Monthly Archives: May 2013

The Telescope

Posted on May 31, 2013 by

The telescope is one of those items that people both rarely think about and take entirely for granted. 2008 was the 400th anniversary of its invention in 1608. When Columbus sailed the ocean blue, he didn’t have a spyglass to … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space, Technology | Leave a comment

Summer

Posted on May 30, 2013 by

When I was in school, it was not uncommon for teachers to assign an essay on the question of “What did you do this summer?” as one of our first assignments. For that matter, we’d ask this sort of question … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Space Legends

Posted on May 29, 2013 by

One of the more amusing urban legends relates to the space pen. According to the story, during the space race back in the 1960’s, NASA needed a pen that would write in the zero gravity of space. Without gravity, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space, Technology | Leave a comment

Planetary Resources

Posted on May 28, 2013 by

My interest in astronomy and all things space goes back to at least the age of four. I read my first science fiction book when I was in third grade. In many of the early science fiction stories asteroid miners, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space, Technology | Leave a comment

Pilgrims

Posted on May 27, 2013 by

In remembering the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, from whom we derive the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving each November here in America, we have mostly images derived from our grade school plays, cartoons on television, and similar sorts of legends. Rarely … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Leave a comment

Over a Cup of Coffee: Why History Matters

Posted on May 26, 2013 by

An old friend and I got together one afternoon to drink coffee and catch up; since she had moved to Colorado, it had been a few months since we had seen each other. As she picked up her cup, she … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Leave a comment

The Philodendron

Posted on May 25, 2013 by

We’ve had problems with the alarm system at our church for a very long time and recently we finally got it back in working order. It brought to mind an odd incident from the past. About five years ago I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mercury Seven

Posted on May 24, 2013 by

Fifty-four years ago, on April 9, 1959 NASA picked its first group of astronauts. There were seven of them and they instantly became household names: Alan Shepherd, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton. … Continue reading →

Posted in Space | Leave a comment

Jamaican Blue Mountain

Posted on May 23, 2013 by

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains on the island of Jamaica. It is a very mild coffee which lacks the bitter aftertaste one endures with most brews. The Blue Mountains of Jamaica … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Model Rocket Launch

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

Today I went to my daughter’s school to launch a rocket for her astronomy class. The rocket I launched was a large one: my daughter had been telling her classmates about it and several of them did not believe in … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Space | Leave a comment