Farewell to Phoenix

The Phoenix lander that has been investigating the North Polar region of Mars has completed its mission and succumbed to the dark and cold of Martian winter. Dust and lack of sunlight have reduced the amount of power that the lander was able to produce, leaving it to eternal slumber. This was expected, and Phoenix was still able to exceed its 90 day planned mission before shutting down.

The lander sampled the soil of the Martian tundra and confirmed the presence of water ice, and other interesting elements. The data form the many experiments, readings and photos taken by Phoenix will keep scientists busy for years to come.

So long, Phoenix. We hardly knew ya.

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

Life's A Song

Life's A Song

By John Hadley & Sean Locke

Lately I've been countin' up all my days good and bad

I found that joy has more than doubled all the trouble I've had

From now on I'm not gonna worry about what might be

I know I'm part of something a whole lot bigger than me

*
Life's a song we're all singing

Life's a song that never ends

We pass it on to sons and daughters and it starts all over again

*
We're all one big family like the stars in the sky

When we fall all the others shine on through the night
Life's a song we're all singing

Life's a song that never ends

We pass it on to sons and daughters and it starts all over again

*

For Dad.

That Darn Overhead Projector!

Here is a great defense of government spending on science and education that so appalls John McCain. It includes comments from University of Chicago Professor of Astronomy who cites the mission of the Alder Planetarium's SkyTheater: "on inspiring young people, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in science."

I long for the day when spending billions on wasteful, unnecessary wars is criticised, and spending on the science that inspires us and moves us forward is praised.

See: http://adlerplanetarium.org

Quicksilver Messenger Planet

New stunning images of Mercury. The Messenger probe is still settling in to its eventual 2011 orbit. See more at http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/

Change at last

Scientific American cites a Wired report on Barack Obama's impressive list of Nobel Prize winning science advisors. One is Harol Varmus. Varmus won the Nobel in 1989 for his discovery of retroviral oncogenes in cells, the idea that all cells have the potential to turn into cancer. Now president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Varmus formerly directed the National Institutes of Health.

Varmus told a Scientific American podcast two years ago that "the tendency of the current administration [is] to undermine science in a variety of ways that range from the fiscal to the regulatory and the political."

Theistic Evolution

This week, the Catholic church re-affirmed its support of Darwin's theory of evolution. The Anglican church also recently expressed support for evolution, even offering a belated apology for the church's treatment of Darwin.

The Vatican has voiced its acceptance of evolution as the means that God used to create life on earth. As noted in the Reuters story:

The Catholic Church teaches "theistic evolution," a stand that accepts evolution as a scientific theory and sees no reason why God could not have used a natural evolutionary process in the forming of the human species.

I Am A Scientist

This is from a fine Dandy Warhols song, as well part of my personal philosophy. I think we all need to be scientists, whatever our calling. We don't need to hang around labs in white coats, but we do need to be inquisitive, methodical and impartial in dealing with the issues in the world. I am a firm believer in the scientific method and I am disheartened to see it so often maligned and ignored. To me, science is the perfect compliment to spirituality - not its opposite.

I am angered when scientific findings are manipulated, distorted or impugned to satisfy someone's political agenda or personal goal.

I am saddened to see scientific funding slashed; labeled as wasteful, trivial, or foolish. The fields of space research, particle physics, genetics, and such have yielded untold benefits - along with a deeper understanding of our world and our selves.

I am disappointed by those who would degrade our already shaky science education programs by introducing pseudo-science and casting doubt on well founded, scientific principles. Those who attempt to disparage evolution as just a "theory" have no understanding that a scientific theory is our best representation of our world, surviving rigorous testing and constant refinement.

And I am excited by the scientific exploration that is currently going on in the world. From space exploration through robotic landers and sophisticated telescopes that measure signals from the beginnings of the universe, to particle accelerators that are uncovering the mysteries of the smallest building blocks, a beautiful, awe inspiring world is opening up to us.

I have always been a science geek. If I had it all to do over again, I would pursue a career in physics. But I will have to settle for reading physics books for fun, and promoting science in any way I can. More to come.

My Clones

Sometimes it feels like I have this many identical Karen's running around. She keeps herself very busy, but still found the time to create this wonderful photo.

A Paranoid, Schizoid Product of the 20th Century

Thank you, Mr. Clarke

I began avidly reading Science Fiction when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I remember visiting the Hyde Park Free Library with my mother, and discovering the wonders of Isaac Azimov, A.E. van Vogt, Robert Heinlein, and of course, Arthur C. Clarke. One of my earliest Sci-Fi memories is of devouring Clarke's Tales from the White Hart, a series of stories that blended real science with tall tales related by denizens of an English pub. Over the years, I wolfed down many more of Clarke's writings, both fact and fiction, and was always amazed by the blend of science and wonder that he wove into everything that he wrote.

My favorite Clarke book is the novel "Childhood's End". In it, Clarke looks to the eventual evolution of the human species to something that transcends mere matter and time. I would like to think that Arthur has now made that leap himself, and hope that his benevolent face is peering down on us, like the final scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Thank you, Mr. Clarke.

Still Life with Dobro and Candlestick

Some pictures from our weekend that we spent following Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines from show to show. The first show was in the Universalist church in Montclair, NJ where these shots were taken
Each show was for a slightly different type of audience, and the set lists and banter varied as well. Marsha had a chance to speak to Terri at the second show at the Towne Crier in Pawling.
We were amazed the next night when Terri and Lloyd walked into the Eggs Nest restaurant before their show in Stone Ridge. Lloyd compared us to Dead Heads following the band from show to show.Here is a final shot of Terri singing A Prayer for my Friends to wrap up the set in Montclair. We are looking forward to their return to the Northeast.

On the Road

We are embarking on a special road trip this Leap day. It will combine visits with friends and family, along with attending three (count 'em. Three!) concerts featuring Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines. We are starting with a show in Montclair,NJ with Terri and Sarah Lee Guthrie (daughter of Arlo, grandchild of Woody) & Johnny Irion. We will then trek to the Hudson valley to see shows in Pawling and at the Stone Ridge center for the Arts. We just hope Terri and Lloyd don't get too nervous when we keep appearing in the audience.

And speaking of the Road - Terri has her own road trip blog at http://TerriHendrix.blogspot.com/

Check it out. Meanwhile, see you on the road.

Thanks for the Opportunity . . .

Like its sister explorer, Spirit, the Mars rover Opportunity has also reached the four year mark on the red planet. Both little machines continue to send back wonderfully detailed pictures of a world that looks both alian and familiar. Sign me up, Mr. Branson, I'm ready to go too.


You can visit Opportunity and Spirit at http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

Keeping up the Spirit in 2008

Happy 2008! While we have been celebrating the new year on Earth, Nasa's Spirit Rover is about to commemorate its fourth year exploring the Martian landscape.

Along with Opportunity, Spirit has survived intense cold and extreme dust storms while sending an amazing 210,000 photos back to Earth. The two rovers were planned for 90 day missions, but they continue to perform scientific analysis of the red planet far past their planned expiration dates.

While we applaud the good fortune and terrific engineering that allow these machines to perform so magnificently, it prompts us to question the value of manned exploration of space. As robotic devices continue to advance in abilities (right little Rhoomba?), will they be able to replace humans as explorers? Sending men into space is very dangerous and expensive. But is robot exploration as compelling and romantic as human examination of the unknown? Can robots provide the feeling along with the facts? The answer, I suppose, is that a combination of human and robotic exploration will be the best comprehensive way to explore our universe.

Visit: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html