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Spiritual Life: Leave anxiety behind and be open to today – Blue Mountain Eagle

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

"Do not worry, do not be anxious" are messages found repeatedly in Christian scripture. Say that to me and it's like saying "don't think about elephants"! But I've come to realize the difference between concern and worry.

Concern leads me to constructive action. Worry or anxiety is just the hamster wheel. Round and round I go, exhausting myself emotionally and spiritually, and usually making an annoying squeaking sound as well!

A few years ago I participated in a weeklong spiritual retreat, where I focused on getting rid of anxiety. It had become a factor in my life that no longer seemed appropriate. I grew up in an anxiety-producing family, and had anxiety-fostering careers. Now retired, I'm involved with some important and meaningful projects, but they aren't really anxiety-producing.

The world is full of difficulty, struggle and tragedy, none of which I can help relieve if I'm full of anxiety. I wanted to shed my old and energy-draining habit.

Twenty years ago I acquired a little voice to help me cope when I felt overwhelmed by events beyond my control. At the time, I was the associate priest at a church service that was getting badly off track while the bishop and senior pastor chatted, ignoring the directions in the service leaflet. As I fumed and fussed, I heard the voice of TV cartoon character Bart Simpson say, "Well don't have a cow, lady!"

Over the years I've heard that voice many times, calling me back from the edge of a meltdown. At the retreat, I wanted to discover a better voice with a more sacred message to calm and guide me.

A spiritual practice instructed me to go into the countryside to find a creature that seemed to facilitate my access to God. I wanted a majestic hawk, an exotic blue-tailed skink, or a lovely butterfly. This creature needed to be worthy of the task of connecting me to the Holy One.

Nothing. The meadow was devoid of life. The steep wooded hillside was occupied only by annoying bugs, which did not meet my standards for this sacred quest.

High up the trail I stepped into a clearing and there it was. There was no doubt that this creature was there for me. It was big. It was reddish-brown. It was a cow.

And I heard a little voice that was not Bart Simpson's, saying, "You want to have a cow, have a cow!"

Never doubt that God has a sense of humor!

The message I received from the "Holy Cow" was to stop taking myself so seriously. The baggage of anxiety needs to be checked at the gate. "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals" is a teaching from Jesus, that says to me "leave your baggage of the past so you can be open to what is happening now."

How to check that baggage? Give forgiveness to others; accept it for myself. Laugh often, especially at myself. Trust the Spirit's guidance. And when life gets tough, let "Holy Cow!" connect me to God's grace.

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Spiritual Life: Leave anxiety behind and be open to today - Blue Mountain Eagle

Post-reformation theology of the priesthood influenced abuse crisis, author says – Crux: Covering all things Catholic

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

[Editors Note: Clare McGrath-Merkle, OCDS, DPhil, is a philosopher of religion and author of the 2018 book, Brulles Spiritual Theology of Priesthood: A Study in Speculative Mysticism and Applied Metaphysics. She also earned an ABD status in spirituality, focusing on the priesthood, an MTS, and an MA from St. Johns College, Annapolis. She spoke to Charles Camosy.]

Camosy: Youve done a lot of work on the theology of the priesthood. Can you give us the short version of your central view or a couple central ideas that could give Crux readers some insight into how you are thinking about this topic?

McGrath-Merkle: My work has been focused mainly on the theology of the priesthood and its possible role, if any, in the crisis of sexual abuse and cover-up. The causes of the crisis are, of course, varied, but I have wanted to try to understand how this theology might have somehow contributed to a clerical identity prone to the abuse of power.

The understanding Ive come to is that what we think of astheofficial theology of the priesthood is actually a 400-year-old revolutionary one, linked to clerical formation spirituality. Its underlying spiritual theology has influenced the training of seminarians up until Vatican II and has had a major resurgence since the 90s. Interestingly, it hasnt been of much interest to most systematic theologians.

This theology was proposed in the early 17thcentury by a little-known cardinalPierre de Brulle, the founder of the French School of Spirituality, and is a rather psychologically and spiritually unhealthy one. Leading up to my research on the possible historical roots of the crisis as found in this theology, I explored some current serious psychosocial maladaptions in priestly identity in a 2010article.

Arguably, Brulles innovations have contributed to an unhealthy priestly identity and culture over centuries, principally through both an over-identification with Christ and an exaggerated sacrificial spirituality.

What was behind these innovations?

Brulle wanted to form a new kind of priest during a time when clerical corruption was still rampant in France, a half century after the Council of Trents reforms. He particularly wanted to defend the Church against Protestant objections to the necessary role of the priest in the sacrifice of the Mass.

Interestingly, he made major departures from tradition when he tried to answer Protestant Reformers on their own termswho had rejected St. Thomas Aquinas, particularly his conceptualization of the sacramental character of the priesthood.

If I could boil it down to one central idea, Brulle asserted that the priest is not just an instrument of Christ, as Aquinas asserted, but is somehow connected to Christ as a part of His Person. In fact, Brulle proposed that priests pray constantly so that they could give over their person to Christ, the Incarnate Word, so that He could then replace His Person with theirs.

In terms of pious rhetoric today, the idea that the priest is in some kind of essentialist relation to Christ is defended by insisting there is an ontological difference between the priest and laity. The word ontological merely points to something having to do with being. Many documents, books, and popular articles on both the theology of the priesthood and priestly spirituality are available today that refer to this ontological difference between priests and the laity. But, if its used to denote anessentialdifference, its metaphysically impossible, because if a priests essence changed, he would no longer be human.

Brulles priestly identity is very different than the priestly identity proposed by Pope St. Gregory the Greata more humble, service-oriented but still cultic vision of the priest, which I have also explored as one model for renewal in a 2011article. Gregorys pastoral manual served the Church for a thousand years before the Berullian priestly identity and spirituality took over.

As you know,there is a new book outon the priesthood, celibacy, and the crisis of the Catholic Church. There is some controversy about in what ways Pope Emeritus Benedict wants to be associated with the book, so lets focus specifically on it as an articulation of the views of Robert Cardinal Sarah. What do you make of the central case he is making in the book?

I would say Cardinal Sarahs central argument is that there is a necessary bond between priesthood and celibacy, built on the parallel assertions that Christ is present in the priest as Bridegroom of the Church, and that the Church should also be the priests exclusive bride. We can trace the Cardinals support of these connections back, in part, to Berullian metaphysics.

The cardinal refers to the link he sees between the priest and Christ as ontological, using this term repeatedly throughout the document. For example, the cardinal underscores the link between Christ, priests, and celibacy by saying that celibacy is the sign and instrument of the priests entrance into the priestly being of Christ. This is very reminiscent of both Berullian rhetoric and metaphysics.

Strikingly, Cardinal Sarah refers to the priest as not just another Christ, but rather, asipse Christus, Christ himself.

Cardinal Sarah uses more essentialist language in arguing for the absolute necessity for celibacy. For him, celibacy is necessary because the priest offers his own body, entering into Christs virginal offering, when he says the words of institution: This is my Body.

In this, Cardinal Sarah moves beyond traditional notions of the idea of sacrifice as an interior offering of charity, praise, or obedience. The linking of the virginity of Christ and that required of the priest is reminiscent of the ancient ideal of the purity demanded of a sacrificial victim.

Cardinal Sarah specifically rejects a married priesthood based on what I would argue is an over-identification of the priest with Christ as the Incarnate Word a Berullian echo. He gives the example of a missionary priest visiting a community, whom he calls the image of the Word visiting humanity. He then remarks that the ordination of a married priest would express the opposite movement.

What do you make of the historical claims he is making in the book? Im thinking especially here of his claims about the historical relationship of the priesthood to matrimony and, when priests were married, whether they were required to remain celibate.

Cardinal Sarah mentions that Church councils by the 4th century had already called on the importance of continence for priests. I can speak to the era of Pope St. Gregory the Great who was born in the 6thcentury and who met the corruption of his day by making celibacy a rule for married clergy and a new rule for candidates. As an ideal, celibacy has required, over the centuries, repeated restorations of its practice. We know the need for intimacy and the desire for family are two reasons priests either elect to lead double lives or leave ministry.

Yes, Cardinal Sarah suggests the idea of establishing communities of priests. There is already a long history of communities of priests serving a diocesan bishop along the lines of a monastic model but without religious vows and I think it is a promising model for celibate priests.

