Found a Letter #writing101 (five word flash fiction)
Who’s letter? “Dear Santa,…”? Me!
Bill Housley
Space Exploration, Science, Opinion and Current Events
Twilight Tales
Into the Dark:Escape of the Nomad — Kindle Edition
In a world hostile to space travel, a former Astronaut has a dream to travel the stars--so he steal's NASA's forbidden starship designs and starts building the ship himself, only to get caught up in a perilous game of interstellar cloak-and-dagger between two alien superpowers fighting over Earth.
One Way
So you want to go to Mars? One Way? Are you sure?
Another Man’s Terrorist — Kindle Edition
In a war far into the future, two young refugees, orphaned by insurgent violence on their home planet, flee behind the lines to make a new life for themselves. But when the turmoil they sought to escape beats them to their new home, thirteen year old Jessica Ratcliff must find peace for her small family while learning the true difference between friend and enemy.
Where’s the Cat? — Kindle Edition
On a long cargo flight to the outer solar system, Pauline gets a visitor she didn't expect and learns of a marvelous friend she never knew she had.
Into the Dark–Escape of the Nomad — Original Paperback
In a world where space travel is forbidden, former astronaut Stan McPherson wants to return to space but finds himself caught up in a dangerous game of interstellar cloak-and-dagger.
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NASAWatch
- What Will A Ukraine War Do To The ISS Program? January 28, 2022Keith's note: In case you have not noticed the U.S. government says that Russia is about to invade Ukraine. The U.S. is sending weapons and mobilizing troops. NATO is fortifying its borders. Oh yes, this impending conflict actual war would involve nearly every single participating nation in the International Space Station program. Until now the ISS has […]
- Laurie Leshin Is The New JPL Director January 27, 2022Caltech Names Laurie Leshin Director of JPL "The distinguished geochemist and space scientist brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in academic and government service to JPL. Laurie Leshin, president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), has been appointed director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and vice president of Caltech. Le […]
- A Memorial On The Top Of The World January 27, 2022From 2011: Scott Parazynski, Chairman of the Challenger Center Board of Directors sitting in the jetstream on the summit of Mt. Everest, May 2009: "I tied off a pair of flags I'd made to honor astronauts and cosmonauts who had perished in the line of duty (Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia, Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 11), as I could think of no finer place on […]
- Remembering January 26, 2022For some strange reason #NASA HQ will not allow media or the public to attend the NASA Remembrance Day event at Arlington National Cemetery. They cite COVID - despite the fact that everything occurs outdoors in a large, open area. This event has been open to all for decades. Sad. pic.twitter.com/caxsx1dGyL— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) January 26, 2022 NASA Pays […]
- Space Program Management For Dummies January 24, 2022NASA Needs a Lead Program Office for Artemis, Op Ed, Kevin Chilton, Space News "It's time to take the best lessons from our past and meld them with the promises of today's technologies and innovative industrial base. It's time to stand up an Artemis Program Office, modeled after the Apollo Program Office, with the long-term strategic visi […]
- Bobby Braun Leaving JPL for APL January 20, 2022NASA JPL Memo: Bobby Braun Departing JPL "Bobby Braun, Director for Planetary Science and Bren Professor of Aerospace at Caltech, has accepted the position of Space Exploration Sector Head of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and will be leaving JPL at the end of March 2022. Even as I am sad that the Lab is losing a great leader, I would lik […]
- NAC Vs PAO On Transparency January 19, 2022NAC notes: Wayne Hale, closing today's NASA Advisory Council meeting, suggested the agency would be better served by increased transparency, citing public affairs "happy words" vs more frequent briefings/discussion of technical challenges, problems and solutions— William Harwood (@cbs_spacenews) January 19, 2022
- Risk And Exploration At NASA January 19, 2022#NASA #HEO #NAC - Every time there is a launch it IS dangerous, its not easy stuff citing an event Keith Cowling of @NASAWatch did back in 2005 with Sean O'Keefe ( something O'Keefe is still proud of) on risk in spaceflight. pic.twitter.com/cJbBlggm72— Gene J. Mikulka (@genejm29) January 19, 2022 Both Mr. McDaniel and Mr. Hale were saying that was […]
- Space Team Biden Report Card At Mission Day 365 January 19, 2022One Year into the Biden Administration, NASA Looks to Future "Since President Biden and Vice President Harris were sworn in one year ago, their administration has made generational progress for Americans - and made NASA a priority. This spring, as Artemis I lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, the world will once again witness America's unrivaled i […]
- John Charles January 18, 2022Keith's note: John Charles has died. I'll post more information when I get it. I first met John in 1987 during what was the first week or two working for NASA when I made a trip to JSC. He was such a nice man. No one believed more in NASA than John did. According to a note circulating around NASA: "The life sciences directorate at JSC is coord […]
LiveScience.com – Top Stories
- 'Bomb cyclone' set to bring blizzards and hurricane-force winds to the Northeast on Friday: Here's why. January 28, 2022A 'bomb cyclone' is expected to bring strong winds and dump inches of snow on the U.S. Northeast on Friday and Saturday.
