Congrats to SpaceX!!!! My second cousin Brandon is one of the “Rocket Scientists” who works there. In his own words… “This is my dream job.” Currently he is the Director of Avionics Hardware Development at Space Exploration Technologies, working to make space more affordable. He started providing experience in the FPGA Design realm, but has moved on to leading an amazing team of engineers. Their focus has been on getting rockets to fly and working to develop a fault tolerant avionics design. An emphasis has been placed on low cost, highly manufacturable and small form factor. They have developed a highly modular design, allowing SpaceX designs to meet many different needs without needing to develop whole new systems.

Read more about this December 2013 launch here

In Aug. 2010, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) revealed a natural bridge found in the moon’s King crater. The bridge is about 23 feet (7 meters) wide on top and approximately 30 feet (9 meters) on the bottom side. It would be a 66-foot (20-meter) walk to cross from one side to the other. This finding demonstrated that even after decades of lunar science and exploration, there is still a lot to learn about our extraordinary moon. Credit: NASA/Goddard/ASU Link here for an amazing picture.

This eclipse is notable because it takes place just hours before the December solstice, which marks the beginning of northern winter and southern summer. The last Dec. 21 total lunar eclipse occurred in the year 1638. (Number-crunchers quibbled for a while over whether that one counted as a solstice eclipse, due to shifts between the Julian and Gregorian calendar, but the current consensus is that it does indeed count. The next winter solstice eclipse is due in 2094.)

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As the Earth formed out of rocky snowballs it grew hot and probably melted. One theory is that early in its history a large object hit the Earth, which threw out a shower of rocks. These collected together to form the Moon. If it is true this would certainly have made the Earth melt.
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October is a crucial time for the California Desert Tortoise. They are eating in preparation to sustain themselves while hibernating during winter. Traditionally we will box ours up and store them as close to Thanksgiving as possible so they still have about a month to build the reserves needed for a successful hibernation. Some time in late March or early April we will ceremonially reintroduce them to our back yard. We’ve found that our tortoises grow during hibernation so we make sure the boxes we use have plenty of room for growth. If you draw around the tortoises on a large piece of paper or cardboard before hibernating them and then trace their outline again upon wakening you will have a fun visual record of their growth over the years. Be sure to feed yours a variety of both green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit for optimal health before hibernating. Make sure they are clean and dry and never, never hibernate a sick tortoise. Call a vet for instructions.

September 18 is International Observe the Moon Night….

There’s nothing like gazing at the Moon on a clear night, especially when you can share it with someone. Why not share it with the world? September 18, 2010 is the first annual International Observe the Moon Night, and this is planned to become an annual event to engage the public and raise awareness about the night sky and particularly the Moon, as well as spreading the word about NASA’s work in lunar research and exploration. Event planners hope to bring people together with both professional and amateur astronomers, and there are events planned all around the world and on the world wide web, as well.

Testudo, the Latin word for tortoise, shell, arch or vault, was also the name given to a technique used by Roman soldiers in warfare. Standing close together, in the shape of a rectangle, they held their shields flat over their heads, to form a protective dome, allowing them to approach the enemy en masse, unharmed by spears, stones and arrows.

The oldest known tortoise may have been a radiated tortoise from Madagascar (Astrochelys radiata), which died in 1965. She was at least 188 years old, having been given to the Tonga royal family, by Captain Cook in 1773 or 1777.

The Galapagos tortoise is the largest living species, weighing in some cases, over 570 pounds.

The carapace or upper shell of the tortoise or turtle is composed of about 50 bones, which include modified ribs, vertebrae and bony skin plates. The lower shell or plastron has evolved from the clavicles or collarbones and the ribs. The bony structure joining the two is called the bridge. The shell is very much alive, not dead tissue, like nails or hair.

Tortoises and turtles do not have teeth.

Source: PetPlace.com – Dr. Nancy Anderson

It’s the pits!!

Alan Boyle writes: Fresh photos from NASA’s lunar orbiter suggest that pit craters could provide havens for humans on the moon – just as they do in 50-year-old science fiction.

A Soviet robot lost on the dusty plains of the Moon for the past 40 years has been found again, and it is returning surprisingly strong laser pulses to Earth.Researchers plan to use the aged robot to help them measure the Moon’s orbit and test theories of gravity.

Almost forgotten in the lore of the Apollo-era space race, Lunokhod 1 was one of the greatest successes of the old Soviet lunar exploration program.

On November 17, 1970 the Soviet Luna 17 spacecraft landed the first roving remote-controlled robot on the Moon. Known as Lunokhod 1, it weighed just under 2,000 pounds and was designed to operate for 90 days while guided in real-time by a five person team at the Deep Space Center near Moscow, USSR, Planet Earth. The futuristic looking eight wheeler rode on top of a descent module that extended ramps from both sides offering alternative routes to the surface in case one side was blocked by boulders. Lunokhod 1 toured the lunar Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) for 11 months in one of the greatest successes of the Soviet lunar exploration program. This Lunokhod’s operations officially ceased on October 4, 1971, 14 years after the launch of Sputnik.

Bon voyage Atlantis and may God be with you and the astronauts on your final flight into space… kiss the moon for me as you pass. It’s an historic day filled with pride and apprehension for those who have followed the space shuttle’s 30 year history. So many triumphs and two terrible tragedies’ that have brought space travel to the common man.

I believe Winston Churchill said it the best… “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. ”

America will continue to be a leader… I have no fear