Down to Earth

The landing under the Soyuz MS-08 fire as it lands with Expedition 56 Commander Drew Feustel , Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold of NASA, and Soyuz Commander Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos in Kazakhstan on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. The trio returned to Earth after 197 days in space aboard the International Space Station - Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

BUMPY LANDING: Yesterday, A Russian space capsule with three astronauts aboard safely returned to Earth. This landing was a little more exciting than most, as they had to employ a a last-minute emergency maneuver which resulted in a landing with the intensity of a "minor traffic accident," per a NASA press release.

In the photo above, you can see the capsule firing its jets, to try to slow it down, as it lands with a thud. (photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls ). The rockets slowing the touchdown is the aerospace equivalent of slamming on the brakes, NASA said.

That landing is just one of the many reasons I've always been a fan of the old Apollo-era splashdowns. 

Fortunately, Russia's Oleg Artemyev and NASA's Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold weren't any worse for the wear. The Americans inside had completed three space walks during their 197-day stay, performing maintenance on the orbiting laboratory. 

Their departure from the ISS was a bit different than normal, as Artemyev manually piloted the Soyuz through a partial loop around the station, allowing Feustel to carry out a photo survey of the ISS as the orbiting space laboratory nears the 20th anniversary of the first module’s launch (November 1998). 

BOW WOW, TO WASHINGTON: This morning, between algebra with Khan Academy and grammar via BrainPOP, I noticed that there was a live event on Facebook with the University of Washington Athletic department. The live video was an interview with the trainer of UW's new live mascot, Dubs II. 

Photo: UW Athletics (video screenshot)

The pup is a 9-month old malamute. (It turns out actual Huskies don't make the best mascots.) During the broadcast we learned his favorite chew toy is a duck (no kidding!). And a question we submitted during the broadcast was answered on the air. We asked, "Does Dubs have a middle name?" (That's one of CJ's favorite questions to ask dog owners when meeting canines during our travels.)

Dubs does have a formal (American Kennel Club) name: Akala’s Purple Reign. He also is sometimes called Dub Dub or Dubby for nicknames. 

You can watch the archived event here: