Space Gorillas, Space Baboons, and the Thin Veneer of Astronaut Dignity
A playful look at what space pranks reveal about astronauts, isolation, and the fragile dignity of life in orbit.
Human Spaceflight
25 posts
Starliner’s Type A Wake-Up Call: When “Two Providers” Becomes a Safety Variable
Starliner’s upgraded incident classification turns commercial crew redundancy from procurement theory into a concrete safety question.
ISS Medical Return: Crew-11 Back
A medical return from the ISS shows how quickly orbital routine becomes a test of planning, trust, and contingency.
A Medical Situation Aboard the ISS: Putting Crew Health First in Space
An ISS medical situation reminds us that human spaceflight remains, above all, a discipline of crew survival.
Alcohol in Space Travel: Fuel for Humans and Rockets?
Alcohol in space is more than a joke: it touches chemistry, culture, propulsion, and the rituals humans carry with them.
The Great Space Switcheroo: A Cosmic Comedy of Perspectives
Changing perspectives can make space familiar, ridiculous, or profound, depending on where the mental camera is placed.
The Abandoned Dance of Orbital Evolution: ISS vs Freeside
Abandoned space stations offer a way to think about decay, adaptation, and the afterlife of orbital infrastructure.
NASA's 5 x 5 Risk Matrix Scorecard: A Powerful Tool for Space Safety
NASA’s risk matrix looks simple, but it reveals how space programs turn uncertainty into decisions.
Small Steps, Giant Leaps: The Dawn of Commercial Spacewalks
Polaris Dawn’s commercial spacewalk marks a small step outside the capsule and a large shift in who gets to do it.
The Galactic Chronicles: A Tour Through the Universe of Space Mission Names
Mission names are more than labels; they carry mythology, politics, branding, and the emotional charge of exploration.
The Upside of Upside-Down: Could Weightlessness Be a Boon for Your Heart?
Weightlessness harms many systems, but its effects on the heart raise a more nuanced and surprising medical question.
Calculating the Rendezvous of a SpaceX Cargo Ship with the ISS
Rendezvous with the ISS is a precise orbital dance where timing, speed, and geometry all have to agree.
Leak Detection in Space Stations and Space Capsules
In space, a leak is never small for long, so detection becomes a race between physics and procedure.
From Bookshelves to the Cosmos: Unraveling the Mysteries of Space Nutrition
Space nutrition turns food into engineering, psychology, medicine, and comfort packed into every mission plan.
Creatures in Space: A Journey Beyond Earth
Imagined creatures in space become a way to explore biology, AI, and the limits of human-centered thinking.
The Myth and Reality of "Suicide Pills" in Space Travel
The rumor of astronaut suicide pills says more about fear, secrecy, and mythmaking than actual mission practice.
Burping in Space: The Galactic Challenges of Raising Infants in Microgravity
Raising infants in microgravity sounds whimsical until biology, caregiving, and spacecraft design make it deeply complicated.
Turning Screws, Pressing Buttons: The Intricacies of Tool Use in Space
Even simple tools become complicated in microgravity, where every push, screw, and button press has consequences.
Beyond the Stars: The Confluence of Function, Fashion and Fantasy in Spacesuit Design
Spacesuits sit at the intersection of survival engineering, public symbolism, design language, and science-fiction expectation.
The Astonishing "Superpowers" of Astronauts in Space: Enhanced Vision and Beyond
Space can change human perception in surprising ways, turning astronaut health into a source of strange discoveries.
Women in Space: The Future of Long-Term Space Missions and Interplanetary Colonization
Long-term space settlement raises questions about women’s health, reproduction, crew design, and who exploration is built for.
Microscopic Threats in Space: Dust, Mold, Bacteria, and Viruses
Microbes, dust, mold, and viruses become more serious when sealed habitats make Earth’s smallest threats hard to escape.
The Final Frontier: Love, Lust, and Loops in Zero Gravity
Sex in space is less fantasy than systems problem, involving privacy, biology, safety, and mission culture.
TGIF: Do Astronauts Need a Vacation?
Even astronauts need rhythms of rest, making weekends and downtime surprisingly important in orbit.
The Final Frontiers: Parallels Between Deep-Sea Exploration and Space Travel Amidst Recent Events
Deep-sea and space exploration share a harsh lesson: ambition must negotiate with pressure, isolation, and rescue limits.