Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop

[madddscience]

A visual history of the NASA logo.

The stunningly minimal, futuristic ‘worm’ logo invented in the 70s for the US Federal Design Improvement Program was changed out for the 1959 ‘meatball’ logo in 1992. This was possibly in an effort to “recapture the magic” after the tragic Challenger crash, but it definitely ensured that the coolest NASA logo ever was confined to the 70s and 80s right alongside all the best retro-futuristic space plans. 

via Logo Life, by Ron van der Vlugt

[hydro-homies]

Imagine being the only person alive who can say this

[nevercure]

buzz aldrin and neil armstrong liked to do a thing where they’d tell unfunny jokes at parties about being on the moon and when people were confused they’d go “guess you had to have been there”

[averagefairy]

did humans invent math or did we discover it

does math even exist

[averagefairy]

i already regret making this post bc smart people keep messaging me trying to explain math and it’s making me nauseous 

[cappucino-commie]

The universe did some weird shit, and humans were like “Got you now motherfucker! We got numbers and shit to figure it all out!”. And as punishment for this hubris God fucked up physics so hard we still don’t know what’s going on.

[tropiyas]

some fucker decided they could just start counting things and it was all downhill from there

[magical-awesome-kid]

Listen all we were trying to do was keep track of some sheep and then differential calculus happened.

[andromacheflint]

Why is “space pirate” one of the coolest word combinations in existence?

[bach-2-the-future]

Closely followed by “space cowboy”

[andromacheflint]

Actually space cowboys are cooler, bc they imply space cows

[bach-2-the-future]

I raise you: space pirates who steal space cows and have a bitter blood feud with the space cowboys

[andromacheflint]

You win, i can’t possibly top that

[hotcocoandmarshmallows]

I raise you: Space cowboy and Space Pirate falling in love despite the blood fude

[nasa]

Galactic Ghouls and Stellar Screams

A quiet, starry night sky might not seem like a very spooky spectacle, but space can be a creepy place! Monsters lurk in the shadowy depths of the universe, sometimes hidden in plain sight. Many of them are invisible to our eyes, so we have to use special telescopes to see them. Read on to discover some of these strange cosmic beasts, but beware — sometimes fact is scarier than fiction.

Monster Black Holes ⚫

You know those nightmares where no matter how fast you try to run you never seem to get anywhere? Black holes are a sinister possible version of that dream — especially because they’re real! If you get too close to a black hole, there is no possibility of escape.

Just last year our Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope traced an otherworldly ghost particle back to one of these monster black holes, providing additional insight into the many signals we’re picking up from some of the most feared creatures in the cosmic deep.

But it gets worse. Our Hubble Space Telescope revealed that these things are hidden in the hearts of nearly every galaxy in the universe. That means supermassive black holes lurk in the shadows of the night sky in every direction you look!

A Hazy Specter 👻

This fiendish specter lives in the center of the Milky Way, haunting our galaxy’s supermassive black hole. But it’s not as scary as it looks! Our SOFIA observatory captured streamlines tracing a magnetic field that appears to be luring most of the material quietly into orbit around the black hole. In other galaxies, magnetic fields seem to be feeding material into hungry black holes — beware! Magnetic fields might be the answer to why some black holes are starving while others are feasting.

Bats in the Belfry 🦇

The universe has bats in the attic! Hubble spotted the shadow of a giant cosmic bat in the Serpens Nebula. Newborn stars like the one at the center of the bat, called HBC 672, are surrounded by disks of material, which are hard to study directly. The shadows they cast, like the bat, can clue scientists in on things like the disk’s size and density. Our solar system formed from the same type of disk of material, but we can only see the end result of planet building here — we want to learn more about the process!

Jack-o-lantern Sun 🎃

A jack-o-lantern in space?! Our Solar Dynamics Observatory watches the Sun at all times, keeping a close eye on space weather. In October 2014, the observatory captured a chilling image of the Sun with a Halloweenish face!

