Space exploration doesn't sound like a green issue. But it can be.
Studying biology often leads people to an appreciation of the environment. So does astrophysics. Carl Sagan, in writing about the "pale blue dot" of Earth, as seen from some 4 billion miles away, had this reflection on our home planet, given the knowledge space exploration had provided:
"Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
"The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
The Mars rovers have provided tantalizing new details about the presence of water on Mars, and the possibility that life may once have flourished there, as it has on Earth. But the images that the little robots have returned remind us, more than anything, how alien that landscape is, and how empty. There is, perhaps, no more profound way to appreciate life on Earth than to understand the desolation and vastness of all that isn't Earth.
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Launchspace Technologies Corporation is a leader in resolving near-Earth congestion due to a rapidly growing satellite population plus trillions of pieces of orbiting debris. Much attention has been focused on the 30,000+ pieces of large orbital debris but Launchspace believes that it is the small orbital debris that is the real threat to the human and robotic spaceflight, the ISS and the upcoming forecasted $1 trillion global annual space economy (Department of Commerce). Precision data from space-based sensor satellites should in most cases allow human spaceflight, active satellites and the ISS to simply avoid large orbital debris with the removal of only a small amount of problematic large orbital debris, saving our government and commercial customers $ billions while providing improved spaceflight safety. Orbital debris remediation spacecraft will remove the small orbital debris that we believe is the real threat.
There are forecasted to be 100,000 new spacecraft being put on orbit in the next 10 years and an even larger number of CubeSats. Our current space traffic management system (STM) is inadequate to detect and track this amount of orbital debris and spacecraft. Current ground-based solutions can track resident space objects to as small as 2 cm and it’s not clear that this is with constant custody, so the actually size of resident space objects that can be detected and tracked with constant custody is likely to be larger than 2 cm. There is a data gap between approximately 1 mm and 2 cm, at least, where orbital debris is a growing threat that could lead to the Kessler Effect, where entire regions of near-Earth orbit are blocked for decades due to cascading collisions between small orbital debris objects.
Launchspace has developed patented solutions and special techniques for the control of orbital debris and the management of satellite traffic. We believe we have the only comprehensive solution to these challenges and have created an affordable and safe approach to assuring permanently sustainable space flight operations.
Our personnel were the first to do research on orbital debris removal, in 1970, under a NASA funded grant. Our business plan creates multiple streams of subscription-based revenues for the foreseeable future because the exponential increase in spacecraft being put on orbit means the orbital debris threat and space traffic management problems will need an ongoing permanent solution.
The Orbital Debris Problem
Space debris is the trash from human-made space systems. It all began with the birth of the Space Age in 1957, when the USSR launched Sputnik 1. Since that time the number of debris objects has accumulated to the point that a major threat exists for all near-Earth orbiting satellites, both robotic and crewed. There have been two satellite-on-satellite collisions between a defunct Russian Cosmos satellite and an Iridium satellite and the recent collision between a piece of orbital debris from a Russian Zenit-2 launch vehicle and the Yunhai 1-02 Chinese satellite. Yet the industry wants to spend $ billions on removing large orbital debris. Launchspace believes avoiding large orbital debris with data from sensor satellites, removing only the large orbital debris that is problematic and remediating small orbital debris is the most technically viable and cost-effective solution for managing the orbital debris and space traffic management problems. The sequence of growth of orbital debris is depicted below.
Debris objects range from microscopic to “school bus” size. The number of such objects totals an estimated 1,000 trillion. The last scientific assessment of the debris population was done over 20 years ago. The results from 1997 are illustrated in the figure below. Launchspace Technologies has divided the debris population into three categories. Category 1 represents the largest population and includes all objects smaller than 1 mm. This category included the largest number of debris pieces and represent the threat of “trash gridlock” to all space operations. Although a single debris piece in this category cannot significantly damage a satellite, continuous encounters will erode any spacecraft. Category 2 includes those debris pieces that cannot be tracked but can severely damage a satellite in a single collision. Data from 1997 estimated 10 million to 100 million debris objects in this category which we believe will grow to 1 trillion debris objects in the next 5 years. Finally, there is Category 3 that incorporates all objects that can be tracked, any one of which can cause catastrophic damage to any satellite it encounters. These resident space objects are active satellites, expired upper stages and large derelicts from satellite and launch vehicle breakups.
Launchspace Technologies’ Solution
Our patented approach to the orbital debris population control problem incorporates two orbiting constellations. One constellation is made up of sensor satellites that provide continuous precision tracking of all Category 3 objects. All collected data is processed and used to control a second constellation of orbital debris remediation spacecraft which passively collect Category 1 and 2 debris objects. Data on Category 3 objects could be used for customers to steer their operating satellites from possible conjunctions with large debris objects and our orbital debris remediation spacecraft are designed to mitigate the small orbital debris threat for customers that pay subscription fees for orbital debris removal. Our space-based sensor constellation is designed to provide enhanced space domain awareness for civil and national security space (NSS) customers and space traffic management functions.
The figure below depicts a debris impact pad (DIP) spacecraft that uses passive collection to remove orbital debris as it crosses the equator twice an orbit, approximately once every 50 minutes. The debris collector spacecraft maneuvers in an equatorial orbit, servicing our space-operator clients and protecting them from small-debris encounters. The debris impact pad is designed to mitigate creating new, smaller orbital debris when a debris object impacts our DIP. Additionally, current spacecraft shielding is designed to protect spacecraft and the ISS without any consideration for the “spall ejecta”, the backward splatter of debris that is created from an impact of a debris object on spacecraft shielding. Spacecraft and space infrastructure shielding represent another market opportunity for Launchspace’s orbital debris remediation technology.
Please watch our company video to learn more about Launchspace: https://youtu.be/u7dDX9bC0HE


A flea can accelerate faster than the Space Shuttle
A jumping flea reaches dizzying heights of about eight centimetres (three inches) in a millisecond. Acceleration is the change in speed of an object over time, often measured in ‘g’s, with one g equal to the acceleration caused by gravity on Earth (9.8 metres/32.2 feet per square second). Fleas experience 100 g, while the Space Shuttle peaked at around 5 g. The flea’s secret is a stretchy rubber-like protein which allows it to store and release energy like a spring.
Venus is the only planet to spin clockwise
Our Solar System started off as a swirling cloud of dust and gas which eventually collapsed into a spinning disc with the Sun at its centre. Because of this common origin, all the planets move around the Sun in the same direction and on roughly the same plane. They also all spin in the same direction (counterclockwise if observed from ‘above’) – except Uranus and Venus. Uranus spins on its side, while Venus defiantly spins in the complete opposite direction. The most likely cause of these planetary oddballs are gigantic asteroids which knocked them off course in the distant past.
A teaspoonful of neutron star would weigh 6 billion tons
A neutron star is the remnants of a massive star that has run out of fuel. The dying star explodes in a supernova while its core collapses in on itself due to gravity, forming a super-dense neutron star. Astronomers measure the mind-bogglingly large masses of stars or galaxies in solar masses, with one solar mass equal to the Sun’s mass (that is, 2 x 1030 kilograms/4.4 x 1030 pounds). Typical neutron stars have a mass of up to three solar masses, which is crammed into a sphere with a radius of approximately ten kilometres (6.2 miles) – resulting in some of the densest matter in the known universe.
Babies have around 100 more bones than adults
Babies have about 300 bones at birth, with cartilage between many of them. This extra flexibility helps them pass through the birth canal and also allows for rapid growth. With age, many of the bones fuse, leaving 206 bones that make up an average adult skeleton.
Some metals are so reactive that they explode on contact with water
There are certain metals – including potassium, sodium, lithium, rubidium and caesium – that are so reactive that they oxidise (or tarnish) instantly when exposed to air. They can even produce explosions when dropped in water! All elements strive to be chemically stable – in other words, to have a full outer electron shell. To achieve this, metals tend to shed electrons. The alkali metals have only one electron on their outer shell, making them ultra-keen to pass on this unwanted passenger to another element via bonding. As a result they form compounds with other elements so readily that they don’t exist independently in nature.
It takes 8 minutes, 19 seconds for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth
In space, light travels at 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles) per second. Even at this breakneck speed, covering the 150 million odd kilometres (93 million miles) between us and the Sun takes a considerable time. And eight minutes is still very little compared to the five and a half hours it takes for the Sun’s light to reach Pluto.


Jun 7, 2019
That's right, there's a question mark in our title. What starts off as a normal debate about two of the biggest pop scientists, quickly devolves into chaos as one of the boys tries to exploit a loophole.
Nick looks to the cosmos for his arguments about Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Ryan...well, he does something. And Judge Mike is left holding the bag on this one.
Listen as they discuss: Carl Sagan, Shaun of the Dead, stand up comedy, Dupuytren's contracture, Trump's Space Force, Godzilla, event horizons, coal miners, and punching your daughter in the face.
Does Nick have a wet mouth? Does Mike still talk to his parents? Is Ryan the enemy of the people?
Look up to the stars for: Neil DeGrasse Tyson vs Bill Nye?


traveling to the city mostly by myself (on the LIRR) to go to orientation tomorrow. I’m gonna end up on a train that changes at jamacia at some point during the day or one that’s an express train, aren’t I?
A ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse is a rare phenomenon that occurs when the moon’s orbit is at its apogee: the part of its orbit farthest away from the Earth. Because the moon is so far away, it seems smaller than normal to the human eye. The result is that the moon doesn’t entirely block out our view of the sun, but leaves an “annulus,” or ring of sunlight glowing around it. Hence the term “annular” eclipse rather than a “total” eclipse.


