Buzz Aldrin listening to Donald Trump trying to sound smart about space exploration represents us all.

This is a bit of Trump's remarks about space today during his E.O. signing. Just listen (and watch Buzz Aldrin's face). pic.twitter.com/hrUFAUpptX

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 30, 2017

Courtesy of HuffPo:

Trump’s remarks began with the president’s usual boasting:

“We’re going to lead again like we never led before.” But he then appeared to claim all of space for the U.S., calling it the “next great American frontier.” 

Trump also referred to space “providing the security that we need to protect the American people.” And he sent Aldrin’s eyebrows shooting up when he added, inexplicably, “At some point in the future, we’re going to look back and say, ‘How did we do it without space?’” 

“We know what this is, space. That’s all it has to say: space,” Trump said as he prepared to sign his executive order. He then turned to Aldrin and asked, “There’s a lot of room out there, right?” 

“To infinity, and beyond,” Aldrin quipped as others laughed. 

But Trump apparently didn’t get the reference to Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase in “Toy Story.” “This is infinity here. It could be infinity,” Trump answered in a rambling response. “We don’t really don’t know. But it could be. It has to be something — but it could be infinity, right?”

Jesus!

One of the first two humans to land on the moon, and the second to walk on it, and now he is reduced to standing next to a tangerine colored moron spewing stupid into a microphone.

Oh the humanity.

Well great. Space is all gay now too.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Now there’s a new reason to seriously start investigating the possibility of civilian space travel: one of our favorite non-profit organizations just declared the universe LGBT-friendly. 

Planting Peace’s latest display of solidarity with the queer community involves a Pride flag, a high altitude balloon and a GoPro camera. The group, which regularly launches social activism campaigns to raise awareness about issues like LGBT rights and deworming children in developing countries, used the balloon to elevate a rainbow flag up through the Earth’s atmosphere. It eventually reached its peak altitude approximately 21.1 miles above the planet. 

The flag remained airborne, floating in outer space for just over three hours before making its descent back to Earth, in what Planting Peace says is a symbolic declaration of the universe as an LGBT-friendly space.

In all seriousness it has been one of the great joys of my life to watch the progress we have made as a people in these last eight years now. 

In 2000 George W. Bush ran on conservative "morality" issues and in 2004 supported an amendment to ban gay marriage. Today we see wide acceptance of the LGBTQ community, and same sex marriage is legal in all states.

We see gay couples in advertisements, on TV shows, and quite frequently in our own families.

So why not alert the universe to how far we have come?

Maybe an alien race will decide that we are finally evolved enough to deserve a visit.

And wouldn't THAT put a lot of things into a different perspective? 

NASA has discovered liquid water on Mars. Just thought you should know that this morning.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Potentially life-giving water still flows across the ancient surface of Mars from time to time, NASA scientists said Monday in revealing a potential breakthrough in both the search for life beyond Earth and human hopes to one day travel there. 

While the discovery doesn't by itself offer evidence of life on Mars, either past or present, it does boost hopes of that the harsh landscape still offers some refuge to life. 

"The existence of liquid water, even if it is super salty briny water, gives the possibility that if there's life on Mars, that we have a way to describe how it might survive," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.

So that is just one of the things that science has discovered this week.

But remember there is no reason to focus on teaching it to our children, or spending tax payer money on it, after all its not like it provides answers to any of the important questions about our origins or the survival of our species or anything.

In fact Rush Limbaugh does not even believe that NASA found anything.

Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson just two smart people hanging out on the roof talking science.

Courtesy of the YouTube page:

"Dear Citizen of Planet Earth," 

That's how Carl Sagan addressed the public in an introductory letter about the Planetary Society back in the 1980s. Now Bill (CEO) and Neil (Board Member) reminisce about those days, talk about what we should call people from planet Earth, discuss how Neil's Cosmos TV show stressed Bill out, and tell us who will the first humans will be to orbit Mars.

You know sometimes I just post things because they make me smile.

This made me smile.

Watching these two great men "Nerding out" on that rooftop made me kind of wish I could have joined them.

Kinda reminded me of an episode of "The Big Bang Theory" actually.

Thought for the day.

Click here if image does not enlarge.

The 25th anniversary of "The Pale Blue Dot."

Courtesy of Penny4NASA:

NASA’s Voyager spacecraft captured one of the most memorable images in the history of space exploration 25 years ago today. 