Skull Comet 💀

On Halloween a few years ago, an eerie-looking object known as 2015 TB145 sped across the night sky. Scientists observing it with our Infrared Telescope Facility determined that it was most likely a dead comet. It’s important to study objects like comets and asteroids because they’re dangerous if they cross Earth’s path — just ask the dinosaurs!

Halloween Treat 🍬

Trick-or-treat! Add a piece of glowing cosmic candy to your Halloween haul, courtesy of Hubble! This image shows the Saturn Nebula, formed from the outer layers ejected by a dying star, destined to be recycled into later generations of stars and planets. Our Sun will experience a similar fate in around five billion years.

Witch’s Broom Nebula 🧹

Massive stars are in for a more fiery fate, as the Witch’s Broom Nebula shows. Hubble’s close-up look reveals wisps of gas — shrapnel leftover from a supernova explosion. Astronomers believe that a couple of supernovae occur each century in galaxies like our own Milky Way.

Zombie Stars 🧟

Supernovae usually herald the death of a star, but on a few occasions astronomers have found “zombie stars” left behind after unusually weak supernovae. Our Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) has even spotted a mysterious glow of high-energy X-rays that could be the “howls” of dead stars as they feed on their neighbors.

Intergalactic Ghost Towns 🏚️

The universe is brimming with galaxies, but it’s also speckled with some enormous empty pockets of space, too. These giant ghost towns, called voids, may be some of the largest things in the cosmos, and since the universe is expanding, galaxies are racing even farther away from each other all the time! Be grateful for your place in space — the shadowy patches of the universe are dreadful lonely scenes.

Mysterious Invisible Force 🕵️‍♀️

Some forces are a lot spookier than floorboards creaking or a door slamming shut unexpectedly when you’re home alone. Dark energy is a mysterious antigravity pressure that our Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is going to help us understand. All we know so far is that it’s present everywhere in the cosmos (even in the room with you as you read this) and it controls the fate of the universe, but WFIRST will study hundreds of millions of galaxies to figure out just what dark energy is up to.

Want to learn some fun ways to celebrate Halloween in (NASA) style? Check out this link!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

[launchpadastro]

Happy cross-quarter day! (The day between a solstice and an equinox.)

[montereybayaquarium]

The Pacific Ocean is wider than the Moon. Anyway how’s your day going?

[noxfauna]

dip moon like cookie

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Astrolabe quadrant.

Place of origin: Syria, Damascus

Date: 730 H = A.D. 1329-1330

Medium: Engraved brass

▪︎From the source: “Made by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mizzi for Sulayman ibn Muhammad ibn Sulayman in Damascus in the year 730” is written in Kufi script, which was often used on astronomical instruments after Kufi had otherwise gone out of fashion. Al-Mizzi, who died in 1350, was an astronomer and muwaqqit (official timekeeper) at the Great Mosque in Damascus, and a total of five quadrants made by him have been preserved. Sulayman has not been identified.

A quadrant is in principle a quarter of an astrolabe, and was used to measure the height of certain stars at a specific latitude (here 33º30’ for Damascus). It could consequently be used for such things as determining the time – and the time of prayer.

[nasa]

NASA Spotlight: Astronaut Candidate Frank Rubio

“Where else in the world would you hear a story like mine? I’m a kid from a single mom, a teenage mom from El Salvador who worked in all sorts of low-income jobs… My story is a great story about America. What are the chances that a kid like me would end up being where I am today?” - Frank Rubio

Dr. Frank Rubio is a Los Angeles-born Salvadorian-American who was selected as NASA astronaut candidate in 2017. The Florida native graduated from the U.S. Military Academy and earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Prior to attending medical school, he served as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and flew more than 1,100 hours, including more than 600 hours of combat and imminent danger time during deployments to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Dr. Rubio is a board certified family physician and flight surgeon. At the time of his selection, he was serving in the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). 