- Water on Mars may have flowed for a billion years longer than thought January 28, 2022New evidence finds substantial water on Mars flowed as recently as 2 billion years ago.
- The meaning of colors: How 8 colors became symbolic January 28, 2022How can red mean love AND war? Why is purple royal? Life's Little Mysteries answers these questions and more.
- See first-ever photos of polar bears playing house in the Russian Arctic January 28, 2022A wildlife photographer recently captured images of polar bears like you've never seen them before: living in abandoned buildings in the Russian Arctic.
- Ancient solar storm smashed Earth at the wrong part of the sun's cycle — and scientists are concerned January 28, 2022Researchers detected a powerful solar storm that hit Earth 9,200 years ago. Strangely, the storm hit during a solar minimum -- and scientists worry it could happen again.
- 2022 could be a turning point in the study of UFOs January 27, 2022UAP will get more attention from both the scientific community and the federal government in 2022, according to experts.
- Mexican culture: Customs and traditions January 27, 2022Mexican culture varies widely throughout the country, but traditions are highly valued as is its long and storied history.
- Crop circles: Myth, theories and history January 27, 2022Crop circles that mysteriously appear in farmers' fields have puzzled experts and sparked UFO theories.
- Gene mutation that helps make 'toy' dog breeds so small existed in wolves 54,000 years ago January 27, 2022A new study has shown that a genetic mutation that influences the small size of dogs can be traced back to 54,000-year-old wolf DNA.
- Fetus inside Egyptian mummy was 'pickled like an egg,' researchers say January 27, 2022Researchers studying the fetus found inside a pregnant Egyptian mummy claim the developing baby was "pickled like an egg," but some scientists disagree.
- Best shoes for Peloton 2022: Cycling shoes to suit your bike January 27, 2022Trying to choose the best shoes for Peloton exercise bikes? Our essential guide has got you covered, with options to suit your budget, your taste, and even your foot shape perfectly.
- What is VOC? Facts about volatile organic compounds January 27, 2022Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs are chemicals that are lighter than air at room temperature and are responsible for the characteristic smells of things like paint thinner and perfumes.
- Watch a python swallow an impala whole in this jaw-dropping video January 27, 2022An incredible video shows an African rock python swallowing an impala.
- Brown bear wakes up from hibernation and kills 38 reindeer calves January 27, 2022Some "highly predatory" brown bears change habitats to target more reindeer and moose calves after emerging from hibernation in Sweden, a new study finds.
- Vikings' 'blood eagle' torture was horrific — and may have actually happened January 27, 2022An ancient torture method ascribed to the Vikings literally turned victims inside out. Known as the "blood eagle," it would have been challenging to execute but wasn't physically impossible, new research suggests.
- Queen Elizabeth: The world's greatest living monarch? January 27, 2022Inside All About History 113: How an unlikely heir became Queen of England.
- 500 million-year-old, bug-like fossils have stunningly preserved nervous systems January 26, 2022The organisms may be related to modern arachnids, scientists say.
- 'Stealth' omicron is in the US. Here's what we know about it. January 26, 2022Early data hint that the mutant is slightly more transmissible.
