Magnificent Milestone

                  Image Credit: 

NASA/Bill Ingalls

ROCKET FIRE: What a day! 

I had my alarm set for 3:45 a.m. so we could get up and watch Orion (hopefully) lift off from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. (We'd upped yesterday with the same goal, only to find out the launch was scrubbed about 2.5 hours later.)

However, I didn't need an alarm this morning, as CJ came into our room at 3 a.m. and croaked, "Help me ..."  

That gets your attention.

Poor kid has a terrible cold, and was very croupy overnight. I told him to hit the (hot, steamy) shower, and then we headed downstairs to check out Orion. 

The launch window opened at 4:05 a.m. and very unlike yesterday, that rocket lit right on time and ZOMG, what a sight it was to see! 

Seriously, it roared like a dragon and rumbled off the pad, a jaw-dropping spectacle. if you haven't seen video of the launch and ascent to orbit, it's worth your time to check out this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEuOpxOrA_0&feature=youtu.be

For the 4-plus hours post launch, we watched the spacecraft go through its paces, and it performed seemingly perfectly. There was no chatter about engineers working any troubles whatsoever. 

Today, a man-rated NASA spacecraft reached the highest altitude (3,600 miles) that any similarly-rated craft has reached since 1972, and Apollo 17, oh so long ago. Finally, we're headed back in the right direction. 

I love this photo, taken from *inside* Orion when it was near its apogee. 

Eventually, it was time for Orion to head home. As we were watching the splashdown at 8:29 a.m. our time, I said to the kids, "When you're my age, hopefully you'll be watching astronauts returning from Mars in Orion." 

Annabelle was quick to correct me, saying, "Or, we'll be IN it."

Amen to that, Annabelle!  (The photo above is from Kennedy Space Center, when we went to watch the STS-32 launch of Shuttle Atlantis.)

This afternoon, NASA Administrator (and former astronaut) Charles Bolden said, "Today’s flight test of Orion is a huge step for NASA and a really critical part of our work to pioneer deep space on our Journey to Mars. The teams did a tremendous job putting Orion through its paces in the real environment it will endure as we push the boundary of human exploration in the coming years.”

However, no one's going to Mars until the issue of radiation exposure for the astronauts is resolved. To that end, in pre-test flight coverage this a.m., NASA urged the public to help them develop a work around. Check out the NASA Challenge: Reducing Galactic Cosmic Rays to Enable Long Duration Deep Space Human Exploration here: https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933637

But back to Orion. As of Friday evening, the capsule was recovered (plucked from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja, California) and it's safely inside the USS Anchorage. It's expected to be off-loaded at Naval Base San Diego on Monday. 

EINSTEIN FOR EVERYONE: While Orion was dominating our minds and social media today, it's worth taking time out to talk about another really great thing that happened today. 

Princeton University Press has released "The Digital Einstein Papers," an open-access site featuring the collected papers of Albert Einstein. 

The site includes writings and correspondence of Einstein from his youth (b. 1879) to 1923, the first 44 years of his life. Approximately 7,000 pages representing 2,900 unique documents have been digitized so far. They're presented in their original language, but users can toggle to an English translation for most documents. 

Organizations collaborating on the project are the California Institute of Technology (the project’s home), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (home to the Albert Einstein Archives) and Princeton University Press.

The Internet is a wonderful thing. 

Waiting Room

      Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NO GO: We dutifully peel ourselves out of slumber this morning about quarter to 4 to watch the launch of ETF-1, the Orion test flight.

Things were sketchy from the start. Less than five minutes before the original launch time of 4:05 a.m., a boat wandered into the protected zone waters, so there was a hold. Once that was cleared, the launch controllers were polled again and it was all 'go-go-go' for launch until a wind gust came up, making it a no go. Drat. We watched and waited, waited and watched, finally they polled the controllers again. And again, it was 'go-go-go,' however almost immediately after the poll we heard 'ABORT' - drat! This time, sticky valves were to blame. 

Engineers worked the problem, but weren't able to resolve it before the 2 hours and 39 minutes launch window expired. And so, tonight/Friday morning, we get to do it all over again. Drat.

CHECKED OUT: Midday, we cruised over to Ballard to a new-to-us clinic conveniently located in a Bartell Drug store. We wanted to get CJ's sore throat checked out to make sure he doesn't have strep (he doesn't), and Annabelle and I needed flu shots. 

I was super happy with how quickly we were seen, the level of service, and the very professional nurse practitioner we visited with. 

Imagine how happy I was when I got home and the very top trending story on the Internet news, its headline reading "CDC says flu shots might not be good match for 2014-15 virus."

That's just super. ... 

MOD SQUAD:  CJ and Annabelle have a newfound love of Nerf guns, and apparently any serious Nerfer (is that a word?) "mods" (as in modifies) their arms.

