Space Archives - Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent

Radio Interference Linked to Jellicles

Scott Bradford — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 22:23:30 +0000

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, fear that worldwide radio communication networks will soon be overwhelmed by interference caused by orbiting Jellicle cat carcasses. The E-Region of the ionosphere, also known as the Heaviside layer, reflects medium frequency radio waves. It can be used to ‘skip’ radio transmissions far beyond the […]

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Support Victims of Hurricane Florence

Scott Bradford — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 01:57:48 +0000

Many areas of North Carolina and South Carolina have been devastated by Hurricane Florence, which dropped record-setting precipitation and caused widespread flooding throughout both states. If you would like to help support victims of this disaster, please consider making a donation to a reputable disaster relief charity like Catholic Charities USA or the American Red […]

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Support Victims of Hurricane Irma

Scott Bradford — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 15:08:13 +0000

Much of Florida has been devastated by Hurricane Irma, the second major hurricane to make landfall in the United States this year (after a twelve year hurricane drought). The state is just beginning to repair the damage; large portions of the state are still without electric power, and some areas remain flooded. Many people have […]

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2013 Cruise: Ash Wednesday and the Kennedy Space Center

Scott Bradford — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:23:22 +0000

On Wednesday, we woke up just as the ship was coming into Port Canaveral, Florida—just south of the Kennedy Space Center. From the decks, we could see the space center’s iconic assembly building and launch pads in the distance. Ash Wednesday It was Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the penitential season of […]

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Greeting the Shuttle Discovery

Scott Bradford — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:41:05 +0000

So, if you live in the DC metro area (and don’t live under a rock) you are surely aware that NASA delivered Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) to Dulles International Airport this morning after a prolonged, low-altitude fly-by of much of the region. Discovery will replace Enterprise, the shuttle atmospheric test vehicle, at the Smithsonian Institution’s Steven […]

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The Grand Design

Scott Bradford — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:55:54 +0000

Over the years I have read quite a bit by and about Stephen Hawking. Hawking, a brilliant theoretical physicist and cosmologist, excels at communicating complex scientific concepts to laymen. His most well-known work, A Brief History of Time, was first published in 1988 and has sold well over ten million copies. It is among my favorite […]

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Our Real Sputnik Moment

Scott Bradford — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:24:00 +0000

In President Barack Obama’s (D) State of the Union address last week, he declared, “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment.” It was a lovely, if typical, rhetorical flourish from our president. He was trying to rouse the American people to major investments in research, science, and technology in response to the great strides made by […]

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Phoenix Lander: Rest in Peace

Scott Bradford — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:56:56 +0000

Just a real brief entry tonight, and a nice little change of pace from my political ramblings. The Phoenix Lander, which landed on Mars in May and has yielded a wealth of scientific information about the Red Planet, has died due to prolonged lack of sunlight. Phoenix gathered the first concrete evidence of water on […]

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Scientists: Water Ice Found on Mars

Scott Bradford — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:52:36 +0000

While minor glitches continue to effect the mission of the Phoenix Mars Mission, there’s some fairly big news from the Red Planet today. A small trench dug by the lander four days ago exposed some small, white clumps of something—possibly just salt, but possibly frozen water. Looking again at the trench today, scientists discovered that […]

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The Martian Flagpole

Scott Bradford — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:38:02 +0000

While it’s not one of the main topics I usually write about, I’ve always loved space exploration (too many hours watching Star Trek: The Next Generation as a kid). I follow the exploits of NASA, the ESA, the RFSA, and other space-faring agencies—public and private—with great interest. The big news from space this week is […]

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