#ShutDownScienceClub!

Alrighty – first off, long time no talk!

Now that that’s out of the way – I want to talk to you about the current government shut-down. Obviously, this might be long over by the time you read this, but all the same – I don’t want to discuss blame or cause or reason… except for the reason of science, which is pretty reasonable. Anyhow, what I want to talk about is doing a science this week – in support of those federal employees who are legally and contractually prohibited from doing or talking about the science they love to do.

That’s right – during a federal government shut-down, some employees are not even allowed to give talks, lectures, or tend to their experiments. Government labs are shut down – biological research is halted, (and in some cases ruined!) and other education, outreach, and information services are suspended.

In short, it’s a terrible week for science!

So here’s what I’d like. This week, and until the shut-down is over – I would like you to take a picture of yourself doing a science. ANY SCIENCE (keep it safe for work and school though, nerds) Take a picture of your science and post it on Twitter with the hashtag, #shutdownscienceclub.

@SarcasticRover will be retweeting the best ones I see (though bear in mind, I won’t see them all) – and you should keep your eyes out for amazing sciences with the hashtag as well.

I really want everyone to know that just because funding stops, that doesn’t mean science stops – it doesn’t mean curiosity or investigation or reason or experimental fun stops. And I want those who don’t get to have their science know that we stand with them.

So go! DO A SCIENCE! It’s #SHUTDOWNSCIENCECLUB!

It’s even on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/601470823251107

Yelling Into A Pillow…

This is a post wherein I rant about climate change and hurricanes and people who anger me.

You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. Though that goes for everything here of course.

Click through to read more:

Final Thoughts on Felix…

Alright, so today I’ll be sharing my final thoughts on this dummy up here – Felix Baumgartner – and his recent, idiotic thoughts on Mars, NASA, and planetary exploration in general – which you can find in The Telegraph – right here: http://soc.li/AYodv5R

As a warning – things will possibly get ranty, and unresearched, and maybe I’ll shake my fist like an old man. I don’t know

Click through to read more…

Does Anyone Else Smell Science?

Methane! On Mars! OMFG!

So here we go… again. Oh, and good day to you, or night, whatever.

There are rumors about that the Mars Rover Curiosity has found methane in the atmosphere of Mars and therefor we should freak out and get ready for an alien invasion.

Well let’s not. Instead, just read this blog post and we’ll suss it out together.

Click through to read more:

How Curiosity Got A Name…

Today on the blog you (and I) are going to meet an amazing and inspirational young lady named Clara – a 15 year old student from Lenexa, Kansas who wrote an essay that won her a contest – and in doing so, she helped put a brick in the wall of history.

Clara is the person who gave the Curiosity Rover its name. She named the rover that I tell stupid jokes about – and I got to talk to her.

This is Clara Ma:

Let me just say first off – that this girl is smart and clever and endearingly charming. She is an inspiration for young girls who want to do great things, and for us older people who worry about what the hell young people are doing with their lives. I’m not even joking here – read this, and you will have a better day. Promise.

So, enjoy this interview – and I hope you find Clara as awesome as I did.

Read more to read more…

Interview With a Driver (Part 2)…

And we’re back!

So some days ago I posted the first half of an interview with the amazing and very clever Mars-rover driver, Matt Heverly – from NASA JPL.

You can read that FIRST PART OF THE INTERVIEW HERE…

Matt has been, obviously, rather busy – but had a few days off and was able to complete our somewhat lengthy conversation, which I present below.

So, click on and enjoy an INTERVIEW WITH A DRIVER (PART 2)…

Interview With a Driver (Part 1)…

This is just the very best thing, possibly ever.

Among the several fun things about this Twitter adventure has been the occasional interactions with ACTUAL NASA PEOPLE! Real engineers and programmers and scientists who actually do all the things that I then turn around and make fun of like a jerk.

So, in what I hope will be the first of many such happenings, I reached out to one of these people in the hopes of asking some questions… and as a result we have today’s post.

An interview with MARS ROVER DRIVER MATT HEVERLY! (AKA @Matt_Heverly on Twitter)

This is Matt. Hello Matt.

So click through to learn “All I Want To Know About Rover-Driving, But Was Unable To Ask*”

*until now.

Martian Days and Martian Months…

It seems that without fail, whenever I post something seemingly simple and silly on Twitter, my friends there find a way to turn it into something very interesting.

Take today, for example – it’s Monday so I make a comment about having a “case of the Mondays” and get this back in return:

A very good question – What day is it on Mars?

The answer turns out to be Friday – which is undeniably effed up…BUT, the way we got to that answer is, as ever, the interesting bit of the journey.

LET’S DO A CALENDAR SCIENCE!