5th February 2015
The club held its annual annual general meeting where last years
activities were appraised, the club finances were discussed and a new
committee was voted in, the new committee is now as follows,
Chairman, Gordon Lalor
Secretary, Shea Morrisey
Treasurer, Simon Kenny
PRO, Frank Ryan
IFAS reps, Dave Lillis,
General committee member,
Gordon also gave a brief
rundown of astronomical events coming up in the year.
21st February 2015
Visit to the Galway Astronomy
The club members payed a visit
to the excellent Galway astronomy festival ths year, there were excellent
speakers as well as shops full of equipment to browse through.
Pics coming soon.
17th March 2015
A number of club members payed a
visit to Cratloe hill to try observe the elusive aurora, while some faint aurora
were observed, it was decided to head to Loch Gur and try seeing some from
there. While there, some more aurora were seen. While not spectacular or bright,
these were the first aurora seen from here in a number of years.
Frank and Dave also evaluated the darkness of the Loch Gur site for general
night sky viewing.
More pics coming soon.
20th March 2015
Solar eclipse observing session at Grange
stone circle (near Loch Gur)
The club ran a public observing
morning for the almost full (95%) solar eclipse. The club members turned up at 8am to a
low hazy sky and for a while it looked like we'd see none of the eclipse. At the
time of greatest eclipse, it got noticabily dark and cold. Once the time went
on, it got warmer and brighter. Then gaps appeared in the clouds and everyone
got to see a thin crescent Sun, as more gaps appeared some people snapped some
pics of it.
The club also advertised this
event and articles appeared in the Irish Times (March 19th, page3) and the
Limerick post (page18).
Gordon was on ClareFM and it was advertised by Live95FM and on the RTE website
of eclipse events.
A UTV Ireland TV crew was also there and recorded a report for the 6.30
IFAS also organised free solar
observing glasses to be handed out, we had planty to go around.
21st March 2015
Club Observing night
The club ran a general observing
session on the Saturday night of 21st at Lock Gur, it was a good dark clear sky
many objects were seen, it was well attended by over 10 of the club members. The
best views were of Jupiter and the Hercules cluster. Many galaxies in Virgo, Leo
and Ursa Major were also observed. Saturn was seen rising as the night came to
2nd April 2015
Out of town speaker, Michael
Michael (from midlands astronomy
club) gave a fascinating talk on the Antikythera mechanism, the
Greek two and a half thousand year old analog computer that predicts solar/lunar
eclipses and the positions of the planets. This device had been lost in history
and was only recently re-discovered, it is literally fiteen hundred years ahead of
its time, the likes of which was not seen again until the 16th century.
Many thanks to Michael for coming down and describing its history and how it
11th April 2015, 8pm, at the
Loch Gur heritage center (Dark Sky Inititive)
Out of town speaker,
Albert is the chairman of the
Irish Light Pollution Awareness Camgaign and he gave a talk at the
heritage center at Loch Gur, County Limerick. This is the launch of the Loch Gur
Dark Sky Inititive. Albert talked about the
impacts of light pollution on the environment and how to minimise it. It is
hoped that Loch Gur, with its very low light levels can obtain a bronze status
dark sky site over the coming year, this is an official internationally
Many thanks to Albert for coming down, it was very enjoyable and informative.
See http://www.darksky.ie/ for more info on
fighting light pollution.
23rd-25th April 2015
Global Astronomy Month (GAM) 2015
The club will run its annual spring
observing nights at O'Callaghans strand in Limerick from Thursday
23rd to Saturday the 25th of April from 8.30 onwards.
This was a global event with clubs and societies from all over the world
participating. We in SAC were happy to be doing our bit for it.
The Moon, Venus and Jupiter will
be giving a fine display and will be easily seen through the club telescopes.
This is open to the public, you
do not need ot own a telescope as the club will be brining along its own, all
you need bring is your interest, enthusiasm and a warm jacket.
20th July 2015 -
We are delighted to announce we will be part of the Summer
Solstice Festival at Lough
Gur this year.
We will be setting up the club scopes and equipment by the lake in the grounds
of the Heritage Centre at 8PM on Saturday the 20th to catch the sunset and
provide safe solar viewing through the scopes.
At 9PM Frank
Ryan will present a nights sky talk in the Heritage Centre, this will be a
fantastic opportunity for anyone who is new to astronomy to learn about our
telescopes & what will be on offer to see in the sky that evening.
We will be treated to a lovely conjunction of a young Crescent Moon with Venus
& Jupiter shining brilliantly alongside setting over the lake.
SAC will offer all those that attend guided viewing of these celestial wonders
and also discuss the various objects and constellations that can be seen over
the summer months.
There is a small charge of €5 for the event which will go to support of the
Heritage Centre. Please call Lough
Gur on 061 385186 for details.
2nd July 2015
Open night, club meeting
This night has been set aside as an
open night, anything goes, If you want to shoot the breeze or bring in a
telescope that you need help with, this is the the time to do it.
11th-12th September 2015
The club is running its annual
starparty in the Burren over this weekend in September. Please see the BSP2015
page for more details.
19th September 2015
IOM (internation Observe the
The club will run a public
observing session at O'Callaghans strand in Limerick in support of IOM 2015.
Passers by will be treated to a great view of the Moon using the clubs 10 and 12
inch telescopes and high power binoculars.
28th September 2015
Lunar Eclipse observing session
The club will be running an
observing session for the lunar eclipse, details will be put up here nearer to
5th November 2015
Out of town Speaker, Peter
Peter hails from Cork Astronomy
Club, he'll be presenting a talk titled "The ethics of space", it
should be a very interesting talk and it's a topic that we've not touch on
Christmass night out
club will be organising a christmass night out, detaisl will be put up here
nearer to the time.


Photo Friday: Aurora Australis – Antarctica
During his final days in Antarctica, Keith was able to finally capture the photo he had hoped to get – that of the Aurora Australis over the Discovery Hut.
I went to hut point and managed to get pictures of [Discovery Hut] with multiple bands of green and blue auroras streaming in large ribbons in the sky to the west of town. The lighting was just right to illuminate the hut in a nice moon glow and the horizon was lit by the setting sun making a surreal sight that I will not ever forget. Those auroras were likely the last of them that I will see on this trip since the night is leaving us quickly and the days are getting long, but I can’t think of a better way to say goodbye to them – I have been trying to get pictures of the Discovery Hut with auroras all winter and I was finally successful on the last night and with some the best auroras I have seen all winter. Goodbye Aurora Australis, I will miss your company!
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It all started back in the 1960’s when Edward Makuka Nkolosi a member of the Zambian resistance movement and founder of the Zambia National Academy of Science, Space Research and Philosophy had plans of launching a space rocket to the moon.
He built his own fine designs of flight capsules and rockets to carry out his experiments. Due to lack of funds and resources to fuel his rocket he was forced to seek help from the Russians and Americans and his only request was that when the moon landing is successful the Zambian flag would be the first to go up.
The Butan Space Range Collection draws inspiration from the Zambian Space Program. This design inspiration extended to the graphic depiction on the garments. You will find on the garments a representation of a tribal rocket taking off, a Panther stars constellation and glow in the dark aesthetic.
Continuing the inspiration to a South African context, the tribal rocket on the right sleeve is taken from iziqhaza which are Zulu traditional clip on earrings. The 1981 takes on a futuristic tradition design aesthetic on both sleeves. Rounded off by the panther constellation.
These graphic elements are seen throughout the Space Range collection from 2018 to the current season.
Check out the video below for the full story of Edward Makuka Nkolosi


Reindeer Lake is known for some of the best trophy fishing in Canada, but there is a lot more to experience than just the fishing alone. Guests from all over the world come to see and experience the ecotourism side of Reindeer Lake as well. With an abundance of untouched natural environment and living skies, your surroundings will stimulate your senses and make you appreciate nature in all its glory.
“With over 5000 islands the scenery is really beautiful on Reindeer Lake. The islands provide protection on windy days so you can always get out somewhere on the lake.”
The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Our remote location on Reindeer Lake is great for seeing this light show. The complete lack of light pollution allows us to see incredible starry night skies.
The Northern Lights can be seen most clear nights but the most intense lights happen only occasionally when the sun produces significant solar activity which interacts with the earth’s magnetic fields. When planning your trip for the best viewing of the Aurora Borealis there are times where you can increase your chances of seeing a good show. First of all, plan for when there is the least amount of moonlight and later into the summer season when there are less hours of daylight. Be prepared to stay up until at least midnight and as late as 3 a.m. for the best viewing.
See what’s happening in the night sky when you are way up in northern Canada and be prepared for a jaw-dropping experience while you gaze out into the universe in all its unthinkable complexity. It is hard nowadays to get away from all the light pollution to enjoy and appreciate what we have above us, and when you visit Arctic Lodges you will quickly notice that there is more than just looking straight ahead.
In the high subarctic of Canada, Reindeer Lake lets you enjoy all the beauty of the northern Boreal Forests and the rocky structure of the Canadian Shield. You’ll be lured in by your surroundings while casting into the mouth of a river, or taking a cruise of the shoreline in one of our canoes to get a closer look at nature first hand. After exploring the maze of wooded islands, you can relax and rejuvenate with a cocktail while watching the Arctic Grayling surface right in front of you. Capture a piece of paradise, as Reindeer Lake is filled with picturesque landscapes which makes it an ideal spot for amateur and professional photographers alike.


