Deadline Extended

The deadline to send your name to the Moon aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been extended to July 25. Don't miss your chance and sign up here: http://www.nasa.gov/lro

If you act quickly...

There are lots of great opportunities for you to be directly involved in space.

I have been meaning to post this for awhile, so sorry for the delay. If you act before June 27 you can send your name to the Moon. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team has thus collected over a million names so far. Make sure yours gets included.

Washington D.C. holds the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. Usually, they choose one Country, one City, and one cultural region. This year, instead of a cultural region, they chose to honor NASA. So if you happen to be in Washington D.C. between June 25-29 or July 2-6 you can help celebrate 50 years of space exploration in the U.S.A.

If you are really ambitious, the application deadline for the next NASA Astronaut Class is July 1. I am not applying at this time, but you can put your name in the mix here.

Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke died today at the age of 90. As a science fiction fan, an ISU graduate, and a human being, I note his passing as a loss to the planet. May he rest in peace.

Soffen Fund

The NASA Academy Alumni Association is going through a fundraising drive for the Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Space Science Education. The various NASA Academy classes are competing to see which group will donate more money to the fund. I have made my donation, but there is no real hope of my NASA Academy class (MSFC 1996) gathering the most money.

In lieu of "winning" I thought I would help spread the word about the Soffen Fund and its mission. From the website:

"Throughout his life, Gerald Soffen dedicated himself to fostering the growth of young space scientists and engineers. The Dr. Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for the Advancement of Space Science Education was established to continue Jerry's commitment to the future of space by supporting motivated students in the fields of space science and engineering.

Since the fall of 2002, the Soffen Fund has provided students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees in space-related sciences and engineering with Travel Grants. The Travel Grants enable awardees to attend a professional conference at which they present their research.

Over the next several years, the Fund intends to offer its first set of $25,000 Astrobiology Graduate Fellowships."

If you wish to support this worthy cause, tax-deductable donations can be made at the donation site.

Happy Pi Day

Happy March 14! In the USA this is written as 3/14, thus Pi. Perhaps I can have some Pie for desert tonight. I am altering the time of the post so it appears that the post was posted on: 3/14 1:59 to add more significant digits.

It strikes me that in other countries where they write the date before the month (14/3), there is no such thing as a Pi day, as there is never a 14th month. Hmmmm.

Enjoy some mathematics and deserts today!

Also, Happy Birthday Mary Ann!

Stop Spying on Me

I haven't put a lot on this blog about political issues. You can probably figure out some of those issues if you have been following the news items that I have shared through Google Reader. The protection of the freedoms granted to us in this country is very important to me. These freedoms are being eroded away, not by the terrorists, but by those who "claim" to have our best interests at heart.

Currently the US government is asking cell phone companies to tap the calls of its users. This is illegal. Now the government wants to cover up this transgression by granting immunity to those telecommunications companies who cooperated with the government. This is wrong. Our elected officials have a responsibility to uphold the laws of our country, not bypass them. The PFAW - The People for the American Way and the EFF - Electronic Frontiers Foundation have created a petition. Please consider signing it.



Please, Sign the Petition.

Happy Leap Day

If I wasn't home sick, I would want to celebrate this day. An extra 24 hours of life this year - ENJOY THEM. Check out this awesome Leap Year Card by Roy Dotty. If you are curious as to why we have this extra day this year, Phil Plait has a detailed explanation.

I'm feeling a lot better, Thanks

I am Third Wave

You have heard me rave about the novel Playing for Keeps in an earlier blog post. It is time for the truth to come out. I am Third Wave. Look below to find out my secret superhero identity.

Sick

I am sick, I have been for at least a week. I think I have a mild flu... and I even got a flu shot. As John talked about on the news, there is a flu strain that wasn't covered by the vaccine. This makes me unhappy. I'll try and post all about the cool things I have been up to when I get better.

Eclipsed Birthday

Just a quick note to wish my Dad a Happy Birthday! I'll never tell how old you are.

And a reminder to everyone else that the there will be a total lunar Eclipse visible from Europe and North America tonight. For details on viewing in your area, check Space Weather.