- Bizarre sea worm with regenerative butts named after Godzilla's monstrous nemesis January 26, 2022Researchers have discovered a new species of branched sea worm in Japan and named it after the villainous kaiju King Ghidorah.
- Out-of-control SpaceX rocket will smash into the moon in weeks January 26, 2022The rocket stage has been tumbling through space for seven years.
Discovery Space News
- Huge Tsunamis May Have Ravaged Ancient Mars May 25, 2016When Mars was a wet world, did its oceans experience powerful tsunamis spawned by meteorite impacts?
- Collapsing Cosmic Clouds Birth Black Hole Monsters May 24, 2016Supermassive black holes occupy all known galaxies, but astronomers have little idea how they formed. Now space telescopes have found a clue.
- Mystery Plumes: Did the Sun Bruise Mars? May 24, 2016Strange plumes have been spotted high in the Martian atmosphere that have, so far, defied explanation. Now scientists think space weather is to blame.
- NASA Probe Tracks Object in Solar System's Badlands May 23, 2016While coasting through the outer solar system, NASA's New Horizons is busying itself with astronomical observations of a distant Kuiper Belt Object.
- Solar Superflares Set Stage for Life on Earth May 23, 2016Earth could have grown warm enough for liquid water as far back as 4 billion years ago thanks to massive and frequent solar flares.
- See the Red Planet with Your Own Eyes This Weekend May 21, 2016Mars reaches opposition this weekend, making Saturday and Sunday (May 21 and 22) an opportune time to see the Red Planet with your own eyes.
- Extreme Exoplanets Reveal Migration Mystery May 20, 2016A star hosting 4 massive gas giant exoplanets has been spotted -- is this how our solar system looked in its ancient past?
- How to Form Io's Mountains? Just Squeeze! May 20, 2016On Earth, mountains form along tectonic boundaries, but Io, Jupiter's volcanic moon, is awash with molten rock and dotted with solitary mountains -- how did they form?
- DNews: Meet a Black Hole 17 Billion Times the Sun's Mass May 20, 2016DNews sits down with U.C. Berkeley astronomy professor Chung-Pei Ma to learn all about supermassive black holes, including one nearby that's just honking huge.
- LHC Opens the Quantum Physics Floodgates May 20, 2016As it restarts its mission to discover weird and exotic things about our universe, the Large Hadron Collider is about to become a firehose of quantum data.
SpaceRef
- Earth from Space - Lesotho January 28, 2022The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over northwest Lesotho - a small, land-locked country surrounded entirely by South Africa.Marc Boucher
- NASA Space Station On-Orbit Update 27 January, 2022 - Botany and Life Science Work January 28, 2022The Expedition 66 crew split its research schedule between space botany and life science aboard the International Space Station today.Marc Boucher
- NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status Report 26 January, 2022 - Space Agriculture January 28, 2022Space agriculture dominated the research schedule aboard the International Space Station today to learn how to sustain long-term crews far beyond low-Earth orbit.Marc Boucher
- Pyotr Dubrov And Anton Shkaplerov Float Above The World January 28, 2022Cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov (attached to the bottom left portion of the Prichal docking module) and Anton Shkaplerov (attached to the top right of Prichal).Keith Cowing
- Microage Experiment On Board The International Space Station January 28, 2022ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer sets up the Microage experiment from the UK Space Agency and University of Liverpool.Keith Cowing
- Forecasting The Performance Of A Space Antenna - Before It Is Built January 28, 2022Antennas are among the most complex systems aboard a satellite - making them demanding to produce and often unpredictable to test.Keith Cowing
- Making A Splash In A Lava Sea On Mars January 28, 2022Volcanoes, impact craters, tectonic faults, river channels and a lava sea: a vast amount of information is captured in a relatively small area in this geologically rich new image from ESA's Mars Express.Keith Cowing
- Coral Islands In The Bahamas January 28, 2022Image of coral islands in the Bahamas, captured by ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on board the International Space Station.Keith Cowing
- Microbiology Assay On The International Space Station January 28, 2022Astronauts aren't the only ones living on the International Space Station. We've been swabbing surfaces CSI: NY style to see how many fungi and bacteria also call it homeKeith Cowing
- A Waning Gibbous Moon Above Earth's Horizon January 27, 2022The waning gibbous Moon is pictured above the Earth's horizon as the International Space Station orbited 272 miles above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of southern Argentina.Keith Cowing
