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
- John Charles January 17, 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 […]
- Always Look Toward The Stars January 17, 2022"Only in the darkness can you see the stars" - Martin Luther King Jr. #MLKDay2022 #MLK pic.twitter.com/t8uMGDS7LV— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) January 17, 2022
- That Immense Event On Earth That @NASA Missed January 17, 2022An immense volcanic eruption captivated the world this weekend via stunning imagery from satellites in space that flooded the Internet. As such, you'd think that @NASA would say something - like @NOAA did to show the value of space-based observation. Guess again. ICYMI @pinballme pic.twitter.com/XQ2ANxHy5p— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) January 17, 2022 […]
- It Takes More Than Logos On T-shirts For NASA To Fully Realize Its Branding Potential January 16, 2022Sometimes it seems that everyone on Earth is wearing a NASA T-shirt, Washington Post "Go to any college campus, Ulrich said, and there are "kids there with NASA shirts on. You see it on the subway. You see it on the street. It's just proliferating." It sure is. Last year, Ulrich said, the agency received 11,000 merchandising requests from […]
- Donald Gurnett January 14, 2022Legendary Iowa space physicist Donald Gurnett dies "Donald Gurnett, a pioneering space scientist whose career as a student, teacher, and researcher at the University of Iowa spanned more than 60 years, died on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. He was 81. When he retired in May 2019, Gurnett pointed to a litany of accomplishments that few--if any--will be able to […]
- ICYMI: Webb Made A Big Splash In New York City January 13, 2022Some cool pics of immense @MorganStanley advertisements in New York City in December after the launch of #NASAWebb with #astronomy and #astrobiology themes. #JWST #NASA pic.twitter.com/npbgCJ2V67— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) January 13, 2022
- ASAP: NASA Really Needs To Fix Its Human Spaceflight Program Management January 11, 2022NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Releases 2021 Annual Report, ASAP "... Funding such endeavors will obviously take considerable resources. However, history suggests (as shown in Figure 1) it is unlikely NASA's budget will ever again exceed 1% of the federal budget, as it did during the lead-up to the Apollo Program. Consequently, it will […]
- OIG: NASA's Astronaut Office May Not Have The Right Stuff In The Future January 11, 2022NASA OIG: NASA's Management Of Its Astronaut Corps, OIG "... However, the astronaut corps is projected to fall below its targeted size or minimum manifest requirement in fiscal year (FY) 2022 and FY 2023 due to attrition and additional space flight manifest needs. More concerning, the Astronaut Office calculated that the corps size would exactly eq […]
- NASA Chief Scientist And Senior Climate Advisor Announced January 10, 2022NASA Announces Katherine Calvin As New NASA Chief Scientist And Senior Climate Advisor "NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that Dr. Katherine Calvin will serve the agency in dual roles as chief scientist and senior climate advisor effective Monday. Calvin succeeds Jim Green, who retired from his role Jan. 1 as chief scientist after more than 40 ye […]
- We Have A New Space Telescope January 8, 2022This picture made me cryyyy https://t.co/ospVUqSGxR pic.twitter.com/b8cXU2k9ue— Katy Mersmann (@KatyMersmann) January 8, 2022
LiveScience.com – Top Stories
- Bluetooth: Who invented it and how does it work? January 17, 2022As our electronic lifestyles have grown ever more complex, we have needed ways to bring it all together. With wires being too cumbersome, Bluetooth holds the key to ushering in the connected world we know today.
- Italian Culture: Facts, customs & traditions January 17, 2022Italian culture goes back to the ancient, had a massive impact on the Renaissance and is represented in the world today by its art, fashion and popular food.
- Why does slicing onions make you cry? January 17, 2022Here's why you may start tearing up while slicing an onion.
- The rise and fall of the Great Library of Alexandria January 17, 2022The Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt was the most important repository of knowledge in the ancient world.
- Vast 4,500-year-old network of 'funerary avenues' discovered in Saudi Arabia January 17, 2022Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have discovered 4,500-year-old "funerary avenues" alongside thousands of pendant-shaped tombs.
- Science and the scientific method: Definitions and examples January 17, 2022Science is a systematic and logical approach to discovering how things in the universe work.
- What is a law in science? January 17, 2022A scientific law is the description of an observed phenomenon. It doesn't explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it.
- Huge Tonga underwater volcano eruption captured in stunning satellite video January 16, 2022A powerful underwater volcano eruption in Tonga on Saturday (Jan. 15) was captured as it happened in stunning satellite images.
- How to watch the 'Ice Moon' rise on Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 16, 2022The first full moon of 2022 will rise at 6:48 p.m. EST on Monday (Jan. 17), which is also the day the U.S. observes the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Are daddy longlegs really the most venomous spiders in the world? January 16, 2022Is there any truth to the tale that daddy longlegs are the most venomous spiders?
- Rare octopus video shows 'once-in-a-lifetime encounter' January 16, 2022A mesmerizing new video of an elusive blanket octopus swimming above the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia shows a "once-in-a-lifetime encounter."
