During the middle ages, the idea of a chain of existence reaching from the Earth to Heaven was popular. The lowest levels was the mineral realm followed, in ascending order, by plants, animals, humans, angelic beings and, finally, God. So we are suspended between Earth and Heaven, inanimate matter and God, himself. The picture above is one of many from Medieval times depicting the Great Chain of Being.
INMO, Mercury, with is craters, looks a bit like our moon. Well, a lot like our moon
ITN is a United Kingdom news channel, and the footage of an erratic, jittery light over Naples, Italy, which it has posted on the net, footage that the ITN news announcer claims is of an orbiting light, that has led to speculation about extraterrestrial activity over Italy, is pathetic. The footage is pathetic. The claim is pathetic.
I wonder who put ITN up to this? It is two days before April Fools day. Maybe somebody forgot today's date and put this blurry thing out on the net early? The thing looks like something a mischievous middle school kid did using photo shop. It looks so fake that funny is falling off of it.
Last night the PBS News Hour did a segment on the Orion Spacecraft, and on its maybe bleak future? Bleak not because of science but because of the budget. Some people, a greater number than one would like, treat the American space program like it is a luxury that America can not afford.
Yeah?
What is the supermoon? Is it like the blue moon? No. The full moon? Well, no. The moon is full but -- according to NASA, the moon is super, the supermoon, because it wil appear about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal, Why? NASA says, because the moon's orbit is oval. Yeah? And?
And there is a point when the moon's closest orbital point to the earth and its full stage coincide to make it appear far bigger and brighter than usual. Oh?
One of the reason why I enjoy the Internet as much as I do is, because I get to see the views from space, which NASA provides. I am a full enthusiastic member of the space age generation. Yes, I was a kid when all the talk was about NASA's seven original astronauts, and about my generation, stepping out on a new adventure. An adventure, for the most of us, has been and will continue to, in the words of Rod Sterling, an adventure "of the mind and of the imagination." A most enjoyable adventure just the same, and a mind expanding and learning adventure.
And so the British government has released more UFO files? So the UK, New Zealand, The U.S? Who else? Who hasn't released UFO files?
I think that there is something to UFOs. I would like to believe that all UFOs are fake, or are explainable, and every UFO can become an identified flying object, perhaps a secret American air craft or a child's wayward balloon, but definitely not anything extra-terrestrial. But I suspect that all UFOs can't be easily explained away, as something from this planet or from people's imaginations..
STS-133 launches between 02/24/11 and 03/07/2011
STS-134 launches between 04/19/11 and 04/29/2011
You could have your face up there among the stars as early as tomorrow!
