writing that other products would be forthcoming, and it turns out I am way behind the curve.

Michael Menkin, inventor of the Thought Screen Helmet, shares his expertise on how to Stop Alien Abductions. I found his website last night, and still haven’t decided if I just had too much to drink –- or not nearly enough.

A member of the Mutual UFO Network, he's taken it upon himself to compile lists of alien tendencies and weaknesses, as well as how they cannot read your thoughts if you always have your anti-telepathy helmet handy!

The thought screen helmet scrambles telepathic communication between aliens and humans. Aliens cannot immobilize people wearing thought screens, nor can they control their minds or communicate with them using telepathy. When aliens can't control humans to render them passive, they generally cease to abduct them.

The magic ingredient in the defensive strategy is Velostat, a substance imbued with carbon to make it conductive (often used for the protection of devices that are prone to damage from electrostatic discharge). Menkin provides helpful lists of velostat providers, necessary tools, and step-by-step instructions for making your own Thought Screen Helmet.

Michael Menken also offers tips for proper grounding and regular safe use, but nonetheless warns us to Prepare For A Fight:

Aliens will try to stop you from wearing the helmet both mentally and physically. Before you make one they may try to influence you that you don’t need one. Once you start wearing a helmet they may harass you or perhaps threaten to kill a pet in retaliation. They are good at manipulating your spouse to have a conflict with you about wearing the helmet. If you forget to wear it one time they may physically hurt you.

Well, we wouldn't want that.

See, if only he'd had his Thought Helmet...

I'm so happy I found this site before Christmas, because this has to be the ultimate space-buff arts & crafts idea.

So, thank you, Michael! Give our regards to Mulder & Scully.

I contacted the scientists at MIT who did the tinfoil study, and asked them to conduct a follow-up comparison study. Watch this space.

Trick or Treat

2011-10-07T07:50:00.001-07:00

Calling all Samhain enthusiasts. Yes, its that's time again. Summer's end! Carve out your favorite inedible species of squash and set the young'uns loose to beg high fructose corn syrup off the neighbors.

But FIRST! Order now to dress accordingly:

What, no Gorn suit?

Last year, after a big Google fest in the name of costuming, I noticed more space suits everywhere...though mostly for little boys. It's not my imagination – the surge continues, and has now spread further into apparel for girls, babies, adults, even cats and dogs!

I've had a basic Trek dress for many years, though memory fails me as to where it was purchased. I only found 2 or 3 outlets and a few independent tailors in the Star Trek network who would create custom-fitted adult costumes. Oddly, at a time when there are no Trek shows on television at all, and no new movie slated until 2013, sci-fi costumes are more widely available than ever before.

Pretty sure this counts as a cult now

Star Wars fans have always been huge costume enthusiasts; the spectrum of costumes available across all six films (and now cartoons) has become quite incredible. This year, an entire business devoted to Lucas creations has been established at OfficialStarWarsCostumes.com!

From Jedi to Sith, from slave Leia to Amidala royal robes, from genuine stormtrooper armor to the tune of a thousand dollar investment, right down to Baby Ewoks for thirty bucks.

Jawas, Jabba the Hutt, the Fett family... and... a six foot Yoda?? Well, we don't love All Hallows Eve for its sense of accuracy. I'm partial to the inflatable taun-taun myself.

Now, where's the corresponding Firefly site??

One Month Left For Mars500

2011-10-05T06:30:00.003-07:00

Today is day number #490 out of 520 mission days for the Mars500 crew, so they have now officially reached their final month! It has been an amazing trek to Mars and back, having broken the record for long-term space simulation.

It's been far more than a year since they were sealed into their "ship" -- and in that time, none of them have had a hot-water shower, breathed fresh air, seen the sun, or spent time with their family and friends. Quite a commitment! I often wonder if I could make it that long without going a little batty in isolation...

Boredom often produces beards

As I've read through my past 16 posts about Mars 500 since March of 2009, I've read through the old comments, and noted one reader who said, "As much as I want to be an astronaut some day, 520 days? I do not think its a valid test anyway. They already know from orbital missions that folks lose it in shorter time periods in more space... but not often publicized!"

I agree that overall validity remains to be judged in their published conclusions, but studies like these gain ground in ensuring people DO NOT "lose it" in space during a genuine mission. Some incidents have been publicized though; does anyone remember the "24-Hour Mutiny" aboard Skylab, or am I dating myself? ;)

"It's science fiction, man. We're in Star Trek."
(Sukrob is waaaay too excited about the camera!)