Frank took time from training to become a certified NASA Astronaut to answer questions about his life and career: 

You’ve served in the Special Forces, are certified as a family physician and now are a selected Astronaut candidate – What inspired you to apply to be an astronaut and how do you think your past jobs will play a role in your new career?

It was a friend in the astronaut corps that recommended I put in an application. After he recommended it, I thought it was an amazing opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself and to allow me to continue to serve. It gave me an opportunity to explore and make a difference. And it sounded like a lot of fun! My past careers have allowed me to be comfortable with uncertainty and the unknown and to function well despite often not having all the facts.

Do you have any secret skills, talents, or hobbies?

I was on the skydive team in college.

How would you describe your job to a five year old?

I have one of the best jobs in the world because I get to train and work towards a mission that helps humankind. My job is unique in that you and your team are working to make a difference from a much bigger perspective. And hopefully I get to ride on a rocket and go to space!

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Early in my career and throughout my career I was assigned to jobs that may not have been my first choice, but they turned out to be amazing opportunities. I was taught to have a good attitude and give it your best no matter where you are. Those opportunities ended up being some of the best and helped me get where I am today.

Any facts about/aspects of astronaut training that you think people would be surprised to find out?

A lot of people don’t realize how much studying is involved. It’s comparable to the studying I did in flight school or medical school.

What are five things that you will definitely take with you on your first space flight?

Pictures of my family and friends, a Bible and lots of books to read (probably on a tablet), patches from my Army units- they helped form me to be the person I am today, music, and if I could take my dog (and family), I definitely would! Also, Something for each of my kids to give to them.

You just finished up geology training. What fact or skill did you learn during geology training that you think rocks the most?

The overall idea that the rocks and the different units we studied have so much to tell. You learn to appreciate how much the layout of the land and the rocks and the way they interact together can tell you about the history of that place. It’s amazing.

Since you’re getting close to completing astronaut training, what about your first space flight are you most looking forward to?

Everything will be fantastic from the ride up there, to floating in space, to the amazing science we get to perform, to being part of the team. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking back at Earth and having the chance to get the perspective to recognize the grandeur and uniqueness of Earth.

What would be the first thing you would say if you happened to make contact with an alien lifeform able to communicate with you?

Hello! How are you? I would want to know about them and to share humankind with them.

Thank you for your time Frank, and good luck as you continue to complete astronaut training! 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

[copperbadge]

but... america stole halloween from ireland? so how can it be their "inversion holiday" when it ignores almost all of its original meaning? (honestly just curious! i'm not american or irish, i just find it very interesting how many americans attribute halloween to themselves and how it HAS become intrinsicly american to celebrate it in such an over the top way, and basically ignore ireland altogether).

(I assume you’re reacting to this post, providing a link here for readers to gain context; it’s that time of year for it to be making the rounds.) 

I don’t think many people in America think of Halloween as something originating in America, we usually get the lesson about the turnip lanterns in grade school, but let’s unfold things a bit because this is pretty interesting.

The history of Halloween and its traditions, both before and after it came to America, is quite messy. A lot of the method of transference isn’t actually known for sure. By the 13th century, in the area as a whole, there are records of Allhallows feasts which tell us that what may have originated in some respects with pre-Christian Irish culture (there seem to also be contributions from Wales at least, if not other regional cultures, and don’t forget the Romans, infamous for THEIR inversion festivals, were in the area long before the Church was) was now being syncretized by Christianity. So, well prior to Puritan colonization, we have the “original” holiday being passed through this weird sieve of Christianity on its way to becoming what we in America know it as today. Christian syncretization of non-Christian holidays has generally met with only middling success, but it undoubtedly did have an impact on the way the festival was carried out, if not its basic function.  

The Puritans didn’t have festivals as a whole and definitely didn’t have inversion festivals (might be one reason the witch trials went over so huge in Salem) but there were non-Puritans colonizing America as well, including Catholics who would have probably held some kind of Allhallows traditions. Still, there’s no solid record of Halloween as a cohesive holiday until a bit later in American history, and it’s generally attributed to Irish and Scottish immigrants bringing it with them in the 18th and particularly 19th centuries. So to say America stole Halloween from Ireland I think is inaccurate. Halloween came here with the Irish, among others, and I’m sure we’re very grateful. 