Red scattering refers to the shifting of electromagnetic radiation (usually visible light) emitted by an astronomical object to the red edge (relatively weak) of the electromagnetic spectrum. This terminology is generally used in physics and astronomy. The phenomenon of the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation coming from a source increasing at the consumer end is commonly called red translocation. This increase in wavelength causes its frequency to decrease. Conversely, the decrease in wavelength is called blue shift.
The concept is the key to illustrating the expansion of the universe. The spectrum of visible light colors, which is clear to the rainbow he looked at. When an object moves away from us, light is transferred to the red edge of the spectrum as its wavelength grows longer. If an object moves closer, the light moves to the blue edge of the spectrum as its color length becomes shorter.
Any wavelength increase is called a red wave, even if the wave is not luminous, even if it is not within the visible light range. For example, it can be X-ray, gamma ray or ultraviolet ray without ordinary light waves. In this case, the naming may seem strange. This is because those whose wavelengths are longer than red light (such as infrared, micro-waves or radio waves) will undoubtedly go far beyond the limits of red light if their wavelengths increase further. However, that incident must also be called Lal Saran. All in all, red radiation removes radiation from the wavelength of red light.
There are three main types of red herring. The general Doppler action, the expansion of the universe, and the elongation of time under the influence of gravity are the three factors.
Redshift = (observation wavelength – resting wavelength) / (resting wavelength)
The change in the wavelength of the wave coming from the source to the observer when a light source moves away from the observer is called Doppler displacement or Doppler red displacement.
The cosmic red shift occurs as the universe expands. Red galaxies of distant galaxies, quasars, and intergalactic gas clouds increase with their distance from Earth. The use of this mechanics has made it possible to explain the Big Bang theory from a modern cosmological point of view. As a result of the Big Bang (the amazing explosion that marked the beginning of our universe), the universe is expanding and most of the galaxies in it are moving away from each other. Astronomers have discovered that all distant galaxies are moving away from us, and that the farther they are, the faster they move. The light in these galaxies are re-transmitted due to this recession of the galaxy far away from us. As a result, at a very large Redshift, ultraviolet and visible light from distant sources is mostly transferred to the infrared part of the spectrum. This means that infrared studies can give us a lot of information about the ultraviolet and visible spectra of very young, distant galaxies.
Gravitational red shift occurs if the observer is at a higher gravitational potential than the source. According to widespread relativity, the time lengthened near a large astronomical object is the cause of this red movement. Recall that one of Einstein’s most spectacular predictions of general relativity is that the light of a star crossing the edge of the Sun will be reflected in 1.75 arc seconds. Also, his theory predicted that the electromagnetic radiation passing through the gravitational field would be re-transferred. General relativity measures how mass-energy calls space-time. As photons pass through a gravitational field, they decrease in energy, decrease in frequency, and increase in wavelength. In 1965, when gamma rays were directed towards a height of 22.5 m, a gravitational redshift of 2.56×10-15 was detected.
All three of these issues can be explained through the principle of structural transformation described in this article. There are numerous physical and mathematical mechanisms for inducing electromagnetic radiation other than red radiation. It would not be right to confuse them with the red movement.
The advancement of wave mechanics in the nineteenth century and the expansion of basic research and exploration into Doppler action can be cited as the beginning of the discovery of the red wave. 1842 Salekristian Andreas Doppler was the first to give a physical explanation of such phenomena. Doppler added that this could also be the reason for the change in the color of the stars. It was later discovered that the reason for the change in the color of stars is their internal temperature, not Doppler action. But, as a result of the continued success of the Doppler operation, the discovery of the red dwarf finally put him in a position of honor.
The French physicist Armand Hippolyte Louis Fizo first explained the Doppler red shift in 1848. He cited the Doppler action as the reason for the movement of stars in the spectral line. This particular action is therefore often called the “Doppler-Physo action”. In 18, British astronomer William Hagins was the first to use this method to determine the velocity of a star falling from the Earth.


Mainly thanks to their software, the cameras on Google’s Pixel phones are great and now, thanks to some developers, a new mode is available. All Pixel phones get a “Light Painting” mode with a Google Camera mod.
For Google’s Pixel 4, the software of the camera app has been upgraded to the point of catching the stars with some amazing results quite literally. One part of the app with which some have had luck is the ability to capture light trails.
Sadly, using Pixel astrophotography for anything other than capturing the night sky is a little tricky. That’s where the Google Camera app comes into play with a modified version. Highlighted at XDA-Developers by the people, Camera PX was updated to add two new buttons. The first is forcing the mode of astrophotography.
The second one is a little more interesting. A new Pixel phone “Light Painting” mode allows the device to capture light trails using a slight astrophoto tweak. You will still need to use a tripod to get usable results, but when dealing with less than ideal lighting and angles where astrophotography would not typically trigger, getting the manual buttons is useful.
To all Pixel smartphones including Pixel 4, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, and even older Pixel 2 and Pixel 1 devices, Camera PX will add this Light Painting and forced astrophotography modes. You will need to manually sideload the app to use it, of course.


Gene Keys – Live on Youtube
December 21st (20:00 UTC) – Live Solstice Meditation
Solstice Meditation (Live – Dec 21)
December 21st @ 20:00 UTC (12pm PT / 8pm UK)
We are in an unprecedented time, in which our Winter Solstice is in alignment with the core of our galaxy, while the earth’s tilt is exactly in the middle of its wobble. Such an alignment will not happen for another 100,000 years! Join Richard Rudd for a special attunement to the energies of this solstice, as he guides us through the portal into an extraordinary decade that he predicts will bring change on a vast level. Click the video on the left to play the latest livestream, or click the button below to join the live chat on youtube.


A puzzle that has baffled astrobiologists for decades is how all the amino acids, from which our bodies make proteins, ended up with a strong preference for left-handed chirality. In nature, molecules that possess chirality can be either “left-handed (LH)” or “right-handed (RH).” If one produces amino acids in the laboratory, as was done by Miller and Urey in the 1950s, one produces equal numbers of LH and RH molecules, but somehow nature managed to favor LH amino acids to the virtual exclusion of their RH cousins.
Several theories exist to describe how the LH amino acids were created and selected, but observation of LH amino acids in meteorites suggests that amino acids are made in outer space. And their chirality is also apparently selected there.
Boyd’s Amino Acid Collaborations
Boyd and his collaborators have developed one of the amino acid creation theories. It depends on selective destruction of one orientation of the nitrogen nuclei in the molecules. This in turn selects one of the two molecular chiralities.
What the model requires is a super-intense magnetic field and an intense flux of electron antineutrinos. Both are afforded in a close binary system consisting of a massive star and a neutron star when the massive star becomes a supernova. A system that may be even better is that provided by two merging neutron stars.
See “Creating the Molecules of Life,” by Richard N. Boyd and Michael A. Famiano, IOP Publishing (2018) Bristol


|The SUNY-Maritime football team got a pep talk from space before the Privateers took on a maritime rival.
SUNY-Maritime photo by Sean Engel
THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – On Thursday evening, the Privateer football team received a phone call from Maritime College alum Scott Kelly '87 in advance of the team's contest against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Friday.
Kelly's call, however, was not an ordinary phone call; he had dialed the Maritime College campus from the International Space Station, over 240 miles above the Earth's atmosphere.
While on the phone for nearly 19 minutes with the Maritime football team, Captain Kelly briefly spoke about his mission as well as his time as a student at Maritime. The latter portion of the call featured Kelly answering questions from several members of the Privateer football unit.
"Captain Kelly is an inspiration to all Maritime College cadets for his unrivaled work ethic, leadership, and dedication," said Privateer senior linebacker Kameron Knight (Clayton, N.C./West Johnson).
Junior defensive lineman Vincent Geritano (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK) added, "One thing that can be taken from Captain Kelly is that hard work and having big ambitions can lead you to places others only wish they could be."
In all, Kelly answered nine questions before the satellite used to make the connection to Maritime moved out of range and forced an end to the call. Those in attendance, including the 84 members of the 2015 football team, stood with applause to recognize Kelly as he wished the team luck once again.
Nearly halfway through his "Year in Space" mission, Captain Kelly is aboard the space station on a 342-day research mission to collect scientific data important to future human exploration of our solar system.
One of the primary objectives that NASA is hoping to achieve on this mission is to prepare for human missions to areas beyond the space station and the Earth's moon. Kelly and his identical twin brother, Mark, a retired astronaut who will remain at home in Arizona, will be studied and compared against the other to determine the effects of extended living in space.
Kelly is expected to return to Earth in the spring of 2016, when his capsule lands in Kazakhstan.
While school bragging rights will be on the line this Friday evening when the Privateers and Mariners meet on the gridiron, Captain Kelly will also be looking to attain bragging rights over his brother Mark, a Merchant Marine Academy alumnus.


Wikipedia: The earliest known recorded observations of Mercury are from the Mul.Apin tablets. These observations were most likely made by an Assyrian astronomer around the 14th century BC. The cuneiform name used to designate Mercury on the Mul.Apin tablets is transcribed as Udu.Idim.Gu\u.Ud ("the jumping planet"). Babylonian records of Mercury date back to the 1st millennium BC. The Babylonians called the planet Nabu after the messenger to the gods in their mythology.
The ancient Greeks of Hesiod's time knew the planet as Stilbon, meaning "the gleaming", and Hermaon. Later Greeks called the planet Apollo when it was visible in the morning sky, and Hermes when visible in the evening. Around the 4th century BC, Greek astronomers came to understand that the two names referred to the same body.
Personal Note: Had not known Mercury was known of that long ago. Learned something new today. Thank you.


