If you’ve found yourself here, then you know Bob (...that’s Paw to some of us). And you also will know his amazing emails. About stuff. And things. All manner of things! Broad reaching topics exploring the wonders of Science, from the wolves of Yellowstone Park to static electricity, from the Japanese tsunami to bee colony collapses. Intriguing missives detailing amazing feats of Technology, from eye-popping 3D billboards to a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel, from an interactive eclipse finder to a sneaky peak inside an unsuspecting eagle’s nest. There are marvels of Engineering, from bizarre jet engine testing methods to flying segways, from epic airplanes to Earth Sensors. There’s kooky and Cool Stuff about pesky wild boars and ancient Germanium crystals, Swedish naval fortresses and Purse-Seine net fishing in Penobscot Bay. And of course, there's Space. Lots and lots of SPACE! From SpaceX missions scrubbed because of moldy mouse chow to the Milky Way, from Elon Musk’s iconic red car to weird green rocks found on Mars.
Now, you’ll agree these emails are the kind of thing you want to really dig into. And ponder. And re-read. And share! But alas, life is sometimes busy, inboxes can sometimes be daunting ("Inboxes? What are those?" say some of you). So here is a place for all of us to peruse all those words of wisdom, wonder and whimsy, anytime, from anywhere. Enjoy!
Enjoy this new YouTube video explaining the Idea of enhancing pyramid security by leaving a newly constructed pyramid (magnificent outside and inside and a great mystery that common folk would love to visit) wide open to the devout public…
Well, flight #3 of SpaceX's Starship did launch yesterday and did achieve orbital altitude & speed. Everything appeared to work perfectly this time. That, by itself, was a major achievement.
I will be watching as SpaceX Starship launches from Florida. The expectations for tomorrow’s launch are to propel the upper stage Starship into a near orbital position and speed, but not to go fully orbital.
I came across this video and was once again impressed with Rory’s skill at grabbing the microphone and taking over the show. He threw himself so convincingly into the role of a commentator…. Wow! A part of a lovely celebration of Paw’s birthday back in our early days at Wyndemere…
In reading “Robert’s Paw’s Boyhood” (see specific section below), I discovered something completely unknown to me, but very popular with Eli Barnes, his family, and friends…
Odysseus Lunar Lander: Part Four … Scott's update and mission summary is a good wrap up of the mission …. so far.
Odysseus Lunar Lander: Part Three… Scott Manley filed this report just after Intuitive Machines announced that the Olysessus had landed successfully on the Moon…
Odysseus Lunar Lander: Part Two…. Well, sadly, the speculation that Odysseus tipped over while landing appears to be correct…
Part One of a TWAB series on the Odysseus Mission!
When George visited us in Belfast, he handed me a wooden box of black and white negatives that belonged to my father. The notes say they relate to his graduate studies in Germany. Some were 35mm film rolls, the rest were 2.25 X 3.25 inch flat negatives….
One really blustery rainy day in the Spring of 1947 (George was just born), I was sitting on the porch of Paw’s home in Montgomery and spotted something yellow floating in the gutter of Wilson Street…
The digitized version of Robert’s Paw’s Boyhood is now here for all to enjoy!
I am rationing myself to just a few stories a day while reading "Robert’s Paw’s Boyhood.” The alligator in Paw’s “big trough” was a complete surprise to me and that is where I am now….
The digitized version of Robert’s Paw’s Boyhood is now here for all to enjoy!
A Chinese company already in the satellite launch business called “iSpace, Inc.” has recently flown a new rocket with many of the design details as a SpaceX Falcon-9 booster. It took off, hovered at low altitude and then landed smoothly on four legs right where it took off from. Impressive!
Earlier I had mentioned that I was waiting for my favorite space blogger, Scot Manley, to tell us what happened to the Japanese Lunar lander. Here it all is. In tremendous detail
A heavy wind storm hit Belfast, Maine on the night of 10 January 2024 at high tide causing flood and wind damage to buildings and boats near the harbor. As you can see in this photo of the Belfast Harbor-master’s Office, the water with breaking waves on it topped the breakwater, docks and parking surfaces. Extensive damage was done to the nearby Nautilus Restaurant.
Returning to Naples after a short summer holiday in Belfast, we encountered a series of mysteries in our apartment…
The ancient 80-foot Swamp-Maple in our front yard in Maine finally got sick and tired of standing upright. This year, it began shedding branches and trunks at an alarming rate. Neighbors warned us in the winter that the larger branch had fallen, but when we arrived we saw the story was much more complex.
There were dozens of video cameras running during the launch of SpaceX’s Starship. These have provided rich engineering data that allows an explanation of why the rocket failed to achieve orbit and had to be destroyed.
No new information here …. Just a better telescopic camera. The Twitter message shows the rocket flying responsibly along …. even with a few engines out.
By now we have all watched SpaceX launch their giant Starship …. Cheered when it cleared the launch tower …worried when it began to wobble …. and sighed when it had to be destroyed. The ship was clearly not flying its planned trajectory and engines were winking out.
What is this Mystery Tool…? My first thought was that it was just an older version of the classic post-hole digger that I used for years… Boy, was I wrong.
Watch Marcus House’s summary of SpaceX activity and plans, concentrating on preparations for the SpaceX StarShip to make its first flight.
People ask: “How good is NASA’s new Webb Space Telescope? Most of the time, the answer given by astronomers and scientists is too complicated…
Twenty years ago, somebody impaled a 60-pound pumpkin 170 feet off the ground on the spire at Cornell University. Nobody knows who did this or how they did it… here’s my response to my Yale roommates after a discussion of this classic prank …
Back at the turn of the century, I was sure that “The New Yorker” magazine would publish my cartoon drawing…
Hi Paw! I was talking to Krissy recently about Mommichen's ancestry and she encouraged me to reach out to you. She told me that she heard Mommichen was Jewish, do we have any evidence to support that? Thank you. - Leila
Every 12 to 18 months, people start to notice those two bright stars next to the Moon. How come they never saw them before?