Astronaut Jake Garn holds the record for physical space sickness, but another man has the distinction for the most acute psychological sickness. In 1996, John Blaha deployed to the Mir space station for 128 days. Just before his four-month mark, he began to exhibit hostility toward other crew members, and occasionally complete withdrawal while he battled insomnia and depression.

Not long after, astronaut Jerry Linenger, another inhabitant of Mir (during a stressful accident resulting in a fire he claimed Russian authorities tried to cover up), had what was interpreted as a breakdown and eventually refused to respond to mission control on the ground.

We didn't know much about the effects of long-term spaceflight during the Mir era, so it's not surprising these incidents came to light at that time; it's also not hard to imagine that psychological problems on Mir and the ISS arose from cultural and political differences between Russian and American crews.

We clearly cannot afford this sort of schism on a 520-trek to a faraway celestial body, so I don't think it's an accident that three space agencies joined forces in this simulation, deliberately choosing crews across different countries. One of their ongoing goals is estimating working personality types. That will be an important component in a trip to Mars: screening the right mix of temperaments who are able to work together. And keeping them all BUSY.

Group effort produced Chocolate Martian Balls.
And that, my friends, is the height of civilization.

I want to stress that in reading the entire Mars500 website and blog for many months now, their projects encompass far more that the "isolation" or "collaboration" aspects. They are testing communications, conducting medical experiments, inventing and documenting procedures and even testing whether food grown in a self-sustaining greenhouse is feasible along the way to the red planet.

Many of their results will be published after they land on November 4th!

Lunar Lockout

2011-10-04T05:58:00.001-07:00

Quite certainly the funniest 17 seconds I've seen this week... invest in the moment. Completely safe for work ;)

Open NASA

2011-09-30T13:16:00.010-07:00

Many of you have heard of OPEN NASA, billed by enlightened agency individuals as "A collaborative approach to open, direct and transparent communication about your space program."

As part of the greater Open Government Initiative, this entity's workforce strives to innovate on how the NASA does business by embracing new technologies and fostering "citizen engagement".

No easy trick in today's brutal political climate fueled by skeptics, but their earnest efforts reminds me of that old proverb: "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."

Conspiracy theorists especially welcome! But remember that your tinfoil hat boots the signal.

The important thing is to participate!

The program management official behind OpenNASA is Nicholas Skytland (who wrote what I consider to be one of the best space presentations ever) and the newest blog writers include Ali Llewellyn of (you may remember her from MissionX!) and Chris Gerty, crew member on NASA's undersea mission aboard the NOAA Aquarius.

Other fresh faces include William Eshagh and Sean Herron, who are now contributing articles about projects in the Open initiative, such as NASA Internships, Mars mapping, NEEMO, the Nebula story, events like space camps or World Space Week, and astronaut initiatives such as Fragile Oasis.

OpenNASA.com has moved to their new official site at http://open.nasa.gov/, which everyone should check out along with their sister-site http://data.nasa.gov/. This "Open Data Project" portion provides access to amazing NASA digitized datasets, which represents only a small-but-continually-growing body of knowledge captured in nearly 100 years of US aeronautics and space endeavors.

…But choose your forms of participation wisely

Open source software? Check. Open source summit? Check. They make a great team all around; everyone will enjoy first pieces of writing on the new site!

And I'm not just saying that because one of their awesome writers asked to interview me about my space flight simulation experiences... but of course, that didn't hurt, either. ;)

LEO GSO OD

2011-09-28T09:00:00.007-07:00

This will likely be the single most depressing addition to my SPACE TRIVIA series, but it's important to know. If you easily lose your Zen to not-happy space news, skip me and go read The Bad Astronomer today instead. Awesome blog.

But, here are some bite-sized facts about space junk. At this time, pieces of orbital debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO) number in the tens of millions.

That's right, tens of millions. Nearly 20,000 of these are larger than 10cm. Particles between 1-10cm are estimated at about half a million. The rest are less than 1cm.

LEO

Orbital Debris is defined as a human-made object in orbit around the Earth which no longer serves a useful purpose, such as launch vehicle upper stages, spent payload carriers, derelict spacecraft, pieces resulting from explosions or collisions, and even tiny paint flecks released by impacts.

Most orbital debris reside within 2,000 km of the Earth's surface, or are in LEO.

