The 2017 Solar Eclipse

I have discussed my adventure trip to Kentucky to see this year’s eclipse. Here are two videos of the event I found interesting…
First, a video from on of my favorite Youtube channels, Veritasium.

Secondly, a video from another favorite channel, Smarter Every Day. Note, they worked the math out to do this
by themselves.

Bill Nye’s Open Letter to President Trump

As chairman of The Planetary Society, Mr. Nye has sent this open message to the President.

So the numbers are in, and NASA seems to have escaped the worst of the cuts. However, The Asteroid Redirect Mission is canceled, and predictably and sadly, Earth Science funding was cut about 13%. Several earth observation missions were also cut. The new budget also eliminates NASA’s office of education who has helped teachers all over the world, and gave NRHS two $5,000 grants some years ago. All of this, to me, seems short sighted. As the earth goes through climate change we will be missing valuable information that could save lives and money.

R.I.P. Eugene Cernan

And another American hero leaves. The last man to set foot on the Moon. We have now lost the first and last of these men. There are now only six men left alive who have walked on another celestial object, all of them now in their 80’s. Why do these pioneers of the future feel like relics from the past? Why do we not go back to the Moon, and on to Mars? Where are the new heroes?

I sure will miss them.

Lots of Physics News

Weird…
Researchers orbit a muon around an atom, confirm physics is broken

Why is it not being built here!?! Hopefully someday we will invest more into fusion research.
Countries around the world are pouring billions of dollars into France’s revolutionary nuclear fusion reactor

More on the Em Drive
NASA’s Physics-Defying EM Drive Passes Peer Review

Aliens? The “megastructure” hypothesis still lives.
Scientists Are Now Even More Confused By Potential “Alien Superstructure”

Upcoming Film

I think the rash of NASA and space related films the last few years may come from a longing in this country for a time when, as a nation, we had higher priorities. The American Space program was, in my opinion, one of our country’s finest moments, and I’m thrilled we are finally getting around to telling stories like this.”Hidden Figures” tells the story of three African American mathematicians and scientists who worked in the space program. And particularly the story of Katherine Johnson the physicist who calculated flight trajectories for the Mercury program. I love stories of people who helped build something greater than themselves.