Tag Archives: science

Sharing My Catholic Faith Story: Mostly Online

It’s been a while since I talked about what I’m doing here and why I’m doing it. And even longer since I talked about Nancy H. C. Ward’s “Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips, and Testimonies.” The book’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Being a Writer, Being Catholic, Book Reviews, Discursive Detours | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Climate, Neighbors, Bogeymen and Responsibility

Last weekend I started re-reading “Laudato si’, on care for our common home,” AKA the “environmental encyclical” and the “Green Encyclical,” by Pope Francis. Calling the 2015 encyclical “green” and “environmental” isn’t mere marketing. But there’s more to “Laudato si’” … Continue reading

Posted in Being a Citizen, Being Catholic, Discursive Detours | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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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