NASA is sort of prepared to start the Artemis mission, a multi-stage mission to ship astronauts to the moon and past. Because the company will get nearer to the launch date of Artemis I — an unmanned flight across the moon — it is also making ready its astronauts to spend time on the lunar floor.
Getting ready to go to the Moon is sort of as intense as you’d anticipate: NASA’s workforce of 42 astronauts and 10 astronaut candidates endure rigorous coaching that features touchdown Military helicopters, learning the rocky terrain in areas like Iceland, and spending lengthy stretches on the ocean flooring. Collect and prepare in a digital actuality simulator.
NASA has not but determined which astronauts will journey to the Moon. Nonetheless, the company stated Friday that it goals to launch the Artemis II mission in 2024 — that mission will ship astronauts on take a look at flybys of the moon, making it the primary manned mission past low Earth orbit since 1972. Then, in 2025, NASA ought to The launch of the Artemis III mission, sending the primary lady and first individuals of shade to the floor of the Moon.
NASA astronaut Reed Wiseman stated Friday that the Artemis program doesn’t finish there. Subsequent, this system is designed to help “the primary people to trace Mars, set our footsteps, construct science laboratories, and inhabit one other planet.”
“For me, it is essentially the most terrifying second we have ever had right here at NASA,” Wiseman added.
At a information convention Friday, Wiseman outlined the weather of astronaut coaching. First, they spend time with the army, coaching the best way to land a helicopter within the snow.
“For the touchdown on the Moon, for the touchdown on Mars, we will land just about vertically,” he defined. “Whether or not it is a SpaceX A possibility, constructing a human lander for the moon that we will fly, or different contractors coming on-line for later missions, we’ll nearly actually land vertically.”
As for touchdown on the ice, he stated the purpose is to reply, “What’s it wish to be bleaching exterior, such as you’re on Mars or on the moon? And with just some hours in helicopters, it is wonderful how a lot you be taught, and how briskly you be taught.”
In the meantime, NASA took half in a European coaching course just a few months in the past referred to as Pangea, which helped them put together for the research of lunar geology. Wiseman stated the company ought to take into consideration the best way to get hold of, protect and classify samples of lunar rocks for scientists on Earth.
“It is a fully totally different mind-set a couple of geological timescale,” he stated. He stated the company additionally trains so much in Iceland, describing it as “an excellent analogue of the moon’s floor.”
Subsequent, NASA astronauts use their digital actuality lab to organize for a touchdown on the Moon’s south pole.
“Should you ever take a look at the moon at night time, the south pole has a really unusual solar angle — a really unusual gentle hitting it,” Wiseman stated. “There are completely shaded areas, and in VR we’ve got developed what it seems like in actual life, with the precise angle of the solar we will land at. It is insanely bizarre.”
Wiseman continued, “The decrease half of you might be in absolute black, and the higher half of you might be in shiny daylight. The best way shadows are projected throughout the floor of the moon, it actually modifications all the things. So on this digital actuality world, we will go Get there for 10 minutes, and you may reply 1,000 questions.”
For one more simulation expertise, NASA is at present outfitting an Orion crew coach at Johnson Area Heart. It is going to be prepared later this yr, making ready the crew to fly aboard the Orion spacecraft.
Simply 10 minutes north of the Johnson Area Heart, astronauts are coaching at NASA’s Impartial Buoyancy Laboratory – a really massive dock the place astronauts have been coaching for spacewalks for the Worldwide Area Station twenty years in the past.
“Now we’re taking part of that pool and taking a look at what it will appear like to be on the moon, let’s spend six hours in a lunar-class spacesuit doing analysis on the backside of the pool,” Wiseman stated.
In fact, NASA additionally has astronauts aboard the Worldwide Area Station – there are at present 4 – which can also be making ready them for the journey to the Moon.
Wiseman stated the company hopes to pick the astronauts who will fly the Artemis II later this yr. For all Artemis assignments, he stated, the company will primarily contemplate technical experience — “the flexibility to dive into actually any state of affairs, any automobile technical want, understanding when issues aren’t going nicely, and understanding when they’re.”
On high of that, he stated, NASA is in search of gamers as a workforce who can work nicely with one another and with flight managers. Wiseman additionally harassed the significance of sending a various crew to the Moon, additionally noting that the upcoming class of astronauts represents “all walks of life.”
“Our job at NASA is to do the onerous issues, do the correct issues, and encourage our base, which is our youth,” he stated. “And now our nation is a really various and wealthy nation… We would like each child in America to have a look at our poster and say, ‘Oh, I see myself in it… I can do this in the future.'” “


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The Red Planet has been a beacon to every race of mankind since the dawn of history. Today Mars stands as a symbol of the high frontier - the next logical step in our exploration of the universe around us. In 1964 the United States of America launched Mariner 4 towards Mars in the hope that a handful of pictures returned by the spacecraft might answer some ageold questions. Was there an ancient Martian civilisation? Would there be any signs of life? So began the first step in a close examination of our neighboring planet. Between Mariner 4 and Mars Global Surveyor in 1998 the United States has sent a fleet of robots to Mars with wildly varying degrees of success. Thanks to these versatile probes we now know almost as much about Mars on a global scale as we do about our own Earth.
In Mars- The NASA Mission Reports the trymphs and tribulations of the American Mars program is gathered together in one place. Press Kits and Mission Reports from every Mars Mission are collected together for the first time. Reading these documents - presented here in chronological order - gives a fascinating insight into how our understanding of the Red Planet has grown over the past four decades. These robot voyages are the advance guard, scouting out the path for the day when men will launch a manned mission to Mars.
The book includes a CD-ROM. It contains Mars movies, Mars images, Mars books, Mars links and a Mars Quicktime Panorama.
(Extracted from the back cover).
GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
Main Page | What's New | Reviews | Indexes | Links


Apparently, it's not a planet any more because The IAU; International Astronomical Union (obviously a left wing body) decided to change Pluto's status from a planet to a dwarf planet. Well what does that mean? I'll tell you what it means, it means that Bolsheviks can do anything they bloody well want and get away with it! It's a disgrace!
So with the exception of seeking out new life and new civilisations and boldly going where no split infinitive has gone before what was this all about? Many have claimed that the whole thing at nearly a Billion dollars was a complete waste of money that could just as easily have been spent on weapons. That is another issue though. Well the whole thing is a little bizarre to the average lay person so I will attempt to sum up the entire venture through analogy.
Once you've sorted that lot out you will need something to represent the planet Blutto. It has to be something interesting but also very cold to mimic its not only it's freezing temperatures but also that of space the final frontier. So for example an ice-cube would be acceptable one supposes but nevertheless it is heading in the right direction so how about adding it to a large gin tonic with ice and lemon. Excellent.
Then you will need something to represent the blurring effect of Earth's atmosphere on an optical telescope. Off the top of my head I'd suggest a bottle of vodka and some orange juice.
Finally, you will need something to represent the solar system. Now because the solar system is very big I recommend using somewhere with a lot of space in it. So how about a very long pub before opening time.
OK so what you do is place the gin and tonic with ice and lemon, remember this represents the planet Blotto, at one end of the aforementioned pub. Then make you way to the other end of said pub. Right so far so good, now you need to mimic the effects of Earth's atmosphere upon your vision so down the bottle of Vodka with the orange and wait for about an hour.
Once you've come out of your coma, try locating the planet Blotto. What will the results be? I'll tell you what the results will be everything will be blurred and out of focus. Of course you will want to see if the gin and tonic is still there but it will be impossible to determine this through the thick fog of your vodka induced haze. So what do you do? That's right you call Bell the Butler over and you send him to see if it is still where you left it. He then goes to check on it's status and he shouts at the top of his voice in his native dialect something like "Oi fatso! Yorf uckin' drinks tilear!"
Of course that isn't enough is it! How do you know the bleeder hasn't drank the blasted thing for himself? You don't so you get him to bring it back, this represents the photographs and telemetry of the planet Blotto and also NASDAP's marvellous feat of engineering the New Horizons probe. Once Bell the Butler brings it back you naturally consume all the telemetry and data all in one go and feel very chuffed with yourself. Marvellous.


Walk through the sky of Andromeda and Triangulum
This walk can be observed from both hemispheres. There are many interesting objects in this area, among which the Andromeda and the Molinillo galaxy stand out. The Andromeda galaxy is the furthest object visible to the naked eye. Of course, for this, we need to leave the city.
The darker the sky, the better. But you do not need as much darkness, but rather, know where it is located and look out of the corner of your eye and not in front, because with this area you can see weaker objects better. Of course, it looks much better with the help of binoculars and much better with a telescope, even if it is small. This galaxy is known since ancient times.
By placing the pointer over the image you can magnify it with the magnifying glass. With the mouse wheel you can enlarge or decrease the size of the magnifying glass field.
Let’s see some of the objects visible in this area.
1 Alpheratz (α Andromedae). This star marks one of the corners of the Pegasus square, so it is sometimes also called Delta Pegasi. It is a bluish-white double star of magnitude between 2.02 and 2.06. It is α Andromedae, making it the brightest star in the Andromeda constellation. It is 97 light years from the Solar System. With a telescope of 200 mm or more, it is possible to see his companion, of magnitude 11.3.
2 Andromeda Galaxy (M31). To locate it we can use as reference the stars β Andromedae and μ Andromedae. As I said before, it is the farthest object that can be seen with the naked eye. When we observe it, we are looking at 2,200,000 light years. It is a large and bright object. We need dark sky to see it with the naked eye. It appears like a cottony cloud. With telescope, low power eyepieces are preferable, to be able to see it whole. Otherwise, we can only see its core. In the year 1924 Hubble showed that M31 was not part of the Milky Way. To do this, he compared the luminosity of the Cepheid variables in M31 and the Milky Way, and found that they were much weaker in M31 because they are much farther away.
3 M110 (NGC 205). It is a satellite elliptical galaxy of M31 and belongs to the Local Group. It is about 2,690,000 light years from Earth and it has a magnitude of 8, so it can not be observed with the naked eye. In a 100 mm telescope it appears as an elongated spot brighter by its nucleus. It is the last object on the list of Charles Messier .
4 M32 (NGC 221). It is an elliptical galaxy near M110. In 100 mm telescopes it appears as an oval spot of light. With larger telescopes it looks even better.
5 R Andromedae. It is located southwest of M32. It is a long-term Mira type variable, ranging from magnitude 5.3 to 15 in 409 years. Sometimes it is visible with binoculars, but when it is in its minimum magnitude it is still difficult to see it with 200 mm telescopes. To the west of R are the stars θ Andromedae, σ Andromedae and ρ Andromedae forming a triangle that helps locate the star when its magnitude is minimal.
6 Almach (γ Andromedae). It is one of the best doubles to observe with small telescopes for its contrast of colors. The primary star of magnitude 2.3 is an orange giant and its companion, which is in turn a binary, of magnitude 5.1 is greenish. The companion of the binary is, in turn, double too, so it is a quadruple system.
7 NGC 752. It is located south of Almach. It is an open cluster of about 70 stars that can be seen with the naked eye with dark skies. Seen with binoculars you can see the chains and knots of the stars that form a twisted X inside this magnificent cluster.
8 Galaxy of the Mill (M33). It is located southwest of NGC 752. Although it is a bright object of magnitude 5.5, it is difficult to see as it appears from the front and is very widespread. In dark sky and with binoculars it appears as a diffuse glow, but with a 200 mm telescope and a wide-field eyepiece you can see its diffuse arms.
9 ι Tri. It is a double with an amazing color contrast. The primary is yellow of magnitude 5 and the secondary is blue of magnitude 6.5.