I don’t think American culture does ignore the traditions the Irish brought with them, though of course traditions can shift over time; I don’t know much about how Halloween is viewed or experienced in Ireland today, but generally we’re taught that jack’o’lanterns came from turnip lanterns, the association with ghosts and hauntings comes from the idea of the divide between living and dead being thinnest, dressing up in costumes comes from mumming, etc. America really took off with it, that much is true, but I don’t see that as ignoring the inversive aspect of it – just exaggerating it. The central premise, that of a time of spiritual and emotional release going into the darkest part of the year, remains intact from the older holiday, even if the traditions and intensity perhaps differ. 

[launchpadastro]

Also don’t forget it’s a cross-quarter day — the holidays traditionally celebrated by pagans/celtics that fall on the day exactly halfway between a solstice and an equinox. So many many contemporary Western/Christian holidays had their origins in these seasonal events. Some popular examples:

Vernal equinox: Jewish Passover, then Christian Easter

Winter Solstice: Jewish Hanukkah, Christian Christmas

Autumn/Winter cross-quarter day: Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, Day of the Dead

Winter/Spring cross-quarter day: Groundhog’s Day

[allthingsschwab]

Victoria Schwab Tweets:

“This just in: you can love writing and also find it hard.

“I was once on a panel and another author essentially said, ‘if you don't enjoy every moment, then why are you here?’ and I was...exasperated. Creativity is a complicated beast. You don't have to love every second to be a valid participant.

“I love the ideas. I love brainstorming, and problem-solving, and I love making this better, fine-tuning language.

“I also hate drafting, claw my way through self-doubt, crawl on my hands and knees through the frustration of the unrealized.

“I'm not here because I love every second.

“I'm here because the parts I love are worth the rest.”

[copperbadge]

This Is the World's First Diamond Within a Diamond

The so-called Russian nesting doll diamond is the first of its kind to ever be found.

Yo we heard you love diamonds so we put a diamond in your diamond…

[armandyke]

Pros of writing gay relationships: 

- gay

Cons of writing gay relationships:

- they both have THE SAME FCKIN PRONOUNS SO I CONSTANTLY HAVE TO NAME BOTH CHARACTERS BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHO’S DOING WHAT OR WHO’S SPEAKING WHO WILL SAVE ME FROM THIS HELL

[puppyvegeta-deactivated20190313]

I CAN’T BELIEVE THERE’S A POST ABOUT THIS. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.

[berlynn-wohl]

Worst way to deal with this: use epithets (the taller man, the blonde) DO NOT

Best way to deal with this: Use the pronouns a teensy bit more than you maybe feel is sufficient. Leave the fic for two days before editing (i.e. allow yourself to forget it a little). Come back and re-read. If at any point YOU can’t tell who’s doing what to whom, put names in. Leave the rest of the pronouns.

Also, for dialogue: use characterization instead of names. Let it be clear by the things that are said, the way they are said, who is saying them.

Readers are smart, let them infer sometimes. :)

[a-cure-for-writers-block]

So many people have asked me about this when writing same-sex relationships. I’ve been looking for this post for so long, I hope it helps, darlings! 

[startorialist]

Genius!

[startorialist]

IT’S THAT POSITION IN EARTH’S ORBIT RELATIVE TO ITS AXIAL TILT AGAIN, STARTORIALISTS!!!

—Emily

[joanofarchetype]

I’m glad the price went down so I could finally buy this book but can we take a minute to talk about how absurdly, prohibitively expensive academic texts are, and how little control the authors have over their accessibility to the public?

like…

for some of these the irony is astounding

here’s an article as to how and why this happens, and this essay gives some options for how to potentially get ahold of a text without paying exorbitant prices. but it’s incredibly frustrating both for researchers looking to read the work & the authors who pour tremendous effort into writing something destined to gather dust in a storeroom.