- Infamous Mars meteorite contains organic molecules. But they aren't proof of life. January 16, 2022Organic molecules in a Mars meteorite that crash-landed on Earth are not signs of life, but instead formed in chemical reactions between water and rock.
- 4-foot tsunami hits Tonga after explosive eruption of underwater volcano January 15, 2022A tsunami triggered by the explosive eruption of the underwater Tonga volcano in the Pacific Ocean slammed the shoreline of the Pacific nation Saturday (Jan. 15).
- Weird sand 'chess pieces' dot Lake Michigan shore. Here's how they formed. January 15, 2022Here's the science behind the bizarre sand pillars that formed on the shores of Lake Michigan.
- Why is the world map you know wrong? January 15, 2022Here's why flat world maps always have distortions.
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket spotted from space before and after epic 105-satellite launch (images) January 15, 2022SpaceX has some nice before-and-after photos to mark the 10th launch of one of its Falcon 9 rockets, thanks to a satisfied customer.
- Keeping time: The origin of B.C. and A.D. January 14, 2022The use of "anno domini" and "before Christ" to mark time began in the early days of Christianity, when clerics needed to know when Easter would fall.
- China builds 'artificial moon' for gravity experiment January 14, 2022The test chamber will enable scientists to test technologies and structures on Earth before sending them to the moon.
- 1st bioengineered hybrid animals discovered — in ancient Mesopotamia January 14, 2022Mesopotamians were using hybrids of domesticated donkeys and wild asses to pull their war wagons 4,500 years ago, scientists have found.
- New study provides first evidence of non-random mutations in DNA January 14, 2022A new study into genetic mutations in thale cress has found that genetic mutations are not totally random.
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
- Hunga Tonga/Hunga Ha'apai Eruption As Viewed From Space January 18, 2022The Hunga Tonga/Hunga Ha'apai eruption as imaged from the Japanese Himawari-8 weather satellite 36,000km up.Keith Cowing
- 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.Keith Cowing
- Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Awaits Launch January 18, 2022The Artemis I Orion spacecraft, secured on the Space Launch System (SLS) and enclosed in its launch abort system, is in view high up in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 10, 2022.Keith Cowing
- Chile Peppers Growning On The International Space Station January 18, 2022Fresh chile peppers are pictured growing inside the International Space Station's Advanced Plant Habitat shortly before being harvested.Keith Cowing
- Earth's Interior Is Cooling Faster Than Expected January 18, 2022The evolution of our Earth is the story of its cooling: 4.5 billion years ago, extreme temperatures prevailed on the surface of the young Earth, and it was covered by a deep ocean of magma.Keith Cowing
- Growth Dynamics Of Giant Kelp Studied Using Novel Remote Sensing Data January 17, 2022The macroalga giant kelp, which is an iconic and important ecosystem-structuring species found off the coast of California and many other coastlines, can grow 100-feet long within 1-2 years.Keith Cowing
- A Tranquil Galaxy With An Explosive Past January 17, 2022The lazily winding spiral arms of the spectacular galaxy NGC 976 fill the frame of this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.Keith Cowing
- Being In Space Destroys More Red Blood Cells January 17, 2022A world-first study has revealed how space travel can cause lower red blood cell counts, known as space anemia.Keith Cowing
- NASA JSC SpaceCast Weekly 14 January, 2022 January 16, 2022SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston featuring stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight.Marc Boucher
- This Week at NASA - James Webb Space Telescope Major Deployment Milestones January 16, 2022A major milestone for the James Webb Space Telescope, what astronomers could learn from a "mini" monster black hole, and the latest assessment of our planet's global surface temperature ... a few of the stories to tell you about - This Week at NASA.Marc Boucher
Space Flight Now
- First Chinese space mission of 2022 rockets into orbit January 17, 2022China launched a Long March 2D rocket Monday with another classified satellite, deploying the spacecraft into a polar orbit on the first of more than 40 Chinese Long March rocket missions planned in 2022.Stephen Clark
- Live coverage: SpaceX plans prime time launch of Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday night January 17, 2022Keeping up a rapid-fire launch cadence to begin 2022, SpaceX is gearing up to launch another Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday night from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 49 Starlink internet satellites. Liftoff from pad 39A is set for 7:04 p.m. EST Tuesday (0004 GMT Wednesday), following a one-day delay to wait for better conditions in the offshore booster recove […]Stephen Clark
- Cape Canaveral’s busy January to continue with another Starlink launch January 15, 2022Forecasters expect brisk winds and chilly temperatures for a prime time, full moon launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with another batch of Starlink internet satellites Monday night from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Stephen Clark
- Virgin Orbit celebrates third successful launch in a row January 13, 2022Virgin Orbit delivered seven small CubeSats for NASA, the U.S. military, Spire, and the Polish company SatRevolution into orbit Thursday with its air-launched rocket after release from a jumbo jet off the coast of California.Stephen Clark
