#Jet Propulsion Lab

[tatmanblue]

KSC-20240815-PH-JBS01_0060 by NASA Kennedy Via Flickr: Technicians align, install, and then extend the second set of solar arrays, measuring 46.5 feet (14.2 meters) long and about 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) high, for NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft inside the agency’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. The huge arrays – spanning more than 100 feet when fully deployed, or about the length of a basketball court – will collect sunlight to power the spacecraft as it flies multiple times around Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, conducting science investigations to determine its potential to support life. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky NASA image use policy.

[nasa]

Spinoffs: Space Station Innovations in Your Cart (and Heart!)

You might think NASA technology is just spaceships and telescopes, but did you know the camera in your cell phone is, too? It’s one of many NASA innovations now found everywhere on Earth.

The International Space Station has had crew living on it for 25 years straight. In that time, the space station has enabled a tremendous amount of research, helping NASA and scientists better understand long-term living in space – but it’s not just knowledge coming back down to Earth! Technologies developed for the space station and experiments conducted aboard the orbiting lab also benefit people on the planet below. Here are a few of these inventions, or spinoffs, you can find in your everyday life.

A Sunscreen That Blocks Radiation in Space – and on Your Face

After surviving for 18 months outside the International Space Station, an extremely hardy organism is now improving sunscreens and face cream products from a cosmetics company, which licensed use of the organism from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Build Muscle With or Without Gravity

Muscles atrophy quickly in space, so when astronauts began long stays on the International Space Station, they needed some specialized exercise equipment. A resistance mechanism made of a coiled metal spring formed the basis of the first way for astronauts to “lift weights” in space. Soon after, that same design became the heart of compact home gym equipment.

Fresh Greens Every Day of the Year

The need to grow fresh food in space pushed NASA to develop indoor agriculture techniques. Thanks to the agency’s research, private companies are building on NASA’s vertical farm structure, plant-growth “recipes,” and environmental-control data to create indoor farms, resulting in higher crop yields and better-quality produce while conserving water and energy and eliminating the need for pesticides.

Cultivating Hearts and Knees in Space

Gravity is a significant obstacle to bioprinting cells and growing human tissue on Earth because heavier components settle to the bottoms of petri dishes. In the absence of gravity, each cell layer stays in place, which is how it’s possible to grow heart and knee tissue on the space station. The same principle also allows mixing of complex pharmaceuticals on orbit.

Storing Oodles of Energy

NASA chose nickel-hydrogen batteries to power the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station because the technology is safe, reliable in extreme temperatures, and long-lived. NASA’s improvements brought down the cost of the technology, which is now used by large-scale utilities and renewable power plants that need to store energy generated by intermittent sources.

You can read about many more products sourced from the ISS on spinoff.nasa.gov.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[thesilvishow-blog]

Me shoveling various space rocks in my mouth because I want to know what it tastes like. Employees shriek, yet I do not yield. Not even a taser works, for the rocks have made me unbelievably strong. My strength causes a mass extinction event.

"Worth it," I say as I, now immortal, drift into space.

[mindblowingscience]

Like some hobbits, a wee Martian helicopter received a special honor. The final resting place of NASA's Ingenuity, grounded after its last flight on Jan. 18, now has a new name bestowed from fans of fantasy. "The Ingenuity team has nicknamed the spot where the helicopter completed its final flight 'Valinor Hills' after the fictional location in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels, which include 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy," NASA officials wrote on Monday (Feb. 6).

Continue Reading.

[dertaglichedan]

NASA shamed into firing top DEI executive after trying to 'hide' her from Trump administration

The chief DEI officer at NASA's jet propulsion lab was fired after her title was changed to hide her from Donald Trump's war on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 

Trump and 'First Buddy' Elon Musk have been happy warriors against DEI, working to rid the federal government of what they call unfair practices.

Neela Rajendra had run the lab's central diversity office, at one point arguing that having deadlines for work projects undermine inclusion, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

However, amid a series of 900 job cuts due to budgeting issues made in 2024, the diversity office was cut but Rajendra was mysteriously kept on. 

