I work on space stations. Love science, Star Wars and traveling. And cats. And sloths. And monkeys. Opinions my own.
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Joined March 2008
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Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Three Falcon rockets vertical at three of our launch pads in Florida and California → spacex.com/launches
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Quitter ma petite famille, c'est la chose la plus difficile que j’aie jamais faite. Mais c'est la nature de l’exploration. Fridtjof Nansen, alors qu'il décrivait son départ pour le pôle Nord, résume bien ma pensée :
ALT L'astronaute de l'ASC Joshua Kutryk, sa femme et ses deux enfants.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
“Behind me lay all I held dear in life. And what lay before me? Happy child, little do you know what life is — how strangely mingled and how full of change… and now, a farewell to home. It was the darkest hour of the whole journey.”
ALT CSA Astronaut Joshua Kutryk and his wife and two children.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
“You get to decide what art is,” George Lucas says at the opening night of the #LucasMuseum
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Volume up and get your groove on. A bit of weekend dancing on the @Space_Station to start your week off right. A friend of mine was shocked when she realized that it was possible to dance in microgravity. Seems we can’t keep this from the world for any longer! The power of music transcends Earth and space.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Day 203 orbit 3146 — Floating upside down (from your point of view!), eyes closed, listening to a guided relaxation session... 😌
Staying at your best in space isn't just about good hygiene, plenty of exercise and precise nutrition. Life in orbit is demanding, with busy schedules, occasional disrupted sleep and the challenges of microgravity, and for decades, astronauts have developed their own relaxation and meditation routines.
As part of the European RelaxPro study, we’re now officially testing techniques designed to help astronauts manage stress and improve sleep. By combining our feedback with physiological measurements, including saliva and hair samples, researchers hope to better understand how simple practices can support astronaut’s health and well-being on future long-duration missions.
In space as on Earth, staying at your best is sometimes also knowing when to slow down and breathe!
🎥 @esa / @NASA
#εpsilon • @esaspaceflight • @Space_Station • @NASAJohnson
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Starry starry night. Channeling my inner post-impressionism vibes as I experiment with long exposure star trails from the @Space_Station Japanese Experiment Module window. Maybe van Gogh was dreaming in long exposure for his masterpiece. That’s the @JAXA_en external platform (JEF) in the foreground, looking toward the port truss solar arrays on the left. Taken with a Nikon Z9, 14mm lens, 180s exposure.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
…and many more! 🎂🎈🎉
We wish a very happy birthday to the incomparable Gene Kranz, a legendary flight director who served our human spaceflight program for 34 years! Kranz is best known for his leadership in Mission Control during Apollo 13, but his composure and determination still inspire us today.
ALT Photo of Eugene Kranz, flight director, wearing a special red, white, and blue striped vest and clapping his hands in mission control in Houston during shuttle mission STS-41C.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
My favorite capture of the night: The moment the moon's shadow split the sunset in half, leaving a diamond ring in the sky and a breathtaking view. I call it "Shadows on the Balearic Sea".
I'll have prints available for this one linked in my bio for a few days only.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Meet the newest members of our Expedition 75 crew, red Russian kale and wasabi mustard! We’re caring for these plants in our free time, with the goal of understanding how plants grow in the open cabin environment of the @Space_Station (instead of in our specialized plant habitat) and how seed viability is affected by on-orbit stowage. I love having something green, alive and growing in the otherwise sterile environment of the @iss - a bit of nature therapy is always welcome!
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Many have asked how this photo was made. This is my explanation.
The ISS rotates about its pitch axis as it orbits Earth at 17,000mph to keep its nadir view constant. Because of this long exposure photography turns stars into arced lines.
Sidereal clock drives on Earth match the planet's rotation to see stars clearly. I knew one designed for space could do this too.
So a camera mount was custom built at @RITtigers to rotate once every 90 minutes using a 60 to 90 toothed gear system, cancelling out the orbital motion of ISS and allowing the capture of distant stars as fixed points!
In essence, it is a a rotational coil spring powered analog star tracker. It was machined out of aluminum and is entirely mechanical to bypass NASA's strict electrical requirements for cargo. We had to get creative!
