In March, I had the pleasure of working a NOLS course with NASA astronauts and flight directors. (NASA has been sending astronauts to NOLS for decades, after finding that the expedition behavior necessary for a successful mission is exactly the same as what’s necessary for a successful wilderness expedition.) The small group of NASA people […]
DE-ORBIT My contract is complete. I am now somewhere high above South America, heading north. We said goodbye to the crew remaining behind – most of them having contracts that go until mid March. After 80 days with them, I will miss them dearly. One of the best parts of this cruise was the people.
De-orbit and Re-entry from Antarctica Read More »
DAY 49 on the ship. (DAY 6 underway) Where to begin, I’m not sure, but here goes: On DAY 43, we finally left the dock to head south. So amazing it was to see the ship finally separate for the dock knowing it was because we were heading south. It was a very happy moment.
It’s been 33 days, 4 hours and 54 minutes since I’ve been onboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer in Punta Arenas, Chile. I built a little mission-elapsed-time because that’s one way space missions kept track of time. And it’s a way to keep track of which expedition day it is for my journal. It’s also helpful
I’m currently on Day 3 days into a 3.5 day quarantine before heading to Chile Saturday morning. Initially the thought of twiddling my thumbs in a hotel room for 3 full days was not that exciting, but I find now, that I actually wish we had another day. We have a few zoom meetings each
Precious days on the Maine coast. I soaked it all in. When a huge swell came in from one of the summer off-shore hurricanes, I couldn’t help but explore the outer edge of the offshore island of Isle Au Haut. What I saw was incredible and I wish someone had been with me to see
Big Waves & Sailing with Dad Read More »
On one of the first few days, still with a work hangover from all the details that had to be taken care of to get Daphne in the water and everything else in my life relatively squared away, I woke up and looked up out of the aft cabin hatch, while still lying down and
Week One On The Water Read More »
After two summers of electrical engineering graduate school and then one crazy summer of COVID-19, I finally got Daphne back in the water again. She has been patiently waiting for 4 years and we are back together again floating in the sea, where we are supposed to be. The launch date was a deadline and
Got an email two weeks ago from NASA that said all the Highly Qualified applicants have had their references checked (none of mine were). Confirmation that I am out of the running for the new class of astronaut candidates, as expected. 12,000 applicants gets reduced to 400 Highly Qualified applicants. They then pick 120 of
I think it’s over. From what I’ve recently gathered from a few sources, of the 12,000+ applicants, the “highly qualified” candidates were separated and their references contacted sometime this past fall. Interviewees (about 120 of them of the 12,000) are then determined from this small group. These folks are now getting called for interviews. Not
Staying on Planet Earth Read More »