LIFTOFF! The next big leap in a new chapter of U.S. human spaceflight systems has begun. @SpaceX’s #CrewDragon demo flight is the 1st commercially-built & operated American spacecraft designed for humans to dock at the @Space_Station. NASA: “Today’s successful launch marks a new chapter in American excellence, getting us closer to once again flying American astronauts on American rockets from American soil."
For this demo launch, Crew Dragon is staffed with a sensor-laden dummy named “Ripley.” The capsule will arrive at the ISS on Sunday, where it will attempt its first autonomous docking (previous non-crew Dragon capsules have been snagged and guided in by an arm on the ISS controlled by astronauts on board).
NASA Press Release: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-spacex-launch-first-flight-test-of-space-system-designed-for-crew
Fractals Release
Wow. You guys show up, big time. No BookBub, no promotions, just my readers. All the squishy feelings for you! 💖
P.S.: This is Fractals, of course.🤗
Originally posted on Facebook.
The Future of Humanity
Anthem Review
I did an extensive review for Mass Effect Andromeda after finishing it, so I figure I owe you one after finishing the critical path storyline for Anthem. Spoiler-free!
The very, very good: 💯
1) Flying is FUN.💫 Combat is FUN. Not having played Titanfall or its ilk, I'll refrain from saying it's unique, but there's no question that with the javelins Bioware has created something ⭐️very special⭐️. I can't overstate how smooth and exhilarating it feels to soar through Bastion's canyons and blow up enemies.
2) The world is drop-dead gorgeous. State-of-the-art graphics, incredible lighting and what feels like a lot of attention to detail combine to make Bastion's wilds the most beautiful environment I've ever seen in a video game. (One slight negative: it isn't, however, particularly varied, at least not yet. But you don't care, because what's there is simply stunning.)
3) The voice acting in the critical path questline is among the best I've ever heard in a game. Bioware has always excelled in this area, but they've somehow managed to up their game here. Faye, Haluk, Owen, Tassyn, Dax and the rest quickly become memorable, impactful characters thanks to their VAs. I can't speak about the male freelancer, but the female freelance voice is also excellent. I'm not sure how well the VA would do with a "heftier" role like Shepard, but here she's quite pleasant to listen to.
4) Bioware has FINALLY cracked the secret code on how to make characters look good using the much-maligned Frostbite engine. NPCs are varied and diverse in their appearances, but they all look great. So much less shininess and puffiness than in DAI and MEA! One of the major characters in the main quest, Tassyn, is frankly gorgeous (even if she is a bit of a bitch). Facial animations are also much improved from MEA, if not quite up to AC: Odyssey standards. I've read Bioware used a lot more motion capture for Anthem than they have previously, which likely explains this improvement.
The not so great: 😏
1) WHY OH WHY did Bioware choose a first-person perspective for Fort Tarsis (and a Javelin-only third-person perspective for outside) when they've FINALLY cracked the secret code on how to make characters look good??? In character creation, you choose male or female, then from one of a dozen or so fixed portraits. After that, you only see your character's face during a few *meaningful* mission cutscenes, when they flip their visor up. You never see their hair or see them out of a javelin. Such a waste!
2A) The critical path questline is far too short. Granted, this will almost certainly be expanded upon in the future (apparently for free, which will be nice). While a compelling story, it's not nearly long or fulsome enough to serve as the backbone of a game. Of course, Anthem is about much more than that questline, so arguably it doesn't need to be.
2B) And it's too shallow. If not for the stellar voice acting and the innate storytelling finesse Bioware has always displayed, it would have been very difficult to feel the slightest bit invested in your character's 'backstory' or the current plight they and the world find themselves facing.
The bad: 😖
1) The missions are worryingly repetitive in their technical design. There's only about 3 basic mechanics the missions rotate between, and I worry that the repetition will soon drown out the inherent fun in the gameplay.
2) The gear/weapons/skills system is simultaneously overly complicated and overly shallow. This is something else I'm sure will be dramatically expanded and refined with time, but at release, it leaves a lot to be desired.
