It's that time of year again--a time of year space fans love! Those of you who saw my posts last year will remember that April 12th is Yuri's Night, the anniversary of the day (April 12, 1961) that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first...

Events of January 30, 2013

In my archeology class dealing with "The Contested Past", we had a fascinating discussion a few weeks ago. We were supposed to list places and artifacts we considered important to our cultural heritage as citizens of our home countries and compare our lists with students...

One of the hardest parts of preparing an article, and I think most writers will agree with me here, is getting the beginning just right. What's the right "point of entry" to the subject being discussed? What aspect of it should you address first?

A few weeks ago when I...

I like to joke that every time I say something authoritatively, especially online, circumstances will conspire that will make my statement look somehow silly in retrospect. Like the time I explained to my friend that diving to the bottom of the Marianas Trench was totally possible, even though it had...

First of all, unprofessional as it may seem, I have to say that I am incredibly honored to do something even remotely connected to Dr. Phil Plait, as I've been a tremendous fan of his work on the Bad Astronomy website since Middle School. I really did...

I don't know where I first saw the photographs. I don't remember if it was in a book, or a magazine, or maybe even online. I'm pretty sure I saw the still photographs before the film of the event, though.

Whatever the case may be, I know I was awestruck...

Because my conversation with Maria Zuber, MIT Geophysics Professor and head scientist for NASA's GRAIL mission, went on for quite a while, I had to split it into two posts to keep it from being too long. In the last post, Dr. Zuber described the incredible...

Events of October 24, 2012

Is it really November already? After Columbus Day, everything just seemed to whiz by me in a blur of midterms, essays and hurricanes... but I was able to take some time out to travel across the river to MIT for an appointment I'd made several...

Last year, I got to go to a lot of really cool events at MIT, hosted by their Aero/Astro department, so when the opportunity came a few weeks ago to sign up for the department's mailing list and get messages about upcoming events, I...

Last week was my first full week of my sophomore year of college and thus, as you can probably imagine, pretty busy. As busy as I was, though, I still found the time to honor two prominent historical anniversaries. Tuesday, of course, was the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks...

To:
Curiosity MSL
Bradbury Landing, near base of Mount Sharp
Gale Crater
Aeolis Quadrangle
Mars

Dear Curiosity,

I'm sorry for not writing sooner. Like you, I was spending the past two weeks recovering from my big trip, getting settled, taking lots of pictures...

Events of July 6 and 20, 2012

"They looked from the side of the plane to the water below
Fresh out of Spain with the wind at their backs at a blow
And I was along for the ride, up in the sun and I opened my eyes

Events of June 23, 2012

While on the way home from an Independence Day celebration this week, I mentioned offhandedly to one of my friends that I'd gotten my first pair of binoculars "from my godmother Athena."

"Wait, you have a godmother named Athena?" One of my friends...

Events of June 30, 2012

In an experience I think is probably common to many people of my generation, I first became aware of the National Archives while watching Nicholas Cage sneak inside of their building in the movie National Treasure. (Let me just add for...

This week's been a bit hectic for me, but that made having today off for museum-going all the sweeter. My father requested something happy to read for Fathers' Day, so I came up with the idea of making a list of 10 things at the Smithsonian Institution's various museums and...

Events of June 5, 2012

The whole world was dark, everything visible to my eyes coated in the same uniform darkness except for the small, oddly-shaped patches of dim orange directly at the center of my vision. I felt a cramp in my neck as I mentally beseeched them to...

I've mentioned a few times before that when it comes to cool space events, I have a remarkable knack for being where they aren't. My home in New York just isn't that close to Florida... or Texas... or California... or Russia... or any of those far-off spots solar eclipses always...

Events of May 18, 2012

Long-time readers of my blog may have noticed that I've slacked off a bit on my usual weekly posts. The reason for that has been that the month of May has been unexpectedly busy for me, between studying for (and taking) the final exams of...

Like most Boston University students, I'm always picking up the latest issue of our student-run newspaper, The Daily Free Press. My favorite regular feature is a humorous column called "Interrobang", asking how BU students would respond to a hypothetical topical scenario, such as "How would BU students compete...

While I'm incredibly sore that I couldn't be in New York today to see the Space Shuttle Enterprise arrive aboard NASA's carrier jet, living in Boston has allowed me to enjoy some first-rate experiences, from diving deep at the New England Aquarium to celebrating...