Moon Poll

It's not news, it's CNN. Yesterday, the "most trusted name in news" ran an interesting moon poll. Alas, it's already gone from their website -- which is weird, because polls sometimes sit there for days -- but I snapped a screenshot of the final score before it was replaced.


Some text responses to the poll on FARK and Wonkette:

Nabb1: Would I have to join a HOA?

trapped-in-CH: I'm a little too old now, but in my 20s I'd have given a limb or a spare organ to live on the moon.

blick: bang! zoom! to da moon alice!

dabishop: I wouldn't mind opening up a driving range there. "Nice shot, Mr. Gates; that one went 2,400 yards."

Kar98: I live in rural Texas. Might as well live on the moon. Anybody in Austin looking for a computer guy? Or a painter?

Lando: I'll start up our own WWW up there (I'll call it the MWW). Since we'll be in low gravity it will be even FASTER than Earth's! It's science.

dijetlo: Any chance that the 23% who said yes is the Republican base? If so, let’s get started, we just need a really big sling shot.

FP: Trick question, it doesn't specify which moon.

Mild Midwesterner: Sure, I would love to live on a sound stage in Arizona.

WhatTheHeck: All youse guys who want to go, we’ll call Moonies. And please live on the dark side of the moon so we don’t have to see you lunartics.

NBunny: Next poll: Would you...
(a) Like to swing on a star.
(b) Carry moonbeams home in a jar.
(c) Be better off than you are.
(d) Undecided.

LRO / LCROSS Launch!

At 2:00pm, I browsed to NASA-TV to see launch preparations for the Lunar Recon Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation & Sensing Satellite.

The hosts showed the animated trajectory videos from the LRO website, and in between discussions, cameras switched to launch pad views, testers, controllers, etc. The launch itself was delayed due to a nearby thunderstorm, but they took the last window anyway.

I watched the first few burns and maneuvers, and am now awaiting separation… pretty exciting! Well, except that one of the buzzkill announcers emphasized that takeoff was "one tenth of a second late." Geez.

The LRO will spend about a year in polar orbit around the Moon, mapping terrain, seeking safe landing sites and potential resources, and also testing radiation levels. That’s just the short, short, short version of its objectives... which will eventually result in planning and designing a full lunar outpost.

I visit the LRO Blog occasionally, and even if you just glance at their post headers, you’ll get a feel for the amazing amount of technology onboard, all the built-in bells and whistles, plus the sheer amount of testing required for such an animal.

OCTOBER IMPACT
In four months, after making a wide loop around both the Moon and Earth, the LCROSS will watch as the upper stage of a Centaur rocket (yes, the same ones that sent the Surveyor probes to the moon in the 1960s!) slams into a permanently shadowed region near the south pole at about 5,600mph.

The US, Russia, Europe, India, China and Japan have all crashed orbiters into the moon, the majority of those being deliberate. ;)

Some were to examine crater formation, soil composition, etc. What’s exciting about the upcoming collision is that scientists hope to absolutely confirm the presence or absence of water -- which is widely argued, based on existing findings.

LCROSS is programmed to follow Centaur downward, and will have about four minutes to fly through the debris plume, using many different cameras to capture all the flying regolith... and possibly ice chips? It will then crash itself into a different part of the same crater. That's darned tight window, so keep your fingers crossed that all the systems operate properly.

Obviously, any identification of water would be incredibly important to any future human activities on the Moon! NASA has an LCROSS Countdown Clock, and I’ll post about it again in October... hopefully with breaking [ice] news!

New Pillownaut Articles

The NASA studies are on the top of the WIRED.COM website this morning, featuring an interview with Ronita Cromwell, the project's lead scientist. I also gave a few subjective comments about what it's like to barter your body out to science, and they borrowed some pictures of both myself and Devin (plus his artwork!) from our galleries.

The author, Alexis Madrigal, was following up to bedrest pieces he had written last year. His article about how "NASA wants you to get in bed" was the first time I read about the studies, and decided to apply. So I got a chance to let him know he was the reason I found the project -- and we had a good laugh.

The Science blog at Wired is truly one of the best on the web -- they always have fascinating material, and I'm tickled they actually used my silly, made-up word, "Pillownaut." And that's the second one! While I was in California visiting family, Popular Science also published an awesome article from interviews done back in May.

Rebecca Boyle is a very precise writer, spent more time with me than most interviewers have, so she really nailed the accuracy in a way that others haven't. For example, FOX has covered it for two years and even after all the details their reporters give them, their editors keep calling it a "sleep study!" on television. Which it isn't. Obviously. But I guess that "sounds" more dramatic. Those of us immersed in the project know all the tiny details, and it can be frustrating to see it "watered down" in the press -- but these two most recent articles are definitely among the best.

Thank you so much Alexis and Rebecca! I am sure this will help the program coordinators get some new qualified applicants!

No Place Like Home

Back in Texas! Having just spent time in northern California, where I grew up, I'm always reminded of just how much I miss it. However, it is also a relief to finally be back at my [newer] home in Georgetown for the first time in over a month.


I got plenty of exercise on the trip, mostly climbing around San Francisco, but seeing groups of family also meant many massive meals (unintended alliteration). So between bedrest, jet-lag and high-calorie menus, I'm feeling a bit sluggish. The first order of business was to get back to the gym! Yesterday and this morning, I exercised both outdoors and indoors on a climber, still working my way back up to 5-mile stretches, and also doing some interval training. I lifted weights for the first time since before the study, lighter and with fewer reps than normal, but I still expect some soreness over the next few days. Eeeeaaaaasing back in.

One thing I have not resumed, however, is caffeine consumption. Despite never going anywhere near coffee, I've been addicted to caffeine for many years. I've weaned myself off it prior to each trip to NASA. Last time, I couldn't wait to have a coca-cola. Devin and I headed for a soda machine within an hour of rising from bed (i.e. as soon as we could hobble to it with coins). This time, however, I wanted to see if I could cut tea and colas -- both from my body and my budget -- for as long as possible. So far, so good.

I drink plenty of water daily, but have increased that in lieu of soda... and I switched from my normal Green Tea to a decaffeinated brand. I know I still get a little bit in chocolate, but nothing like what I used to chug. I'll be interested to see if I genuinely feel any difference in energy. I am definitely already sleeping more deeply. Here's hoping I can last for the summer, at least.

Catching up on email? Not quite as relaxing. What an avalanche! It will be a few days before I wade through each account, but of course I want to thank everyone who has sent me great links and articles. There's no chance I could possibly miss anything going on in the NASA or Star Trek multiverses anymore! Exciting preparations are being made for launches, a new "Moon" movie is due to be released soon, and current missions appear to be getting more press than in past years, which is great to see.


Special thanks to Mr. & Mrs. L, who forwarded a great link from ABC News: Atlantis Astronauts Share the Earthly Delights They Can't Live Without in Space. I loved this article for its accuracy, detail and astronaut pranks -- though probably the funniest bit was Mike Massimino casting his vote for the next Nobel Prize winner: whomever invents the technology to make pizza in space!

I guess we flight analogs are lucky, we get pizza on the ground -- but I don't know what they're complaining about; they get pudding and M&Ms! Definitely contraband at UTMB. However, despite the tiny differences and description of restrictions, I think this article clears up a few misconceptions about "food in space" ... namely that astronauts have no choice about their in-flight diets, that the food is barely palatable... or even that Tang and paste tubes are still staples. Those and other freeze-dried forms of torture from the early days are long, long gone.

More to come as I catch up! Thank you everyone for all your wonderful emails and support! :)