- Navigating Psyche Psyche is a metallic asteroid, a spacecraft, and a NASA mission set to launch in 2022. I have the privilege of helping to navigate this exciting “mission to a metal world.”An article about my role on this project is published onMedium.com and on Arizona State University’s website.
- Parker Solar Probe - Seven Awesome Facts Parker Solar Probe (PSP) is a NASA mission which will soon embark on a daring dive towards our Sun, far closer to the inferno than any previous man-made object.PSP is slated to launch on August 4th, and I have the honor of being the Orbit Determination lead for this historic mission.Check out the official Parker Solar Probe website.
- Intelligent Aliens, Drake's Equation, and Fermi's Paradox A tall sentient being adorning a plush crimson robe stares up in wonderment at an orangish planetary skyilluminated by three large moons. She wonders, “is anyone else out there”? “What strange and mysterious creature might be looking back andcontemplating the same thing”?Homo sapiens from planet Earth, you and I, are what thishypothetical alien seeks. We seek desperately and deliberately. Yet we hear nothing. No feeble sound nor symbolic blip. We have been yelling at the top of our electromagnetic lungs, and yet no intelligence has heeded our call. Where are the aliens? If intelligence is the inevitable masterpiece of evolutionary success, why is the Universe not reverberating with the calls of conciousness? Or is it possible that the benefits of intelligence are not so great as we assume, and therefore not so widespread?
- Mexico City - The culture and beauty of Europe, at a fraction of the cost Mexico City receives my vote for the perfect long weekend getaway from the United States.This vibrant mega city has it all, and could keep you busy for weeks. Beautiful colonial architecture, spectacular and abundant food options, world-class museums, and a unique cosmopolitan culture.
- The exciting future of CubeSats Space is being invaded by miniature hitchhikers. Small and cheap, so-called CubeSats are rapidly becoming more capable, and their missionsmore ambitious. CubeSats have typically hitch-hiked to space, riding alongside conventional rocketed missions. So far these box-like modular payloads have been confined to low-earth orbit (LEO), but this is about to change. The LEO barrier will soon be broken, in a variety of unique and innovative ways.
- Mercury Transits the Sun On June 5, 2012 I was staring at the Sun through my telescope. It was a historical moment, as Venus was passing in front of the Sun, and casting its shadow. In case you missed it, you can see thetransit again in December 2117 (the next time it will happen)!! If like most people, you don’t have the patience to wait over 100 years, you are in luck, as Mercury will perform the same feat tomorrow.
- How does NASA benefit the average American? First, note that NASA’s budget hasbeen less than 1% of the total federal budget (for 2016 it is 0.6%). Numerousstudies have shown that the return on investment from space exploration ispractically unmatched, publicly or privately.
- Croatia is for Loitering This short story was written during some recent travels within the beautiful countries of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
- The curious public enthusiasm towards SpaceX As a space enthusiast and NASA engineer, I am thrilled by the progress of SpaceX and other non-traditional private space companies.Their achievements in reducing cost to LEO are important and invaluable. I hope the growing success of private space will permit NASA to dedicate itsresources (and personnel) to more distant and exciting destinations, where true exploration beckons us. Having said that, much of what I perceive as the public’s understanding of these companies and their role is disheartening. For example, I have noticed a broad consensus, among a significant block of the voting public, that these entities represent a nail-in-the-coffin for a dying NASA. Some see SpaceX as proof positive of the superiority of private corporations over big government agencies. This view could not be more divorced from reality, and in this article I hope to illuminate a few things.
- Solar system distance scaled to the Earth Travel makes the world smaller and more accessible. But some destinations still feel remote and far. Just try the grueling 19 hour direct flight from Newark to Singapore. Butdistances between planets in our solar system, itself a tiny speck in the vast emptiness of space, are so immense they challenge comprehension and natural intuition. We humans are products of our biology, and therefore it is often helpful to scale things down to our own physical size.
