Eye on Faith: August 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Ho, ho, ho, Mars has snow

True Colors of Mars (ESA image)

Although Christmas on Mars seems a long ways off, the snow is already there.

Martian snow particles were first detected by the Phoenix lander in 2008. Back then, NASA thought

that such particles fell from the thin Martian clouds at a very slow rate. Scientists theorized that this snow

took “several hours to descend just one mile.”

Current models suggest that the descent is actually much quicker. In some “nighttime areas,” the Martian snow might take only “five to 10 minutes to drop a mile.” This could result in a white dusting of the Martian soil, somewhat similar to that of a snowy “microburst” here on Earth.

It may not be enough for a sleigh ride, but certainly is enough for an awestruck round of “Silent Night.”

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/super-fast-falling-snowstorms-may-rage-on-mars-at-night/ar-AAqwi6S?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Earthling, phone home

Apollo 15 Rover (Public Domain)

No need to ever feel disconnected from the rest of humanity. Not in the bathroom, not in restaurants, not during theater productions, and certainly not on the moon.

People are now just a smartphone away from anywhere. PT Scientists, “a German startup,” is on the verge of setting up “the first telecommunication infrastructure on the lunar surface.”

Rather than gaze wondrously at their new frontier, astronauts will instead be able to curl up alongside the rover (not a dog, but a mobile phone) and chat. From there, sky’s not the limit. Vacuous conversations can fill the vacuous atmosphere ad infinitum.

Resources

https://www.space.com/37753-calling-the-moon-cell-phone-tower.html

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Moore poetic justice

Thou shalt not lie! (Lucas Cranach the Elder)

United States District Judge Raymond Moore has been known to favor poetic justice.

He recently ordered a postal employee who faked cancer to complete “652 hours of community service at a cancer treatment center, cancer research center or hospice.” Maybe now this employee, Caroline Boyle, will realize that cancer (and/or veracity) is not something to fool with.

Moore specifically chose 652 because that is the number of sick-leave hours Boyle had fraudulently used. She had forged a doctor’s note, but had misspelled his name. A Justice official therefore offered this wry advice: If you’re attempting to scam the government, at least get the names right.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-postal-worker-faked-cancer-and-got-paid-to-miss-two-years-of-work-here%e2%80%99s-how-a-judge-punished-her/ar-AAqCjzU?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=BHEA000