Year: 2025

More Rocket Science

Take a look at these two images, both the tail end of the first stage of a really big rocket. One is from almost sixty years ago. The other is contemporary. Both have a lot of rocket engines designed to

It’s Not Rocket Science

The basics of rocket science really are pretty simple. Send a lot of hot gas out one end of a rocket, and it will go in the opposite direction. You know what’s hard? Orbital mechanics, maneuvering a spacecraft to rendezvous

Location, Location, Location

Why does SpaceX launch its gigantic Starship from as far south as you can get in Texas? Is it because Elon Musk likes lower taxes and a looser regulatory environment than he might find in other states? Probably. But there

Where Does Space Begin?

If you are old enough, like me, to remember when riding a rocket into space was something no one had ever done, you may be joining me in some mix of amusement, mild disdain, and (let’s face it) jealousy at

Twins, Siblings, and Only Children

Many people have at least a passing interest in astronomy. It’s why, even though my graduate education is in chemistry, I’m always sure to tell new acquaintances that I taught astronomy for much of my career. Chemistry is probably more

Theories and Observations

I’m old enough to remember when the solar system was described as a fairly well-ordered place. There was the Sun, the rocky inner planets, an asteroid belt of smaller rocky objects, four large gaseous/icy planets, the since demoted Pluto, and

A New Moon Race?

When the Apollo astronauts landed on the moon between 1969 and 1972, they all landed fairly close to the lunar equator. The largest excursion north or south was that of the Apollo 15 mission. It landed 26 degrees north of

Perihelion Day

On January 4th, 2025 at 8:28 a.m. EST, Earth will reach perihelion, the point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun. Then why is it so cold, at least in the northern hemisphere? Winter—indeed all seasons—don’t depend

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