3) Fort Tarsis is much smaller than I was expecting. I have to believe they cut large swaths of it to make an EA-mandated release date. What's there is charming and quirky, but there's not much there.
4) Way too many and too long loading screens. This is something Bioware has been frantically working on improving, and there was a BIG improvement from the demo to release. They're still too long and happen way too frequently.
5) Co-op needs text chat! (And possibly voice chat, but at least text chat.) Several missions include puzzles, and you can imagine how much fun it is to have 4 players who can't communicate with each other running around randomly spinning obelisks and lights and such all at the same time, frequently at cross-purposes.
So will I keep playing? Yes, but until there's a substantive (read: story-heavy) update, only casually. Like I said, it's FUN. But having completed the only significant questline, it's not necessarily meaningful.
Don't ask me for a score, guys. Come on....😔
Okay, fine! B...-
Have some raw, unenhanced screenshots!
Originally posted on Facebook.
Stunning Astrophotography Image of SpaceX Launch
By Mike Seeley: “40 mins of pre-launch star trails + 4 minutes of rocket streak + 55 seconds of the Moon rising with bonus: the boost-back landing burn, low on the horizon. Congratulations to all involved in the #SpaceX #NusantaraSatu #Falcon9 launch (&landing!) (Pis: me / @WeReportSpace)”
The mission sent an Israeli commercial lunar lander off on its two-month journey to the moon. You can learn more about the mission at http://www.spaceil.com.
Originally posted on Twitter.
On Good Days
Juno Perijove 18
Some gorgeous new images coming from the Juno probe with its latest Jupiter orbit.
Processing credit: [ Eichstädt / Doran ]
Dragon Aurora
Dragon Aurora over Iceland https://buff.ly/2X9cbxh via @apod Image credit: Jingyi Zhang & Wang Zheng
Originally posted on Twitter.
Anthem Early Access
Well, that took about 10 seconds! Now to go construct an elaborate self-canon that explains Alex Solovy being on Bastion wearing N7 armor.... #1stWorldWriterProblems
Originally posted on Twitter.
70K for The Stars Like Gods
Did you know The Stars Like Gods already has 70,000 words? Messy words, but words nonetheless.
Yesterday I reached the point where I needed to map out what I had, so I could identify holes still needing to be filled. Plot holes, but mostly character holes. So I grabbed some paper and a bunch pens and created a gorgeous flow chart in my infamous scrawl. (I swear, I couldn't draw a straight line if I had a gun pointed at my head.) 🤣 The holes I found are in red. 💢
Yes, it's a tiny picture, for good reason. 😋
Originally posted on Facebook.
A Celebration of Opportunity
The NASA press conference was a beautiful, heartfelt celebration of the 15 years of Opportunity's mission and a look to the future of Mars exploration.
Over the last 9 months, the team sent over 1,000 recovery commands to try and wake Opportunity up, ultimately to no avail. The last message Opportunity sent translated as “My battery is low and it is getting dark.” 🥺 Amidst a month-long, record-setting dust storm, it was simply too cold and too dark for too long.
Now the internet is overflowing with personal tributes, and more than a few tears. Here are a few, as well as some images and infographics:
Official statement and mission recap from JPL: https://mars.nasa.gov/…/nasas-opportunity-rover-mission-on…/
XKCD Comic "Opportunity": https://xkcd.com/2111/
A comic with a happy ending, one day: https://twitter.com/GlenMaffews/status/1095514961940488192
More hope for a reunion in the future: “And in 200 years time the little rover will awaken to someone cleaning and repairing it and fitting new batteries, and it'll roll outside and look out over the city of the same name, its home.”: https://twitter.com/od_stuff/status/1096069782724591616
A thread on what went wrong for Opportunity: https://twitter.com/JacobMargolis/status/1095436908899913729
A thread on what Opportunity has meant for humanity, and why we cry at its loss: https://twitter.com/shannonmstir…/status/1095730251873714176
A live blog thread on the NASA press conference: https://twitter.com/tanyaofmars/status/1095759187227770880
Another beautiful goodbye: https://twitter.com/MarsRovers/status/1095760214169546752
A eulogy by Rachel Feltman: https://www.popsci.com/mars-opportunity-eulogy
A whole Flikr gallery of images from Opportunity over the years by Jason Major: https://www.flickr.com/…/lightsinth…/sets/72157669559511817/
Curiosity’s tribute to Opportunity: https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity/status/1095788439155306496
Even The Onion got sentimental: https://www.theonion.com/spacecraft-travel-from-all-over-galaxy-to-honor-end-of-1832602862
Beautiful thoughts from Scott Maxwell, who relayed commands to Opportunity for years: https://twitter.com/marsroverdriver/status/1095786993957535744
Ad astra to Opportunity, the finest planetary rover we’ve ever known: https://twitter.com/DeanBobbyBraun/status/1095778180269522944
I'm not crying, you're crying. Okay, fine, we're all crying. 😭
Originally posted on Facebook (with updates).