CJ has decided he *needs* to do a custom white-out paint job on a Hyperfire model. Super. So, after five trips (no lie) to various stores to find the right paint, today, we took the gun apart to prep it for paint.

While it was open, CJ suggested removing the air restrictors, because that's what modders do, apparently (even though Nerf packaging clearly tells you *not* to do that). 

The kids sanded it lightly, and tonight after dinner, applied the first coat of white.

There's a lot of work to be done. 

OUT & ABOUT: Here are a couple of leftover shots from our travels in the last week. One is of the kids by the section of the Berlin Wall that now stands in Seattle Center's Armory (Center House). 

And they insisted I take this photo of them with the fake Target dog. Or should I say, #TARGETDOG ?

Eyes on Orion

                    Photo: NASA.gov

THE COUNTDOWN'S ON: With great anticipation, we have our eyes and minds on the Space Coast, eager for the launch of EFT-1, the test flight of NASA's next generation crew capsule. 

We have friends photographing, working and watching the launch in person, and it's been fun seeing and reading all of their updates. 

It is (inconveniently) scheduled to launch at 4:05 a.m. our time on Thursday, Dec. 4. I'll get up about 3:45 and make sure all is is nominal and then rouse the kids if it's a go.

Tonight, we watched the Mobile Service Tower at Space Launch Complex 37 roll away from the rocket. What a behemoth that rocket, a United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy, is! 

NASA will begin continuous countdown and mission coverage at 1:30 a.m. Seattle time on NASA TV: www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

Leaping Lemurs!

BRISK VISIT: We made a quick trip to Seattle Center yesterday, destination Pacific Science Center. But first, we stopped off in the Armory (formerly the Center House) to check out the winter decorations and visit the model train exhibit.

It's a cute, miniature winter wonderland. Look at the happy people and their cups of cheer at the saloon.

 And I'll bet the Moose junkyard has most everything the villagers need.

We've visited the model train display for years now, but this is the first time the kids actually got to drive the train.

Here's conductor CJ trying his hand at it. ... 

And Annabelle enjoyed her spin at the helm, as well.

Good times!

After the train station, we went to Pacific Science Center to see a wonderful 3D IMAX movie "Island of Lemurs: Madagascar."

Here's the movie's official trailer 


Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the documentary was captivating both in content and appearance. We learned LOTS about lemurs. I asked the kids to share some of that - and told them Wikipedia was off limits for their research. :)  

Annabelle wrote - 

Lemurs are prosimian primates that live exclusively in Madagascar. They are also very good climbers, being able to hop from tree to tree to tree. Some species are common (such as the common brown lemur), while some are hard to find (such as the endangered golden-brown mouse lemur).

Another interesting fact about lemurs is they can widely vary in size and color, from a medium-sized Sanford's lemur to the tiny grey mouse lemur! The most recognizable lemur would be the ring-tailed lemur, which definitely lives up to its name. A bit of fun trivia; Did you know the blue-eyed black lemur is the only primate other than humans with blue eyes?

Lemurs are very curious and cute animals. From all over Madagascar, they've inspired many to study and help their forests, which are currently being burned to make more land. Overall, lemurs are definitely interesting and, in my mind, should be protected.

And CJ said -  

Lemurs are endangered primates of different species living in Madagascar including, but not limited to, the Ring-Tail Lemur, the Mouse Lemur, the Bamboo Lemur, and the Indri Lemur (also called the "Babakoto" in many regions).  

Lemurs are known for being energetic, and often jump around trees and the ground. Lemurs are on average, smaller than most other primates, but may appear similar to primates such as monkeys or gibbons (gibbons are sometimes referred to as "Lesser apes"). Many scientists speculate that the way lemurs got to Madagascar was, during the age of the dinosaurs, some lemurs' prehistoric ancestors being on a piece of a forest that drifted away from their area in Africa and eventually made contact with the island that we now call Madagascar. 

Lemurs communicate mostly with vocalization (most infamously screaming to alert other lemurs in their small family groups of news) and scent markings. lemurs often look for native fruits and nuts as a food source. Despite common belief, lemurs do not have claws. Currently in Africa, there are certain wildlife research projects going on that involve lemurs, including Centre ValBio.

Fascinating, beautiful creatures are lemurs, and the movie does a wonderful job of introducing them to a wide audience.

All in all, it was a wonderful visit to the Center, which sparkled in the clear, crisp air.

ALL ABOUT ORION: We spent a couple of hours today learning more about Orion, NASA's new spacecraft for future manned missions. It's under going a Really Big Deal (unmanned) test flight on Thursday morning (4 a.m. Seattle time, ouch!). 

We watched a flight test status and overview briefing live at 10 this morning on NASA TV.  It was insightful and got us excited for the launch.