On the 25th of July Venus will go retrograde in the sign of Leo, until the 6th of September. Venus has been a huge change-bringer in the evolution of our planet, not only through the interconnectedness between them, but also Venus’s inhabitants who have been facilitating, seeding and overlooking life on Earth for a long time now. Astrologically, we know what it usually means: love and finances. Yes, but what’s the deeper meaning of Venus Retrograde ?
In this video, Polona Aurea Dawn touches on the deeper influences of Venus retrograde in the sign of Leo and the initiations of the current ascension “waves”.
” Venus goes retrograde this July, and then she will begin her new cycle as she begins to rise as a morning Star in the archetype of Leo! There is so much going on behind the scenes Now and all of us are currently being “squeezed” in some way, which means that things are coming up. It’s just one of those times, as we let go so much in order to embrace this new Venusian cycle of embracing our Divine Royalty! The more we allow Divine Love to squeeze all that we are not out of us, the more we will continue to embrace Joy and Bliss. This is not always the easiest thing to do! Every Cosmic Master in training will constantly be asking themselves: “Okay, I know this Now … so how do I come into embodying it?” This is where no advice will ever suffice, because we truly do master ourselves from within. – Polona Aurea Dawn “
Thank you for reading,
Love and Light,


This was done in some bootleg version of Photoshop. It’s not the first piece of space art I created – there were some previous ones that I’ve completely lost – but it is one of my favorites.
To create this, I followed a bunch of tutorials on how to create star fields and planets. There’s very little actual drawing here – the planets were created through various filters, the stars were originally noise, and the star clusters are the result of the clone stamp tool. Also, Photoshop had a lens flair tool back then.
The translucent planet was originally going to be a normal-looking planet, but I was playing around with layer modes and found something that seemed pretty interesting.
This is a weird bit of space art I did in 2013. I was using the techniques that I’d learned years earlier, and it definitely shows – the clone stamped stars, the filters that were used to create the planet, the glow, etc.
I wish I remember how I created the fiery parts of the planet. It must have been some layer mode, but at this moment, I genuinely have no idea what it could possibly be.


Do you know what I wouldn’t! I’m utterly terrified of the notion of taking off and blasting into orbit. I’d probably have a heart attack! I’m a little bit annoyed with my own fear because it could stop me from seeing some of the most beautiful sights in our solar system! Then again, astronauts are INCREDIBLY intelligent, physically fit and able people with amazing skills- I’m not sure I’d even make it through astronaut boot camp! 😉
OK, this will not make me look good but I just woke up (it is 7:30 am here) and in my dream I was selected to be an astronaut. You need to trust me in this and funny I see this question after I wake up, but yes, I was very willing to go to space in my dream (NASA was actually training me on how to pee in space, good detail!) and I am willing to do so on real life. I would love to see the earth from a space shuttle, the best view you can ever get!


Radio image of a very young binary star system, less than about 1 cloud filled with recently formed stars in the constellation perseus, and a. Image of the constellation orion, with delta ori a highlighted in the insert(credit: x-ray: one of which – delta ori a – is made up of three stars, with two of the stellar giants forming what is known as an eclipsing binary system. Albireo, a visual binary star in the constellation cygnus to encourage uc berkeley students, both on and off the field, to strive for the stars. You can name a normal star, a star within a constellation or even a binary star name a visible star in a constellation name 2 stars orbiting each other.
Name two stars that orbit each other from star name registry, the perfect gift for constellation name a binary star system and choose 1 or 2 names we will. The two stars in this system, which is located approximately 450 light-years from earth in the constellation taurus, are less than 5 million years. The double star systems of the night sky, like the one in constellation boötes, are rich stargazing target here's how 'starhopping' can help lead. Alpha lyrae (vega) is the fifth brightest night time star, shining at magnitude 004 and marking one corner of the three-constellation summer triangle sheliak is an example of an eclipsing binary star - twin stars which are so close together.
Binary stars and multiple star system facts some stars the star algieba in the constellation of leo is both a multiple star system and one that has exoplanets. December 2012 : by glenn chaple i'm a double star aficionado my sky to the constellation scorpius and the showpiece double star beta (β). (astronomy) a double star system comprising two stars orbiting around their common located in the cygnus constellation, the binary star system called ' kic.
Albireo in the constellation cygnus (swan) appears as a single point of light to the naked eye, but a telescope shows it to be a binary star: two stars bound. Given that binary stars abound, the kepler discovery likely opens the system are some 200 light years from earth in the constellation cygnus. The massive binary-star system η carinae resembles the first stars that are pointing their telescopes at the star, in the constellation carina. These two stars form a binary, and are located about 436 light years away as sheilak is the second brightest star in the constellation of lyra, the harp.
In a first, scientists say they can predict stars colliding and we all the binary star system collision should be seen in the constellation cygnus. A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common barycenter algol, a triple star system in the constellation perseus, contains the best-known example of an eclipsing binary file:artist's impression of eclipsing. But not on any kind of orbit and not in any kind of a binary system binary system planets come in two different types: planets that orbit just one. The constellation cygnus with deneb at the tail of the swan (top) and albireo (the double star) at the nose of the swan (bottom) albireo is one.
The center of mass for a binary system is placed similarly to the fulcrum, nearest to the like the stars which form a constellation, they are not really neighbors. Alcor, one-half of the first known binary star system, has its own the two stars, alcor and mizar, were the first binary stars—a pair of stars. This wide-angle star chart shows the location of the famous double-double star system in the constellation lyra, next to the bright star vega,.


Oxygen On Mars?Written By Emma Carrick Have you ever thought about living on Mars? Well, your space vacation may be delayed.
Here’s why:The challenge:The reason why getting oxygen on Mars is a challenge is because Mars does not have the 19% of minimum oxygen needed to support human life. (Mars has less than .2% and Earth has 21%) So basically, without the 19% of oxygen humans need, we would all die.Ways To Solve These Problems:1) Aboard the ISS, they make oxygen by using the electrolysis of water. This is done when oxygen is separated from hydrogen with an electric current being passed through the water at about 1.23 volts to split the elements apart. The oxygen is filtered into the air current and the hydrogen is filtered out.
2) Moxie is an instrument to be launched on Mars in 2020. It generates electric power to create oxygen. (10 grams per hour.) It is created by the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on mars, and it heats the carbon dioxide to isolate the oxygen atoms. Then the carbon monoxide and the oxygen created are filtered into the airstream and Mars’s atmosphere. I believe both solutions would work because there is water under the surface of mars, but in its entirety, it would be a problem to constantly get to it. Due to this, I believe Moxie would work best. Costs: Anywhere between $3 and $4.
5 billion dollars. (Launch/Building/Work Hours/ Ect) Difficulty building: Would take until 2020 Possible malfunctions? Filters break, spaceships malfunction, not enough money, storms, ect.Sources:~http://www.businessinsider.com/moxie-makes-oxygen-for-colonies-on-mars-2015-3Website: Business InsiderArticle: Scientists have a plan to make breathable oxygen on Mars for the first time.Date Published: March 3rd, 2015Author: Jessica Orwig~https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/instruments/moxie/Website: NASAArticle: MOXIE – Mars 2020 RoverDate Published: UnknownAuthor: Unknown~https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-confirms-evidence-that-liquid-water-flows-on-today-s-marsWebsite: NASAArticle: NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows On Today’s MarsDate Published: September 28, 2015Author: Dwayne Brown, Laurie Cantillo, Guy Webster, Gina Anderson