On Feb. 14, 1990, the Voyager 1 spacecraft was commanded by NASA at the suggestion of Carl Sagan to turn its camera around and take a picture of Earth one last time before it headed on its way out of the solar system. The photo is now widely recognized as the “Pale Blue Dot.”

Actually I'm a day late. The anniversary was yesterday, but I am such a fan of that video and this picture...

 ...that I could not let the anniversary pass without comment.

Personally I think there should be a way to mandate that religious, political, or business leaders be forced to watch that video whenever they begin to get a little too arrogant or feeling self important.

I find it to be quite humbling, and at the same time inspirational.

Someday we will break our bonds to this planet and courageously head off into the vastness of space to forge a new future. I can only imagine the wonders that lay before us which are as yet undiscovered and feel a little jealous that I will not be among those to witness them for the first time.

Ken Ham thinks we need to stop wasting our money exploring space, because there is no life up in space and if there were they'd all be a bunch of sinners anyway.

"Space? There's nothing up there for you to worry your pretty little head about."

Here are a few of Ham's arguments from his Answers in Genesis website: 

I’m shocked at the countless hundreds of millions of dollars that have been spent over the years in the desperate and fruitless search for extraterrestrial life. Even Bill Nye “the Science Guy,” in our recent debate, happily gloated about tax dollars being spent toward this effort. And now, secular scientists are at it again. 

Of course, secularists are desperate to find life in outer space, as they believe that would provide evidence that life can evolve in different locations and given the supposed right conditions! The search for extraterrestrial life is really driven by man’s rebellion against God in a desperate attempt to supposedly prove evolution!

Yes we are exploring space just because  scientists hate God and want to prove evolution is real.

Make perfect sense, except that we have ALREADY proven that evolution is real and space exploration is usually not considered to be connected to research in that field.

But wait, Ham has an argument in support of his hypothesis. (A word I am sure he always uses incorrectly.)

You see, according to the secular, evolutionary worldview there must be other habited worlds out there. As the head of NASA, Charles Borden, puts it, “It’s highly improbable in the limitless vastness of the universe that we humans stand alone.” Secularists cannot allow earth to be special or unique—that’s a biblical idea (Isaiah 45:18). If life evolved here, it simply must have evolved elsewhere they believe.

Well yes that would stand to reason, just like primitive earth explorers wondered if there were not others like themselves spread throughout the planet. And there were!

Is that a problem? 

Now the Bible doesn’t say whether there is or is not animal or plant life in outer space. I certainly suspect not. The Earth was created for human life. And the sun and moon were created for signs and our seasons—and to declare the glory of God. And I do believe there can’t be other intelligent beings in outer space because of the meaning of the gospel. 

You see, the Bible makes it clear that Adam’s sin affected the whole universe. This means that any aliens would also be affected by Adam’s sin, but because they are not Adam’s descendants, they can’t have salvation. One day, the whole universe will be judged by fire, and there will be a new heavens and earth. God’s Son stepped into history to be Jesus Christ, the “Godman,” to be our relative, and to be the perfect sacrifice for sin—the Savior of mankind. 

Ohhh, now I get it.

So to be clear there are NO intelligent life forms to be found outside our planet because God specifically made us in his image, and if there WERE intelligent life forms that would really screw up that whole mythology.

Besides if there were, but of course there's not, then they would be a bunch of damn sinners, and who would want to know about them anyway?

Well I would for one.

You see the problem is not that Ham thinks that we are wasting our time exploring space, the problem is that he is afraid that we are not.

And if indeed we were to successfully make contact with intelligent alien lifeforms who had no understanding of religion or the Christian God, that would seriously undermine the idea that everything was made by a single creator who surely would have wanted to care for ALL of his creations, not just the ones on this planet.

And that would make it obvious that statements like this one are horse shit:

The answers to life’s questions will not be found in imaginary aliens but in the revelation of the Creator through the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to die on a Cross to redeem mankind from sin and death that our ancestor, Adam, introduced. 

Science, cock blocking religion since the dawn of time.

The reality of you.

Years ago I took a behavioral science class.

As part of the syllabus were handed papers on different mental illnesses and psychosis.

One of them was a list of thinking errors that allow sexual predators to victimize the helpless.

On that list was the "I'm special" delusion, which allows these people to believe that normal rules and limitations do not pertain to them. Because, after all, they are "special."

After reading that I could not help but ponder all of the other people who also share that belief.

Burglars, murderers, arsonists, and then the ones that are not necessarily among the criminal class, actors, politicians, evangelists.