That said, if a general return to this model continues the current practice of trying to form psychosocially immature candidates, it could still be open to the same problems we have had to face. Historically, religious houses and monasteries have had problems with pederasty too. Its not a panacea.

Also, I would suggest, practical reform can only follow a concerted effort toward theological and philosophical renewal. In repeated attempts over decades to reform the priesthood via psychological, spiritual, and intellectual means, we seem to keep trying to change horses when we actually need to take the cart to the repair shop.

It seems with every new book on priestly spirituality or new project on priestly formation, there are a dizzying number of changes suggested. New icons, new metaphors, new techniques in prayer, deliverance, healing, and spiritual direction. Its hard to keep up, and illustrates just how much our crisis is really an identity crisis.

To come round right, the foundational questions for me are: who do we say Christ is, and how does the priest serve His Priesthood?

I, myself, follow St. Thomas in his answers to these questions and to many others pertaining to a wide range of related areas. We have lost his wisdom and need to foster scholarship for researchers who can make key corrections and also new inroads in areas such as metaphysics, Christology, pneumatology, the Trinity, and liturgical studies, just to name a few.

I personally have had professors who study related areas, who, probably as I write this, are quietly inhabiting library stalls and basement offices, spending long hours devoted to research. If you asked me their opinions on Church politics, I wouldnt be able to tell you because its not about that for them.

I have hoped for some ten years that we could establish an academic center for the study of the priesthood. In addition to the areas of study I just listed, there are many priestly spiritualities in tradition that we could mine for more ideas. It will take a commitment to being dispassionate and systematic. Thats a tall order in polemical times.

How do you think his views shape how we should think about married Catholics priests today (converts from Anglicanism, for instance), eastern rite Catholic priests in communion with Rome, and ecumenical efforts with the Orthodox churches?

Cardinal Sarah makes the point that he sees the allowance of clerical marriage for converts as an interim step leading eventually to a celibacy requirement. He fears that married priests, including those he mentions, I would assume, might suffer from being treated like second-class priests. He also points to the problem of divorce among Eastern clergy, and that faithful dont want to confess to married priests.

I see real value in trying to better understand various pastoral identities like those of pastor-converts and have been working on a model to do that. They could be a rich resource of renewal, including in ecumenical efforts.

Some more traditional members of the Church fear that a married priesthood would mean a (further) Protestantizing of clerical identity. Ironically, priestly identity actually took on a host of Protestant ideals through Brulles project, including a moralistic pastoral piety and an emphasis on the power of pastor over office and canon law. I think this emphasis, arguably, can be found in priestly identities on both sides of current divides. In some ways, we seem sometimes to be pots and kettles calling each other black.

I would also argue that even in the quarter century or so after Vatican II of radically different theological training, vestiges of a continued Berullian formation, including a grandiose self-concept and very old and uncorrected Reformist ideals, may have had a major hand in the peak of abuse cases.

I go into the many Berullian influences on the theology of the priesthood in my 2018book.

Do you see the insights in this book as having import for the challenges the Catholic Church is facing?

I think its immensely helpful, a great service to the Church in several ways.

I really appreciate Cardinal Sarah poignantly laying open his heart to us, giving us a window into his life and the ideals that formed him as a priest. His openness can serve as a model as we try to work through competing solutions to the crisis.

The book seems groundbreaking to me in that we have been invited to respond to his ideas with critiques or augmentation. This isnt a formal document or decree that must be obeyed, but a work of affective theologizingexpressing theological ideas in terms of the heart.

The book clearly points to the power and roles of spiritual theology and philosophy, the hidden engines of the Churchs official theology of the priesthood.

Finally, it really shows just how complex the issues are and that a Church council rather than regional synods will be needed to address them alland that will take time. I very much support Cardinal Sarahs desire to slow things down. From my perspective, its hard to reform things we dont really fully understand yet.

Somehow, I hope that Cardinal Sarahs cry of the heart can serve as a turning point in the crisisif we can continue the conversation with him in a spirit of charity.

In this unprecedented period of world crisis, a true acknowledgment and a more humble following of Christ our Eternal High Priest can serve as reparation for the many outrages committed against children by priests and their abettor bishops. Standing with Him in this, the Passion of the Church and the world, both priests and laity together can share His peace and promises. As St. John of the Cross wrote, In the dark night of the soul, bright flows the river of God.

Crux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesnt come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.

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Post-reformation theology of the priesthood influenced abuse crisis, author says - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

NASA looking to play greater role in coronavirus pandemic response – SpaceNews

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

WASHINGTON NASA is looking for ways to leverage its expertise and capabilities to support the federal governments response to the coronavirus pandemic, while agency leaders said they would not rush to reopen centers.

In a virtual town hall meeting March 25, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and other agency officials said theyre in discussions with other federal agencies, as well as state and local governments, about how the agency can best contribute to efforts to combat the growing pandemic, with more than 65,000 confirmed cases and more than 900 deaths in the United States alone.

Your agency, NASA, is involved in providing solution sets for the nation, and we will be more and more involved as days go on because we do have an extremely talented, very bright workforce and a lot of capabilities that can help, Bridenstine said.

One early role is lending the agencys supercomputing resources to researchers studying the coronavirus to develop treatments and vaccines. The White Houses Office of Science and Technology Policy announced the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium March 23, which includes NASA as well as the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, companies and universities. NASA is providing access to supercomputers at the Ames Research Center as part of that effort.

NASA is examining other ways it can support the overall coronavirus response. Steve Jurczyk, NASA associate administrator, said the agency was part of White House meetings to coordinate the federal government response to the pandemic. Some local and state governments, as well as companies, are contacting field centers as well. We want that to continue, he said.

Another avenue is to solicit ideas from agency personnel through an internal challenge. Were going to put specific areas where we think we can best contribute, and solicit ideas from anybody across the agency on addressing those challenges and contributing to those areas, he said. Well prioritize those and well figure out how to get those up and running and resource those.

One question submitted by agency employees asked if NASA could use its facilities to produce ventilators for hospitals given growing fears of shortages as the pandemic worsens. J.D. Polk, NASAs chief health and medical officer, said that it was more likely the agency may assist companies that already produce ventilators.

It may not be just in the building of ventilators, but it may be in helping the companies that already build ventilators change their ventilators, he said, such as the use of 3-D printing for parts that are in short supply. That will help us focus our expertise to where the needs really are. Several NASA offices, he said, would be part of an interagency discussion March 26 regarding increasing the supply of ventilators.

Polk also said that NASA was looking at what personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and gloves, it had available to give to hospitals in short supply. NASA orders its PPE on a just-in-time basis. We dont have a massive stockpile of PPE to donate, he said, and much of what is available is needed for its own activities, including launch preparations for the Mars 2020 mission. The agency, though, was looking at how to provide any PPE that might be available to hospitals.

Getting to the back side of the curve

Much of the hourlong town hall addressed the status of agency activities. Nine of NASAs 18 facilities, which include field centers as well as NASA Headquarters and sites run by field centers, are at Stage 4 of its coronavirus response framework, closing them to all personnel except those needed for safety and security and, in a few cases, for those working on essential mission activities. The other facilities are at Stage 3, which also calls for mandatory telework but with more mission-essential personnel working on site.

While the European Space Agency announced March 24 it was suspending operations of four science missions to reduce the number of personnel in its mission control center, Jurczyk said NASA was not planning anything similar for the moment. Were looking at that, possibly, if things deteriorate further, he said. Were going to maintain all our missions in space in mostly normal operations for now.

Others activities are continuing, or resuming, this week. The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission flew from Ohio, where it recently completed environmental testing, to the Kennedy Space Center on a Super Guppy aircraft March 25.

NASA also said that integration and testing work on the James Webb Space Telescope, paused March 20, has resumed at a Northrop Grumman facility March 25 with reduced personnel and shifts. However, that work will last only to early April because of a lack of NASA personnel there. Well assess and adjust decisions as the situation unfolds, the program said in a tweet.

One issue is when NASA will move back to normal operations. In recent days, President Donald Trump has indicated he would like to open up the country by Easter, April 12. I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter, Trump said in a Fox News interview March 24. Most medical experts, and many state and local officials, say that timeline is premature.

Bridenstine, asked about those comments, said there was a very, very low probability that the president would act contrary to the recommendations of organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that the president was only aspirationally seeking to reopen the economy by Easter. Hes been very clear that the highest priority on his agenda is the health and safety of America, Bridenstine said.