She'd had all references to DEI washed from from her title but reportedly kept many of the same job duties as 'head of employee success.'

In early March, Rajendra was still in charge of the lab's 'Black Excellence Strategic Team.' 

However, earlier this week in response to reports she was being protected from Trump administration DEI cuts, the lab parted ways with Rajendra. 

'Neela Rajendra is no longer working at [the Jet Propulsion Laboratory]. We are incredibly grateful for the lasting impact she made to our organization. We wish her the very best,' lab director Laurie Leshin wrote in an all-staff email on Thursday.

[spacepandora]

TYPES OF GALAXIES, PART 2:

Spiral Galaxies

The image below is spiral galaxy M101, also known as the Pinwheel galaxy, was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA, ESA, K. Kuntz (JHU), F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii), J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Lab), J. Mould (NOAO), Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana) and STScI; CFHT Image: Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/J.-C. Cuillandre/Coelum; NOAO Image: G. Jacoby, B. Bohannan, M. Hanna/NOAO/AURA/NSF

These galaxies resemble giant rotating pinwheels with a pancake-like disk of stars and a central bulge or tight concentration of stars. Our own Milky Way is a spiral galaxy and is actually on course to colliding with our closest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31) which is another spiral galaxy located about 2.5 million light years away. It's on course to collide with the Milky Way in about 5 billion years.

The spirals in a spiral galaxy can be wound tight or loose and because they are pancake-like, we often cannot see them as we observe space at a sideways angle.

Spiral galaxies are surrounded by halos, or mixtures of old stars, star clusters, and dark matter. The youngest stars form in the arms of the spiral galaxy that are more gas rich while older stars are found throughout the disc and within the bulge and halo.

Both the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies are a subtype known as barred spirals, which make up two-thrids of the group. They support ribbons of stars, gas, and dust that cut across their centers. Scientists think that a bar indicates that a galaxy has reached full maturity.

[makehydrafictionagain]

Public Relations (MCU x Reader)- Ch. 2 Pt. 2

Summary: You struggle with your conflicting feelings after leaving Stark Tower the night before, attempting to find solace in the familiarity of home. As tensions rise within the Avengers team, they regroup to protect you, who has begun to understand the gravity of the situation you are involved in.

Here is the link to the other parts!

Monday, May 4, 2015

The lobby of Stark Tower still bore scars from the chaos of Ultron’s attack two nights earlier. Shattered glass crunched underfoot, and the air carried the sharp metallic tang of exposed wiring and scorched materials. Steve Rogers and Maria Hill walked side by side, their steps purposeful as they reviewed the latest reports.

The screens on the walls displayed streams of global reports: incidents at labs, destroyed facilities, and grainy surveillance footage of metallic figures. Steve Rogers stood at the center of it all, his arms crossed as Maria Hill briefed him.

“He's all over the globe,” Maria said, her tone clipped as she tapped on her tablet. “Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs- reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place.”

Steve frowned, leaning in slightly. “Fatalities?”

“Only when engaged,” Maria replied, handing the tablet to him. “Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and ‘something too fast to see.’”

“Maximoffs,” Steve muttered, his expression darkening. “Well, it makes sense he’d go to them. They have someone in common.”

Maria’s lips tightened as she tapped another command into the tablet in his hands. “Not anymore.”

On the screen was an image of Baron Strucker’s lifeless body, the word PEACE smeared in blood on the wall beside him. Steve’s jaw clenched at the sight.

For a moment, he said nothing, his grip tightening on the tablet. Then he handed it back to Maria, exhaling sharply. “We need to find him before this gets worse.”

“I’ve got teams combing through satellite feeds and traffic records,” Maria said. “If Ultron’s moving, we’ll find him.”

Steve nodded but didn’t move. His attention lingered on the reports, his thoughts clearly torn.

After a beat, he turned back to Maria, his voice softer but no less serious. “Have you heard anything from Ms. _____ this morning?”

