Aerospace engineer, pilot & astronomer. Lunar systems / space resources at @BlueOrigin. Opinions my own, but call me out if I'm an asshole about them. He/him.
Seattle, WA
Joined October 2009
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I don't take comfort in *knowing* the future will be better.
I do take comfort in a robust data-informed extrapolation that we have made the world better by most available metrics, and are highly probable to continue doing so.
I don't think AI CAD solutions are there (yet), but it's great for CAD *prep*.
Normally I'd spend ~ a day in Excel working out the math for how I want my design inputs to drive geometry, but Claude did it accurately with just ~15 minutes of explanation. More time for CADing!
Go Crew 13!
LIVE: Four new crew members are about to lift off for the @Space_Station! NASA's @SpaceX Crew-13 mission is scheduled to launch from the Space Coast at 11:10am ET (1510 UTC). xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1AGRnZWdN…
"COMPUTERS CAN'T THINK!"
Okay... and container ships can't swim, but who cares?
If I want 10,000 container units delivered, I'm not going to consider making people swim them across the Pacific just because people can do the breaststroke.
We *shall* construct additional pylons!
Power changes what’s possible on the lunar surface.
Our Power Tower is a 20-meter-tall, vertically deployed solar array system designed to provide more than 10 kilowatts of power for Moon Base operations at the lunar South Pole. Its modular architecture will support future surface networks, extending power beyond the lander to the assets that need it most.
Explore the concept in our animation below, then watch a successful real-world deployment: youtu.be/wcirOp_E2J0
Revisiting @SpaceCampUSA and @NASA_Marshall. Today and every day, I am aware of the giants whose shoulders we stand on.
Good call.
I don't think intervention like this would be necessary if planetary protection advocates had better articulated an off-ramp.
Preventing hypothetical contamination is a fine goal, but for how long? PP advocates don't specify, and "forever" is not a workable answer.
I can assure you we have already been working on revisions to the planetary protection policies to bring them back in line with the common-sense principles originally established by COSPAR in the early days of planetary exploration and later reflected in Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty. We are needlessly adding extreme cost and time to robotic missions to Mars when the overarching goal is to send astronauts there as quickly and safely as possible.
The difference between uninhabitable and habitable is where humans are on the tech tree.
And this is a good step along a very important branch!
Today, Pioneer Labs is announcing our first step towards terraforming Mars. 🚀🌼
With equipment that fits in just a single rocket launch, we can convert Martian dirt, water, and air into enough building materials to construct a small city on Mars.
To do it, we made the first microbe for Mars. We found the best microbe on Earth and used evolution to teach it how to source all of its nutrients directly from Martian materials.
The first astronauts will be greeted with safe shelter already filled with water, oxygen, and rocket fuel for the return journey.
This is the first step toward using biology to make Mars a friendly place for life. It lets us live off the land and helps us build the next great frontier.
It's the first of five organisms we need to green Mars ⬇️
Not going to update my fluid dynamics slide decks yet. But this certainly looks promising!
We’re sharing a solution to the Navier-Stokes Millennium Prize Problem, one of the deepest problems at the frontier of mathematics.
The proof was produced by a group of agents, using an OpenAI next-generation model significantly more capable than GPT-6 Astra.
The problem concerns whether the description of smooth three-dimensional fluid motion modeled by the Navier-Stokes equations can break down. It has remained unresolved for roughly 90 years.
Our Crew – at Newport, RI
Welcome to Rocket Park, home of New Glenn and Lunar Permanence 🚀🌕
This week, we hosted the @NASAArtemis III crew — Astronauts Randy Bresnik (@AstroKomrade), Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca), Andre Douglas (@Astro_AndreD), Frank Rubio, and backup Bob Hines (@Astro_FarmerBob). The crew got an up-close look at where New Glenn and our lunar landers come to life, then headed to LC-36, where we will launch our MK2 Earth Orbit Rendezvous demonstration vehicle in support of the Artemis III mission.
I'm not a tattoo person.
But sometimes I wish... 👉 – at Seattle, WA
Every. Damn. Vehicle. Let's just say I print a lot of these to hand out at work.
printables.com/model/1311353…
Go Roman! See you at L2 in a few months. – at Issaquah, WA
Our newest space telescope is on its way to revealing the universe's darkest secrets!
How much do you know about @NASARoman? We've got the key facts: go.nasa.gov/4h1660M
ALT The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, atop a white Falcon Heavy rocket, lifts off from its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A bright column of flame ignites below the rocket, against a blue sky with scattered clouds. Palm trees and other vegetation cover the bottom of the image. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
It's not that weird. Most types of engineering have a "save humanity" side and a "maximize lethality" side.
What I think *is* kind of weird about aerospace is how much more money you can make on the "save humanity" side! – at Bryn Mawr, WA
It doesn't *have* to be that way. There have definitely been times and places where """selling out""" in aerospace meant working for a defense prime. But it hasn't been that way for the last ~few decades, and I think that's a kind of cool alignment.