We also checked out a movie-theater type trailer about the Orion Flight Test. You can watch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHRuyNXuLxg  or right here! 

We also watched a ReelNASA short video for students featuring astronaut Barry ("Butch") Wilmore, explaining O is for "orbit" and "Orion" (http://youtu.be/foFz0aQUYps). It's embedded below: 

Poking around the NASA site, I found a page with a whole list of Orion-related activity sheets for students. Today, the kids took on a couple of pages that included facts about Orion, a maze, and a fill-in-the-blanks challenge. 

Back in the Saddle

LEFTOVERS:  The blog went into a mini slumber as we celebrated Thanksgiving. Thursday evening we enjoyed a houseful of company and a Seahawks victory. It was a good day. :)

In preparation for the feast, the kids helped me decorate cookies (above). They also helped me make a 'turkey' platter.

We also had a real live dead turkey (sorry, PETA/vegans), and amazing pastrami overnighted from Katz's world famous delicatessen in New York city!

RINGER:  Saturday evening, we watched the Apple Cup - pitting the University of Washington v. Washington State University. 

It was a blowout, with the UW Huskies dominating (insert "Bow Down to Washington" soundtrack here). As an Apple Cup snack, I made some delicious apple rings (think onion rings, but sweet, with apples inside). Fun, tasty, and pretty easy. 

Recipe: 

FRIED CINNAMON APPLE RINGS
4 large apples (I used Pink Lady)
1 cup flour 
¼ teaspoon baking powder 
2 tablespoons sugar 
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon 
1 large egg, beaten 
1 cup buttermilk 
vegetable oil for frying

For topping 

⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

 Instructions:

In bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the egg and buttermilk. In a third dish, make your cinnamon-sugar topping by combining the ⅓ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Set that aside, too.

Next, slice apples into ¼-inch thick slices. Cut them into circles - I used a large circle shaped cookie cutter I had on hand, and then a smaller circle to cut out the middle.  

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat to 350°F. Combine the contents of the first and second dishes as the oil warms up. This will be your batter. Dip the apple rings in and out of the batter one at a time, removing any dripping excess by tapping the rings against the side of the bowl. Fry the rings in small batches, turning them to ensure browning on both sides. Once the rings are golden and crispy, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel for a few seconds. Quickly transfer the apple rings, one by one, into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat evenly. 

People were eating them as fast as I could make them. :)

AUSPICIOUS EXIT:  For a full month now, a group of fun loving dinosaurs have been making merry 'round our place. Every morning in November, the kids have gotten out of bed with the first thing on their agenda being tracking down the dinos to see what they're up to. 

Naturally, they feasted on the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving night.

Friday night, they explored the horns of a taxidermied 'monster' we have here at the house (sorry, no photo). And Saturday night, knowing November was fading, they seemed to be plotting an exit strategy. 

This morning, the first of December, the kids woke up to a postcard from the dinos. 

ICY SURPRISE: Much to the kids' delight, Seattle has received its first snowfall for the season already. It came overnight Friday. We woke up to a dusting of white. That was enough to prompt the kids to go out and do snow angels and build a 6-inch snowman!

ON THE DOCKET: Check out the behemoth that's on the pad down at Cape Canaveral right now. It's a United Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy stack, the world's biggest rocket. And it's scheduled to blast off early Thursday morning for a test flight, with NASA's new Orion spacecraft on board.

                          Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

We've been watching Orion for years now. In fact, it was three years ago this Thanksgiving that I saw a mock up of it at Kennedy Space Center (in the food court, LOL) when I was there for the Mars Science Laboratory launch.

The kids and I have read about Orion's progress, watched its splash tests, and eagerly awaited its first flight test, which is FINALLY going down this week.

Orion is NASA's new crew capsule. Per a press release today, they said, "In the not-too-distant future, astronauts destined to be the first people to walk on Mars will leave Earth aboard an Orion spacecraft. Carried aloft by the tremendous power of a Space Launch System rocket, our explorers will begin their Journey to Mars from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the spirit of humanity with them to the Red Planet.

The first future human mission to Mars and those that follow will require the ingenuity and dedication of an entire generation. It's a journey worth the risks. We take the next step on that journey this Thursday, Dec. 4, with the uncrewed first flight test of Orion."

Test flight plans call for the spacecraft to orbit Earth twice, reaching a max height of 3,600 miles above the planet - that's 15 times higher than the International Space Station. It's above the Van Allen belts - and through some significant radiation.

Radiation is a big damn deal, because, frankly, unless we don't find a way to shield astronauts from radiation, we're not going any further than the moon anytime soon.

Check out the Orion "Trial by Fire" promo video here: http://youtu.be/KyZqSWWKmHQ

Wild to think that as Orion reenters the atmosphere, it will be enduring heat twice as hot as molten lava. Yikes!