Space Flight Now
- Weather delays set up SpaceX for two weekend launches from Cape Canaveral January 28, 2022A blanket of thick clouds over Cape Canaveral Friday forced SpaceX to delay the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and an Italian radar remote sensing satellite until Saturday, setting up Florida's Space Coast for launches on back to back days this weekend, with another SpaceX flight already booked on the range for Sunday.Stephen Clark
- Live coverage: SpaceX scrubs sunset launch at Cape Canaveral January 27, 2022SpaceX called off the planned launch of an Italian radar remote sensing satellite Friday due to thick clouds over Cape Canaveral. SpaceX will try again at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) Saturday. The Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster will return to Florida's Space Coast eight minutes later for landing.Stephen Clark
- SpaceX gives converted Falcon Heavy side booster new life January 27, 2022A converted SpaceX side booster that flew on two Falcon Heavy missions in 2019 will launch again Thursday as the first stage of a single-stick Falcon 9 rocket set to lift off from Cape Canaveral with an Italian radar imaging satellite.Stephen Clark
- SpaceX cargo ship returns to Earth with spacesuit and science specimens January 27, 2022A SpaceX cargo ship splashed down under parachutes in the Gulf of Mexico this week, returning from the International Space Station after a 34-day mission with a spacesuit used for spacewalks, and research specimens for distribution to scientists around the world.Stephen Clark
- SpaceX ready to launch Italian radar remote sensing satellite January 26, 2022SpaceX plans to launch an Italian Earth observation satellite with radar vision Thursday evening from Cape Canaveral on a twilight flight that could dazzle spectators with the ascent and descent of the reusable Falcon 9 booster.Stephen Clark
- NASA to name astronauts this year for first Artemis moon mission January 26, 2022NASA will announce later this year the four astronauts who will slingshot around the far side of the moon on the Artemis lunar program's first crew mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2024, the head of the agency's human space exploration division recently said. The crew is expected to include three U.S. fliers and one Canadian astronaut.Stephen Clark
- Photos: Atlas 5 rocket flies on ULA’s first mission of 2022 January 25, 2022A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket took off Jan. 21 from Cape Canaveral, climbing off of launch pad 41 with thrust from its Russian-made RD-180 main engine and a single Northrop Grumman solid rocket booster to carry two U.S. military satellites into orbit.Stephen Clark
- Webb reaches orbital destination a million miles from Earth January 24, 2022The James Webb Space Telescope slipped into orbit around a point in space nearly a million miles from Earth Monday where it can capture light from the first stars and galaxies to form in the aftermath of the Big Bang.William Harwood
- Cargo Dragon capsule departs space station January 23, 2022SpaceX's Cargo Dragon spacecraft, closing out a month-long mission, undocked from the International Space Station Sunday after a two-delay in its departure to wait for better weather in the capsule's recovery zone off the coast of Florida. Splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico is scheduled for Monday.Stephen Clark
- Astra fires up rocket for first time at Cape Canaveral January 22, 2022Astra, a company seeking to carve out a segment of the growing small satellite launch market, test-fired its two-stage rocket at Cape Canaveral on Saturday in preparation for an upcoming demonstration flight for NASA.Stephen Clark
SpaceRef — Mars News
- Making A Splash In A Lava Sea On Mars January 28, 2022Volcanoes, impact craters, tectonic faults, river channels and a lava sea: a vast amount of information is captured in a relatively small area in this geologically rich new image from ESA's Mars Express.
- MRO Finds Water Flowed on Mars Longer Than Previously Thought January 27, 2022Caltech researchers used the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to determine that surface water left salt minerals behind as recently as 2 billion years ago.
- Perseverance's Sample Tube Is Cleared Of Pebbles January 26, 2022The team has made good progress implementing the initial recovery steps outlined in last week's blog.
- Consistent Asteroid Showers Rock Previous Thinking On Mars Craters January 25, 2022New Curtin University research has confirmed the frequency of asteroid collisions that formed impact craters on Mars has been consistent over the past 600 million years.