Bridenstine didnt give a timeline for moving centers back from Stage 3 and 4 towards more normal operations, saying it depends on the conditions on the ground at each center, as well as guidance from the federal coronavirus task force and state and local governments. Certainly, when we get on the back side of the curve here, we need to start thinking about how we go back to work in an orderly way, he said.

Both Bridenstine and Jurczyk indicated that NASA would take a cautious approach when moving back to normal operations, to avoid trying to resume normal operations too soon and have to deal with another outbreak of the disease. Were being very careful about the decision to go from [Stage] 4 to 3, or 3 to 2, and not do it too early, Jurczyk said, to avoid going back and forth between stages.

Bridenstine encouraged employees to speak out if they felt they were working in unsafe conditions during the pandemic. Our number-one highest priority as an agency is your health and your safety, and we dont want to ask you to do anything that you feel is unsafe, he said.

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NASA looking to play greater role in coronavirus pandemic response - SpaceNews

NASA to hand off spacecraft communications to industry – SpaceNews

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

NASA is preparing to hand off to the private sector much of the work of communicating with spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit.

This is an opportunity to promote U.S. industry, potentially improve the cost of service, and allow NASA to place its energy and focus on advanced capabilities which are not yet available in the commercial market, Badri Younes, NASAs deputy associate administrator for space communications and navigation, said by email.

NASA already relies on commercial and university ground stations to provide 67 percent of communications and tracking for its Near-Earth Network, which supports suborbital and orbital missions as well as rocket launches and satellite operations at Lagrange points.

The effort to increase this percentage by the end of 2020 is already underway, Younes said.

NASA also will turn to partners for help communicating with spacecraft in the moon-bound Artemis program.

Additional commercial or government-owned 18-meter class antennas will be deployed to meet Artemis program needs, Younes said. A future Lunar relay network is being examined to support extended human presence at the Moon.

In addition, NASA is seeking industry assistance in replacing the Space Network, which provides communications for more than 40 missions including the International Space Station through government-owned Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) and associated ground stations.

While the TDRS System is a fine investment that the government has made, for the future we are looking at commercial alternatives, said Ted Sobchak, NASA Space Network project manager.

NASA plans a multistep campaign to encourage development of commercial space-based relay networks before the current TDRS spacecraft reach the end of their lives.

Based on past spacecraft performance, the newest generation of TDRS will remain operational well into the 2030s, Younes said.

NASAs campaign to replace the Space Network begins with information-sharing between NASA and industry, followed by on-orbit demonstrations and finally transitioning viable services into operations, Younes said. The approach will allow new NASA missions to access commercially provided satellite relay services while the TDRS are slowly retired.

By holding a competition and conducting a series of demonstrations, NASA wants to ensure both established providers and new entrants have an opportunity to prove and offer their services, Younes said. The end goal is to create a competitive, multi-player, multi-network environment.

Having a diverse group of vendors offering communications services will help NASA achieve its primary objective: to ensure continuity of communications services to its current and future missions, Younes said. NASA missions can last upwards of decades, and reliance on a single commercial vendor introduces risk that may be unacceptable.

The space agency plans to create an interoperable network of networks, in which user missions might roam between several providers, akin to the current terrestrial cellular model, Younes said. NASA is eager to see existing and new companies rise to the technical challenge posed by satellite-relay communication services and looks forward to those services meeting NASAs evolving mission needs.

For now, the effort to replace the Space Network is called Communications Services Program. It may be renamed to avoid confusion with similarly named programs, said Younes, who leads the Space Communications and Navigation office at NASA Headquarters.

In its budget blueprint sent to Congress in February, NASA requested $23.4 million in 2021 for CSP, followed by $42 million in 2022, $51.2 million in 2023 and $58.9 million in both 2024 and 2025.

Initial study contracts for commercial relay networks went to some of the nations largest aerospace companies. NASA awarded a total of about $4 million in 2019 to eight firms to conduct five-month studies of communications networks with optical communication and radio frequency data-relay capabilities. Winners of the Space Relay Partnership and Services Study contracts were Atlas Space Operations, Boeing, Eutelsat America Corporation, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Intelsat General Communications, Maxar Technologies, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX.

Additional firms are investing in data relay networks to accommodate growing space traffic.

With the sharp increase in spacecraft on the horizon, now more than ever we need to shift towards an always-connected, internet-of-things mindset in space, said Brian Barnett, CEO of Solstar Space, a New Mexico startup seeking to create a Space Wide Web.

Solstars Schmitt Space Communicator, a transceiver, relays messages between spacecraft and the ground through commercial communications satellites in geostationary orbit. Solstar tested the device in April and July 2018 on board Blue Origins New Shepard, sending the first tweets from space.

Were leveraging space infrastructure in new ways and embracing new technologies to craft innovative telecom solutions that open up new operations strategies for spacecraft and payloads, Barnett said.

A similar product is offered by Addvalue Innovation, a subsidiary of Addvalue Technologies of Singapore.

Addvalues Inter-satellite Data Relay System sends data through Inmarsats L-band constellation. Addvalue and Inmarsat have created a commercial communications network that offers satellite operators on-demand, uninterrupted communications with satellites in low Earth orbit, said Tan Khai Pang, Addvalue chief technology and chief operating officer.

The latest competitor to enter this market is EOS Defense Systems USA, a subsidiary of Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd. of Australia. Instead of relying on existing geostationary satellites for data relay, EOS plans to create a communications network with the spectrum license originally obtained by Audacy, a Silicon Valley startup that planned to send three communications-relay satellites into medium Earth orbit. Audacy closed in 2019 after failing to raise enough money.

If EOS wins approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, it will take over Audacys license and assets and begin offering service from satellites in orbit by 2024, said John Berry, chairman of EOS Defense Systems and former U.S. ambassador to Australia.

This article originally appeared in the March 16, 2020 issue of SpaceNews magazine.

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NASA to hand off spacecraft communications to industry - SpaceNews

5 tips NASA astronauts use when living in ‘confinement’ in space to stay happy and productive – CNBC

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

If working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has you feeling cabin fever, isolation or boredom, NASA has some advice.

On Sunday, NASA astronaut Anne McClain shared a Twitter thread of expert skills that astronauts implement when working and living in confinement to ensure that they stay happy, productive and successful. The tips are often referred to as "expeditionary behaviors," or "EB," and they can be applied to any situation that involves working remotely as a group, according to a blog on NASA's website.

These NASA strategies were developed by retired astronaut Peggy Whitson, who spent a total of 665 days in space over three separate missions, and Al Holland, a NASA psychologist who studies the psychological impact of long-duration spaceflights.

While you may not be on a mission to space, these NASA-backed behaviors could prove useful while you're working from home during the pandemic.

"COVID-19 gives us a higher purpose much like being in space does because we are saving lives by quarantining so it is important to understand that bigger purpose and embrace that purpose," Whitson told "CBS This Morning" on Monday.

These are the five skills to keep in mind.

Effective communication is about more than just frequent Slack check-ins; you also have to "share information and feelings freely," according to the NASA blog. That includes talking things through and admitting when there's a misstep, as well as debriefing when something goes right. Good communicators are also effective listeners, which often means re-stating someone's message to ensure they're heard.

Trust and responsibility are the hallmarks of good leadership and followership, according to NASA. Those in leadership positions should "lead by example," and provide resources, solutions, tasks and goals.

And team members can "actively contribute" to the leader's plan too. For example, if you notice a kink in your telecommuting setup, you might suggest a solution to your manager insteadof just pointing out the problems.

NASA's definition of self-care is demonstrating your ability to be proactive and stay healthy. Are you getting enough sleep, practicing good hygiene and spending time on non-work activities that make you happy? Consider how your own habits are influencing your mood and stress levels, and how the rest of your team might be affected.

Remember that we're all in this together. The best way to support your team is to be patient and respectful, according to NASA. Foster good relationships with your coworkers during this time and encourage team-building activities such as virtual "happy hour." Offering to help others, especially on tasks that you know are a pain, can go a long way.

The final expeditionary behavior is all about building a "group culture," by taking into account everyone's "different opinions, cultures, perceptions, skills and personalities," according to NASA. Rather than feeling competitive with your team members, strive to work together and stay positive. "Respect roles, responsibilities and workload," according to NASA.

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NASA asteroid probe will dodge building-size boulders to snatch sample of Bennu – Space.com

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Snatching a piece of asteroid Bennu was supposed to be well, not easy, but certainly manageable: scope out the space rock, find some flat spots, swoop down at one, come back home.

