A Year Ago Today!

Signing balloon purchase papers over to me in Flint, Michigan before the long drive back to Portland!

Laniakea: Our Home Supercluster

I saw an updated visualization of this at Google headquarters in summer 2016. Completely mind-melting and inspiring! Click to link to YouTube.

Laniakea

Rocket Chair and New Coverall!

First photo is my buddy Peter Madsen taking 7g's in his rocket-chair-centrifuge in Copenhagen -- inspirational! He is working on reaching space in his home-built rocket. Plenty of critics on the sidelines, just as there were of Robert Goddard and so many other original thinkers. While critics talk, Peter builds!

Second photo, tonight I seamed together the first draft of the Mark VII pressure suit coverall! Flameproof textile, even flameproof Nomex/Aramid thread -- taking as few chances as I can! We'll be flying again late Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter -- a lot of flying!

Early Phases of a Science

"...the early phases of a science require...a certain disregard for the formalisms and pedantic, creeping constructions of the ultimate scientific edifice. Perhaps what is essential is a foundation of sensible, if vague, ideas and orienting attitudes--correct in their broadest sweep if not in their precise predictions."
-- From p.701 of Hailman, J.P. 1970. Ethology Evolving. Science 168(3932):700-701.

Adaptation to Mars

How could people possibly survive on Mars? Won't radiation fry their brains? How would children develop? These general questions are why I am writing a technical, specific book outlining the principles of biological and cultural adaptation that will allow our species to explore beyond Earth, and live beyond Earth, escaping the extinction trap that Earth has been for 99% of all known life to date. So here is one recent diagram not generalizing but saying very specifically what we can expect in one instance, the development of standing and walking among Mars children. On that planet, gravity has about 1/3 the 'strength' of Earth's and yes, children will develop different physiques and even different habitual gaits to walking and running and they will even express themselves, with body language, slightly differently than Earth people. A slow differentiation, both biological and cultural, will start with the earliest generations on that planet.

Major Step Ahead

Lots of close tailoring over the past few months have given me and my team a good understanding of the ways to fabricate excellent, tailored pressure suits. Tonight I righted a mistake we made the other night and got most of the Mark VII (seventh major design) seamed together, the seams look good and soon I can attach the helmet ring, gloves and boots -- see photos in earlier posts of our home-fabricated helmets, we've for some months now retired the old Russian air force helmet I've been using since 2009! We'll be flying this suit to increasing altitudes through this year!

Congratulations to Our Team Member!

Today our new team member, Trent T. of Seattle, was accepted to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Scientist-Astronaut traing program; it is described below:

"For those holding a B.S. Degree from an accredited university, the PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut Qualification Program at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a five-day, fully immersive training program that will provide the skills required to effectively conduct research on the next generation of commercial space vehicles as part of Project PoSSUM. Upon graduation, you will be fully trained and qualified to participate in PoSSUM graduate specializations, become a PoSSUM educator, or to fly to space as a PoSSUM Scientist-Astronaut!"

From Pacific Spaceflight that now makes two young aviators-in-training, the first was Alexander K., now a pilot-in-training at the Hillsboro Air Academy. In the photos below, Trent in a recent pressure test, and below that, Alexander K. when I visited him in central Oregon during some of my own flight training!

I'm very proud of these buddies of mine! They're the generation who will begin to explore again beyond Low Earth Orbit in the large project of human space settlement beyond Earth. Best luck, fellas!