The picture above is from a trip to Colorado (not the X-Prize Cup in New Mexico as I originally thought). Those pictures haven't made it to Flickr yet, but some others have. Check them out here.

Happy Observing

China Road

I really don’t want to turn this blog into a series of reviews, but I must comment on the book, China Road: A Journey Into the Future of a Rising Power by Rob Gifford.

Rob Gifford is a correspondent for NPR who had been living in China for 20 years. Before leaving this post and becoming NPR’s London correspondent, Gifford decided to travel China’s Route 312 across the country. For those of us in the US, this is the equivalent of driving Route 66 or I-70 from east to west.

This book is so many things. It is a travel log of his experiences along the road. It is a glimpse into the every day lives of people across the country. It ties the past to the present and provides context for the situation in which China currently finds itself. It is a long last look at a complex country where Gifford made his home, before he moves on.

My 9 weeks in China were nothing compared to Gifford’s experiences. I was a student in an international program with people, not just from China, but from all over the world. Gifford spent 20 years there as a journalist. I can’t speak the language. Gifford can, and used that ability to interact with people, and ask deep questions. I barely left Beijing. Gifford traveled Route 312. Despite these differences, I feel I understand a lot of what Gifford discusses in this book.

Before I went to China, I tried to educate myself a bit on the country. I watched some specials, I read some books. While I was there, I kept my eyes open. I made sure I talked to our Chinese classmates, whom it was my honor to meet. I was also in the “Space and Society” department, which exposed me to more of Chinese culture than I may have seen otherwise. My conclusion leaving China was that it was a much more complex place than many of us in the “West” are led to believe.

In China Road, Gifford paints this picture of the complex place that is modern China. Along his journey he talk to whomever he can from Amway salesmen to the ethnic peoples of the Gobi desert to a woman who enforces China’s One Child policy.

In addition to the book itself, there is a series of audio journals that aired on NPR’s morning edition. In these segments you not only hear the author’s own voice, but the voices of those he interviews.

If you are curious about China, are considering traveling there, or have ever gone there, I highly recommend the NPR morning Edition Segments and this fantastic book (in either audio or print form). You may wish to stop by Rob Gifford’s web site.

Black Holes and Balance Beams

Despite my excitement about all that is going on right now, there are unfortunate consequences. The biggest casualty of my constant desire to put my fingers in every possible pie is e-mail. My e-mail boxes just keep getting bigger and bigger. This disease affects no only my personal e-mail (>800 unread messages that span the years since I created the e-mail address) but also my work e-mail. Often, people will think that I am ignoring them, or perhaps that I don't care, but no... the e-mail has just vanished into the black hole that is my inbox. I feel I don't have the time to respond appropriately, so the message sits and waits. I am hoping that sometime soon I will learn how to stop time, or at least slow it down to get caught up... but the reality is that if I learned how to do that, I would just try to do even more things creating some sort of infinite loop.

The other consequence is that some weeks everything hits at once. This week and next are such weeks. I have worked long hours almost every day this week trying to finish up a document before I go out of town. Am I required to... No... but I am a perfectionist and I want to produce a good product, so I work to get the best possible product out before I go to a space conference next week. But wait! If I am working late, that means I am not evaluating applications, reading e-mail relating to aforementioned space conference, doing laundry, paying the bills, getting my hair cut, or any of the other myriad of things that I have to do before I leave on Monday. It all makes me tired.

Really, I am not complaining. I know it sounds like I am, but I'm not. I broadcast this out to the universe so you can all understand a bit more about me, and the things I do to myself. One day, I am going to learn how to balance time, work, play, etc... but I wouldn't place any bets on when. Until then, off I go to fight another day.

State of the Blog

Those very attentive souls will have noticed some changes to the bar on the right hand side of the blog. I have had some complaints about how the calendar appeared on the blog and that it was difficult to see the events. Thus, I have just made a link to another web site that just shows the calendar.

Beyond that, there is a new bar that shows some news items that I have found interesting. The most recent items that I share in Google Reader will show up in that bar. Items may range from the most recent space news, to art sales, to whatever.