How do we estimate the numbers and placements? Ground-based radars can detect objects as small as 3mm, and space-based detection systems can detect things as far as 40,000km out.

The US Space Surveillance Network tracks all orbital debris larger than 10cm.
An average of one catalogued piece of debris falls back to Earth each day, and this has been the case for the past four decades.

GSO

In LEO and below, orbital debris circles at around 7-8 kilometers per second, or up to 18,000mph.

As a result, the International Space Station (ISS) is the most heavily shielded spacecraft ever flown. Nodes holding human crews and pressure tanks on the structure are able to withstand impact of debris as large as 1cm. The ISS can also maneuver to avoid tracked objects.

The higher the altitude, the longer the debris will remain in orbit. Debris left below 600km fall back to Earth within a few years, though precious little survives the super-heated re-entry through Earth's atmosphere. Things higher than 800km take decades to return. Above 1,000km or more? Those may circle for a century or more.

GSO Polar View

Most telecommunications and meteorological satellites operate at the 36,000km altitude in geostationary orbit, where the problem or orbital debris is less severe. Which is not to say... harmless.

If you participated in the recent UARS hype, and have nothing better to be indignant about this week, you can read all about how NASA handles Orbital Debris Re-Entry. Or if you want to be part of all future re-entry hype, you can sign up for NASA's "Orbital Debris Quarterly" newsletter.

Desperately Seeking Snoopy

2011-09-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this is a noble endeavor or fruitbat crackers in the classical sense, but it seems there is now an international Snoopy Search Party, and it just smacks of a lesser-known X-Files episode.

In May of 1969, astronauts Tom Stafford, John Young and Gene Cernan completed what was known as the "Dress Rehearsal" mission of Apollo 10. The crew completed 31 orbits of the moon in Command Module Charlie Brown, and tested the guidance and navigation systems of the Lunar Module Snoopy.

During trial maneuvers, the Snoopy LM came within 8.4 nautical miles of the moon's surface. The descent stage was deliberately crashed into the lunar surface; the ascent stage, after its crew exercises, was cast into heliocentric orbit, where it's been now for 42 years.

No other once-manned spaceships are still out there the in the black. Snoopy is the lone wolf. At present, Charlie Brown is in the Science Museum of London – so it's not hard to see why a British team learned all about this mission and decided they were going to track Snoopy down.

British amateur astronomer Nick Howes, who's passion normally lends itself to hunting asteroids, rounded up some heavy hitters with the intent of finding the tiny LM. NASA's JPL, Wales' Faulkes Telescope team, the Space Exploration Engineering Corporation, California's Jamesburg Earth Station and Italy's Remanzacco Observatory will be overseeing the project with schools across Britain, despite having no reliable orbital data after 1970.

Apollo 10 Crew. Guilty of littering.

The search area of this science project is over 135 million kilometers; the vast visual field will be examined with robotic telescopes and later, spectral analysis, if any potential possibilities are found in terms of hardware.

Wow. Needle. Haystack.

So says the Faulkes Education Director Sara Roberts: "There will be a huge search field to examine, so this is not something which will happen overnight. It could take weeks, months, years — or we may possibly never find it. But we're going to try, and as a bonus, the areas we'll be searching will hopefully turn up new asteroids, and maybe even some comets, so there will be useful results whether we find Snoopy or not."

Space Over Time

2011-09-24T07:48:00.004-07:00

Technology Review, the magazine of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published one of those all-the-rage-now "infographics" in their Autumn issue.

It shows over 7,000 space launches, noted annually by nation and payload purpose: military, government non-military, commercial or amateur, including universities.

Click to Download Full-Sized PDF

Unsurprisingly, Russia and America dominate the visual field, with steady streams of launches interspersed with explosions of activity in particular eras. The remaining 50 countries hold some well-knowns as well as many surprises... (Really? Mauritius launched commercial payloads??)

Well done, I say. Even if they do have an ink-blot-versus-totem-pole sort of feel.

Space data from 1959 through the summer of 2011 was compiled by Harvard-Smithsonian Center astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, and arranged graphically by MIT Research Engineer Mike Orcutt and Tommy McCall, founder of Infographics.com.

Pale Blue Dot

2011-09-22T12:06:00.005-07:00

When I was in elementary school, science teachers used the idiom "a speck in the universe" to describe planet Earth, trying to give us an idea of the vastness of space.