(Looking for last month’s ‘Night Sky’? Find it at this link…)
The thick band of the Milky Way in Scorpius and Sagittarius has moved westward, but the lengthening nights keep it accessible to stargazers until the end of September before it sets for the year. In the east, the relatively star-poor constellations of Pegasus, Capricornus, and Piscis Austrinus are moving into view along with hundreds of galaxies accessible with a small telescope. The latter constellation’s lone bright star, Fomalhaut, shines alone in the southern sky for much of the night along with Saturn to the west, which is still in excellent position for observing. Also in September, Venus blazes in the eastern early-morning sky, Jupiter reaches prime observing season, and the zodiacal light emerges in the morning for observers in dark sky. Here’s what to see in the night sky this month…
Comet C/2023 P1 Nishimura
In August 2023, the Japanese amateur astronomer and comet hunter Hideo Nishimura captured an image of a new comet now called Comet C/2023 (P1) Nishimura. The comet was a relatively bright 11th magnitude at the time of discovery in Gemini. It was a happy bit of luck for Nishimura since most comets are now captured by automated telescopes at professional observatories. The comet is brightening quickly and may reach naked-eye visibility by the middle of September. It will lie in the morning twilight for northern hemisphere observers, so a pair of binoculars or a wide-field telescope will help you spot the comet more easily. The image below shows the path of the comet through the month as seen from the northern hemisphere. It appears in the east-northeastern morning sky at morning twilight.
Southern-hemisphere observers get their best chance to see the comet at month’s end. The image below shows where to find it in the bright evening twilight in the western sky (the cyan circle in the image shows a 2º field of view).
Comet Nishimura is on a hyperbolic orbit on its way the inner solar system and – if it survives its encounter with the Sun – will head out to interstellar space. It won’t be back this way again. Read more background on the Comet Nishimura at this link.
Sky Events in September 2023
4 September 2023. The waning gibbous Moon and Jupiter rise together in the east in the late evening about 7º apart from each other. Jupiter, now shining at magnitude -2.6, begins retrograde motion today. It’s now well-placed for observation from now through the end of the year in the constellation Aries about 15º north of the ecliptic, its most northerly position in eight years and ideal for observing with binoculars or a telescope.
5 Sept. The Pleiades star cluster leads the Moon by about 5º in the early-morning sky. All this month, make an effort to rise early before twilight and gaze at the bright stars of Taurus, Orion, Gemini, and Canis Major along with the bright planets Venus and Jupiter. It’s an impressive display.
6 Sept. Last Quarter Moon, 22:21 UT
6-20 Sept. The arc of the Milky Way splits the sky in half in the mid-evening hours making for a great photo opportunity or for old-fashioned visual observing in dark sky as the Moon gets out of the way for the next couple of weeks. The plane of the galaxy appears to thrust at a right angle from the southwestern horizon in Sagittarius, passes overhead through the constellations Scutum and Cygnus, then arcs again down to the northeastern horizon into the rising constellation Auriga.
11 Sept. Look eastward before dawn to see the waning crescent Moon and the Beehive cluster (Messier 44) about 3.5º apart. A lovely sight, for sure, but Venus steals the show here as it shines at magnitude -4.7 to the south. The planet is quickly moving away from Earth now and over the course of September its apparent diameter shrinks from 49” to 32”. However, its elongation from the Sun increases from 28º to 44º during the month.
12 Sept. Over the next couple of weeks, northern-hemisphere observers who have very dark sky can see the zodiacal light in the east about 90-120 minutes before sunrise in the northern hemisphere. This whitish glowing wedge of light appears to thrust upward from the horizon. The zodiacal light, sometimes called the “False Dawn”, is simply sunlight reflected off tiny dust particles in the inner solar system.
15 Sept. New Moon, 01:40 UT
19 Sept. Neptune reaches opposition in the constellation Pisces near the 5.5 magnitude star 20 Piscium. The planet itself, which lies today at a distance of 4.3 billion kilometers, shines at magnitude 7.8 and spans a diameter of just 2.4”. You can spot the planet in binoculars, but you need a telescope at about 150x or more to reveal its pale blue-green disk.
19 Sept. Venus reaches its greatest illuminated extent today and shines as the “Morning Star” at magnitude -4.8, as bright as it ever gets, and bright enough to cast a shadow in dark locations.
20 Sept. Look to the southwest to see the crescent Moon just a degree or two (depending on your location) from brilliant Antares in Scorpius.
22 Sept. First Quarter Moon, 19:32 UT
22 Sept. Northern-hemisphere observers enjoy the best morning apparition of Mercury in 2023. Look for the speedy little planet in the east at dawn in the constellation Leo. Today the planet marks its greatest western elongation about 18° from the Sun and well above the eastern horizon. The planet shines at a bright magnitude -0.3 today and brightens to magnitude -1.0 in the next few days.
23 Sept. The September equinox arrives at 6:50 Universal Time as the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving southward. This marks the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere and the first day of spring in the southern hemisphere.
29 Sept. Full Moon, 09:58 UT