But when NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at Bennu in December 2018, the scientists and engineers on the mission realized that the asteroid was much, much rockier than they had expected. Like, boulders everywhere. Boulders as big as buildings. Boulders you do not want your fancy spacecraft to bang into.

OSIRIS-REx, which launched in 2016, has a lidar navigation system that would have allowed the spacecraft to recognize obstacles based on the echoes of a light beam the probe produced. But once the mission revealed Bennu's surface in all its rocky glory, scientists and engineers decided it was time to come up with something new.

Related: OSIRIS-REx: NASA's asteroid sample-return mission in pictures

"Boulders as big as buildings. Boulders you do not want your fancy spacecraft to bang into."

The result is a process the team is calling Natural Feature Tracking, which relies on the massive image database that OSIRIS-REx has built up in the months since it arrived at Bennu and began taking images of the space rock from every angle possible.

As the probe embarks on a sampling attempt, it will begin taking still more such photos, which its computer system will automatically compare to the archived images showing the path it should be following. If those views don't line up, the spacecraft will automatically retreat for another attempt, rather than risk damage on the perilous surface.

If the system works as planned, it should boost OSIRIS-REx's accuracy: Whereas its lidar system was only designed for accuracy within a site 164 feet (50 meters) across, Natural Feature Tracking will be accurate enough to tackle a target area just 10% that size, NASA officials said in a statement.

Scientists on the OSIRIS-REx mission have selected two target sampling sites on Bennu, dubbed Nightingale and Osprey. The mission's window for sampling opens in late August in order to ensure that the spacecraft can leave Bennu next year. If all goes well, scientists should have their space rock on Earth in 2023.

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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NASA asteroid probe will dodge building-size boulders to snatch sample of Bennu - Space.com

Here’s How NASA Captured the Highest-Resolution Image of Mars’ Surface Ever – Thrillist

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

How Did NASA Take the Highest Ever Resolution Photo of Mars? - Thrillist

It was earlier in March that NASA unveiled the highest resolution photo of Mars' surface ever made. It's the kind of picture that can create the rare sense of wonder that makes you feel small in a vast, unknowable universe. But the relatively brief moment of inspiration you might feel looking at the landscape took a lot of forethought and a lot of work, even setting aside the years of planning that went into getting a rover on the planet's surface in the first place.

So, you may be surprised to learn that the stunning panorama -- constructed from more than 1,000 individual images -- was largely possible because the team behind the Curiosity Rover was on vacation at the time, leaving the rover standing still. The images of "Glen Torridon" on the Martian surface were taken from November 24 to December 1 of 2019, while "the mission team was out for the Thanksgiving holiday," NASA explains. Because of the holiday, it was able to photograph the same area for days. The Mastcam was programmed to take photos from noon to 2pm (local time on Mars... so, do we call that MST?) each day to ensure consistent lighting."This is the first time during the mission we've dedicated our operations to a stereo 360-degree panorama,"Ashwin Vasavada at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a statement.

However, the process from Curiosity to your eyes isn't as simple as the rover sending back an image and having it uploaded to a website. There's much more to it.

NASA: Explore space from home while confined by coronavirus – PennLive

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

For anyone stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, NASA is loaded with Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics projects and activities for all age ranges and interests.

Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics

NASA STEM @ Home for Students Grades K-4 offers dozens of how-to animations, guides, worksheets and more for children in kindergarten through fourth grade to do, sometimes alone and sometimes with their parents. Topics are far ranging, including things like an Apollo moon capsule craft, an edible cookie and pretzel spacecraft, space puzzles, a balloon-powered rocket, spacewalk coloring sheets, a 3-D dodecahedron paper airplane, printable space board games, storybooks, a straw plane and much more.

NASA STEM Activities for Families includes things like parachute design, building and launching a foam rocket, hovering on a cushion of balloon air, designing and building a solar water heater, filtering water, building a rubber band-powered rover, making a moon phase calculator and calendar, making a moon-like crater, creating a Mars exploration game, solving math problems using Pi, and much more.

NASA for Students in Fifth to Eighth Grades has things to do like making a paper model of the moon, an advanced paper airplane and stretchy slime; links to hundreds of online NASA website, materials and videos created for the age group; and wide-ranging articles like What Is the International Space Station? and What Is a Rockets?

NASA STEM Resources for Students 9-12 offers opportunities like the CineSpace competition, sending experiments to the International Space Station and the Blue Origins Club; videos like Where does the Suns energy come from? and Faces of Technology; activities like virtual reality and simulations; and projects like making starshades and rover models; and problems like talking to machines and the basics of spaceflight.

NASA Citizen Science Opportunities range from astronomy with opportunities like working with online photos to map the Moon, Mercury and Mars, and counting meteors, to the I See Change program, a community weather and climate journal for participants nationwide that combine citizen observations (photos and text) with cutting-edge weather and satellite data.

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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.

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NASA: Explore space from home while confined by coronavirus - PennLive

Everything NASA Is Shutting Down in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic – Popular Mechanics

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Update, March 24: NASA has elevated six facilities to Stage 4 of its four-stage Response Framework: Glenn Research Center and Plum Brook Station in Ohio, Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

As the spread of the novel coronavirus upends millions of lives across the country, NASA is working to understand and overcome challenges that the virus has posed for programs here on Earth and across the Solar System.

We are going to take care of our people. Thats our first priority, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Technology allows us to do a lot of what we need to do remotely, but, where hands-on work is required, it is difficult or impossible to comply with CDC guidelines while processing spaceflight hardware, and where we cant safely do that were going to have to suspend work and focus on the mission critical activities.

On Friday, March 20, NASA released the results of an agency-wide check-up that assessed how its workforce, facilities, and missions were faring in the wake of the coronavirus. In order to slow the spread of the virus across NASAs sprawling campuses, many centers have switched to mandatory telework. Work-related travel has been banned and the only staff on-site are there to protect life and critical infrastructure, the statement read.

As of Monday, March 23, almost all of NASA facilities are hovering at Stage 3 of the agencys four-stage Response Framework. NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi were elevated to Stage 4 last week. So far, two NASA employees, one at Ames and Marshall, respectively, have tested positive for COVID-19. Stennis and Michoud were shuttered due to concerns about the spread of the virus in the surrounding community.

A number of missions have been delayed or suspended due to mandatory telework at NASAs centers. The shutdown of Michoud and Stennis sadly spells delays for both NASAs SLS and Orion crew capsule. Testing and integration on both vehicles, integral components of NASAs beleaguered Artemis Mission, has been paused for the time being.

This situation will undoubtedly cause some inefficiencies, but we continue to be supportive of any research that can be done remotely, Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said in a note to NASAs research community on Monday. He noted that his team is working with each mission directly to better understand their challenges and needs.

In California, work on the James Webb Space Telescope, which aims to map out the most remote corners of the universe, has also been suspended. On March 9, NASA announced that two airborne missions out of NASA Ames were going to be postponed for later in the summer. While Lockheed Martin will continue work on the long-awaited X-59 plane, NASA employees will conduct inspections remotely.

Despite telework orders and the shuttering of campuses, some missions are still on schedule.

NASA says one of its top priorities is ensuring the safety and health of its astronauts aboard the International Space Station, so flight controllers at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston are still on the job at Mission Control. NASA said in its statement that it still plans to send astronaut Chris Cassidy to the ISS on April 9, and that he and two cosmonauts are already undergoing a routine two-week pre-flight quarantine.

The Mars 2020 Mission timeline is also still a go. NASA noted in the statement that the Perseverance rover and its accompanying Mars Helicopter are currently under preparation at Kennedy Space Center and are still scheduled for launch in July. The highly anticipated Demo-2 launch, which will shuffle astronauts to the ISS aboard a SpaceX rocket and capsule, is still on track for its mid-to-late May launch. Resupply missions to the ISS are also still on track, the agency said.

Essential staff are monitoring all of the agencys spacecraft, from Juno to the Hubble Space Telescope to NOAAs weather satellites, and the NASA IT Security Operations Center as well as a number of supercomputers at Ames are still up and running, despite center closures.

Everything is subject to change, however, and the agency noted that it is monitoring especially fluid working situations such as those at NASAs Jet Propulsion in California, where mandatory shelter-in-place laws have been enacted.

