Aerospace engineer, pilot & astronomer. Space systems/resources @BlueOrigin @OrbitalReef. Opinions my own, but call me out if I'm an asshole about them. He/him.
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Jul 2, 2022 β’ 15 tweets β’ 6 min read
I am where I am in my career today because of hard work, support from friends and family, and luck. But today, I ran into a former SpaceX colleague who reminded me of a factor I often forget: I am where I am today because I did theater in school to fulfill a sports credit.π§΅
The first space job I ever had was in '10 where I was fortunate to be one of 14 students from a pool of +1000 candidates for the @NASAAmesAcademy. I worked in the @NASAAmes directorβs office with Gen. Pete Worden. Still the most insightful 3 months Iβve had into how NASA works.
Aug 31, 2019 β’ 20 tweets β’ 5 min read
Oh! I am *so* glad you asked that question! Thread incoming:
1/ If you want to make an experimental astronomer cringe, here are two good ways to do it:
1) Touch an eyepiece with your bare finger.
2) Say the words "flat field".
Jul 7, 2019 β’ 8 tweets β’ 3 min read
Hey! It's been weeks since I raved about how awesome #SpaceElevators are. That's too long. Here is my take on 5 portrayals of space elevators that I've seen in science fiction (Not definitive, and limiting myself to visual media).
#5) The planet Drill from Star Trek 2009. Completely impractical, and only exists because it's a fun setting for a 23rd-century sword fight. But not a complete loss because it correctly shows how space elevators are deployed (lowered down from orbit, not built up from the ground)
I'm going to let you in on a little trade secret: There is script astronomers are supposed to follow today when explaining what the solstice is, and that script goes something like this:
1) Construct a strawman who mistakenly thinks winter is because Earth has gotten further from the sun.
2) Ask the strawman "Ah! But if that *were* the cause of winter, then why is it summer in the southern hemisphere right now?"
Nov 1, 2018 β’ 22 tweets β’ 5 min read
November is here, and that means a massive shift is coming. And by "massive" I am of course referring to the redefinition of the kilogram unit of mass that the world has been building up to for more than 100 years. Let me explain: 1/ I've had an unhealthy fascination with metrology (the study of measurement) ever since my 2nd year as a physics major when I took a class devoted to duplicating historic physics experiments, so please indulge me for going into heavy detail (get it?) about the kilogram.