Finally, I am once again keeping a list of books I have finished either reading or listening to in 2008. You can keep track of my progress throughout the year. Last year I fell off from updating the list, I hope to do better this year. Currently I am in the middle of reading the following books (yes all at the same time), so PLEASE, no spoilers:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (started in 2007)
  
• The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
• The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanly Robinson (started in 2007)
• The China Road by Rob Gifford (audio)

And probably some others that I have forgotten and will have to start over.

Two Thousand and Eight

It is now February, and 2008 is 1/12 over. Thus far, 2008 has remained a pretty sedate year with no travel outside the greater Washington D.C. and greater Baltimore Area. This will change very soon.

I have never been surfing, yet I have seen it in movies. You paddle out into deep water and wait for the wave. Soon, the wave comes and there is a heady rush of surfing that wave, trying to balance all of the complex variables, and suddenly you have either reached the shore or fallen in the water. The first 5 weeks of 2008 were like paddling out into that rough water, getting ready to surf those waves. Pretty soon, those waves are going to crest. Whether I want to or not, I am going to be swept towards the shore. Before I know it, 2008 will be 2009.

So what is in store for 2008? Of course I can't predict anything, I can make a forecast. (Just don't ask me to give you a percent accuracy.)

• 3 trips to Europe (at a minimum)
  
• Several trips around the US (at least 7 states + DC)
• Speaking at 2-3 science fiction conventions (2 confirmed)
  
• Attending space conventions
  
• Taekwondo (if I can find a place that will work with aforementioned travel)
• Interesting developments at work
• Lots of both animated and boring talk about the next president of the USA
  

I have been looking forward to 2008 more than any year in recent memory. While I am sure things will get overwhelming soon, it is going to be interesting and fun. Part of why I started this blog, was as a commitment to myself to live life to the fullest. Take the experiences life gives you and make the best of them. Here is to 2008, may the Earth be a better place at the end than the beginning, and may I have some role in making it so.

Playing for Keeps

I finished a fantastic novel this past week, "Playing for Keeps" by Mur Lafferty. This novel speaks to anyone who ever dreamed of being a superhero.... and what that may actually have meant. The book focuses around Keepsie Branson and her friends who have superpowers, yet were turned down by the superhero academy. As one might expect, their little band of Third Wavers get caught in the middle of a big huge battle between the heroes and the villains. Even if you have never dreamed of becoming a superhero (and who hasn't) you will probably relate (as I did) to the feeling of believing you are special, then being told you are not.

I read the book in print form. The book is well written reads quickly. There were times when I had to force myself to put the book down. Mur is releasing the book as a podcast both here and here as well as a downloadable pdf. The novel even has its own theme song. (I haven't been able to listen to the podcast due to issues with syncing my iPod since I got back from China, but I have been assured it is fantastic) Please check it out and tell a friend... or a stranger.

Cloverfield

So, there have been a lot of reviews and opinions being posted out there on the webs regarding the movie Cloverfield. Since I saw it last weekend, and added my voice to a podcast review posted on the ADDcast, I shall also include a review here. I will warn you that the ADDcast review is full of spoilers. My comments here attempt to be spoiler-free.

I liked the movie.

That said, there are some disclaimers. The movie did make me nauseous with the perpetual shaky-cam. At one point I was afraid the movie was going to give me a migraine. Because of this, there were many points when I had to close my eyes or look away from the movie screen. Thus, my recommendation is to either sit in the back of the theater, or wait for the DVD to watch it on the small screen.

The small screen provides additional benefit, there are lots of small details that are easy to miss because there is so much going on and in many parts, the action moves too fast. If you wait for the DVD, you can pause and re-wind.

Beyond that, this is a different breed of monster movie. There is a monster in the movie, but that is not what the movie is about. It is about how humans, relationships, and how people react in the face of disaster. Some of the characters are a bit annoying at times, but that is the way of the world. The movie, in my un-informed opinion, does a decent job of showing how different people’s coping with a situation beyond comprehension.

