Maps From The Stars

As you may or may not know from reading my past posts. I have a myriad of topics that captivate me.  Some are just subjects that hold my attention others can range from fascination to downright obsessions of mine.  But I especially love when two of my favorites can come together.  Recently that has been happening, thanks to a few astronauts on the International Space Station. 

I have a lifelong love of the space program.  Perhaps that is because I was born just slightly over a year before the Apollo 11 moon landing.  I can still remember seeing the final moon landing broadcast on television.  I watched through Apollo-Soyuz and Skylab, into the Shuttle program and continuing through the ongoing ISS missions. 

I also have a love of geography, specifically, cartography.  The study of maps.  I have sat and read an atlas the same way other people sit and read the latest Steven King novel.  I look for the detail, the proximity of cities and nations.  I pore over the relief maps to get a sense of natural boundaries and how nature influenced who we became and where we move and live.

When satellite imagery became part of all internet based map programs, I was thrilled.  I could now get a look at both maps, virtually at the same time.  I could toggle back and forth and zoom in, right down to my house if I felt so inclined.  And I have.  This is where two of my interests began to blend into one.

Recently, as I mentioned above, a few astronauts have been fostering this melding.  They have been sending out, via Twitter and other sources, photos of cities, landmarks and prominent physical features of our world down below.  I know they are not as detailed as some of the images already available, but there is something more to it. 

Two of the astronauts currently staffing the ISS are an American, Shane Kimbrough and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet.  They send out photos almost on a daily basis of what they see as they orbit our world.  Big deal you say?  Well, yes, it is.  It is more than just the photo they send down to us.  It is what they tell us as well. 

When I see the tweet, pop up in my feed with an image fresh from space, I immediately study it intently.  But what is great about what they say is the fact that they don’t just tell you what you are seeing.  They relate to what is in the picture.  From following and watching these pioneers, I not only get to live vicariously through them on the Space Station, I also learn a little about them.  In recent days, they have sent pictures of the launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida shortly after the launch of a cargo ship on the way to them.  They congratulated the SpaceX team on the successful landing of the first stage of the reusable rocket.  I have seen Thomas Pesquet’s home town in France and learned that he would love to visit Beirut.  I learned that Shane Kimbrough is collecting photos of airports from space and sends out “good morning” or “good night” wishes to cities all over the world almost every day.

Then there are the earth’s natural features that they send to us.  In recent months, we have seen sand dunes in the Sahara and Brazil.  We received a spectacular photo of the Hawaiian Islands with the sun glinting off of the Pacific’s surface.  We’ve also been treated to sights like the Grand Canyon and stops all around the Mediterranean.  We receive beautiful underwater features like reefs and new islands just breaking the surface and then there are the volcanoes from New Zealand to Iceland.  All sights to behold.  We even see the not so spectacular scars we are leaving on the surface in the form of receding water lines, deforestation and climate change.  But I will save that for another time.

All of these wonderful, sometimes tragic, always stunning images link me to two of the subjects that I have held close to my heart for years.  I know the current group of scientists who are also just ordinary people fascinated by the same things we all are, have limited missions.  I can only hope that the future specialists assigned to the Space Station will continue to send these beautiful photos and maybe a little piece of themselves while they are at it, back to those of us who can only dream of being in their place.

If you would like the chance to see these wonderful photos on Twitter, please check out the International Space Station @Space_Station or to follow the astronauts directly Thomas Pesquet @Thom_astro or Shane Kimbrough @astro_kimbrough

In the meantime, I’m going to keep matching up the photos they send with my maps.  We can all keep looking up but don’t forget to take the time for what they can show us as they look down. 

Mount Vesuvius and the city of Naples, Italy

The cities of Philadelphia and New York, USA

The Hawaiian Archipelago 

2016 - It Wasn't So Bad Afterall

 As we wind down 2016 and look back on what seems like a dumpster fire of a year, I want to stop and look around for a few moments.  We are all too familiar with all of the contentious, sad and maddening events of the past year.  You know what I am talking about.  I will not soil my post with mentioning even a one of them.  Instead, I want to take a look at what went right in the world this past year.  Believe it or not, it was some pretty great stuff.