I don't often ponder the vastness of space, because really it's just vastly too vasting VAST. Like, raging vastocity. I know our human brains, having no realistic comparison, cannot possibly intellectualize the vastness, and here's why:

I thought I had it all figured out in 2nd grade when I memorized the order of the planets, as displayed by a poster in our classroom. It looked so simple, and the way people talked about space travel back then -- how everything would soon be "space age" and Star Trekian, well, I imagined we'd all be vacationing to Saturn by the time I was in high school.

Around 9th grade, I read a book that said solar system illustrations or general "depictions" are complete nonsense. You can't scale to size on a poster, or even a large wall.

Even if you shrank a drawing of Earth to the size of the average aspirin pill, Jupiter would be a thousand feet away. Pluto would be in the next town over. And that's just "space in between" objects, to say nothing of the vastness of the objects themselves!

Comparatively speaking, right around the time this video shows the largest known star in comparison to Earth, our beloved planet is ONE PIXEL. In the immortal words of the great Carl Sagan, pale blue dot.

In the digital age, I think it speaks more to our mentality to be a "pixel" now instead of a "speck". And, I laughed aloud at the extra little slap-in-the-face at the very end... CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE... hint: it isn't you.

Nice.

Space Shuttle Nostalgia

2011-09-21T08:34:00.001-07:00

Okay, no more posts about horrible music... moving on! I hate that this is all in the past tense now, but...

The United Space Alliance (USA) built six space shuttle OVs, or "Orbital Vehicles": Enterprise (1976), Columbia (1981), Challenger (1983), Discovery (1984), Atlantis (1985), and Endeavour (1992).

Space Shuttle Enterprise alone never launched, as it was air-worthy as a tester, but not deemed space worthy after certain design changes. For many moons she has rested at the Smithsonian, but will move soon to New York so Shuttle Discovery can take her place!

My favorite portrait of Discovery

The space shuttles could move at about 17,500 miles per hour, or roughly 25 times the speed of sound.

To put this number in perspective, it takes the average Boeing jet about 5-6 hours to fly from San Francisco to New York. A Space Transportation System (STS) could cut the trip to 9 minutes.

Astronauts Jan Davis and Mark Lee, who flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in September 1992, were the first (and still only) married couple to travel into space together.

Conditions permitting, returning shuttles landed at Kennedy Space Center, but if alternatives were needed either for a landing or "launch abort," shuttles could land at various commercial and military sites in 25 states and 33 different countries.

My favorite portrait of Atlantis

Together, the space shuttle orbiter, external tank and twin solid rocket boosters had approximately 2,506,450 parts.

The US is not the only nation to build a "re-usable" spacecraft. While many of us are saddened that the Shuttle program ended... hey, we still had one for 30 years!

In 1976, the USSR created three Буран ("Blizzard") crafts; the first was scrapped, but the second completed an unmanned spaceflight in 1988. The Soviets subsequently cancelled their shuttle program in 1993 and the active Buran was unexpectedly destroyed in 2002 when the roof of its hangar collapsed under heavy snow. The third Buran is on display at Technikmuseum Speyer (Germany).

The Martian Hop

2011-09-19T09:00:00.005-07:00

And speaking of music... after I put the Onion article about Springsteen's fake Mars album on my blog, I got a mild barrage of emails filled with space-themed songs, not the least humorous of which was The Martian Hop. How did I miss this? The song begins with the unlikely message:
We have just discovered an important note from space
The Martians plan to throw a dance for all the human race

As alien conspiracy theories go, it's the most benign extra-terrestrial intention for humanity, but by far the worst-dressed.

Rocky Sharpe & the Replays (1980)

WARNING: This is two minutes of your life you will never have back again, and once you see it, it cannot be UNSEEN. Watch at your own risk and understand you will have a certain amount of brain cells commit suicide.

Horrifically, this wasn't just early 1980s tragedy. This version by Rocky Sharpe and The Replays was a cover tune of an earlier Doo-Wop era song by The Ran-Dells.

The Ran-Dells (1963)

The sound effects in the original are particularly amusing. Papa ooh mir mir papa ooh mir mir papa ooh mir mir papa ooh mir mir! Catchy, huh? They couldn't name a single dance the Martians couldn't do. So this was what American teenagers imagined in 1963? Awesome. I'm impressed. I can't do the twis or the locomotion. I'm not even sure how.

Perhaps it's time for another remake.

I wouldn't put this one past Lady Gaga.