- A Greenwich Observatory On Mars January 21, 2022The crater in the center of this HiRISE image defines where zero longitude is on Mars, like the Greenwich Observatory does for the Earth.
- Curiosity Rover Measures Intriguing Carbon Signature on Mars January 18, 2022After analyzing powdered rock samples collected from the surface of Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover, scientists today announced that several of the samples are rich in a type of carbon that on Earth is associated with biological processes.
- Possible Hydrated Minerals on the Plains of Terra Sirenum On Mars January 16, 2022This image shows a small light-toned exposure of rock on the plains of Terra Sirenum, in a heavily cratered region of the Southern Hemisphere of Mars.
- Widespread Megaripple Activity on Martian North Pole Area January 14, 2022Megaripples, intermediate-scale bedforms caused by the action of the wind, have been studied extensively and thought to be largely inactive relics of past climates, save for a few exceptions.
- Streaking In Arabia Terra On Mars January 13, 2022This image shows us great examples of transitioning streaks in Arabia Terra.
- Leading Into Isidis Planitia On Mars January 11, 2022This public suggestion wanted to get a closer look at an area in Isidis Planitia that might have been carved out by landslide.
SpaceX
- COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 Mission January 28, 2022
- Starlink Mission January 19, 2022
- Transporter-3 Mission January 13, 2022
- Starlink Mission January 6, 2022
- CRS-24 Mission December 21, 2021
- Turksat 5B Mission December 19, 2021
- Starlink Mission December 18, 2021
- Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission December 9, 2021
- Starlink Mission December 3, 2021
- Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission November 24, 2021
Spacewire
- Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Geophysical Activity Report and Forecast 28 January 2022
- NASA Awards Multiple Construction Contracts
- NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #984 28 January 2022 (Space Life Science Research Results)
- New industry funding opportunity from TRISH | Translational Research Institute for Space Health
- NASA SMD ROSES-2021 C.30 ORSA PSP Eligibility Clarification
- Precursors to Pathways: Science Enabling NASA Astrophysics Future Great Observatories
- mu Space meets Silicon Valley: CEO & CTO James Yenbamroong will take the stage at the Satellite Symposium 2022
- Elbit Systems Awarded a $16 Million Contract to Supply a Space Telescope to the Weizmann Institute of Science
- Former NASA Astronauts Kathryn Sullivan and Steve Smith Join Tomorrow.io's Advisory Board
- Rocket Lab Selected to Provide Venture Class Launch Services for NASA
NASA Image of the Day
- Remembering Challenger and Her Crew January 28, 2022In this image taken in 1985, four members of the Challenger STS-51L crew train on the flight deck of the shuttle crew compartment.
- Remembering Apollo 1 January 27, 2022On Jan. 27, 1967, tragedy struck on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy during a preflight test for Apollo 204 (AS-204).
- The Colors of Water January 26, 2022Much like the sky, rivers are rarely painted one color.
- X-59 Wind Tunnel Testing at NASA Glenn January 25, 2022This colorized schlieren image is of a small-scale model of NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology airplane.
- Studying the ‘Lost Habitable’ World of Venus January 24, 2022NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is designing mission concepts to survive the planet's extreme temperatures and atmospheric pressure.
- Hubble Sights a Sail of Stars January 21, 2022The spiral arms of the galaxy NGC 3318 are lazily draped across this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This spiral galaxy lies in the constellation Vela and is roughly 115 light-years away from Earth.
- Peering Through a Window to the World January 20, 2022In this image from Jan. 9, 2022, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron peered out from a window inside the International Space Station's cupola.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
- The Fornax Cluster of GalaxiesNamed for the southern
- Western Moon, Eastern SeaWestern Moon, Eastern Sea
- South of OrionSouth of the large star-forming region known as the
- Stars, Dust, and Gas Near Antares Why is the sky near
- Video: Comet Leonard over One Hour Which direction is this comet heading?
- Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark,
- Saturn, Tethys, Rings, and Shadows Seen from
Bill Housley 
Forgot how to count. Fixed it though.