I am going to fire off a long list of people and their accomplishments and achievements.  I am going to start with the most obvious place for celebration, sports.  I also want to cover many other fields that have achieved milestones that may have flown under your radar.  I am sure I am going to miss many, many topics and people along the way, but here is my list to make you feel better about 2016.

Athletic Achievements

Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian in his final games.  But, he handed the swimming torch over to Katie Ledecky who has a bright future.   

Brazil and Germany took home the Football (Soccer) golds.  Impressive wins for traditional powers. 

The US Women’s Gymnastics Team was spectacular.  Simone, Gabby, Aly, and the team, Brava!

Kimia Alizadeh whose sport is Taekwondo, became the first Iranian woman to bring home an Olympic medal.  Take the advances where you can find them.

Golf returned to the Olympics.  Justin Rose and Inbee Park brought an end to a century old drought for the game.

South African sprinter, Wayde van Niekerk shattered Michael Johnson’s world record for the 400 meters. 

Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, did what has never been done before.  He won the 100 meters for a third time.  He was so impressive in doing so, I would not be surprised to see him in his trademark bow pulling stance four years from now.

The Pittsburgh Penguins raised the Stanley Cup again adding another title for the City of Champions. 

Peyton Manning and a suffocating Broncos Defense brought a Super Bowl win back to Denver. 

Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers brought a championship back to the city for the first time in 52 years.  There is still hope Indians fans.

Leicester City FC broke through to take the Premier League championship in what could be the greatest upset in league History.

Real Madrid came away with an impressive and record setting eleventh UEFA Cup.

Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Ben Zobrist, and the Chicago Cubs broke the curse of the billy-goat and about a dozen other self-inflicted curses with a World Series victory.  They have a great foundation and have the opportunity to keep this going for a while.

Serena Williams added another Wimbledon title to her record setting collection of major wins. 

In men’s golf, Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson, and Jimmy Walker all became first time major champions.  Everyone had unique stories and are forces to be reckoned with in the future.

Not to be outdone on the women’s side, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Brittany Lang, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Chun In-gee showed that they can do it too with four first time major winners.  The women’s field is opening up and getting much deeper than it has ever been.

Jimmie Johnson joined an exclusive club as one of only three men with seven NASCAR championships.

Nico Rosberg brought home his first Formula 1 championship for Mercedes and Germany.

Medical Advances

Johns Hopkins University is leading the way with brain controlled prosthetics.  New technology has been developed that will allow fine motor skills. They are also getting close to replicating the sense of touch through artificial limbs.

Nano Retina has developed a sophisticated chip that can restore eyesight to people who have been declared legally blind.  The can bring an individual with sight of 20/200 bac to near 20/20. 

Hongjie Dai and his team at Stanford University have developed long lasting batteries meant for use in internal devices such as pacemakers that will allow patients to live without replacements for up to several years more than current devices.

Researchers at MIT and Harvard University are closing in on what they believe is a potential cure for diabetes.

Scientific Advances

Computer Scientists at Brown University are developing technology that will allow robots to learn from one another.  This will remove the burden of programming each one individually.  Robots can be taught their own tasks and will in turn cross-train their peers. 

Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger took a random discovery of two South African spelunkers and proved their find was evidence of a new species of human beings.  This could fill in many gaps in human evolution.

Astronomers at Cal Tech presented evidence of a ninth planet in our solar system orbiting our sun every 15,000 years.

Researchers at Rutgers and Stanford Universities developed a means to inject healthy nerve tissue into the brain to treat Parkinson’s Disease.  Successes in mouse trials could lead to human trials within the next ten years.

NASA has completed the James Webb Space Telescope.  Launching in 2018 it will replace the Hubble Space Telescope and provide greater detail and a look even deeper into space.

Through conservation efforts the Giant Panda, West Indian Manatee, Arabian Oryx, Louisiana Black Bear, Amur Tiger and several other animals have been removed from the endangered species list.  There is still a long way to go, but these are positive steps.

Centenarians

Kirk Douglas turned 100 this week.  If a plane crash, a massive stroke and acting with Arnold can’t stop him, nothing will.  Happy Birthday!

