Mars radio occultation: we've been using the radio comms between ExoMars TGO and Mars Express to see how the beams bend through Mars' ionosphere, but actually managed to watch a solar flare through it!!
Check the story:
www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🧪🔭 #planetsci
#Oxfordpubreview
Surprise ! The Big Smoke smash burger at London Gatwick was actually pretty good.
I'd been here before and didn't rate it (airport food too).
Sunday afternoon kitchen staff must be their A-Team 😭
#food #London #lgw
#Oxfordpubreview!
Checked in with the Rickety Press before seeing #Akira on the big screen.
The Seoul Bird is still on point! Perfect fried chicken!
#Oxford #food
Space Night at the Oxford Covered Market was a huge success! Thank you to all of our speakers volunteering their time and planning talks, to the Space Store for the organization, to the Market Tap, Gulp Fiction, and the rest of the market for hosting us, and to the audience for coming to listen! 🔭🧪
Space Night at the Covered Market! This Sat 18 from 5pm. Oxford physicists like @DrKSOlsen and others, are hosting an evening of Space in collaboration with the Space Store, Tap Social, & Gulp Fiction.
More info and tickets: www.spacestore.co/event/space-quiz-night-a...
Throwback to the first Space Night in the Covered Market
#outreach in #Oxford!?
Space Night in the Oxford Covered Market with trivia!
Speakers from @oxfordphysics.bsky.social 🔭🧪
We are exactly one month on and here we have it, cuts everywhere, to active missions. Not the first time Trump asked for this!
2/2
One of the closing arguments we wrote in an article in
@theconversation.com about the future of Artemis was:
"With Nasa’s topline budget remaining largely flat, the higher cadence (frequency) of lunar missions outlined in Nasa’s changes to Artemis would increase pressure on agency resources." 🔭🧪1/2
Welcome home, Jeremy Hansen!!
🔭🧪
But, really, will there be any negative consequences for Trump? There never are...
The Kosmos missions re-entered and scattered the fuel all over the place. Kosmos 954 over Canada, requiring a major clean-up - and not by the mission's Soviet operators.
Remember Kosmos 954 and 1402.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_...
These carried the BES-5 fission reactor (!) with 30 kg uranium - 90% U-235. It's a heavy load compared to the radioisotope generators on the Mars rovers - 4.8 kg Pu-238.
The Mars mission and Moon base would carry a lot of fuel.
Nice piece by @hannah-richter.bsky.social on @science.org news on the NASA plans to build a nuclear propulsion Mars mission in under 3 years.
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Besides many challenges, there is a small, but not zero change that a new sat doesn't make it and re-enters. What then? 🔬🔭 #planetsci
Aaaaaand the pendulum swings!
With Artemis II half way to the moon, Trump proposes a 23% cut to NASA to fund his new war economy. The ink on the NASA bills and Isaacman's statements isn't even dry! 🧪🔭 #planetsci
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
This is a photo of the moon. There is a summoning stone in the middle of the photo, with a blue-and-green murloc to the left of the summoning stone, and a green-and-red murloc to the right. Both are wearing diving helmets. It's one small step for murlocs. One giant step for murloc-kind.
Good luck on your journey to the Moon, Artemis II!
You didn't need to fly here, though. We sent you a summon.
Look at me!
I'm an Eridian!!
#projectHailMary 🔭
#Dorset
Another shot 🪶🦉
Back to bird-posting, here's the resident ruffed grouse out at the lake this winter. Saw him every day!
🪶🦉 #birdsky #birds
Some thoughts on NASA's "Ignition", the Moon base, trying to get a reactor into space before the next administration, a new frankness, etc
www.economist.com/science-and-...
Ever wonder where the science landed on bio-signatures on exoplanets? Our @oxfordphysics.bsky.social colleague @astrojake.bsky.social has written up a succinct summary of the drama and what the latest paper adds.
It's a good read!
astrojake.substack.com/p/the-k2-18b...
🔭🧪 #planetsci
Things are moving quickly and taking shape. The ugly part is said aloud: gateway is paused. But the moon base will go fast!
www.nasa.gov/news-release...
#moon #planetsci 🧪🔭
RIP Canada Lunar Rover 😥
Sad to see you go, but excited to see what will come next!
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
🔭🧪 #planetsci
Really interesting discussions throughout!
In the picture, I'm on a panel to discuss why we explore following a presentation by Carly Howett
#planetsci
Oxford Planets and Life (OPAL) just held its wildly successful Planets Day at @jesusoxford.bsky.social .
They've managed to bring together a wildly diverse group of researchers interested in the origins of life planets, from biology, medicine, history, paleontology, earth science, the museum....
🔭🧪
Proton-M at Baikonur
10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Lift-off!
liftoff!
Ten years ago this morning (at 09:31 UT) saw the launch of ExoMars-16 mission. Take a moment to celebrate this!
🧪🔭 #planetsci
Fiona Henderson ( @oxfordphysics.bsky.social ) and I have written a new article for @theconversation.com on what a #Moon base could look like.
Fi's a lunar scientist and did a great job, check it out!
🧪🔭 #planetsci
theconversation.com/nasa-plans-t...
@laylamoran.bsky.social
Solution: remove the parking restrictions on the parking lot that came with the new development!
