Jumping the Timestream – A Note from 08-09-2012

Because no one can be certain about one’s own ability to participate in the future, I have a couple of ideas in the works that I’d like to post to the future just in case I (for some reason) don’t get around to it before then. First amongst these is this, an idea Chris Hackman and I […]

What the world thinks spacecraft scientists/engineers do…

Well, ramping up to the birth of our second child, (daughter Sloane on 08/05/14!), I’ve been completely absorbed by family by night and the incredible clip at work at Bigelow Aerospace by day. -And amidst it all, I’ll admit that there is a visceral seduction in the elbow-grease-saturated chaos. So, with this in mind, during […]

Calling the Space Privateers

Today, I’d like to offer a rejoinder to Michael Hanlon’s article from The Telegraph a couple of weeks back, entitled, “There’s only one question for NASA: Is anybody out there?” In it, Hanlon offers an argument against regular human space exploration in favor of dedicated robotic missions devoted exclusively to astrobiology research. Whether via orbiters, landers, rovers, or […]

The Science Behind “Chasing UFOs” – Episodes 7 and 8

Well, so I’ve gotten a little behind here on the personal blog, life’s unexpected twists and turns being what they are. However, for completeness’s sake, I’m including links to my final two web contributions to the National Geographic Channel’s TV series, “Chasing UFOs.” Without getting nostalgic, it’s been a heck of a ride. Based on […]

Profiled in Vegas Seven Mag!

Deanna Rilling, a high-school friend of mine who now writes for VEGAS SEVEN recently reached out to do an interview about all of the trouble I’ve been getting into lately. Well, the article came out – and if you’re interested in hearing me talk about growing up in Las Vegas, the relationship between jazz improvisation […]

The Science Behind “Chasing UFOs” – Episode 5

For those who might like to delve more deeply into (or simply know more about the science behind) the National Geographic Channel series “Chasing UFOs,” including megaton extraterrestrial explosions, aerostats to space, and correlation pitfalls, look no further! Direct link-through to my article on the NatGeo TV blog can be found here: http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/23/the-science-of-chasing-ufos-abducted-in-arizona/ Cheers! Ben

Science outreach, crossing the mainstream divide, and “Chasing UFOs”

I know there will be quite a lot on this here at the Astrowright blog in the coming weeks and months, but to begin very briefly, I’m excited to report that I’m set to appear on/host a National Geographic series next month (somewhat sensationally) entitled, “Chasing UFOs.” The project zeroed in on the “top 5%” – the […]

The plural of “anecdote” is not “data”

The title of this post is tongue-in-cheek, but it makes an important point. Just because many people believe, assert, or convey something does not immediately graduate whatever they report to become scientifically-reliable or even scientifically-useful. This is actually symptomatic of a larger cultural issue here in the US. Frankly, the dichotomy of what people choose […]

Spaceflight simulators, space games, and STEM

For those who aren’t familiar, “STEM” is a particularly hot-button acronym in the professional space education community these days that stands for, “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.” These are the college degrees and professions that ultimately keep the economy, innovation, and space exploration in particular going. These are also the fields that have been suffering […]

Science as the language of time-travelers

A note today on something that is implicit in many of the popular treatments of time travel that I’d like to make explicit. Namely, I’d like to explore the answer to the question: Presuming backward-and-forward time travel to be possible, how could we communicate with those from different times? This is something that actually comes up […]