Author Archives: Brian H. Gill

About Brian H. Gill

I was born in 1951. I'm a husband, father and grandfather. One of the kids graduated from college in December, 2008, and is helping her husband run businesses and raise my granddaughter; another is a cartoonist and artist; #3 daughter is a writer; my son is developing a digital game with #3 and #1 daughters. I'm also a writer and artist.

Pax Romana: Augustus to Nero

The Pax Romana had been in progress for eight decades on July 19, A.D. 64. A fire started in a retail district near Rome’s Circus Maximus. It was a windy night. The fire spread. Fast. The Great Fire of Rome … Continue reading

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DART: Trick Shot by OpNav, and a Successful Test

On September 26, 2022, the NASA/APL DART mission changed the orbit of an asteroid: Dimorphos, a satellite of 65803 Didymos. “NASA Confirms DART Mission Impact Changed Asteroid’s Motion in Space“Josh Handal, Justyna Surowiec; press release; NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics … Continue reading

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The Mars Mission That Hasn’t Happened Yet: 1954

From 1952 to 1954, Collier’s published “Man Will Conquer Space Soon!” — a series of articles describing a step-by-step plan for landing on Mars. The first step was building an Earth-orbiting space station. Then we would build ships to reach … Continue reading

Posted in Back to the Moon, Onward to Mars, Discursive Detours, Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Just Who is This Jesus Person, and Who Does He Think He is?

Right now, liturgically speaking, we’re in Ordinary Time between Easter and Advent: with Cycle C’s Sunday Masses and Cycle II’s weekday Masses. Liturgy is important. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1135-1206) And, although I’d recognize a Catholic Mass anywhere — … Continue reading

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DART Mission, Successful Planetary Defense Test; What’s Next

Update (October 11, 2022) Early results are in. Looks like the DART mission successfully shortened Dimorphos’ orbit by 32 minutes. As a NASA press release said: “…This marks humanity’s … first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology….” Excerpt from the … Continue reading

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