Then taking that concept to its natural conclusion I realized that on some fundamental level, ALL of us have a little bit of that thinking error in our DNA.

It is how religions are formed. People are made to feel that they are chosen by God, identified as special, and that all they have to do is follow a certain series of special guidelines to earn a special reward, that is reserved for those deemed special enough to earn it.

In that case the "I am special" assertion is expanded to the "we are special" thinking error, and that is how those of various religions, all self identifying as "religions of peace," can murder each other with impunity.

After all they don't have to bother themselves with the laws of man, they are following a higher law.

A "special law."

Given to them by a special entity, who chose them, and helped them to see themselves as "special."

Imagine how much more peaceful our planet would be if we realized our reality.

That we are all the same. And in being the same we are ALL special enough to deserve love, special enough to give love, and special enough to live free of violence and strife, and instead to celebrate this moment when our matter came together to form us.

Just something to think about.

Must see movie of the week.

I just saw the movie Gravity with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, and I was blown away.

This movie is a smart, visually impressive thriller, that rarely lets up.

There is no way that I can adequately describe how enveloping this film is, but if you ever wondered what it would be like to walk in space, THIS might be as close as you can get without first going through astronaut training at NASA.

There have been a few naysayers concerning the physics of the film, or the believability of the story line, but I will leave it to none other than Buzz Aldrin to convince you that it meets and exceeds the highest standards for a believable thriller set in space.

Damn that was a good movie!

P.S. Make sure to see it in 3D if you can. Believe me when I say you will miss out on a lot if you don't.

Pack your spacesuit kids, the Mars mission is back on track!

Courtesy of NBC News: 

Preparations for the launch of NASA's Maven orbiter to Mars have resumed after the $650 million mission was granted an exception from the federal government's shutdown, in order to protect U.S. property. In this case, the property is sitting on Mars, according to Maven's principal investigator. 

"Basically, we're back, full speed," University of Colorado planetary scientist Bruce Jakosky told NBC News on Thursday. 

Workers who had been furloughed or locked out are back at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to resume preparations for a Nov. 18 launch. "We've been able to get back into the facilities where the spacecraft and development team have been working," Jakosky said.

As "Breaking Bad's" Jesse Pinkman would say, "Damn right space exploration is essential government work! Bitches!"

We have got to continue, and even accelerate our space exploration because it not only adds to our understanding of our own planet, it also reveals information that helps us to examine the origins of the universe, and hopefully will someday allow us to know definitively whether we are alone or one of thousands of forms of intelligent life scattered throughout the galaxies.

Besides I don't know about you but I think that the sooner we can give the Conservatives their own planet to rape and pillage the better it will be for the rest of us.

Government shutdown breaks NASA and delays planned Mars mission until 2016. Okay now I'm pissed!

Courtesy of Slate:  

The United States government is shut down. The ramifications of this are both broad and deep, and I urge you to read the numerous articles on Slate covering this news. 

Since space is my place, though, I want to remind you that the shutdown means NASA is grounded. A staggering 97 percent of NASA employees have been furloughed. This means all nonessential science has been stopped dead. 

To me, all science is essential, so perhaps I should give some details. So much work has been halted that it’s far easier to say who is going to work today. Basically, it's only people involved in International Space Station operations—ensuing the safety of humans currently in space is a clear priority—as well as people who make sure NASA property is protected. (UPDATE, Oct. 1, 16:00 UTC: To be clear, operations for missions currently underway are also being continued.) 

What this really means, though, is that about 17,500 NASA employees are staying home today. Out of 18,000 NASA employees. 

This may severely affect future missions. Any mission not already underway will have its work halted. As an urgent example, up until today NASA scientists and engineers were busily preparing the Mars MAVEN mission for its scheduled launch on Nov. 18. That work must cease, and the ramifications are not good: Launching a probe to another planet is beholden to the laws of physics as much as to those of Congress. Mars and Earth must be in the right positions for the spacecraft to launch, and those windows only occur every 26 months. If MAVEN doesn’t launch, it’ll be 2016 before worlds align again. The cost for this will be large; people will have to find other work (where it’s unclear if and when they can go back to the old mission and how much time it will take to get back up to speed). It’s a physical risk to wait as well; the spacecraft will have to be transported and stored, and every trip on Earth increases the chance of a problem. The critical malfunction of the NASA Galileo probe was almost certainly due to a delay in launch. 

The government shutdown also means all NASA outreach is offline, and that includes all websites and social media. 