- SpaceX launches 105 customer satellites on third Transporter rideshare mission January 13, 2022SpaceX launched 105 small satellites from Cape Canaveral on the company's third Transporter rideshare mission Thursday, deploying payloads for commercial remote sensing companies, communications and data relay startups, and foreign governments.Stephen Clark
- Live coverage: Virgin Orbit’s air-launched rocket to deploy seven smallsats in orbit January 13, 2022Virgin Orbit aims to build on two successful small satellite launches last year with another flight of its air-dropped rocket Thursday off the coast of California, this time carrying seven mini-payloads into low Earth orbit. The company's Boeing 747 carrier aircraft departed Mojave Air and Space Port and released the LauncherOne rocket to begin its clim […]Stephen Clark
- Live coverage: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket with 105 satellites January 13, 2022SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Cape Canaveral with 105 satellites ranging from the size of a soda can to a washing machine. Liftoff occurred at 10:25 a.m. EST (1525 GMT), and the Falcon 9's first stage booster returned to Florida's Space Coast for a propulsive landing about eight-and-a-half minutes later.Stephen Clark
- SpaceX rocket to land back at Cape Canaveral Thursday January 12, 2022SpaceX plans to land a Falcon 9 rocket booster back at Cape Canaveral around eight-and-a-half minutes after launch Thursday in the company's first onshore rocket recovery since last June.Stephen Clark
- SpaceX preps for first of four ‘Transporter’ rideshare launches this year January 12, 2022With its small satellite launch business booming, SpaceX is set to double its cadence of dedicated rideshare missions this year, beginning with the liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Cape Canaveral with 105 spacecraft for customers in 20 countries.Stephen Clark
- Testing underway for Astra’s first launch from Cape Canaveral January 12, 2022Tests are beginning this week at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the first flight of Astra's small satellite launcher from the Florida spaceport, following the company's successful November demonstration mission from Alaska.Stephen Clark
SpaceRef — Mars News
- 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.
- Small Rocks Cause A Pause In Mars Perseverance Sample Collection January 10, 2022On Wednesday, Dec. 29 (sol 306) Perseverance successfully cored and extracted a sample from a Mars rock. Data downlinked after the sampling indicates that coring of the rock the science team nicknamed Issole went smoothly.
- Ridges Near Vernal Crater On Mars January 7, 2022In this scene, there is contact between a ridged unit and a presumably underlying non-ridged unit.
- Lava of Cerberus Palus On Mars January 4, 2022When our camera is pointed straight down at the surface of Mars, we call this "nadir."
- Remnants Of Ancient Rivers On Mars January 3, 2022Billions of years ago, a river flowed across this scene in Mawrth Vallis.
- Images Of Tianwen-1 Orbiting Mars January 1, 2022China's National Space Administration has released some stunning imagery taken by the Tianwen-1 orbiter currently in circling Mars.
SpaceX
- Transporter-3 Mission January 13, 2022
- Starlink Mission January 7, 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
- Starlink Mission November 13, 2021
Spacewire
- Paragon and Northrop Grumman Finalize HALO Life Support Contract Valued in Excess of $100 Million
- Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Geophysical Activity Report and Forecast 17 January 2022
- NOAA SWPC Space Weather Outlook #22-3 2022 January 17
- Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Geophysical Activity Report and Forecast 16 January 2022
- Joint USAF/NOAA Solar Geophysical Activity Report and Forecast 15 January 2022
- Sen appoints Meagan Crawford to its Board of Directors
- Sen launches first satellite of its UHD video constellation
- Bennet, Crow, Schiff Meet with Department of Defense and Intelligence Community Leadership in Colorado, Highlight Colorado’s Extensive Role in Space Operations
- Leslie Haas Promoted to Paragon VP of Business Development
- USC Launches its 3rd Satellite into Space
NASA Image of the Day
- Color Explosion; Beautiful Earth January 13, 2022This image, captured by the Landsat-8 satellite, shows the view over Western Australia on May 12, 2013.
- Baby Stars in the Orion Constellation January 12, 2022Scores of baby stars shrouded by dust are revealed in this infrared image of the star-forming region NGC 2174.
- The Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole Has a Leak January 11, 2022Our Milky Way's central black hole has a leak.
- Sidney Poitier's Visit to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory January 10, 2022Legendary actor and diplomat, Sidney Poitier, visited JPL in 1979.
- Waiting to Unfold January 7, 2022This image shows the James Webb Space Telescope atop its launch vehicle, but before it was encapsulated in the rocket fairing.
- Hubble Spots Star-Hatching frEGGs! January 6, 2022This image shows knots of cold, dense interstellar gas where new stars are forming.
- NASA’s X-59 Kicks Off 2022 in Texas for Ground Testing January 5, 20222021 saw significant milestones achieved in the assembly of NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft (QueSST), and all eyes now look forward to a pivotal 2022.
Astronomy Picture of the Day
- From Orion to the Southern Cross This is a sky filled with glowing icons.
- Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance.
- A Retreating Thunderstorm at Sunset What type of cloud is that?
- Galileo's EuropaLooping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the
- NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Spiral Galaxy NGC 1566: The Spanish Dancer Spiral Galaxy
- Supernova Remnant Simeis 147It's easy to get lost following the intricate, looping, twisting filaments in
- Comet Leonard Closeup from Australia What does Comet Leonard look like up close?
Bill Housley 
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