Your first act is school, your second act is work, but have you thought about what you’re going to do in your third act? Join host Liz Tinkham, a former Accenture Senior Managing Director, as she talks to guests who are happily “pretired” – enjoying their time, treasure, and talent to pursue their purpose and passion in the third act of their life.
Inspire others to get more and to do more later in life.
Athena helps women achieve executive-level leadership expertise, polish their boardroom and executive knowledge, get closer to board seats, and make leaps in their careers.
In this episode, Liz talks with Shelli Brunswick – The Space Advocate. Shelli Brunswick spent 29 years in the Air Force focusing on what she calls the “on Earth” jobs for the space program. She wasn’t quite sure what she would do when she retired, but her vast network paid off: she found the Space Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization offering a gateway to education, information, and collaboration for space exploration and space-inspired industries that define the global space ecosystem, where she is now COO.
On today’s show, Shelli shares her infectious enthusiasm for the booming career opportunities in space as well as why 2022 is going to be the best year yet for space exploration.
2:16 Why 2021 was a great year for space
3:06 And why 2022 will be even a better year for space
4:14 Joining the Air Force
6:57 Doing the “on Earth” jobs for the space program
10:16 Find the Space Foundation
11:32 Opportunities in the space industry
15:13 The importance of the Space Force
16:50 Everyday technology that is enabled by space exploration
If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and share a review. Engage with more stories of those finding fulfillment in the third act of their lives on Liz Tinkham’s Third Act podcast at thirdactpodcast.com.
Liz Tinkham (00:14):
Hi, this is Liz Tinkham and welcome to Third Act, a podcast about people embracing the third act of their lives with a new sense of purpose and direction. The Third Act begins when your script ends, but your show is not finished.
Liz Tinkham (00:34):
Hi everyone and welcome to Third Act. Today I talk with Shelly Brunswick, the space advocate. I must admit that while I’m always excited about my guests, with my aerospace engineering degree and my love of all things space, I couldn’t wait to talk to Shelly—and she didn’t disappoint. Shelly Brunswick spent 29 years in the Air Force, focusing on what she calls the on earth jobs for the Space Program. She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do when she retired. But her vast network paid off. She founded the Space Foundation, a nonprofit advocate organization offering a gateway to education, information, and collaboration for space exploration and space inspired industries that defined the global space ecosystem. Today, she is the COO there. On today’s show you will hear Shelly’s infectious enthusiasm for the booming career opportunities in space, as well as why 2022 is going to be the best year ever for space exploration. Hi Shelly, welcome to Third Act and happy new year. We’re recording this right after the turn of the year of 2022, where do I find you today?
Shelly Brunswick (01:48):
Well, it’s a pleasure joining you and thank you so much for starting 2022 so wonderful with this interview.
Liz Tinkham (01:54):
Oh, thank you.
Shelly Brunswick (01:54):
I’m in Colorado Springs.
Liz Tinkham (01:56):
Good for you. Good snow out there? Are you a skier?
Shelly Brunswick (01:59):
I am not a skier and we are not having good snow. So we hope that that will change in the new year.
Liz Tinkham (02:05):
Good for you. Well, let’s talk a little bit about your background in a minute. But I was watching a video that you did sort of towards the end of this past year and you said 2021 was a great year for space. Why was that?
Shelly Brunswick (02:16):
Well, I’m sure many of your audience members have watched the great things that took place in 2021 with the private citizens flying into space on Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, SpaceX, you saw the US land a Mars rover called Perseverance as well as flew a drone helicopter for the first time on another planet, that rover was called Ingenuity. Perseverance was a rover, Ingenuity was the helicopter. You saw the Chinese put up the space station and fully staff it in 2021. The global space ecosystem in 2021 is exponentially bigger than 2020. In 2020, the Space Foundation said the space economy was 447 billion. We’re adding more jobs in the space ecosystem. We had more launches than ever.
Liz Tinkham (03:04):
And what about 2022, how does it look?
Shelly Brunswick (03:06):
Oh my gosh, 2022. Well, let’s look at 2022. That is going to be the most aggressive year ever for space exploration. Think about the James Webb Space Telescope that just launched that’s going to be operational. NASA is launching its Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule for part of their project Artemis to return to the moon. You’ve got Boeing and the Star Liner going into the international space station. You have SpaceX and their newest spacecraft. You have six different companies that are launching orbital rocket systems. NASA has three companies that are going to look to land commercial cargo systems on the moon. And the European Space Agency and Russia will launch the ExoMars Mission to Mars that will be their first rover. So if you thought 2021 was hot, 2022 is going to be even better.
Liz Tinkham (03:57):
I love this. What a great way to start this podcast. Okay, well, let’s do a quick tour. I mean, this is fantastic. But I want to go back and talk about sort of your first act and how you got here. So you went to the Air Force Academy when I suspect there weren’t that many women there. So why there? How did you end up at the Air Force Academy?
Shelly Brunswick (04:14):
So I think that’s an awesome question. So I’m going to start with, I actually joined the Air Force right out of high school and I was enlisted. So I did not go to the academy as a cadet. What happened was I enlisted in the US Air Force, I was a personnel specialist and I wanted to travel overseas so I got to get stationed in Turkey and Germany. And then as an enlisted service member, I was stationed at the Air Force Academy and that’s where I completed my bachelor’s degree and applied to become an officer. So I was stationed at the Air Force Academy when women were still new to being cadets, not brand new, but still new. And obviously the military in the ’80s was still primarily male, it is still primarily male, but we are seeing a higher increase in women in minorities and diversity.
Liz Tinkham (04:58):
How did you end up In the Space Program itself as opposed to regular Air Force?
Shelly Brunswick (05:01):
So I was an enlisted personnel specialist. And when I applied to become an officer, and I’ll highlight the first time I applied to become an officer, I was not selected. I do not have a STEM degree, which you would say most space people should have, I have a business degree. So the first time I applied to be an officer, I was not selected. But as I tell everybody I mentor, go for it anyways. Reapply, keep going, don’t give up on your dream. And I did the same thing I reapplied. And on the second time I was selected to become a space acquisition officer, which is a Space Program manager. And that started my career in the space business.
Liz Tinkham (05:38):
Four years turned into 29 years. Now, maybe you weren’t planning it that way, but give us a few highlights of working for the Space Program.
Shelly Brunswick (05:47):
Absolutely. So again, I was probably like many young citizens out there who are saying, I’m not sure I’m ready to go to college, what am I going to do? I enlisted in the Air Force so I could learn a skill. I could take advantage of tuition assistance and go to school at night and get that GI bill so I could get out of the Air Force and go to school full time. Well, every time the opportunity came to separate from the Air Force, I was just like, I really love the camaraderie, the teamwork, the opportunities and I stayed and four years turned into 29 years. So it was amazing. And I just say for everyone out there, life doesn’t necessarily have one path and sometimes you got to try different things and you’ll experience where your path is. I’m so grateful that the Air Force led me to where I am today, which is in the space industry. And, it’s been a wonderful rocket ride.
Liz Tinkham (06:41):
I love that. So the one thing is I was telling my family about you last night, because we were eating dinner. And I was like, “Okay, tomorrow I’m talking to Shelly” and they know I have an aerospace degree and I’m like, “I’m so jealous of her career.” You know, you weren’t an astronaut, right? So what type of work did you end up doing for the Space Program?
Shelly Brunswick (06:57):
So that’s an awesome question. And I want to highlight to your audience, the majority of people in the space industry work on planet earth. We have great paying jobs on planet earth. We need people with high school graduates to PhDs on planet earth. There’s a very small amount of individuals that become astronauts. And now you can be a private citizen and become an astronaut for a small check. So I did many things for the Air Force. I was a project manager, I worked on launch vehicles and ground stations and satellites, I learned about weight. And you’re thinking, weight? But weight of an aircraft, weight of a launch vehicle. The more the weight, the more expensive it is. That’s why SpaceX’s reusability is so critical because being able to reuse something reduces the cost of launch. I learned about weight. Data rights, who owns the data? And that’s become so relevant today with who owns our data? So this was about who owns the data, whether the government or the company that develops something. But nowadays you can equate that to who owns my data? Do I own my data? Does somebody else own my data? And then I learned a lot about contracting. So it was an exciting 12 years working as a Space Program manager. I loved it, I learned a lot. I am a lifelong learner. So I share that with your audience. The world is changing and evolving, be a lifelong learner.
Liz Tinkham (08:23):
Your last job is when you were on Capitol Hill, which you told me you loved. Why did you retire from that job and what did you think you’d do next?
Shelly Brunswick (08:30):
I loved working on Capitol Hill. I’m a people person, I’m an extrovert off the charts. So working on Capitol Hill and being able to interact with people on a daily basis and share the Air Force message was wonderful. And the time came where the Air Force said, five years working on Capitol Hill, we need you to come back and be a space professional again. And I decided, it’s time to start the next chapter of my journey. And similar to many of your listeners and your title, Third Act, we all know when that chapter comes to an end and it’s time to start the next one. And for me, I had loved being in the Air Force, but I knew that I was ready for, what is the next thing?
Liz Tinkham (09:13):
How did you find the Space Foundation and what is it?
Shelly Brunswick (09:15):
Well, what I share with everybody who transitions from one career to another career, I started using my network. I started reaching out to people, letting them know, “Hey, I’m transitioning, would you take a look at my resume? Keep me in mind.” And somebody sent me the job for the Space Foundation and it was not something I was thinking about. I was looking at companies that were hiring space project managers, right? Doing what I just told the Air Force I did not want to do, I was looking at doing that for a company. So when the job came across my desk, it was like, “wow, Chief Operating Officer Space Foundation.” And at that time we worked in an office with six or seven people. So I was like, “I wonder if I should apply for this.” And I had a very wise friend, Vanessa, who said, never turn down a job you haven’t been offered. So it was like, “Good point, I’m going to apply for that job.” And about 167 candidates later and about six months of interviews, I was fortunate to be the next Chief Operating Officer at Space Foundation.
Liz Tinkham (10:13):
Well, tell us a little bit about the Space Foundation and their work.
Shelly Brunswick (10:16):
I love Space Foundation. So we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for education. And we’re all about being that advocate for the space ecosystem. So we started in 1984 when the space ecosystem was a couple countries, primarily military organizations or civil organizations like NASA or Space Force and bringing the government side together with the industry side and then providing any revenues into education. We have now blossomed from our first symposium, that was 400 people to 2019, 15,000 people coming from around the world. We have three main divisions. So we have our Symposium365, which is your premier opportunity to participate in the space ecosystem, we do that every year in April here in Colorado Springs. We have our Center for Innovation and Education, which is about lifelong learning for workforce development and economic opportunity. So all citizens can find their way into the space ecosystem. And then we have Global Alliance, which is our partnerships. So we are your trusted source for information, education and collaboration.
Liz Tinkham (11:22):
You’ve talked to me about when we were prepping, you’re very passionate about the inclusion of underserved groups, particularly in tech and space. So talk a little bit about some of the work that Space Foundation is doing in that area.
Shelly Brunswick (11:32):
Well at Space Foundation under our Center for Innovation and Education, we launched during COVID. But we had been researching this for several years, talking to many of our corporate members, government agencies. And the three main challenges we see in the space ecosystem is a workforce shortage, a skills deficit, and an innovation gap. And you can see that even now it’s manifested throughout the workforce here in the US with the rise of the resignations and reshuffling of where do people want to work. So we always had a workforce shortage. We need more workers in the space industry. And so where do we find them? And they’re in underrepresented groups, men and women, all ages as well as ethnicities, but also regions, inner city, rural communities, different regions of the world. We have a skills mismatch. So although we have openings in the space industry and individuals might be interested in those careers, there may need to be some reskilling and upskilling.
Shelly Brunswick (12:26):
And then we have an innovation gap. How are we unlocking the thousands of patents that are at NASA waiting to be commercialized with entrepreneurship? So a lot of what we do at Space Foundation is we have programs for entrepreneurship and innovation. We have K-12 and teacher professional development, and we have our world headquarters in Colorado Springs with our discovery center, which is open to the public but we also bring in student field trips from around the world, both in person and virtually, so they can learn what space is about. Many times people in schools, kids learn that space is history. It’s what we did, it’s Apollo, it’s shuttle, or it’s memorizing planets. Is Pluto a planet, not a planet? When really space is career opportunities in medical, in energy, in data analytics, cyber, robotics, and more. And we need to highlight to children, the future workforce, as well as the current workforce reskilling and upskilling that there are opportunities here on planet earth for you to be part of it.
Liz Tinkham (13:30):
You were saying when we were prepping that a lot of people in sort of rural and underserved communities don’t see space being for them. “It’s not for me, it doesn’t look like me.” What are you doing to sort of combat that?
Shelly Brunswick (13:42):
We have to break down their perception that space is for astronauts and rocket scientists. Because really, it’s for all of us. So in rural communities, you are probably using space technology for precision agriculture, right? We know when we use space technology for precision agriculture, we can increase crop yields by 10%. We’re using space technology for transportation. Our entire financial system is running on space technology. People who use these lovely things.
Liz Tinkham (14:11):
She’s got her phone up, okay.
Shelly Brunswick (14:13):
There are several parts of space technology in your iPhone or your cell phone. So most people don’t even realize you’re using space technology every day, but that means there are career paths. I mean, at Space Foundation alone, we have educators, I have financial managers, I have government affairs, I have business professionals, I have marketing, I have communications, I have IT support. So when you think about space, we need all of those. Facilities, manufacturing, there’s opportunities for everyone to look at either utilizing space technology to create a business, like Airbnb and Uber are utilizing space technology to create a business, or you could find a career working at a startup organization like Space Foundation that hires all careers.
Liz Tinkham (15:08):
So let’s pivot a little bit to talk about. The Current US approach to space. Is the Space Force up and going?
Shelly Brunswick (15:13):
Absolutely, Space Force just celebrated their second birthday. So happy birthday Space Force to all the guardians out there. I think it’s an exciting time. The Space Force and the US are not alone. You’re seeing several other countries stand up space forces. Space is so critical to the US, to our infrastructure, to our financial system, to commercialization. So when you think about space, really think about it as an infrastructure like sea navigation or traveling on interstate freeways. There’s so much information from looking down the data we’re getting. Again, open your phone, how many apps are running on space technology? Well, first of all, they’re all running, but think about your weather prediction, your finances all coming. We want that protected by an organization. And then we also want, when we had the Navy, they were there to keep the shipping lanes open. Well, we have a lot of commercial technology in orbit now that we need protection from. So those guardians are serving a purpose and we’re seeing that that is a trend throughout the world. And again, it’s not necessarily adversarial, it’s collaborative. There’s a lot of space debris out there. We need to track that if that space debris hits the international space station or another satellite, we’re going to create a huge debris spread. So we need somebody really managing those activities.
Liz Tinkham (16:36):
So you touched at the beginning on some of the exciting things that are going to happen in 2022. In terms of space, as you look forward over the next five to 10 years, what excites you about space exploration globally? What else do you see coming?
Shelly Brunswick (16:50):
Well, you see so much excitement. And when we talk about space, again let’s highlight those emerging technologies we’re seeing. And all of those technologies are really part of the space ecosystem. So I talked about debris mitigation and on orbit servicing of satellites, but I’ve just talked to some wonderful leaders who said manufacturing in space is not that far away. So imagine if we can take some of the manufacturing off planet earth and put it into space. And again, what does that entail? I doubt everybody’s going to launch on a rocket ship to work in outer space. Is that virtually then they’re going to work in outer space? Is it robotics? How are we going to do that? How does that protect planet earth as well? We’re looking at incorporating high technology into our ecosystem. EV. EV is super important right now, but the other side of it is driverless vehicles, driverless trucks.
Shelly Brunswick (17:42):
So what does that do with our workforce? So we at Space Foundation are looking at, as those new technologies come online, how does that change the jobs? Will some jobs change like your mechanic. You take your car to the mechanic. The mechanic did not go away, but the job changed. Because now you go to the mechanic, they take your car, they plug your car into a computer and your car tells the computer. Here’s what’s wrong with me. 30 years ago, you took your car to the mechanic and maybe three days later they told you what they thought might be wrong with it. So technology is going to change the way we do things. Artificial intelligence, 5G revolutionized the way we do work. It’s all going to be part of space technology. Space and cyber again are running that infrastructure for many of these activities to happen. So it’s exciting. Medical breakthroughs as we look to live on other planets, the human body’s not designed for that. So we see medical challenges, rapid aging, degeneration for women, osteoporosis, eye problems for men. We’re going to look at those challenges to live off-world and we’re going to be able to solve them on-world. Think about the technology we have now, cataract surgery, mammogram detection, all of those came from space technology.
Liz Tinkham (18:57):
Oh my gosh. I had no idea. You know of GPS, some of the other more common things, but you don’t don’t think about that. So one question, do you think we’ll see a human set foot on Mars in our lifetime?
Shelly Brunswick (19:09):
I sure hope so. I certainly think so. I know Elon Musk has a goal to…
Liz Tinkham (19:14):
To die on Mars, right?
Shelly Brunswick (19:15):
Well, his goal was, he wants to die on Mars but not on impact.
Liz Tinkham (19:19):
Well that’s good, yeah.
Shelly Brunswick (19:21):
Let’s differentiate that. So I really do think, Elon and I are not that age differential. So I do believe that’s possible. I do believe the commercial side of it is pushing things exponentially faster than if we just were government led. So the opportunity to make that happen is definitely there, it’s exciting. The other things we’re looking at, like I said, to grow food on Mars, we have to grow it in a different manner, but we know here on planet earth, we have to grow food differently than we do water management. Again, the healthcare aspects, how are we gonna pay people on Mars? You know, we’re seeing some of that cryptocurrency now, but again, that is all running on cyber and space technology, all that cryptocurrency, blockchain. So as you are thinking about all the technology you hear on CNVC or elsewhere, space and cyber are part of that infrastructure to make that happen. And the technology from pursuing, returning to the moon and going on to Mars and beyond, is going to benefit us here on planet earth.
Liz Tinkham (20:24):
What’s next for you? I mean, this is just, I mean, what an exciting place to work and an exciting field to be in. So as you look forward at past your third act, what do you see yourself doing?
Shelly Brunswick (20:32):
So the Space Foundation is so challenging. I love what I do. Every year, it’s something new and exciting. And so I’m a lifelong learner, so at Space Foundation, I’m so fortunate that my job continues to evolve and grow and develop. So I’m really excited about what I do at Space Foundation. And what we’ve learned over the two years of COVID is that the people who most need our programs, that entrepreneurship, leadership, space-inspired curriculum, teacher training, those are citizens and countries around the world that can least afford them. And we are a self-sufficient organization. We have to earn the money that we spend. So my new challenge and our challenge at Space Foundation for 2022 is to launch our endowment because that way we know that we’ll be able to deliver our programs to those that most need them to make sure that as technology evolves, we see the divide, the digital divide that’s happening, that we and our programs can close that to make sure all citizens on planet earth are going to benefit from the future of space.
Liz Tinkham (21:36):
So I almost named this podcast, I’m Not Done Yet. What aren’t you done with yet?
Shelly Brunswick (21:39):
I’m not done yet because I love advocating for space, I love reaching out to underrepresented communities around the world. My biggest goal though will be to inspire the next generation of leaders who can take my place. So then, similar to when I retired from the Air Force, when that next generation is ready to handle the baton, I’ll be ready to step off to my next chapter.
Liz Tinkham (22:02):
Good for you. Well, you’ll have to come back and tell us about that. So Shelly, thanks so much for kicking off the year with us. So where can we… You talked a lot about the Space Foundation, we’ll put that in the show notes, where else can we find you online?
Shelly Brunswick (22:13):
Absolutely. I have a website, Shelly Brunswick, but you can also just follow me on LinkedIn, Shelly Brunswick at LinkedIn. I post a lot of great programs about Space Foundation, but I also post programs about job opportunities that are both in the US and outside, I post information about other countries. So I’m always sharing great information about the space ecosystem. So you can follow me. I’m on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Liz Tinkham (22:37):
Great, we’ll look for that. Thank you so much,
Shelly Brunswick (22:39):
Thank you and happy new year.
Liz Tinkham (22:44):
Thanks for joining me today to listen to the Third Act Podcast. You can find show notes, guest bios, and more at thirdactpodcast.com. If you enjoyed our show today, please subscribe and write a review on your favorite podcast platform. I’m your host, Liz Tinkham. I’ll be back next week with another guest who’s found new meaning and fulfillment in the third act of their life.
Want to share the story of your own Third Act on our podcast? We welcome stories from executives who pivoted their careers to find their passion and purpose later in their lives. Tell us more about yourself to be considered as a guest.


