Aaron Freeman and I will be conversing by means of Google Hangout this coming Sunday, 28 February, at 2 PM Central Standard Time. The topic is Pluto, recently explored by NASA's New Horizons mission. If that sounds like fun, please tune in. Send your questions along ( Read more... )

Over on the Vatican Observatory Foundation blog: On the Road to Pluto

Tomorrow, it begins.

I will get in a car and drive various places. On Sunday, I expect to arrive in Laurel, Maryland.


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Just ten days away from Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft had an "anomaly" yesterday and went into "safe-mode." It switched control to its backup computer and tried to establish contact with Earth.

This made a lot of us anxious, despite assurances that the spacecraft was probably fine.

NASA has announced that recovery is going well and New ( Read more... )

Over on Twitter today Dr. Katie Mack ( @AstroKatie), astrophysicist at Melbourne University, was waxing enthusiastic about the New Horizons Pluto spacecraft. I ( @MrBeamjockey) responded.


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Clyde Tombaugh, formerly of Streator, Illinois (Jerry Corrigan's home town), would turn 100 tomorrow. As it was, he almost made it to age 91.

I never met him, but those who did always speak highly of him.

A really small spacecraft on a really big rocket is now on its way to Pluto, really fast.

On board are some of Clyde Tombaugh's ashes.