The National Park Service turned 100 this year.  If you realize it or not, you have probably enjoyed time at a site run by the NPS.  Here’s to 100 more (at least).

The first Charlie Chaplin films were released in 1916.  Yes, they are silent.  Yes, they are black and white.  Yes, they are still classics.

The first modern grocery store, Piggly Wiggly opened 100 years ago, in Memphis.  Thank them every time you walk into your local mega-mart.

The San Diego Zoo turns 100 this year.  One of the world’s premier zoological parks.

Making it halfway to the century mark in 2016 are Batman the original television series, The Beatles first American concert, and Star Trek.  Also, celebrating 50 years are Adam Sandler, Halle Berry, Kiefer Sutherland and Janet Jackson.

You see, 2016 was not completely bad.  In fact, some really great stuff happened this year.  I know I have only scratched the surface and there is much more to add, but you get my point.  You can even extract light from some of the darkness.  I know we lost many wonderful people this year.  But after the initial sadness wears off, celebrate the lives of: Arnold Palmer, Glenn Frey, David Bowie, Prince, Florence Henderson, Gene Wilder, Kenny Baker, Harper Lee, Maurice White, John Glenn and the list goes on.   In the words of Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

In the case of 2016, I am not going to cry.  I am going to smile because of what we have done.  For those who know me, they will see this as a positive message from a usually cynical person.  It happens occasionally.  But maybe it is because the year is ending, I am choosing to look at what we have done to move society forward.  I challenge everyone to go find one new thing you did not know about that went well this year.  Hold on to it and carry it into the new year. 

Slipping the Surly Bonds of Earth – Why Space Matters

At 11:58 PM on Saturday night October 29, 2016, something happened that almost no one noticed.  Three people returned to earth after 115 days on the International Space Station.  These brave astronauts hail from the United States (Kate Rubins), Russia (Anatoly Ivenishin), and Japan (Takuya Onishi).  Taking their place on the ISS are three more pioneers, one American and two Russians.  I follow the missions to the station regularly.  I have had the NASA app on my phone for years and I love reading my Twitter feed and seeing the updates from the individuals on board.  But I realize I am in a small minority these days and I can’t understand why.

For me, the fascination with space began at a very early age.  I am not old enough to remember the first moon landing since I was just over a year old.  I do distinctly remember at the age of four when my father took me out into the back yard late one evening and pointed up to the moon and told me that men were walking around up there.  Even at four I had all sorts of questions.  How did they get there?  Why were they there?  How would they get home?  We sat and watched the grainy footage of the lift off of the lunar module.  My father told me he was not sure we would go back any time soon.  We both hoped that was not true.  But this four-year-old was firmly convinced that he was going to be the one to go back. 

Through the seventies, I latched onto any news I could find.  I was mesmerized a few years later watching what coverage there was of the Apollo-Soyuz mission.  Not only were we still in space but we were doing it with what I was told was the enemy.  At the time, I had little idea the depth of what that meant.  I was just excited that we were still flying.  I tried to follow Skylab until it met its untimely end.  But, it seemed like the news from NASA went silent for a few years.  Maybe the whole world just lost interest? 

By this time, I was in my early teens.  Much of the current news about space involved unmanned probes to other planets and it was not holding the attention of the general public.  We had a tease in 1977 when the Enterprise made its flights, but these were all within the atmosphere.  So, I began to look back.  I had not yet learned how we had gotten to this point.  I started with Sputnik.  Everyone knows about Sputnik but few know more than it was the first object launched into space.  The original satellite was intended to function for just a little under two hours.  It actually stayed operational for 1440 orbits of earth.  I think it was an unqualified success.  Incidentally, the stage of the rocket that deployed the satellite remained in orbit for two months. 

After Sputnik, the information that can be found on what would come to be known as the space race is copious.  I read everything I could get my hands on and watched every program I could find related to space.  Yuri Gagarin became every bit the hero to me as any of the Mercury Seven.  Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly almost twenty years to the day before Sally Ride.  (What took us so long?)  Canada became the third nation in space in 1962 deploying a satellite from an American rocket.  Alexi Leonov and Ed White would each make historic EVAs or space walks only months apart.  Then there was the tragedy of Gus Grissom and his crew on Apollo 1.  Grissom who was to be the first to fly in all three phases of the space program, the afore mentioned White and Roger Chaffee are heroes of mine to this day.  The Soviets lost Vladimir Komarov a few months later in equally tragic circumstances.  Yet they still pressed on to very lofty goals. 