After Expedition 72 it was safely returned to Earth and is to be displayed at RIT. Which I am pleased to say because a similar barn door tracker I made from spare parts on Expedition 6 for nighttime city photography was destroyed in an atmospheric trash disposal!
Photography is an important part of sharing the journey to new frontiers for all people of Earth!
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Day 161, orbit 2497 — Cooking in space is sooooo joyful! 😄 It’s funny how little things, like gathering a mixing bowl and cooking supplies, can unlock all kind of memories – familiar gestures, smells and flavours. On Earth I sometimes wish I didn’t have to cook, but after months of ready-made meals (no matter how nutritious and tasty they are), the act of preparing a meal is a huge joyful experience!
In 2023, during his Huginn mission, Andy was the first astronaut to use this culinary robot to prepare a chocolate mousse, which is quite challenging because of its airy texture. Food processor is a technology demonstrator: the goal is to show that preparing meals in microgravity is feasible, first using ingredients produced on Earth, and one day, with vegetables grown in space.
Congratulations to the French teams 🇫🇷 who did a fantastic job! Even before I started mixing the ingredients, the smell was tantalizing… The recipe, a Mediterranean Duo consisting of eggplant puree and hummus, tastes like a home-cooked meal made with fresh ingredients and aromatic herbs. It’s funny because whenever French gastronomy is on the menu, nobody’s late at the dinner table and everyone’s 150% delighted! 😋
After four months in space, it’s clear to me that France has unique expertise in preparing meals that are both delicious and nutritious for space exploration. I hope the current partners will continue to showcase French gastronomy, and why not, take the lead in this area!
📸 @esa / @NASA
👏 & 🙏: @CNES • @Medes_IMPS • @COMATSPACE • @JeanHenaffSA • Inneolab • Olga (Triballat Noyal) • @compositic • Innovons à 360 • Andros • #εpsilon
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
The scroll formations can be several millimeters in dimension, and remind me of an inverted Mesoamerican pyramid!
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Scanning electron microscope look at the hopper crystals I grew on ISS. These are potassium chloride crystals exhibiting a relatively rare "scroll" morphology with step-like structures under weightless conditions.
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
One pilot marked the 15th anniversary of the final @NASA Space Shuttle mission this week with a special flight path in Florida. Rewind the flight for yourself at flightradar24.com/data/aircr…
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
The next generation already in training. My daughters, Mila and Liv, are wrapping up their week at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. This place is a national treasure. @SpaceCampUSA @RocketCenterUSA
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
Jour 149, orbite 2306 – La science du dimanche matin avec Sophie, épisode 12 : les odeurs dans l’espace, partie 1 !
Je vous embarque pour un autre tour thématique de la Station, mais cette fois-ci, vous devrez faire appel à votre imagination et à votre mémoire olfactive pour profiter à 100% de l’expérience !
🎥 @esa / @NASA
#εpsilon • @esaspaceflight • @esa_fr • @Space_Station • @NASAJohnson • @cnes
Dr. Spasmunkey retweeted
This will forever be among my favorite things Ive had the honor of capturing.
In 2021 Wally Funk finally went to space after a lifetime of trying. After landing, eating lunch, being in a press conference, and then in a photo op, she turned to leave, finally done with a monumental day.
But, as everyone walked away from the rocket that booster their capsule she paused, turned, and took a moment to soak it all in. This is that moment.
Be like Wally. Never give up, and when you do finally succeed, soak it in.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Wally Funk.
Wally was a pioneer in every sense of the word. In her 20s, she was the first female civilian flight instructor at a U.S. military base. She became the youngest of the Mercury 13, outperforming nearly every test put in front of her, and ultimately, the only one of the thirteen to have ever reached space.
On NS-16, sixty years later, Wally made history as the oldest astronaut at the time and remains the oldest woman to ever fly to space. It was a moment six decades in the making. We were humbled to be part of her journey.
Her story will continue to inspire generations of future explorers.
Fly Wally, Fly. 🚀
