Astronomy and physics professor, former Orbital Mechanic, and officially a Superhuman - cats, spaceflight, 日本語, gardening, and video games.
Before 99% of people had ever heard of starship/BFR, back when I was doing the podcast I predicted it'd be "shuttle-like": the thing would fly and serve some use, but wouldn't come *close* to achieving what was claimed. I still think I'll be proven right in the end. arstechnica.com/space/2026/0...
Experts warn current Starship heat shield tech is a "dead end" for rapid reuseNASA has not made substantial investments in thermal protection research for decades.arstechnica.comOh cool, this was a fun surprise to see in my inbox this morning. Congrats, RayJay! 🔭 www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/caltech...
Caltech Welcomes Astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana as New PresidentTaking the helm of the institute that manages JPL for NASA, the distinguished astrophysicist brings a lifelong interest in space exploration and a track record of scientific discovery.www.jpl.nasa.govCIRIA V. GERRANS Cops coerced a man to fabricate evidence which then convicted a guy of murder. He's later exonerated after 32 years. The question - are the cops entitled to qualified immunity? 9th Cir. says no (thank god), but Trump judge says yes in dissent. law.justia.com/cases/federa...
CIRIA V. GERRANS, No. 24-3308 (9th Cir. 2026)Joaquin Ciria was convicted in 1991 for the murder of Felix Bastarrica in San Francisco, based largely on the testimony of George Varela, who was 18 at the time and an accomplice to the actual shooter...law.justia.comI saw a throwaway reference to the shuttle’s elevons free-floating on-orbit during STS-41C, and my efforts to figure out why didn’t quite pan out 🚀 open.substack.com/pub/dennisju...
J.K. Simmons: What Did We Learn, Palmer?Alt: J.K. Simmons: What Did We Learn, Palmer?static.klipy.comHell yea! New Illusory Wall video, for anyone who wants to watch 45 minutes on the smell mechanic from Dark Souls 1 www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4SU...
How Enemies Detect You in Dark Souls: Part 2 - SmellYouTube video by illusory wallwww.youtube.comNot for nothing but I’m glad to see conservative astronauts also signing to this.
Rachel Maddow"the rule of law, checks and balances and the peaceful transition of power..." www.scientificamerican.com/article/ex-n...
As an already nervous flier, I really really hope navigating ORD is easy enough this week.
Dominique BakerI don't know what O'Hare did but I thank them for the nearly nonexistent lines today
My collaborator and friend's group is featured in this article on developing structures within lunar lava tubes. A number of my community college students have worked with him and gone on to do great things. Very cool! 🌙 www.asce.org/publications...
Lava tubes could make life on the moon possibleThe structures, set deep beneath the lunar surface, are safe, efficient, and habitable with the right strategies and tools.www.asce.orgAs far as I can tell, the Schmidt Observatory System is essentially “what are the best next-gen facilities coming online in the future? Ok yea let’s just build all of them nice and fast and synergize them w the rest of the community.” Incredible 📡🔭🔭🛰️
Schmidt SciencesPacked splinter session at #AAS247 for the announcement of The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Observatory System—a modular, rapid-response network of four novel observatories designed to democratize access to the cosmos. Read more about the initiatives here: www.schmidtsciences.org/focus-area-a...
How cool is this - Cal Poly Pomona and SLO's float, the only one designed and built entirely by students, won the Rose Parade. The float's message is about the dangers of climate change, with a bunch of cute woodland animals repairing a damaged robot 🤖 www.cpp.edu/news/content...