In the 1960s, Edward J. Dwight Jr. seemed poised to become America's first Black astronaut, but it never happened, so he left the flight-test program and became a computer systems engineer and later, a sculptor. Now, at age 90, he's going to space, and he's ready. "I've pulled more G's than any person on Earth," he tells NPR. "I've been high enough to see the curvature of the Earth. ... I've been doing things like that most of my life."
Chef Rasmus Munk of Alchemist restaurant in Copenhagen has announced that he's partnered with “private astronaut training” company SpaceVIP and vessel builders Space Perspective to host a "holistic dining experience in space." There's no menu yet, and only vague details about how and where the food will be cooked, but there is a price tag — 3.5M Danish Krone, or around $500,000 — and a tentative date. Jaya Saxena explains her thoughts on the plan for @Eater. If you had a spare $500,000, would you spend it on a fancy space meal?
Will the Driving Force for Space Exploration Be a Religious Cult? - Mind Matters
Interesting points about a belief system entwining with space exploration. Reminiscent of Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents. Note scripture at end of article.
"One Revolution Per Minute." A short film by Erik Wernquist.
"ONE REVOLUTION PER MINUTE is a short film I made to explore my fascination with artificial gravity in space.
It takes place aboard the "SSPO Esperanta" - a planetary orbiter that spins around itself at a rate of one revolution per minute (1 RPM). With a radius of 450 meters, the spin generates artificial gravity with an effect of approximately 0.5 g along its main deck."
It is fascinating. Just over 6 minutes. Best viewed on a laptop or larger screen and with headphones on.
Small thoughts on the books I've finished during November:
Shadow Prey (John Sandford, 1990): Fun thriller, better than "Rules" in a lot of ways, somewhat problematic in others. The almost "For the Evulz" mentality of the main villain is somewhat underwhelming. Could it be published today? Maybe, with some tweaks, especially regarding Shadow Love.
@bookstodon
c. "Patrick Henry, Jupiter, and the Little Spaceship": Quite a somber story, and made me feel bad for the protagonist, even if at the same time I think of him as a sort of proto-Elon Musk (who I don't like) and SpaceX (a waste of resources).
Gonna be reading this #NYTimesMagazine#Article "The Bodily Indignities of the Space Life" today -- here's a gift link if anyone else wants to read along with me!
The decadal survey has highlighted such investigations as the effects of space on biology as being key to NASA's next 10 years and to the Artemis mission.
NASA hopes humanoid robots can help us explore the moon and Mars (www.space.com)
NASA is eyeing a privately built 'Apollo' space robot for continued investment — and future space missions.
New survey outlines what NASA must do over the next 10 years to help astronauts thrive beyond Earth (www.space.com)
The decadal survey has highlighted such investigations as the effects of space on biology as being key to NASA's next 10 years and to the Artemis mission.