Opportunity Update
NASA will hold a press conference Wednesday at 2PM EST to share the results of its efforts to reestablish contact with Opportunity. All indications are that it won't be good news, and may very well mark the end of the mission.
It's been 9 months since communication with the rover was lost during a massive Mars dust storm.
Whatever happens, here's a beautiful piece about Opportunity and some of the lives it's touched by Shannon Stirone: https://medium.com/…/its-time-to-say-goodbye-to-our-beloved…. Expect a lot more pieces like this to be posted in coming days.
Cassini Drive-By
Io in front of Jupiter; a color-composite made from images captured by Cassini on Jan. 1, 2001 as the spacecraft passed by on its way to Saturn. Io was 9.55 million km from Cassini, Jupiter was 9.9 million km away. Io is about 3,630 km across...about 155 km wider than our Moon. Shared by Jason Major.
Originally posted on Twitter.
Tour Alien Worlds
Surround yourself with the beauty of deep space with these sweet new FREE posters. SEE MORE >>
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/tour-alien-worlds-with-new-multimedia-treats
Originally posted on Twitter.
Last Light
"All these worlds are yours (except Europa)." *shrug* It seemed appropriate. 😌
This image is being called "last light," a bookend to the first full image from Kepler, captured a decade earlier (https://www.nasa.gov/content/keplers-first-light).
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/ames/kepler-s-final-image-shows-a-galaxy-full-of-possibilities
New Device Is Better Than Old Device
The new model Kindle Paperwhite has replaced an aging (if not *technically* broken) Voyage. It's an upgrade in every way - thinner, lighter, faster, better screen - but it's an incremental upgrade, not a revolutionary one.
I'm very happy with it, but Amazon...I'm pretty sure I know how to work a Kindle, and I'm frankly a little insulted that you think I need❗THREE⁉️ User Guides.... 😶
Great American Eclipse
Wide Field View of Great American Eclipse in August 2017. Image Credit: Nicholas Lefaudeux (https://buff.ly/2sRTGQ6)
Originally posted on Twitter.
Just A Little Inspiration
Just a little inspiration, for me as much as for you, on a morning when I'm trying to write despite having the flu, and am gently kicking ACX over where the h*ck my audiobook is. 🤨
I couldn't find any attribution for the quote, but shout if you know who said it.
Hat tip to We Rate Dogs for teaching me how to keep my cursing clean. (Don't worry, this won't extend to the books, lol. Or any other part of my life. But We Rate Dogs is awesome.) 😋
Did anyone else immediately think of Akeso when they read the first two sentences?
Originally posted on Facebook.
Foothills of Mount Sharp
Bits of the foothills of Mount Sharp, imaged by Curiosity yesterday on Mars.
Originally posted on Twitter.
New Hi-Res Image of Ultima Thule
A new higher-resolution image of #MU69 #UltimaThule has been released by @JHUAPL, captured by @NewHorizons2015 MVIC at 05:26 UT (12:26 a.m. EST) on Jan. 1 from a distance of 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles). http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20190124
Via Jason Major.
Originally posted on Twitter.