Our first priority is the safety of everyone who works on NASA missions and funded research and SMD leadership is committed to doing all it can to support our community, Zurbuchen wrote. I want to thank all of you for your patience and hard work as we transition to this new normal.

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Everything NASA Is Shutting Down in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic - Popular Mechanics

NASA to participate in SpaceX engine anomaly investigation – SpaceNews

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

WASHINGTON NASA representatives will be part of an ongoing SpaceX investigation into an engine anomaly on a recent Falcon 9 launch as the company prepares for a Crew Dragon mission carrying two NASA astronauts.

NASA spokesman Josh Finch said March 24 that personnel from NASAs commercial crew program will be represented in SpaceXs investigation of an engine that prematurely shut down during a March 18 launch of 60 Starlink satellites. That participation is intended to comply with provisions in SpaceXs Commercial Crew Transportation Capability, or CCtCap, contract with NASA.

According to the CCtCap contracts, SpaceX is required to make available to NASA all data and resulting reports, Finch said. SpaceX, with NASAs concurrence, would need to implement any corrective actions found during the investigation related to its commercial crew work prior to its flight test with astronauts to the International Space Station.

During the March 18 launch, one of nine Merlin engines in the rockets first stage shut down early. Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, said in tweets shortly after the launch that the malfunction did not affect the rockets ability to place the Starlink satellites into their planned orbit, as SpaceX has frequently touted the engine-out redundancy of the vehicle. However, Musk said that a thorough investigation would be required before the rockets next launch.

That launch involved the fifth flight of that particular booster, the first time the company had attempted to fly a first stage that many times. A launch attempt March 15 was aborted at the last second because of what Musk called slightly high power levels from the engines as they ignited, a glitch that Musk said was possibly, but not obviously related to the engine anomaly during flight.

This vehicle has seen a lot of wear, so today isnt a big surprise, he said March 18 of the engine anomaly. Life leader rockets are used only for internal missions. Wont risk non-SpaceX satellites.

While SpaceX routinely uses previously flown first stages for many launches, the Demo-2 commercial crew launch will use a new booster and thus wont be subject to the engine wear issues that may be linked to the anomaly on the previous launch. Finch said that launch is still scheduled for mid-to-late May, a schedule NASA announced March 18, but that the agency would adjust the date based on review of the data, if appropriate.

The anomaly on this launch was the first engine shutdown on a Falcon 9 launch since the companys first cargo Dragon launch for NASAs Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, CRS-1, in October 2012. One of nine Merlin engines failed during ascent, but the Dragon still reached orbit and carried out its mission. A secondary payload, an Orbcomm demonstration satellite, was lost when it was released into a lower-than-planned orbit. That launch involved an earlier version of both the Falcon 9 and the Merlin engine.

SpaceX has not provided an update on the status of that investigation since Musks tweets shortly after the launch, including when the investigation would be completed. SpaceXs next launch, of the Argentine radar satellite SAOCOM 1B, was scheduled for March 30 but has been postponed because of international travel restrictions for the customer linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

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NASA to participate in SpaceX engine anomaly investigation - SpaceNews

3D NASA map tracks methane buildup and movement in the atmosphere – New Atlas

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas that can come from all kinds of places, including industrial facilities, agriculture, the production of oil and gas, and natural sources like wetlands and bodies of water. NASA has developed a new 3D map to not only keep track of its sources but follow its movement as it builds up and travels in the atmosphere, offering a new tool in the efforts to mitigate its impacts.

Similar to carbon dioxide, human activity over long time periods is increasing atmospheric methane concentrations faster than the removal from natural sinks can offset it, says Abhishek Chatterjee, a carbon cycle scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. As human populations continue to grow, changes in energy use, agriculture and rice cultivation, [and] livestock raising will influence methane emissions. However, its difficult to predict future trends due to both lack of measurements and incomplete understanding of the carbon-climate feedbacks.

This need for a more complete picture of how methane is building up and contributing to global warming is a pressing one. According to NASA, methane concentration in the atmosphere has more than doubled since the Industrial Revolution and, molecule for molecule, it's far more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. In all, the agency calculates that methane is responsible for between 20 to 30 percent of the planets rising temperatures so far.

The agencys new 3D map was put together using methane data gathered by satellites and the emissions inventories of different countries. This was combined with computer modeling that calculates methane emissions from natural sources such as types of wetlands and simulates the atmospheric processes that break down methane. The team then employed a weather model to see how winds influence the movement of the gas through the atmosphere over time.

NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio

This global picture of methane revealed a few interesting insights. At least 60 percent of methane coming from the worlds wetlands originates in the tropics, while waste disposal is driving a 1.5 percent increase in methane emissions each year from southern Asia. Meanwhile, 70 percent of the methane from the Arctic was revealed to come from natural sources, while in Eastern Asia it is very much the opposite, with 85 percent coming from human activities.

Theres an urgency in understanding where the sources are coming from so that we can be better prepared to mitigate methane emissions where there are opportunities to do so, says research scientist Ben Poulter at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

You can hear from the team in the video below.

NASA Models Methane Sources, Movement Around Globe

Source: NASA

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3D NASA map tracks methane buildup and movement in the atmosphere - New Atlas

NASA reveals Bennus entire surface in first high-resolution global map – SlashGear

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

NASA has given the public its first high-resolution look at asteroid Bennus global surface. The details are revealed in a newly published global map of the asteroid, one that is currently the focus of NASAs OSIRIS-REx space mission. As weve seen in previously shared images, the asteroid has a very rocky surface filled with large boulders, which was an unexpected complication for the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Bennu is an asteroid that is relatively close to Earth, making its closest approach to our planet every six years. The asteroids diameter is around 1,600ft, which makes it the right size for landing a spacecraft it isnt spinning too fast, which is a problem with asteroids that have diameters around 650ft.

NASA chose the asteroid for its OSIRIS-REx mission, not only for its approachability, but also due to its age. The space agency describes Bennu as a fragment from the formation of our solar system, one that may even have bits of minerals older than the solar system. The well-preserved nature of this asteroid means that a successful sample collection will provide researchers with an uncontaminated bit of history.

Since the spacecrafts arrival at the asteroid, NASA has delivered increasingly clear and high-resolution images of the space rock to the public, as well as multiple 4K renders of the asteroid. The space agency is back this week with a new look at Bennu a high-resolution global map showing every part of its surface.

According to NASA, the new map is made from a series of images captured by the OSIRIS-REx mission from March 7 to April 19, 2019. Each pixel represents 2-inches of the asteroids surface and each image all 2,155 of them were captured at distances ranging from 1.9 miles to 3.1 miles. The public can view and download the full-resolution version of the global map on NASAs website here.

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NASA reveals Bennus entire surface in first high-resolution global map - SlashGear

NASA fixed a Mars probe by hitting it with a shovel – Boing Boing

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

The Mars InSight Lander has a ton of tools for exploring the Red Planet next door, including a 15-inch digging probe (also known as "the mole") meant to burrow into the Martian soil and take measurements.

Unfortunately, the mole got stuck. FromPopular Science:

A rock could be in the way, but the more likely culprit appears to be the Martian soil. Previous observations had led the German Aerospace Center engineers who designed the probe to expect that it would be digging through loose sand. They built the mole to bounce up and down like a jackhammer, sinking with each stroke and threading its way around any modestly sized rocks it encountered. But the probe has found soil that seems more dirt-like than sand-like; It sticks together and doesnt collapse around the mole to give it enough friction to dig. What the mole needs is a little nudge.

So what did they do to get the mole unstuck? They used the shovel-like scoop at the end of one of the InSight Lander's robot arms to pin down the mole. "The move is risky,"Popular Science explained, "because a delicate tether that provides power and communications from the lander attaches to the back part of the mole, and a hard whack could damage it."

Fortunately, it worked.

Public Domain via NASA/JPL-Caltech

Who knew that the "Why are you hitting yourself?" game would be such a useful tool for space exploration?