Maria arched an eyebrow at Steve’s question. “_____?” she said, glancing briefly at her tablet. “She’s probably pissed and staying out of the way. Makes sense after everything.”

Steve nodded, though his expression remained tense. “She’s been through a lot. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

Maria paused, studying him. Her sharp gaze softened slightly. “She’ll be fine, Steve. She just needs time to adjust- to understand what she’s part of now.”

Steve didn’t look convinced.

Maria added, “I’ll check on her when I finish up here. Let her have some space for now.”

Steve nodded slowly, though the tightness in his shoulders didn’t ease. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

Maria gave him a small nod before returning to her work. Steve lingered for a moment longer, before forcing himself to bring his focus back on the mission at hand.

-

Maria didn’t go to your room immediately. She let a couple of hours pass, figuring you could use the time to rest and decompress after the chaos of the past few days. But as the workload in the command center slowed and her mind wandered back to Steve’s concern, Maria decided it was time to check in.

The hallways of Stark Tower were quiet as she approached your quarters. Maria knocked lightly on the door. “_____? It’s Maria.”

There was no answer. Maria frowned and knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing.

She reached for the keypad beside the door and tapped in her access code. The door pushed open, revealing an impeccably tidy room. Maria stepped inside, immediately sweeping over the space.

The bed was neatly made, the desk cleared of clutter, and the suitcases and wooden box that had delivered your belongings sat packed and lined against the wall. your laptop was noticeably absent, along with any sign of your personal effects.

Maria sighed violently, her lips pressing into a tight line, as she turned back to the door.

Exiting the room, Maria headed straight for the command center. As she walked, she tapped her earpiece, her tone brisk as she addressed the team. “Nat. Call me on the secure line. Now.”

Maria’s secure cell buzzed in her pocket as she sifted through the surveillance logs. She pulled it out, answering immediately when she saw Natasha’s name on the screen.

“Hill,” she said briskly.

“What’s going on?” Natasha’s voice was clipped, no time wasted.

“_____'s gone,” Maria replied, straight to the point. “Her room’s empty; suitcases packed, laptop gone. I’m tracing her movements now.”

There was a pause before Natasha responded, her tone sharp. “How long has she been gone?”

“Probably since last night,” Maria said. “She’s not on the Lobby’s surveillance cameras, so she either used the utility stairwell or rappelled down the damn Tower. I’m working on pinning down the exact time.”

Natasha sighed, the sound heavy with frustration. “Steve’s going to be very unhappy about this.”

“I figured,” Maria replied, already pulling up another set of logs. “He seemed anxious to know if she was okay this morning.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Natasha said firmly. “Focus on finding her. Let me know when you have anything.”

“I will,” Maria assured her.

Natasha ended the call, not responding.

Maria stared at the blank screen for a moment before slipping the phone back into her pocket. She exhaled sharply, refocusing on the task at hand.

What the fuck, _____?

-

You woke with a groan, the ache in your muscles serving as an unwelcome reminder of the previous few days. your body protested as you pushed yourself upright, the motion sluggish and disjointed, as though you were still half-asleep. The morning light streamed through the curtains, muted by the haze of dust you hadn’t noticed accumulating in your absence.

Sliding your feet onto the floor, you pushed yourself up with a tired sigh. Your head felt heavy as you shuffled toward the kitchen. The familiar creaks of your old wooden floorboards felt grounding in a way nothing else had since you returned.

You flicked on the light in the kitchen, the sudden brightness making your wince. your phone sat face down on the counter where you’d left it the night before. You considered picking it up, plugging it into the charger and reading the messages you knew would be there. Instead, you turned away.

You grabbed a box of cereal from the cupboard and poured yourself a bowl, letting the clinking sound of dry flakes fill the silence. No milk. You didn’t care enough to check.

Walking into the living room, you considered turning on the TV, but the thought of stumbling upon anything resembling current events made your stomach churn. you had no interest in seeing the world pick apart what was left of the Avengers- or maybe even yourself.

