At the Right Place at the Right Time…

Finally. On top of all of the other trouble I’ve been habitually getting myself into during the last several months, a series of unlikely and highly serendipitous events recently culminated in a sudden career shift. -One that, I might add, I’ve been pressing for and gambling on for some time. –And for longtime readers, it’s […]

System of Fear: A Dose of Radiation Reality

In line with last week’s post, please see the below infographic, which paints radiation doses in the visual context of a sort of system of planets according to size (click to enlarge): As is plainly evident, it’s shocking how much the public perception of radiation doses and negative health effects differs from reality. (For example, […]

Nuclear and Atomic Radiation Concepts Pictographically Demystified

Greetings, all. Today I’m attempting a different, largely pictographic approach to demystifying the concept of “radiation” for the layperson. Despite the hype, radiation is a natural part of our planet’s, solar system’s, and galaxy’s environment, and one that our biology is equipped to mitigate at ordinary intensities. It’s all actually surprisingly straightforward. So, without further ado, here […]

Treatise: Abandoning OldSpace’s Conceit

Space Exploration is suffering an identity crisis. Like atmospheric flight before it, space exploration is evolving to include a spectrum of public and private participants, motivations, and goals. However, even amongst space enthusiasts and professionals, there is much (mostly friendly – I’ll get to that) debate regarding just what exactly it is that qualifies as […]

Talking Space Radiation Dosimetry at NSRC 2013

I recently had the great pleasure to give a talk (and serve as co-author for a second) at the fourth annual Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC), held this year in Boulder, Colorado. As a one-of-a-kind collection of researchers, entrepreneurs, spacecraft providers, students, and government representatives, NSRC’s intent is to foster collaboration of a sort […]

The Antimatter Plot Thickens…

I realize it’s been egregiously silent here at the Astrowright blog for some time. Apparently, I am not immune to the same disappointing (as a reader) dry spells experienced in/by so many other blogs I’ve followed during the years. (With grad school, teaching at CSN, my day-job working for DOE, a side-business or two in flux, moonlighting the occasional and […]

Surviving Radiation in Space

For those who are interested in the reality of radiation exposure on Earth, in space, on the Moon, and what this exposure means for our prospects of manned exploration of the Solar System, read on! The Myths and Truths of Death by Space Radiation There are persistent groves of misinformation taking root about the lethality […]

Calculating your own natural radiation dose in context

A Dose of Radiation Information How much radiation is normal? In light of Fukushima, sensationalized media, political fear-stoking, and rampant misinformation regarding radioactivity, consider this post an easy-to-reference tool/resource. With it, you can be armed to understand and quickly make sense of this over-mystified, natural aspect of reality when it comes up. For starters, here’s the simple reality about […]

Radiation, Japan, and Irresponsible Reporting: Part IV

This post has been lying in wait for quite some time. I thought it best that I let it simmer and distill for a while… The truth is that I was simply getting too frustrated with the Fukushima coverage to compose a sensible post. Now, with a little extra time and perspective, please allow me […]

Antimatter Hazard Symbol pops up!

A red-letter day! The Antimatter Hazard Symbol I proposed nearly two years ago has found its first physical application! …Well, pseudo-physical, anyway. While the symbol, (which is based on internationally-accepted color coding in combination with Title 10 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 835, Subpart G posting guidelines,) has found its way into […]