At long last, NASAs probe finally digs in on Mars [Charlie Wood / Popular Science]

NASA fixes Mars lander by telling it to hit itself with a shovel [Dan Robitzski / Futurism]

Mars InSight Lander to push on top of mole [NASA]

Image: Public Domain via NASA/JPL-Caltech

Whether youre a worried preparer for the worst or just a little concerned about whats ahead, you may haveoverdone it during your last trip to the store. Maybe you picked up some extra frozen goods or a larger stockpile of cheeses or dairy products than usual. And your fridge or freezer is now likely packed []

The Cheesecake Factory, with more than 200 restaurants across the U.S. and more than $2bn in annual revenues, today warned its landlords they will not be getting rent in April. The Calabasas Hills-based company informed all of its landlords in a letter dated March 18 (reproduced below) that a severe decline in restaurant traffic has []

In this thoughtful and heartwarming little video message, astronaut Chris Hadfield (the man who brought you Bowie from space), shares some tips on coming to grips with isolation and ends with the wonderful, Take care of yourself, take care of your family, take care of your friends, and take care of your spaceship. Simple words []

Every new year, people vow to read more. Of course, it seldom actually happens, but we all wish we had more time to slow down, pick up one of the books off the bedside table weve been meaning to get through, and dive in. If we can find any silver lining to all the COVID-19 []

With so much chaos happening in the world at the moment, this may not seem like the right time to start a new hobby. However, we would argue that now is actually the perfect time to dive into something new. Things are changing and while theres plenty happening thats worthy of genuine concern, theres []

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NASA fixed a Mars probe by hitting it with a shovel - Boing Boing

This Powerful Ion Engine Will Be Flying on NASA’s DART Mission to Try and Redirect an Asteroid – Universe Today

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Despite humanitys current struggle against the novel coronavirus, and despite it taking up most of our attention, other threats still exist. The very real threat of a possible asteroid strike on Earth in the future is taking a backseat for now, but its still there.

Though an asteroid strike seems kind of ephemeral right now, its a real threat, and one thatunlike a coronavirushas the potential to end humanity. Agencies like NASA and the ESA are still working on their plans to protect us from that threat.

NASAs DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission is scheduled to launch on July 22, 2021. Its a demonstration mission to study the use of kinetic impact to deflect an asteroid. Itll head for the tiny binary asteroid system called Didymos, (or 65803 Didymos.) This double asteroid system poses no threat to Earth.

The larger of the pair, named Didymos A, is about 780 meters (2560 ft.) in diameter, while the smaller one, Didymos B, is only about 160 meters (535 ft.) DART will crash itself into the Didymos B. Its close to the typical size of an asteroid that threatens Earth.

DART has a lot of space to cover to reach Didymos. After launching in July 2021, it will reach its target in September 22nd, when the binary asteroid is within 11 million km (6.8 million miles) of Earth. And to get there, itll rely on a powerful ion engine called NASAs Evolutionary Xenon Thruster Commercial (NEXT-C).

The engine comes in two primary components: the thruster and the power processing unit (PPU.) NEXT-C is getting ready for the mission with a series of tests, both performance and environmental. The thruster was put through vibration, thermal vacuum and performance tests before being integrated with its PPU. It was also subjected to simulated spaceflight conditions: the extreme vibration during launch, and the extreme cold of space.

NEXT-C is a powerful engine. Its nothing like a rocket, which requires a massive amount of thrust to lift something away from Earths gravity. But in terms of ion drives, its a very powerful unit. Its about three times more powerful than the NSTAR ion drives on NASAs DAWN and Deep Space One spacecraft.

NEXT can produce 6.9kWthrust power and 236mNthrust. The engine has produced the highest total impulse of any ion engine: 17 MNs. It also has a specific impulse, which is a measure of how efficiently it uses propellant, of 4,190 seconds, compared to NSTARs 3,120.

Ion drives dont burn fuel like a rocket, though they do use a propellant. Typically the propellant is xenon, like in NEXT-C. The NEXT-C ion engine is a double-grid system.

The xenon is fed into a chamber, where it encounters the first, or upstream, grid. Solar arrays provide the electricity, and the first grid is charged positive. As the xenon ions pass through the upstream grid, they are charged positively. This draws them toward the second or accelerator grid, which is charged negatively. This propels them out of the engine, providing thrust. The thrust is equal to the force between the upstream ions and the accelerator grid.

When DART reaches the Didymos binary asteroid, it will have some company. The Italian Space Agency is providing LICIA(Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids) for the mission. LICIA is 6 cubesats that will separate from DART prior to impact with Didymos B. Itll capture images of the impact and the debris ejected from the collision and transmit it back to Earth.

The impact is expected to change Didymos Bs orbital velocity by about a half millimeter per second. That will change its rotation period by a large enough amount that Earth-based telescopes will detect it. It will also leave a crater in the surface, about 20 m (66 ft) wide.

Though DART will be destroyed when it impacts, the ESA is planning a follow-up mission. Its called Hera, and its scheduled to launch in 2024, and to arrive in 2027. Hera will investigate not only the effect of DARTs impact, but will carry a suite of instruments to learn more about binary asteroids, and the interior of the asteroid.

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This Powerful Ion Engine Will Be Flying on NASA's DART Mission to Try and Redirect an Asteroid - Universe Today

Posthuman Saga is the post apocalyptic board game youve been waiting for – Big Boss Battle

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Designer Gordon Calleja and publisher Mighty Boards have doubled down on their radiation-soaked epic, Posthuman Saga which has recently hit the shelves following a successful Kickstarter. Can this gorgeous looking production capture the post-apocalyptic theme without outstaying its welcome?

Remember Fallout: The Board Game and its relatively dull expansion New California? No? Me neither, even though I reviewed them both. Unfortunately, despite their experience and the strength of the IP, even Fantasy Flight Games couldnt make the most of Bethesdas legendary series when it came to converting it into a tabletop experience.

Mighty Boards has taken a very different approach, thankfully, despite capturing most of the same mechanical features. Posthuman Saga is still a game in which the players explore a wasteland, forage for food, scavenge suppliers and equipment, whilst levelling up their skills by fighting increasingly challenging foes.

A number of story beats run through the structure of the game, dished out through any combination of objective cards, landmark markers, random events and specific missions, whilst a full complement of companions can also be recruited. All of this unfolds over about two hours usually, although Posthuman Saga is easily capable of lasting for more like three with a couple of inexperienced players involved.

There are also several modes to play in, including a standard competitive mode, a team versus and a solo mode the standard mode is where I spent most of my time. In this default state, Posthuman Saga wisely veers away from player versus player combat, instead allowing each of the four players to forge their own path on a segregated quadrant of the map.

It seemed odd to me at first that the players were effectively involved in their own separate adventures, but since the theme is based on each one being an explorer sent from the same enclave, it makes sense that each would forge out on their own. With this in mind and thanks to clever use of objective cards and landmark tokens as well as seeded event tokens across the sixteen rounds of play, each player will see completely unique events.

From a confrontational perspective, this means that the players will never face off in combat, but what Posthuman Saga does ingeniously well is introducing some very unexpected eurogame elements that drive competition for points. After all, what good game isnt won by the player who scores the most points?

This next bit will be hard to explain, but Im going to have to try. Simply put, each objective that players compete will convert to points (usually just one or two) and so will things like defeated bosses and reserved XP. So far, so simple. However, where Posthuman Saga differentiates is in the way that it asks players to compete in a race to complete their different objectives and how they actually do so.

Each main objective has a first and a second half that will be completed by exploring the board and placing down the relevant map tiles, then visiting them in sequence. With the first half complete, a side mission will be unlocked which, if completed, will score a further two points. As they explore their personal section of the board, players will also place down recon tokens that show resources of four kinds that have been located in that sector, chaining these together in an orthogonal sequence will unlock recon objectives, also worth points.

As I said, its hard to explain and no doubt hard to visualise, but because players have some control over which tiles and recon tokens they take, and where to put them, the usual randomness in exploration games is completely removed without losing any of the excitement. Chaining the recon tokens together feels thematically detached at first, but when you think about it and realise that each new tile is a full day of exploration, its equivalent to searching a whole area and marking resources on your map and then relaying back the coordinates.

As more and more objectives are concluded, not only are points scored but so too do the missions become more and more interesting. You may see the same actual base objectives from game to game as there are only about ten, but its unlikely youll see them combined with the same recon objectives and the same landmarks every time. Random events and combat introduce further variety, as does the simple need to stay alive to eat, to rest, to recuperate.

I now realise of course that I havent mentioned how the game flows and how some of these things happen. On a turn, a player simply has four actions to choose from and will do so by playing a card. Players can rest, forage, scour or trek, each of which is fairly straightforward conceptually, but with nuances that make the timing of when to do one or the other quite important to the overall gameplay.

Resting simply allows the player to place the camp token on the board, allowing them to refresh broadcast tokens (which Ill explain in a moment) and to recover fatigue, whilst not having to spend food on the next morning. Foraging allows the player to take the resource for the current tile they are on without question, whilst also allowing them to test their mindset skill in order to try and gain a bonus resource.