[nasa]

in a male dominated profession, what were some obstacles you faced as the first Hispanic female flight director and how did you overcome them? what would be your advice to young women interested in the space program?

[nasa]

NASA Spotlight: Christina Hernandez, NASA Mars 2020 Rover Instrument Engineer

“I was in love with the beauty of space. It was my introduction to appreciating the beauty of complex, chaotic things—black holes, giant gas planets, or killer asteroids—that got my imagination riled up.“ -Christina Hernandez

Christina Hernandez, a space enthusiast and self-proclaimed nerd, is an aerospace engineer at our Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California where she works as an instrument engineer on our newest rover mission – Mars2020. The Mars2020 rover is a robotic scientist that is launching to the Red Planet next year. If you would like to launch to the Red Planet as well, you can Send Your Name to Mars along with millions of other people! Christina’s job is to make sure that the instruments we send to the Martian surface are designed, built, tested and operated correctly so we can retrieve allll the science. When she isn’t building space robots, she loves exploring new hiking trails, reading science fiction and experimenting in the kitchen. Christina took a break from building our next Martian scientist to answer some questions about her life and her career: 

If you could go to Mars, would you? And what are three things you’d bring with you?

Only if I had a round trip ticket! I like the tacos and beach here on Earth too much. If I could go, I would bring a bag of Hot Cheetos, a Metallica album, and the book On the Shoulders of Giants.

If you could name the Mars2020 rover, what would you name it and why?

Pilas, a reference to a phrase my family says a lot, ponte las pilas. It literally means put your batteries on or in other words, get to work, look alive or put some energy into it. Our rover is going to need to have her batteries up and running for all the science she is going to be doing! Luckily, the rover has a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) to help keep the batteries charged!

What’s been your most memorable day at NASA?

It’s been seeing three of the instruments I worked on getting bolted and connected to the flight rover. I’ll never forget seeing the first 1’s and 0’s being exchanged between the rover compute element (RCE), the rover’s on-board brain, and the instruments’ electronics boxes (their brains). I am sure it was a wonderful conversation between the two!

It’s a long journey to get from Earth to Mars. What would be on your ultimate road trip playlist?

Metallica, The Cure, Queen, Echo and the Bunnymen, Frank Sinatra, Ramon Ayala, AC/DC, Selena, Los Angeles Azules, ughhhh – I think I just need a Spotify subscription to Mars.

What is one piece of advice you wish someone would’ve told you?

Take your ego out of the solution space when problem solving.

Do you have any secret skills, talents, or hobbies?

I love reading. Each year I read a minimum of 20 books, with my goal this year being 30 books. It’s funny I increased my goal during what has definitely been my busiest year at work. I recently got into watercolor painting. After spending so much time connected at work, I started looking for more analog hobbies. I am a terrible painter right now, but I painted my first painting the other day. It was of two nebulas! It’s not too bad! I am hoping watercolor can help connect me more to the color complexities of nature…and it’s fun!

What’s a project or problem that you would love the ability to tackle/work on?

I would love to work on designs for planetary human explorers. So far, I have focused on robotic explore, but when you throw a “loveable, warm, squishy thing” into the loop, its creates a different dimension to design – both with respect to operability and risk.

Thanks so much Christina! The Mars2020 rover is planned to launch on July 17, 2020, and touch down in Jezero crater on Mars on February 18, 2021.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

[annleckie]

Where I'll be next week (and a bit beyond)

Where I’ll be next week (and a bit beyond)

I haven’t been updating much, even by my own standards, sorry! Anyway, The Raven Tower is coming out in paperback, and if you’re in St Louis or St Charles next week, you can come see me! I’ll be at Left Bank Books, Tuesday October 1 at 7pm 399 N. Euclid Ave. Saint Louis, MO 63108 […]

(full post at https://www.annleckie.com/2019/09/26/where-ill-be-next-week-and-a-bit-beyond/)