Mars Has A New Boss

2011-09-16T10:30:00.003-07:00

You'd have to be living in a cave this week to have not heard that NASA discovered Tatooine, and I'll bet George Lucas is laughing his Alderaan off.

So my dilemma today: do I discuss this exciting new discovery, or do I assume everyone is a huge Kepler nerd like me and that you have already read the same 50 articles I have? Yeah. So let's talk about other important space stuff. Like, music.

Bruce Springsteen Releases New Sci-Fi Concept Album
About Struggles Of Poor Miners Working On Mars

This one really takes me back to the 80s, when Springsteen's baggy posterior portrait was all the rage. For those of you have never spun vinyl -- well, you didn't miss anything, and we're all better off with iPods -- but there is something to be said for the working class hero. Imagine how many of them we will need for inspiration when we're overseeing the immigration to Mars for all the work that needs to be done in the carbonite mines!

So says The Boss, he wanted to express his nostalgia over "one's carefree younger days of racing souped-up hyper-thrust cruisers through the Valles Marineris canyon, and for nights spent chasing Martian girls along the rusting boardwalks of a crater-side spaceport."

And who wouldn't want that, really.

(Alas, we take our humanity with us wherever we roam; if we do ever reach the point where we start harvesting the resources of other celestial bodies, it will likely resemble an episode of the gritty "Firefly" series, and not the optimism of "Star Trek".)

You can't tell, but that's Norma Rae inside the suit.

*sigh* ... I spend an awful lot of time wishing articles on The Onion were true, partly because I appreciate sarcasm on a pathological level, and partly because I think their social satirists could more efficiently run our government than the current pack of yahoos.

This article is no different. In fact, the only thing that would make it better would be if Aerosmith collaborated on the project, and the Martian colony was mining for chocolate.

Test Your Inner SpaceNerd

2011-09-14T11:55:00.003-07:00

I visited NERDTESTS.com and took their Space Test... which is both highly entertaining and amusing.

For you sticklers: in question six, they meant "revolve" and not "rotate", so don't be snarky. And please don't have a meltdown when they mention "THE EIGHT PLANETS" and neglect to include PLUTO! Fair warning.

I [very nearly almost] aced this with my mental store of geek history, and some blind luck identifying a few pictures. However, it seems I need to brush up on some scientific definitions:

The site claims that 21,215 unique people have now taken this test (26% female, 71% male and 4% "confused") – seriously, what is with this poor, poor showing of double-XX chromosomes? Come on ladies, join in the full frontal nerdity!

Interestingly, nearly 12% of the people who have taken the test on this web page believe we as a species have NOT been to the moon. Another 2% think neutrinos indicate a cloaked spaceship, and thus watch too much Star Trek.

While "polling the masses" toward the end, 59% think humans will return to the moon by 2020, and almost 68% hope to be on Mars by 2030.

Now if you'll excuse me, my borderline OCD perfectionism complex demands that I go line by line and Google all of the topics, to figure out what the heck questions I missed...

Spacehack

2011-09-13T10:43:00.008-07:00

Spacehack! It's more efficient (and less criminally motivated) than it actually sounds. Spacehack is a directory of ways to participate in space exploration, interact with the space community, and also serves to encourage what creator and ex-NASA-employee Ariel Waldman calls "citizen science."

The Flight Analogs Project (FAP) investigations were recently updated at the top of the page in the "Data Analysis" category, so hopefully more people will find and apply for the new space flight simulations! Exciting new programs have begun to test out new garments and equipment that will be used on the ISS.

Other listed projects include:

"Launch Your Own Personal Satellite" from a TubeSat kit
Image a site on the red planet from the orbiting Mars Odyssey
Build robotic Lunar Excavation or Mars rover models
Track solar explosions and solar storms
Classify space images at Galaxy Zoo
Lend your engineering ideas for the Space Elevator

Some are competitions for prizes, others pay actual wages; some are for students and/or entire classrooms as projects, others for amateur and professional astronomers... and still others are simply ways to gather information to contribute to scientific research.

For instance, a timely project for the present moment is the "Planet Hunters", where you can help discover new exoplanets (extrasolar planets orbiting other stars) by exploring telescope data from NASA's Kepler mission. This online experiment taps into the power of pattern recognition. How cool would it be to find a new habitable planet??

If you know of a space-related activity where Citizen Scientists can contribute, you can also submit a project to Spacehack. And feel free to tell me if you join one, as I'd love to hear what folks are contributing!