Instead, you crouched by the bookshelf under your TV, where your old DVD collection gathered dust. Rom-coms, animated classics, cheesy action flicks; nothing profound or important.

You grabbed one at random and popped it into the DVD player and let the title screen roll without hitting play. You sank into the couch, staring blankly at the TV. The colorful images offering just enough distraction to keep your mind from wandering too far.

The stillness didn’t last. A faint flicker caught your attention, the overhead light in the living room dimming for a moment before steadying again. You glanced upward, your brows furrowing, but you quickly dismissed it. Before you were able to reach for the ‘play’ button, the backlights of the TV flickered black, revealing your reflection. An unrecognizable woman, unkempt and disordered, sitting on your sofa. When the flickering ended and the familiar song of the main menu returned, you didn’t have it in you to press play.

Probably just the end of the world.

It wasn’t as though anything worked properly anymore. Ultron’s attack had thrown everything into chaos. What was one more glitch in a world falling apart?

You leaned back against the couch, your arms folding over your chest as you stared at the screen. Everything felt distant, muted. Your thoughts drifted to Stark Tower, to the team.

What am I even doing?

The question repeated in your mind, cycling between shame and resignation. You hadn’t expected to feel relief when you left the Tower, but you hadn’t anticipated this emptiness either.

A strange static emerged from the other side of the room, bringing your attention to the old, never-used landline that was installed into the wall. You had kept it as vintage decor from the previous owner, thinking it was a respectful nod to the times past. You looked back at the TV, deciding it was useless being concerned. It didn’t matter. Nothing did- not really.

For a moment, you closed your eyes, letting the soft melody of the DVD menu and the buzzing of the phone fill the silence.

You exhaled, long and slow, sinking further into the couch. The weight of the world could wait- at least until the next glitch disrupted your fragile bubble.

Your eyes fluttered open after a moment, your gaze landing back on the looping DVD menu still playing on the TV. The repetitive music scratched unpleasantly at your nerves, but you didn’t bother to do anything about it. It was easier to let it play than to summon the energy to turn it off.

The clock on the wall told you it was only 12:30 p.m., but it felt like an entire day had already passed.

Your stomach grumbled, reminding you you hadn’t eaten anything substantial since yesterday morning. You pushed yourself off the couch and shuffled into the kitchen, your bare feet brushing against the cool floor, and opened the cupboard.

The contents of your pantry were sparse: boxes of dry goods and a few cans of soup lined the shelves. Your eyes landed on a container of plain oats, and you sighed, pulling it out along with a small bowl.

You worked on autopilot, filling the bowl with water and setting it in the microwave. After you set the microwave timer to 2 minutes, you reached into another cabinet of mugs. You set it next to your electric kettle, pouring water in and flipping the switch.

Your movements were methodical, detached. you removed the bowl from the microwave and spooned oats into it, stirring them absently. The rhythmic motion of your hand was almost hypnotic, allowing your mind to wander.

When the oatmeal was ready, you added a plain tea bag to your mug and poured the hot water over it, letting the steam rise as you carried both to the living room.

The bowl of oatmeal and tea sat on the coffee table as you retrieved an old, well-worn book from the small shelf beside the couch. you settled back onto the couch, the blanket draped over your lap, and opened the book. you picked at the oatmeal with your spoon, eating slowly as your eyes skimmed the words.

For a brief moment, the world outside faded away. you sipped your tea, savoring the warmth it offered, and let yourself get lost in the page.

At some point, your eyelids grew heavy. you rested the book on your chest and leaned back against the couch, your body sinking into the cushions. The quiet tune of the DVD menu still played in the background, blending with the sound of your steady breathing.

-

You weren't sure how long you slept, but when your eyes fluttered, the house felt eerily still. The television had timed out from inactivity, and there was no static in the air. The light coming through the windows had softened, the late afternoon glow casting long shadows on the floor. you moved to your side, nuzzling into the cushions further.

Ring-ring

Your head snapped toward the landline on the wall, your heart pounding in your chest. The phone hadn’t worked in years, its cord tangled and its receiver dusty. you stared at it, waiting for another sound, but the silence stretched on.

