space/science/tech writer. content creator on space at Ad Astra (YouTube + newsletter). occasionally: fast company, wired, science friday, npr.
Philly Main Line
Joined December 2008
- Tweets11.7K
- Following705
- Followers21.9K
- Likes12.1K
Pinned Tweet
STARGAZING is a gift-style book that introduces stargazing as a way to practice mindfulness. It’s packed with science too!!
It’s out in August, and I appreciate any preorders:
Amazon | amazon.com/dp/1797221361/ref…
B&N | barnesandnoble.com/w/pocket-…
Bookshop | bookshop.org/p/books/pocket-…
Did the Perseverance rover find life on Mars???
No.
But it DID make a very interesting discovery that could be relevant to the search for ancient microbial life on the red planet!! Here's more:
youtu.be/MdYuRUN_qk4
There have been increasing rumors from reputable sources that Boeing Starliner astronauts may come home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Nothing has been decided, but here’s an overview/what might be going on at NASA
Newsletter @ 11 am ET adastraspace.com
youtu.be/WyZMRTWWw3I
Swapna Krishna retweeted
Cygnus NG-21: Mission control just alerted the ISS crew to a possible issue with the Cygnus cargo ship: "Just to let you guys know, good comm with Cygnus, we're going to have solar array deploy in about an hour. The first two burns were not performed by Cygnus, so they're re-assessing what's the current state of the burn plan. We're hoping to still keep Tuesday (for capture by ISS), but we'll re-assess once we figure out what went wrong with the first two burns."
Swapna Krishna retweeted
Recent solar activity pushed the aurora closer to us. The Soyuz hangs from the station in a stream of aurora.
Soyuz is illuminated in a light blue from a sun behind the camera and in front of the space station that is just about to rise.
1/4s, f1.4, 50mm, ISO 6400
NASA will retire the ISS at the end of the decade. It will be brought down and laid to rest in the ocean.
But WHY do we need to retire it? Why can’t we save the space station, keep using it or have it as a museum?
Newsletter: adastraspace.com/p/will-happ…
youtu.be/qlMmoaP_OE8
Swapna Krishna retweeted
To geek out over space and the Tour de France in a single episode was extremely fun! You should listen, you'll have fun too! @skrishna is just that brilliant!
Space Exploration, Cycling, and Community are a blur of passion and commitment with @agentpalmer's next guest @skrishna!
ThePalmerFiles.com
Hoping that mission elapsed time clock runs for another decade. #SaveChandra
This morning, Boeing Starliner successfully launched to the ISS for its crewed flight test. Here's an overview of what happened, what the implications for this flight are, and what's next:
youtu.be/ge_8rVRnktA
Boeing Starliner is gearing up for launch! Liftoff is scheduled for 10:52 am ET. Launch vehicle and spacecraft are both doing great, weather is beautiful, and the launch team is ahead of schedule.
Swapna Krishna retweeted
🚀#Ariane6 launch date: 9 July 2024. More info 👇 esa.int/Enabling_Support/Spa…
Swapna Krishna retweeted
I did some back of the envelope math: it will take a minimum of 19 launches to get Starship ready for its NASA HLS contract—curious what others think.
payloadspace.com/a-dear-john…
Swapna Krishna retweeted
Chang’e-6 lands on far side of the moon to collect unique lunar samples
spacenews.com/change-6-lands…
Gotta say, if both Starship and Boeing have attempted launches on June 5, every space reporter’s head is going to explode.
Swapna Krishna retweeted
If they are able to recycle for tomorrow, liftoff time would be 12:03 pm EDT. Also opportunities June 5 (10:52 am EDT) and June 6 (10:29 am EDT).
Swapna Krishna retweeted
SCOOP (lol): Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the NASA astronauts scheduled to fly on Boeing's Starliner tomorrow, "will have a very light, traditional breakfast" before launch, per a NASA spokesperson. "Toast, scrambled eggs and oatmeal will be available for them."
Swapna Krishna retweeted
The last step of fueling has been started. This will place about 12,300 gallons of liquid hydrogen fuel into the Dual Engine Centaur upper stage to power Starliner into space. Still targeting 12:25:40 p.m. EDT (1625:40 UTC) for liftoff: bit.ly/av_cft
This week's space news:
- Voyager 1 sent back science data!
- Scientists found billions of orphan stars hidden in a Euclid image
- The planetary alignment you heard about? Overhyped!!
and more!
Newsletter out at 11 am ET, sign up: adastraspace.com
youtu.be/07p3NA1trNs
As always, here is the newsletter version of that is more your speed!! adastraspace.com/p/voyager-1…
Swapna Krishna retweeted
why is NASA (effectively) cancelling Chandra?
well, here's my un-subtle chart showing why NASA Science is in so much trouble, and why it's worth fighting for.
I hope that congress acts to restore @NASA Science to $9B in 2025.
If you’ve been looking at everything NASA is doing and wondering “ok but when are we ACTUALLY going back to the moon, and what’s the plan here?” this video is for you.
Here’s a rough timeline of the Artemis program, along with context:
youtu.be/aSXUjA-GaKQ