Scouting is where broadcast tokens come into play, with the player who calls a scout action being able to open the bidding on one of the four available location tiles. Trekking, fairly clearly, allows the player to move from one space to an adjacent one (orthogonally) which can result in any of a number of things, including both hostile and non-hostile encounters.

When combat occurs, which it inevitably will, or in fact when certain kinds of tests come about, the player will use a deck of challenge cards to try and overcome them. Some of these have ranged or melee attacks, whilst others show successes for non-combat situations. Depending on the enemy, the players may be shot at before reaching melee range, or if they end up in melee combat with a mutant enemy, they may even pick up mutations of their own that bestow (generally) negative effects.

It can be tempting to regard the whole experience as multiplayer solitaire at first and to a certain extent, that is undeniable. Each player lives out their own story and in doing so, the other players will occasionally just need to wait for them. Its a mistake to think that Posthuman Saga is not a competitive game however, and because the scoring is generally quite low, every extra point for being first to achieve one objective or another counts.

I dont know whether lessons were learned specifically from the Fallout games, but I can say that where the FFG game and its expansion could bog down and simply break because one player did a certain thing, Posthuman Saga simply cant do that. What is lost in exploring a shared wasteland is made up for by the reliability and competitiveness of the gameplay, which remains fair and balanced throughout, with each player able to compete on equal footing.

Even though the base game presents a relatively stiff challenge thanks to the dangerous enemies and progressive increase in difficulty, Ive also had the chance to play a couple of games of the day one expansion, The Resistance, which adds two new playable characters, a whole third tier of enemies and a new slave train mechanic for players to score.

The Resistance, frankly, is an expert-level expansion to an already challenging game and therefore its a nice to have rather than a must-buy for many players, but I really enjoyed the slave train mechanic because it gave the players a common target to go after that again doesnt break the game or damage the fundamental elements of the turn structure. The new enemies are hard as nails, however!

Overall, I find Posthuman Saga a very interesting and enjoyable experience that is as unique as anything I could name. Its a heady mix of combat, hand and resource management, tile placement and racing and I think its virtually impossible to classify alongside other games. It does have the issue of being overly long and complex for some players (especially during the first few games) but the gameplay itself isnt that heavy once the sheer number of things going on has been understood.

Id recommend Posthuman Saga to fans of post-apocalyptic games who enjoy smart combat, crunchy mechanics and who have the stomach for longer games. This isnt a dice chucker or a miniatures game, and its demanding enough of your time that you need to put aside an entire evening for a single game, more often than not. Because I cant think of another game like it, I think its a keeper for sure.

You can pre-order Posthuman Saga on Thirsty Meeples.

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Posthuman Saga is the post apocalyptic board game youve been waiting for - Big Boss Battle

WIRE Buzz: Stoned Kevin Smith weeps to Onward; The Willoughbys trailer; more – SYFY WIRE

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

A coronavirus quarantine has affected many in the entertainment business differently, with some making more of their isolated time than others. Kevin Smith, nerd extraordinaire and director of films like Dogma, decided it was the perfect time to catch up on the latest offering from Pixar: Onward. The only twist when it came to his consumption of the Chris Pratt and Tom Holland team-up? The accompanying consumption of marijuana.

Bad idea to wake and bake and watch ONWARD the filmmaker wrote on Facebook before livestreaming 14 minutes of solid tears during his rental of the animated film.

The Dan Scanlon-directed movie about two elf brothers on a quest to meet their late father was always going to be sad, but due to its theatrical absence in the wake of pandemic cancellations, its now available for home viewing much quicker than normal big-budget films distributions. Thats allowed those like Smith, who perhaps want a more intimate viewing experience, the ability to get some privacy for those ugly tears.

Take a look:

This is worse than every theater when it screened Up for the first time. Smith continued speaking during the video of his deep dives during his home stay, as well as what particularly affected him about Onward. Watch Onward...oh f***... Get a whole box of this s***, he said, waving some tissues.

Onward is out on Digital now.

Next, theres nothing like a bit of murder to start off your animated childrens movie, right? Thats the premise behind The Willoughbys...in so many words. The Netflix film from directors Kris Pearn and Cory Evans, based on Lois Lowrys book of the same name, is all about four siblings trying to rid themselves of their terrible parents - with one very dangerous plan.

The kids voiced by Will Forte, Alessia Cara, and Vincent Tong (voicing twins) want to send their mom (Jane Krakowski) and dad (Martin Short) on a vacation. A deadly vacation, as a matter of fact.

Check it out:

One candy factory, nanny, and encounter with sinister family services later, and the Willoughbys are on the run. But not because theyre wanted for attempted murder, somehow. Its too sweet a film for that, it seems. Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews, and Ricky Gervais also star.

The Willoughbys begin their plot on April 22.

Finally, the next iteration of an iconic manga finally has a premiere date. The final trailer for Netflixs CG animated Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 reveals that Major Motoko Kusanagi will bring her Public Security Section 9 crew back to fight crimes on April 23.

The show, from Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, takes place in 2045 and features the return of returning Ghost in the Shell SAC cast members Atsushi Nakanaka (the Major), Akio Takatsuka (Bato), and Hirota Takaji (Togusa).

Fans can learn a bit more in the latest tease for the show:

The sustainable war has brought about a new dominant species called posthuman, the shows intertitles read. This partially explains the man the Major has a fistfight with during the trailer and why her cybernetic body is struggling to defeat him.

Fans can find out more about this new threat, and see the rest of the new art style in action, when Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 hits Netflix on April 23.

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WIRE Buzz: Stoned Kevin Smith weeps to Onward; The Willoughbys trailer; more - SYFY WIRE

Applications of nanotechnology in the automotive industry – Geospatial World

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Nanotechnology the creation and use of devices and machines on almost an atomic level is likely to be the driving force behind the next great revolution to benefit humankind. The actual definition of nanotechnology can be quite broad, generally, in scientific and engineering terms, nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (0.000000001 m). That really does put it on an atomic scale, though the products that can be constructed in this way may be a little larger and can range from microscopic to anything under a millimetre.

While this kind of technology will have applications in many fields, there are likely to be huge advantages in the field of cars and motoring and in the near future, nanotechnology is likely to have a massive impact on the world of driving and vehicles.

It is a fact that nanotechnology can impact so many areas of motoring makes it one of the most important up and coming technologies, and it has attracted the attention of a great number of researchers. This has led to a growing number of breakthroughs in the field, and even more possibilities for this exciting and highly flexible area of science to push different fields of motoring forward. But where is nanotechnology having the greatest influence in car manufacture?

We ask a lot of our internal combustion engines in terms of both increased performance and decreased size and weight. Those two elements together would usually mean disaster for a high-performance engine, but nano-engineering has allowed us to do both, and safely. Engine blocks, which house the fundamental moving parts of the mechanism, were traditionally made of cast iron, because it was the only practical material that could resist the high temperatures and pressures that were produced in the heart of an engine. But engineers soon found that certain grades of aluminium which weighs around a third that of cast iron were found to be suitable too.

But now, engineers have learned how to manipulate aluminiums on an atomic level nanoengineering to create materials that are both stronger while being more lightweight than even the current batch of strong aluminium alloys. This makes them even more fuel efficient while having an increased durability, even in the increasingly hostile conditions found in modern engines. It is a fact that an internal combustion engine performs better and is more efficient at higher temperatures, so this is always a goal for engine designers. We are now also experiencing methods of placing ultra-thin layers of engineering ceramics on metal substrates, creating a surface that is capable of withstanding higher temperatures and wear situations.

Manipulation of either the fundamental structure of the engine block material, or the surface architecture or both, even gives designers far greater scope in heat dissertation, wear characteristics, and strength at elevated temperatures.

We have also seen advances in motor oils, particularly in respect to their ability to withstand the punishing environments of modern engines. Nano-manipulation has created a new breed of oils that are able to cling to internal surfaces for longer, meaning that it is in the right place when the engine starts, so that it offers protection right from the start. Nanotechnology oils are also able to put up with much greater use as the tolerances between engine parts decreases and they operate closer together.