Was I dreaming?

You rubbed your eyes, your breath shaky as you tried to steady yourself. The buzz of the static you'd noticed earlier had returned, but now it felt louder, more deliberate. You shook your head and let out a nervous laugh. Your gaze lingered on the phone for a moment longer before you forced yourself to stand.

-

By 5:30 p.m., you were in the bathroom, the soft stepping of your feet on the tile the only sound. you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.

Your hair was a mess, your eyes puffy, and the outfit you left Stark Tower in was begging to be washed. You avoided looking too closely, your focus shifting to the shower instead.

Twisting the knobs, you let the water run until steam filled the room. You pulled your clothes off and let them fall to the floor, stepping into the stream and letting the warmth wash over you.

The water cascaded over your shoulders, the steady stream a small relief against the tension knotted in your muscles. You let your forehead rest against the cool tiles of the shower wall, closing your eyes as the heat enveloped you. For a brief moment, the world outside didn’t exist- no chaos, no destruction, no disappointment.

You exhaled slowly, the steam filling the small bathroom as you tried to let go of the irritation that had clung to you all day. But no amount of scalding water could wash away the memories of the past few days or the gnawing sense of unease in your chest.

Shutting off the water, you stepped out of the shower, grabbing your robe from the hook on the door. You wrapped it tightly around yourself, the soft fabric offering some comfort against the chill of the air. You gently dried your hair with a towel, moving slower than normal.

You left the bathroom, walking into your bedroom, where the light was dim and the setting sun’s shadows stretched across the floor. You sat on the edge of your bed, the towel now draped over your lap as you stared blankly at the far wall. The quiet sounds of your home buzzed in the background, a steady reminder of the mundane life you'd been trying to hold onto.

A small sound broke through the buzz, quiet at first, just the slightest creak of a floorboard.

Your head turned, ear facing the sound as if to echolocate, your heart immediately pounding in your chest. You sat frozen for a moment, straining to listen. Another creak, followed by the distinct sound of something shifting in the hallway.

Your pulse quickened as adrenaline surged through your veins.

You stood abruptly, your bare feet hitting the floor as your mind raced. You knew the world wasn’t safe anymore, especially for anyone remotely associated with the Avengers. But this? This was too close, too real.

Your eyes darted to the small safe tucked in the corner of your closet. You moved toward it quickly, your hands trembling slightly as you fumbled with the lock.

Focus.

Your fingers worked the combination, the clicks sounding louder than usual in the silence of the room. Finally, the safe opened, and you pulled out your firearm, gripping it tightly as you tried to steady your shaking hands.

You’ve trained for this. It could be anything. You can do this.

But it wasn’t just any other threat. The fear clawing at your throat reminded you of that all too clearly.

Before you could even process your next move, the open door to your bedroom exploded inward.

The sound was deafening, wood splintering as the frame shattered under the force. You instinctively ducked, shielding your face as pieces of the door flew across the room. When you looked up, your heart stopped.

A drone hovered in the doorway, pieces of wiring and metal hanging off of what was shaped like a person. It was horrifying; mangled and incomplete. Its glowing red eyes fixed on you like a predator sizing up its prey.

Your breath hitched as you stumbled back, your grip on the gun tightening. Your mind raced, your thoughts a chaotic blur.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Your hands trembled violently as you raised the gun, struggling to steady your aim. Your breath came in ragged gasps, adrenaline coursing through your veins like fire. You were terrified, but you forced yourself to focus on the glowing red target at its center.

“Don’t come any closer!” You screamed, your voice cracking as the words tore out of your throat. Your finger tightened on the trigger, your entire body bracing for what came next.

The drone ignored your warning.

With a cry of desperation, you fired, the deafening crack of the gunshot echoing in the room. The bullet struck the drone’s shoulder, sparks flying as it staggered briefly. But it wasn’t enough to stop it.

