Tag Archives: science

“One Small Step” in a Long Journey

“A journey of a thousand li starts with a single step.” (“Tao Te Ching,” Laozi) “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Neil Armstrong) I figure the journey to Earth’s moon began when someone looked … Continue reading

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Apollo 11, 50 Years Later

Apollo 11’s Lunar Module reached Mare Tranquillitatis fifty years ago this month. I remember hearing Neil A. Armstrong announce the landing site’s name: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” A few hours later, Armstrong opened the Lunar Module’s … Continue reading

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Space ‘Firsts:’ New Horizons, Chang’e-4

It’s been a month for space exploration ‘firsts,’ and a ‘farthest.’ Ultima Thule became the most distant object visited by a probe on January 1, with the New Horizons flyby. A few days later, China’s Chang’e-4 mission landed in the … Continue reading

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InSight on Mars: Now What?

Another robotic lander is on Mars. InSight landed last Monday, November 26, 2018. Folks at NASA and JPL are happy about that. The lander has taken a few pictures and started sending back weather reports. The mission’s main ‘science’ work … Continue reading

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Where Have All the People Gone?

The average woman is having fewer kids today than her counterpart 50 years ago. Birth rates in about half the world’s nations are below replacement levels. I don’t think humanity is doomed, partly because folks in the other half are … Continue reading

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