Fuel efficiency, whether the car is petrol, diesel, or electric, is a function of its weight, and even quite small reductions in weight can lead to increase attained mileage significantly. One of the best ways to cut the weight of a vehicle is to use lightweight materials for the structural chassis parts and the exterior, and this is another area where nano-manipulation of materials can create stronger, more lightweight, panels and chassis that are stronger than the ones that they have replaced. Nanotechnology is also responsible for the creation of plastic panels that are able to self-repair and reform themselves following damage.

As the next generation of electric vehicles become common on our streets, engineers and researchers are looking at how to lengthen battery life while increasing performance. This has led to the development of lithium-silicon batteries which promise to boost performance and increase longevity. The latest developments in this fast-moving include silicon nanowires that expand and contract as they absorb and shed lithium ions, and tiny nano-structures with carbon shells protecting lithium-rich silicon cores. This combination allows for more efficient energy transfer, meaning that less energy is lost to the environment as heat and more is supplied to the system.

Nanotechnology is also improving fuel cells the clean alternative technology to hydrocarbon fuels. In these, hydrogen is passed over a catalyst to produce hydrogen ions which then go on to reattached to oxygen and result in energy production. The catalysts are increasingly variations of platinum nano-structures to maximise the surface area and harvest the greatest number of hydrogen ions, thereby maximising energy production too.

Nano-sized layers of inorganic filters are increasingly being applied to the vulnerable surfaces of car bodies, to help protect them from harsh environments, and self-repair to an increasing extent. The smart particles can also help repel dirt and grime, keeping your car looking cleaner, while new developments in orientable surface particles mean that we may soon be able to change the outer colour of our cars by adjusting small electrical charges to them.

Interiors. The use of specialist nanotechnology fabrics is helping to keep the interiors of our cars looking fresh and clean, but also repellent to bacterial affects, creating soft, good looking and completely safe interiors. Once again, developments are being made that will allow the colour of the interior to be changes by reorienting the nano-particles of the material, so that the user can choose any combination of colour that they like, while still having excellent antibacterial properties.

Nanotechnology in cars is becoming big business, and as we find new ways to manipulate materials on an atomic scale, so new applications arise. This will lead to cleaner, quieter, more pleasant cars in the future, and that can only be a good thing.

Note: This is a guest blog by Giles Kirkland, an automotive industry writer and researcher.

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Applications of nanotechnology in the automotive industry - Geospatial World

Precision NanoSystems Announces Partnership with Fujifilm for the Development and GMP Manufacturing of Nanoparticle Based Therapeutics – Yahoo Finance

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

VANCOUVER, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Precision Nanosystems, Inc. (PNI), a global leader in enabling transformative nanomedicinesannounced today that the companyentered into a license agreement with FUJIFILM Corporationto adopt PNI's NanoAssemblr technology and complete suite of instruments for Fujifilm'sstate-of-the-art manufacturing facility, compatible with GMP regulations of US, Europe and Japan.

As part of this agreement, Fujifilm has the rights to offer contract manufacturing services using PNI's proprietary technology andalso use PNI technology to develop and commercialize its internal therapeutic drug products. PNI and Fujifilm will work together to combine and democratize the scalable manufacturing of gene therapy and small-molecule based nanomedicines using Fujifilm's and PNI's proprietary technologies.

PNI's NanoAssemblr technology is powered by the disruptive NxGen microfluidics mixing technology designed exclusively for scalable nanomedicine development while maintaining precise control and reproducibility. The NanoAssemblr platform is comprised of the Spark, Ignite, Blaze and GMP Systems that together offer a flexible solution for accelerated, cost-effective development and scalable manufacture of high-quality gene therapy, small molecule and protein-based nanomedicine products.

James Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of PNI said, "We are thrilled to work with Fujifilm to enable our technology in support of clinical clients as they progress their therapeutic programs from the laboratory to the clinic and commercial. Fujifilm's R&D teams will combinethe PNI platform andtheir proprietary Drug Delivery Systems technologies and we look forward to the seamless scaling up and manufacturing of innovative medicines to impact human well-being."

Nanomedicinesis one of the focus areas of Fujifilm, tapping into itsadvanced technologies such as nano-technology, process engineering technology and analysis technology. "We are excited to work with PNI to bring on board the NanoAssemblr suite of products and cutting-edge nanomedicines manufacturing technology," said Junji Okada, Senior Vice President, General Manager of Pharmaceutical products division, FUJIFILM Corporation. "Tapping into Fujifilm's state of the art technology, expertise and thefacility for the provision of pre-clinical and GMP manufacturing services, we are committed to creating innovative and high-value pharmaceutical productsnot only through internal development but also by providing high quality liposomal formulations to our partner companies."

About Precision NanoSystems Inc.

Precision NanoSystems Inc. (PNI) proprietary NanoAssemblr Platform enables the rapid, reproducible, and scalable manufacture of next generation nanoparticle formulations for the targeted delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents to cells and tissues in the body. PNI provides instruments, reagents and services to life sciences researchers, including pharmaceutical companies, and builds strategic collaborations to revolutionize healthcare through nanotechnology. For more information, visit http://www.precisionnanosystems.com.

About Fujifilm CorporationFUJIFILM Corporation, Tokyo, Japan is one of the major operating companies of FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation. The company brings cutting edge solutions to a broad range of global industries by leveraging its depth of knowledge and fundamental technologies developed in its relentless pursuit of innovation. Its proprietary core technologies contribute to the various fields including healthcare, graphic systems, highly functional materials, optical devices, digital imaging and document products. These products and services are based on its extensive portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic and imaging technologies. For the year ended March 31, 2019, the company had global revenues of $22 billion, at an exchange rate of 111 yen to the dollar. Fujifilm is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: http://www.fujifilmholdings.com.

Jane Alleva, Global Marketing Manager, Precision NanoSystems, Phone: 1 888 618 0031, ext 140, mobile 1 778 877 5473

SOURCE Precision Nanosystems

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Precision NanoSystems Announces Partnership with Fujifilm for the Development and GMP Manufacturing of Nanoparticle Based Therapeutics - Yahoo Finance

Virtual Medical Device Meetings You Need to Know About – Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

3D-printing company hosts virtual roundtable Wednesday

Nanofabrica, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based manufacturer of 3D printers for precision engineering, will host a virtual roundtable for researchers, doctors, and manufacturers to harness the companies manufacturing capabilities to develop medical devices and solutions related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The roundtable is scheduled for 4 p.m. GMT+2 (10 a.m. Eastern Time) Wednesday via Zoom. Professionals unable to join the virtual session are invited to email relevant questions and details to [emailprotected].Click here for the meeting link.

FDA hosts virtual town hall for clinical laboratories

FDA will host a virtual town hall for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers that are developing or have developed diagnostic tests for COVID-19. The event will be from 3 - 4 p.m. Eastern Time.The purpose of this town hall is toanswer technical questions about the development and validation of tests for the virus and FDAs updated policy on COVID-19 diagnostics issued on March 16. The agency alsoplans to hold virtual town halls for clinical laboratories and commercial manufacturers every Wednesday in April from 3 4p.m. Eastern Time.

Call for survey participantsfor online roundtable

LNS Research, a Cambridge, MA-based firm, is asking professionals across industries to take a brief survey about the strategies companies are taking to sustain critical operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey results will be shared during an online roundtable scheduled for 11 a.m. ET. The goal of the event is to enable organizational leaders to share strategies in responding to the crisis, best practices, and how to prepare for the new normal. Register for the event here.

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Virtual Medical Device Meetings You Need to Know About - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry

Work with 3D printing? Here’s your invitation to help fight Covid-19 – Aircraft Interiors International

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Danzig

Nanofabrica, a manufacturer of 3D printers for precision engineering, is inviting researchers, doctors and manufacturers to apply additive manufacturing techniques to develop medical devices and solutions to help in the fight against Covid-19.

The company is hosting a virtual roundtable on Wednesday, 25 March, at 16:00 GMT+2 and invites all interested parties to join a brainstorming session on how the companys manufacturing capabilities (3D printing with 1 micron resolution over cm sized volume) can be used to develop equipment and supplies needed to fight Covid-19.Possible applications include smart filters for microfluidic chips, anti-bacterial surfaces, complex and precise structures and soft moulds for rapid injection-molding.

Link to event:https://zoom.us/j/324801539

If you are unable to make it for the virtual session, please send an email with all relevant questions and details totovit@nano-fabrica.comand Nanofabricas teamwill reply as soon as possible.

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Work with 3D printing? Here's your invitation to help fight Covid-19 - Aircraft Interiors International

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