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Donut Oddity

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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