I know what you are thinking, "Come on Gryphen with so many people suffering from the shutdown surely NASA is not that important of a concern"

Au contraire mon frere, it is VERY important.

It is my firmly held belief that our prime directive as human beings to explore the world and universe around us, and anything which interferes in that is actively impeding our progress and our destiny.

And this is especially relevant now since the Mars Rover recently discovered water on Mars.

That's right, freaking water, on freaking Mars!

Look folks this government shutdown is wrong and hurtful for a whole slew of reasons, but in my mind the fact that it interferes with our ability to discover, learn, and explore may be the most painful reason of all.

Perhaps the coolest cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" that you will ever see.

This is Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station doing a rather amazing, and genuinely good, rendition of Space Oddity.

So much awesome in this video.

It's official. Everything is cooler at zero gravity.

I think Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield has too much fun at his job.

I think I'm jealous.

Perhaps an uncomfortable truth, but a truth nonetheless.

Actually I think we would still find things to fight about, after all we are only human, but the hindrance to science and the vilification of others by religion is well documented.

And the truly sad part is that it not only continues today, it is oppressing entire continents, and teaching hate to an entirely new generation.

Meanwhile over the skies of Russia

More from Reuters:  

A meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, sending fireballs crashing to earth which shattered windows and damaged buildings, injuring more than 500 people. 

People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 950 miles east of Moscow. 

The fireball, travelling at a speed of 19 miles per second according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 125 miles away. 

Car alarms went off, windows broke and mobile phone networks were interrupted. The Interior Ministry said the meteor explosion had caused a sonic boom. 

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it was day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains. 

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights," he said. 

No fatalities were reported, but President Vladimir Putin, who was due to host Finance Ministry officials from the Group of 20 nations in Moscow, told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to help those affected.

Here is video of the event.

Some are speculating that this meteorite might have some connection to the giant asteroid that passed very closely to earth at 2:24 Eastern Time today.

And here was Neil deGrasse's response via Facebook:

And here is Professor deGrasse explaining exactly what happened on the Today show this morning.

Yeah you know I think it is a very good time to start thinking about lighting a fire under our space program, before the next, and possibly closer, asteroid does it for us.

The word of the month for February is "Duck!"

Courtesy of Yahoo News:  

An asteroid half the size of a football field will give Earth the ultimate close shave this month, passing closer than many satellites when it whizzes by, but it won't hit the planet, NASA scientists say. 

The asteroid 2012 DA14 will fly by Earth on Feb. 15 and zip within 17,200 miles (27, 680 kilometers) of the planet during the cosmic close encounter. The asteroid will approach much closer to Earth than the moon, and well inside the paths of navigation and communications satellites. "This is a record-setting close approach," Don Yeomans, the head of NASA's asteroid-tracking program, said in a statement. "Since regular sky surveys began in the 1990s, we've never seen an object this big get so close to Earth." 

"2012 DA14 will definitely not hit Earth. The orbit of the asteroid is known well enough to rule out an impact," Yeomans, who heads the Near-Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. He added that the odds it will slam into a satellite are "extremely remote."

Yeah that's what they told the dinosaurs!

Okay well may THIS catastrophe will be avoided, but let's face it our time on this wonderful planet is limited. And it shouldn't take a falling rock from the heavens to remind us of how precious our lives truly are, as well as how important it is too spend them giving and receiving love, providing comfort and allowing ourselves to be comforted, and learning something new while overcoming a past superstition every day.

We may, or may not, have very long, but remember it is the life in your days that matter, not the days in your life.

Just a final thought.

Remnants of supernova.

“How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, “This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant?” Instead they say, “No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.” A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths.” ― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Neil deGrasse Tyson debunks the idea of privatizing space exploration: "From where I sit there is a lot of delusional thinking there."

The only way the private sector would have funded a mission to Mars is if the planet was simply oozing with oil. Any possible life on the planet would have been of no interest unless they could put it in a cage and charge admission for people to look at it.

These latest pictures from the Mars rover Curiosity have me a little concerned that we are not welcome.

But then again I can hardly blame them.

Isn't this the problem with America? That we ALWAYS  invade foreign places and then act insulted that they are not thrilled to have us there proselytizing our religious beliefs and trying to get them to eat Big Macs?

And does anybody have ANY doubt we will do the exact same thing if we DO find life on Mars?

Sadly NASA's Curiosity has yet to discover intelligent life on the surface of Mars. Not even close!

"I can see Earth from my front porch, don'tcha know?"