A couple months ago I mentioned that Richard Nixon's name would be long-remembered because it's engraved on the Apollo 11 plaque on the airless surface of the moon. I started wondering how long the plaque would actually last and did some research, but for some reason I didn't post what I found. I can't find the links to my sources, but here's what I wrote about it: On … [Read more...] about Apollo 11 Plaque
Science
A Personal Astronomical Crisis
I was driving home from dinner with the parents when suddenly it hit me: I don't know how many planets there are! The IAU met to decide on it a few months ago, but the rule they settled on was not the rule everybody thought they'd settle on. I can't remember what they decided, so I have no clue how many planets there are. I think that means I get to make up my own rules. … [Read more...] about A Personal Astronomical Crisis
Earth Without Us
Over at NewScientist.com, someone named Bob Holmes imagines all the wonderful things that would happen to the Earth if all the people disappeared: By some estimates, we now commandeer 40 per cent of all its productivity. And we're leaving quite a mess behind: ploughed-up prairies, razed forests, drained aquifers, nuclear waste, chemical pollution, invasive species, mass … [Read more...] about Earth Without Us
A Slightly Larger Step
When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon in 1969, everyone heard him say, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." But that doesn't really make much sense, does it? "Man" and "mankind" mean the same thing in this context, so he's saying that mankind took a small step and a giant leap at the same time. That's not very profound, is it? It … [Read more...] about A Slightly Larger Step
Solar Transit of ISS and Atlantis
Via Jesse Walker at Reason, the coolest thing you'll see today. Astrophotographer Thierry Legault used a telescope and camera to catch a picture of the sun at the exact moment when the International Space Station passed between the sun and his position on the Earth. It was just after the Atlantis shuttle had undocked. Awesome photo. Note that the space station and shuttle … [Read more...] about Solar Transit of ISS and Atlantis