Tag: GRAILTweetup

Aviation, Science, Space Exploration

NASA Airborne Science Program: Flight Suit (Part 3 / #NASASocial)

Check out more on our experience with the NASA Airborne Science Program in Part 1 and in our PHOTOS post. And don’t miss our most recent post, part of The Next Big Thing blog hop that’s going around. Today, we focus on the pilot flight suit worn by those who fly high-altitude aircraft like the venerable ER-2. The ER-2 is the civilian version of the … Continue reading NASA Airborne Science Program: Flight Suit (Part 3 / #NASASocial)

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Aviation, Space Exploration

A Day at NASA’s Dryden Research Center (#NASASocial): A Is for Aeronautics

If you missed last week’s post about Dryden Flight Research Center, you might want to start THERE. Otherwise, read on to continue the story. A clear and consistent message was delivered at both the #DrydenSocial and last fall’s GRAIL Tweetup: NASA wants to use social media to help spread the word of its achievements. To that end, NASA trots out its best and brightest to … Continue reading A Day at NASA’s Dryden Research Center (#NASASocial): A Is for Aeronautics

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Science, Space Exploration

GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 10), Next Stop: The Moon!

In September, Doug spent five days on the Space Coast participating the NASA Tweetup for GRAIL, the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory. We covered this launch extensively (HERE is the link for all GRAIL-tagged posts, or click on the GRAIL title in the tag cloud in the sidebar). Suffice it to say, as with attending most rocket launches, schedules don’t really mean much. Launch windows … Continue reading GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 10), Next Stop: The Moon!

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Collaboration, Space Exploration, Writing

Writing Apart, Writing Together

Recently, we wrote about the relationship between our collaborative writing projects (writing together) and our individual writing projects (writing apart) as well as what happens when we have written together while being physically apart. You can read “Writing Together, Writing Apart” HERE. We’re learning some lessons as we make our way into our second year of blogging, lessons that apply to the other big projects we … Continue reading Writing Apart, Writing Together

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Science, Space Exploration, Video Interviews

Interview: Jeffrey Rudolph

Bright and early tomorrow morning, we’ll face L.A.-area traffic to make our way to the California Science Center, the future home of space shuttle Endeavour. At a ceremony on October 11, 2011, the title for the orbiter will be turned over to the science museum. Only four orbiters exist, and only three of those flew actual missions in space. On April 12, 2011, NASA Administrator … Continue reading Interview: Jeffrey Rudolph

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Science, Space Exploration

GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 9)

“We organize information on maps in order to see our knowledge in a new way. As a result, maps suggest explanations; and while explanations reassure us, they also inspire us to ask more questions, consider other possibilities.” – Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer by Peter Turchi Less than two weeks ago, NASA was launching GRAIL toward the Moon for its mapping mission. … Continue reading GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 9)

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Guest Blogs, Space Exploration

Guest Blog: Kimberly Guodace

Doug met today’s guest blogger during his trip to the Space Coast for “GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest.” We featured her in Part 7 of our ongoing series about GRAIL (see that HERE) because we were captivated by her knowledge of the space shuttle program and her commitment, from childhood, to space exploration. But we also wanted Kim to talk about her life and career in her … Continue reading Guest Blog: Kimberly Guodace

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Space Exploration

GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 8)

As part of the GRAIL Tweetup activities, Doug, armed with our trusty digital camera, toured Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, where United Space Alliance launches the Atlas V, the descendent of the earlier versions of Atlas rockets of the 1960s. Before the Atlas V came along, Titan rockets, with payloads like the Viking probes to Mars and the Voyager probes off … Continue reading GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 8)

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Space Exploration

GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 7)

We’ve said it before (like HERE and HERE), and we’ll say it here again: Science writing isn’t only about the experiments and technology. It’s about the story and the people. The people we’ve met during our travels to the Space Coast have been amazing. Our latest geek connection is with Kimberly Guodace, a shuttle vehicle engineer until recently. As part of the massive layoffs that … Continue reading GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (Part 7)

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Space Exploration

GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (LAUNCH PHOTOS!)

This morning, GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) launched aboard a Delta II Heavy rocket at 9:08:52a.m. Doug stood across the water from Launch Pad 17B of Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. Here are our photographs to prove it! TO READ the previous segments in this series, “GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest,” click on the following links: Part 5: U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum Part 4: … Continue reading GRAIL: Another Lofty Quest (LAUNCH PHOTOS!)

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