Then came April 12^th, 1981.  The Space Shuttle program would launch with Columbia.  The world was paying attention again.  John Young and Robert Crippen were the first of the new generation of space flight astronauts.  Now I was certain I wanted to join them.  I tried my best to convince my parents I needed to go to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.  I sent for all of the material.  I knew exactly what was required to attend.  I was ready.  I wanted to use this to propel me into the space program.  I even entered the contest to name the orbiter that would become Endeavour.  I did not win, although I still think Horizon would be a great name for a new vehicle.  Neither the trip to camp nor the career in the space program were in my future but I was not about to drop my interest in all things space.  Even the horrible day in 1986 when we lost the Challenger could not deter me.  Quite the contrary.  By this time, I was completing high school and preparing for college.  I was now well aware of the human side of the program.  Dick Scobee and his crew died as I watched them ascend.  I was home that day; school was cancelled due to snow.  I was excited that I would get the chance to watch the launch.  Then at almost the two-minute mark, it happened. That is still one of those rare days that I will always remember every detail.  I sat there the entire day and listened to the analysis and thought to myself, please don’t let this end the program.  Thankfully, it did not. 

It took more than two and a half years, but the shuttles were flying again.  We had learned from the tragedy and adapted the information to future launches.  We became very good.  So

 good, that no one noticed any longer.  Launches were not covered.  Details from missions were buried deep into newscasts.  All of a sudden I had to work to find information again.  Even the news in 1998 that the first section of what is now the International Space Station was put into orbit was almost an afterthought.  The cold war is over; the space station is an effort among several nations.  This is a wondrous, unifying accomplishment and almost no one is paying attention. 

The world briefly came back to watch with the loss of Rick Husband and his crew when the Columbia disintegrated on re-entry.  We now had 24-hour news channels and the internet, so news was not hard to find.  It just faded from public view as the next big story pushed it out of the way.  The program kept going though.  Again, we learned from the data and improved our equipment.  More missions would be launched.  We would get better yet. 

The shuttle program ended with the retirement of the Atlantis but we are far from done.  Cape Canaveral and Baikonur Cosmodrome still send a constant stream of vehicles up to the ISS and many other locations.  We have active probes that study everything from our sun to the moons around Jupiter and Saturn.  We have rovers sending back endless information from Mars.  The Hubble Space Telescope continues to send us amazing pictures into the universe even as we prepare to launch its replacement, The James Webb Space Telescope.  This is a great time to pay attention.

So here we are in 2016.  Seventy countries have space agencies including the cooperative European Space Agency.  Nine countries have successfully launched vehicles into space.  Forty nations have sent people into space.  Even the United Nations has gotten involved in planning a space flight.  We are contemplating missions back to the Moon and Mars.  We are searching for inhabitable moons around other planets.  The ISS continues to add modules and perform meaningful experiments.  Why are more people not looking up?  I have no idea but I invite you to join me in following space exploration and becoming excited about the possibilities again. 

As for me, no, I never made it into space.  Would I like to go, absolutely?  Do I bring a unique talent to NASA? No.  Do I ever see it happening?  Of course, not.  I will have to include Gene Kranz as another hero since he was an integral part of the program without ever flying himself.  I have followed the global space program for years and have no plans to stop.  For now, I will continue to track the ISS and occasionally, when the orbit and cloud cover cooperate, go outside to watch it pass overhead.  I am thankful that another team of astronauts has safely returned.  I also am thankful that there is a new team working up above.  Best of luck and enjoy the next few months Shane Kimbrough, Andrei Borisenko, and Sergey Ryzhikov.  I look forward to seeing you on my NASA app and my Twitter feed.  I may never fly myself, but that will not stop me from doing it vicariously through you and your successors.

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air… .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

Have you been inspired by anyone in the Space Program?  Please leave me a comment and tell me who it was that had an impact on your life.