This movie is not designed to be grand cinema. (But the way the flashbacks are worked in is brilliant!) That is not the point. Not everything they do makes complete sense, but humans do illogical things that seem to make sense at the time. The audience doesn’t get all the answers, and some of the answers can only be found if you pay very close attention. (I missed them.)

To summarize, I look forward to watching the movie again, probably more than once... but only on the small screen. Of my friends, the reaction is mixed - some love it, some hate it. My humble opinion is positive, but with a sea-sickness warning.

Post Talk Wrap-up

My ISU SSP 2007 presentation is complete. The results will forever be found at this url. Perhaps someday the video will be included in the lunar archive. I think it went pretty well, I've been getting a lot of praise, but of course, I felt that I could have, "um" done better.

Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes, good thoughts, and vibes. My sweet husband even left work to come see it live. Thanks to all who watched the live webcast or have already seen the archive. Science fiction and horror writer Matt Wallace, posted a very cool blog post about the talk.

Coincidentally the ISU president, Mike Simpson, was in the area for a meeting. So, after my talk, I had the great pleasure of spending the evening with fellow ISU alumni. Overall, it was a good day, although my feet hurt by the time I got home.

Please watch my presentation, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments field of this post.

Upcoming ISU Presentation

I've been nervous about publicizing this, but I don't think I can avoid it any longer. On Tuesday, January 15, I will be giving a presentation at STScI in the Bahcall Auditorium. The talk is International Space University, Beijing 2007: Explanation, Experiences, and Project Phoenix. The talk should run about 1 1/2 hours with time at the end for questions. Everything will be web-cast and available online after the talk.

I hope you enjoy the talk. Let me know what you think.

Here are the summary details

International Space University, Beijing 2007: Explanation, Experiences, and Project Phoenix.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
2:00 PM ET

Bahcall Auditorium
Space Telescope Science Institute
3700 San Martin Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218

STScI Talks Web Site
Webcasting of STScI Talks

Description:
During the summer of 2007, Laura spent her summer at the International Space University Summer Session Program in Beijing, China. In this seminar Laura will discuss the origins of ISU, why it was held in China, her team project, and her experiences with the culture. Her team project, “Project Phoenix: Lunar Biological and Social Archive”, addresses the idea of having a backup repository of human knowledge stored on the moon.

Happy Birthday

There are many things I have been wanting to share with you, yet I have been woefully neglecting my blog. Since today is my birthday, I will not dwell on this regret.

First and foremost, I thank all of you who have sent me birthday wishes. Thus far I have gotten birthday greetings from 4 continents and more countries than I care to try and count. Thanks to my sweet hubby who got me some awesome gifts.

Next, I would like to share my new favorite band, Crüxshadows, specifically the song Birthday. This is a fantastic song that is both celebratory and challenging. This is my favorite type of song, I find them empowering. An excerpt from the lyrics is below (I highly recommends following this link to read all of the lyrics):

"And tell me what really matters
Is it the money and the fame?
Or how many people might eventually know your name?
But maybe you touch one life
And the world becomes a better place to be
Maybe you give their dreams another day
Another chance to be free"

Today is my birthday, and I am constantly trying to figure out who I want to be. Regardless of whether or not it is your birthday, look at your life. Make the world a better place. You have the ability. You have the strength.

Going, Going, Gone...

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but things have been crazy with work and getting back into the swing of being back from ISU. Speaking of ISU, I wanted to inform you of the coolest auction I have ever seen. Going on for the next few days is the e-bay auction. The contents of the auction range from a authentic, actual size Sputnick model to books from Robert Heinlein's personal library. The proceeds from the auction go to support the ISU Scholarship Fund. As a recipeient of an ISU scholarship, I can attest to the high value of this cause.

The auction can be found at: http://stores.ebay.com/ISU-auction

For all of you interested in ISU, the application for the 2008 ISU programs is now available at http://www.isunet.edu

Finally, in the spirit of Halloween, my favorite artist, Lisa Snellings-Clark, is having her Halloween auction. Check out the spooky fun on e-bay HERE.