Terence West is the author of thirteen novels including the best sellers Fallen Angels,
Darkness, and Crusade. A Gen X refugee, he fears the day his generation will rule the
world. West is currently stockpiling goods and supplies in Colorado.
An amazing discovery has been made on Jupiter's third largest moon that could lead to the extinction of mankind.
An alien artefact sits quietly under five miles of ice and ocean on Europa. It has been inactive for millions of years, but as humans reach out into space and begin to colonize, it is accidentally woken.
Captain Alex Hull of the crew of the UESA Tereshkova have been tasked with ferrying Earth Gov Vice President Wyman to Europa to personally oversee the mission that will recover the artefact and bring it back to Earth.
But there are other forces at work that will do anything to stop the Vice President and his mission. Known as the Voxx, or the Voice of Resistance, they feel this is a discovery that belongs to all mankind, not just Earth Gov.
In a winding, fast-paced adventure, Captain Hull must confront the conspiracy surrounding the artefact, and try to make it off Europa Station alive!
The idea for Exodus: Europa had been rattling around in Terence's brain since he began writing Biogenesis. He just never had the time to truly develop the idea.
Exodus: Europa was written during National Novel Writing Month 2004. During the month of November, you have 30 days to write a 50,000 word novel. In just thirteen days, Terence finished this book with 57,199 words.
The majority of the book takes place on Europa Station. Hidden beneath five miles of ice and ocean on the small Jovian moon (Europa is roughly the size of Earth's moon), there lies a secret.
Captain Hull's ship, the UESA Tereshkova, was named for the first woman cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova. She first launched into space on June 16th, 1963 aboard the Vostok 6 and made 48 orbits of Earth.
No. words: 57500
Style: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure
Available Formats: MOBI EPUB MS Word PDF MS Reader RTF
Product type: EBook
Published: 1 / 2021
Keywords - click on word to search for more titles


If I were a Martian, what would be my job?
As a Martian, I would have my own unique society and ways of living that are likely quite different from those of humans on Earth. However, if I were to imagine living on Mars, I might have a job that involves exploring the planet and studying its environment, or perhaps helping to establish and maintain a human settlement on Mars.
It’s worth noting that Mars is currently a barren, inhospitable planet with a very thin atmosphere and extreme temperature variations. It is not currently capable of supporting human life, so there are no Martians living on the planet at this time. However, some scientists and space agencies are working on plans to send humans to Mars and establish a permanent settlement there in the future. This would require developing new technologies and making many scientific and logistical advances, so it would be a major undertaking. If and when humans do eventually establish a settlement on Mars, they would likely have a variety of jobs and responsibilities related to maintaining the settlement and conducting research on the planet. These jobs could include everything from farming and engineering to medical care and space exploration.
Here are a few possible jobs that someone living on Mars might have:
- Farmer: With a limited supply of food and water, growing crops and raising livestock would be a crucial task for any Martian settlement.
- Engineer: Building and maintaining the infrastructure of a Martian settlement would require a team of skilled engineers.
- Scientist: Studying the geology, atmosphere, and potential for life on Mars would be a key part of any human mission to the planet.
- Medical officer: Providing medical care for the residents of a Martian settlement would be an important responsibility.
- Space exploration specialist: Conducting missions to explore the Martian surface and gather data would be a key part of the human presence on the planet.
- Logistics Specialist: Managing the supplies, equipment, and communication systems necessary for life on Mars would be a critical job.
- IT specialist: Maintaining the computers and other technology used by the settlement would be an important responsibility.
- Communications officer: Keeping in touch with Earth and coordinating with other space agencies would be a crucial job.
- Education Specialist: Providing education and training for the residents of a Martian settlement would be an important part of maintaining a functioning society on the planet.
- Administrator: Coordinating the activities of the settlement and making decisions about its future would be a key leadership role on Mars.
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The look-out point, close to Olifants Camp and overlooking the Olifants River, provides a perfect backdrop for sundowners and snacks before navigating the constellations such as the Southern Cross, Orion and Scorpio with stops at Alpha Centauri, Canopus, Sirius and Antares. The journey is just not complete without a brief visit to the planets.
Turning the 8-inch telescope to yet another sparkling speck in the dark sky reveals the famous rings of Saturn or the moons of Jupiter or the red planet Mars, each in its own spectacular splendour. Back on earth nightfall has set the scene for predators on prowl for prey that is doing its best to survive another night.
The mercury dropped enough for the hippo, lion and hyena to signal the next 12 hours of nocturnal dance. It also adds to the marvel of this joint venture between Sanparks and Astronomy South Africa.
"Over the last years we have been researching the concept of offering Africa's magnificent skies in the tourism sector," says Astronomy Africa director Eckhardt Piprek.
"We established a natural link between daytime sightings of Kruger's impressive biodiversity and night time viewing of perfect, unspoiled skies - and now we've combined them, offering a perfect night sky in the unspoiled wilderness."
Patrick Charlot, a professional astronomer from France, and his wife were on their way to Olifants Camp when they stopped at the viewpoint.
The stargazing team was setting up for the night and on seeing the telescope, Charlot's interest heightened. They were invited to join the group. "All of this was of great interest (I did not know much of the Southern sky) and really enjoyable for my wife and myself."
"This experience can also be brought to you at any venue, wherever there is a demand," says Juanita, operations manager Astronomy Africa, who can be contacted at 013 735 5512 or 072 530 5297. For reservations for this exciting experience that is only available inside Kruger at Olifants Rest Camp.