Space, Space, Space!

Space has been front and center in my life a bit lately, but it provides a welcome distraction from the current happenings in Wisconsin. Venus passed in front of the sun, the ISS had some new visitors, and a great science fiction writer passed into the cosmos.  Sometimes I tend to avoid conversations about astronomy and space flight. Maybe it's because it's not my field and I don't feel totally confident about engaging with more experienced scientists, or maybe it's because I'm just generally more interested in topics Earthly-bound. With all the recent activity, however, I'm excited. Last night I lay down on a boardwalk in the dark in the middle of a marsh with my friends and we all stared at the sky in silence as a shiny beacon of human achievement traveled across the sky of stars. I remember crawling out of bed to watch the ISS fly over our house as a kid, my parents just as excited as I was. I felt that same shiver of amazement last night as we braved spiders and other nighttime creepy crawlies to see it. I hope you feel just as excited this week when we speak with John Mackin, Attitude Determination and Control Officer (ADCO) for ISS about the recent ISS happenings later in the week. For now I hope you step outside tonight to take a peek at the fly over.  Go here to find out the best time to see it in your area. In the Madison area you can check it out around 9:20 PM and again a little lower in the sky around 11:00 PM tonight. 

And for now, in case you missed it:

In keeping with the theme of Richard Feynman, the FBI did not find Feynman's antics so amusing.  


Over at Scientific American Blogs, Marc Kuchner interviews Congressman Robert Walker on how scientists should talk to Congress. 


Caleb A. Scharf delves into not just the transit of Venus but the transit of other celestial bodies. 


And the world lost a man who made science fiction mainstream and created a 70 year legacy of writing. Ray Bradbury will be dearly missed.