Friends,
When things on earth get a little too crazy (memogate
vitriol, Rohingya refugees, market jitters…), my thoughts can gravitate towards
space. Lately, there has been no shortage of reasons to look up.
- Cool. On Jan
21, Rocket Lab launched a carbon fiber, ultra-shiny disco ball into space. The “Humanity Star” will be the
brightest object in the night sky until it burns-up in our atmosphere in
about six months. Looking for a conversation piece on a night-out? Track it, then plan an outing
where you can casually point it out! It should be visible in the Denver
area for three minutes on Sunday, Feb 25th (you’ll need to
check closer to the actual date for precise times). Why? Because!
- Cooler. This
week, SpaceX successfully launched a cherry red Tesla roadster, fully
equipped with a Starman,
blaring David Bowie’s Life on Mars
into an elliptical solar orbit that reaches beyond Mars. It is expected to
remain in space a billion years (give or take a few hundred million). As
added Easter Eggs, they included references to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to
the Galaxy and to the movie Heavy Metal. Why? Because!
- Coolest. On
the same mission, the Falcon Heavy’s twin booster rockets did a choreographed landing on twin pads
which seemed borrowed from a Sci-Fi movie. If you have not seen the video,
I highly recommend it. Why? Because!
Fortunately, not all is madness back here on earth –even if
you believe our planet is flat and this is all part of an intricate conspiracy.
Rings, sweeter than the powdered sugar discs orbiting Saturn are here and ready
for your consumption. Just try not to space-out or you might find they’re all gone
by the time you want one.
Happy Friday!
Photo: Starman’s last picture. Thank you Elon Musk!
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