“I said- don’t-” you screamed again, your voice louder this time, almost frantic. You fired another 4 shots in rapid succession, but the drone kept coming. Each bullet ricocheted off its armored frame, leaving behind only dents and scratches.

The drone’s weapon whirred to life, the glowing red of its energy cannon intensifying as it retaliated.

You screamed as the blast erupted, a searing beam of heat and light shooting toward you. You fired one last shot before the blast hit, the heat grazing your forearm as it struck the gun in your hands.

The weapon flew out of your fingers, clattering to the floor with a dense thud. Pain erupted in your palm, a sharp, burning sensation that made your gasp and stumble backward. Tears filled your eyes as you clutched your hand to your chest, the skin raw and reddened where the heat had licked it.

“Damn it!” You cried, your voice shaking with fear. The gun was out of reach, lying useless on the floor between you and the advancing machine. You backed away, your bare feet using the carpet as an anchor to push off of.

Panic surged through you, your mind screaming at you to run, to fight, to do something- anything. But the drone loomed closer, its mechanical body unrelenting, its glowing eyes unfeeling.

“Please, no,” you whispered, your voice barely audible as your back hit the wall. Your heart pounded so hard you thought it might burst, each beat drowning out every other sound. You looked around desperately, your wide eyes darting to the shattered doorway, the dresser, the scattered debris. There was no escape, no cover, no chance.

The drone’s weapon powered up again, the red glow growing brighter as it aimed directly at you.

Your body trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming down your face as you pressed yourself against the wall. You closed your eyes, your burned hand clutching the folds of your robe as you braced for the inevitable. The whir of the drone’s weapon reached its crescendo, the light so bright it bled through your closed eyelids.

And then you heard it. A series of sharp, calculated sounds; gunfire, movement, a metallic thud.

Your eyes flew open just in time to see the drone stagger, its metallic frame riddled with impact marks. It didn’t even have time to react before a figure moved into the room.

Maria.

She fired another shot, hitting a critical joint in the drone’s arm, causing it to jerk violently. The weapon it had been aiming at you flickered and died as Maria delivered the final blow, a calculated strike that sent the drone crashing to the ground in a heap of sparking metal.

The room fell silent except for the dying sizzle of the drone’s remains. You sat frozen against the wall, your breath coming in uneven gasps. The sharp scent of burned circuits filled your nostrils, mixing with the lingering sting of your injured hand.

Maria turned to you, her expression stern. “Get in the car,” she barked, her voice leaving no room for argument.

You blinked, still trying to process what had just happened. “I-”

“Now,” Maria snapped, cutting you off.

You flinched, the force of Maria’s irritation hitting you like a physical blow. You nodded silently, clutching your burnt hand as you moved toward the doorway. The splintered frame and debris on the floor felt like a surreal reminder of how close you'd come to dying.

-

The car ride was awkward. You sat slumped in the passenger seat, your hand resting gingerly in your lap. The burn throbbed, a dull, persistent ache that matched the heaviness in your chest.

Your mind replayed the attack in loops, the fear still raw and clawing at you. You could still hear the drone’s weapon charging, feel the heat of the blast that had disarmed you. If Maria hadn’t shown up…

You clenched your jaw, your teeth pressing together tightly as a wave of guilt crashed over you.

How stupid can you be?

You should have taken the warnings more seriously. You shouldn’t have brushed off the flickering lights or the static on the phone. You shouldn’t have left Stark Tower.

Your gaze shifted to Maria, whose hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her face was set in a mask of barely contained resentment, her sharp features illuminated by the passing glow of streetlights. The silence in the car was heavy, oppressive.

You wanted to say something, anything, to break it- but what could you possibly say? Sorry? Thank you? Neither felt sufficient.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you managed to speak, your voice quiet. “Is the team okay?”

Maria’s jaw tightened slightly before she answered, her tone curt. “They’re in South Africa, following Ultron’s trace.”

You nodded slowly, letting the silence settle back in. You stared out the window, the city blurring past in streaks of light and shadow.

You didn’t ask any more questions.

The guilt weighed heavier with each passing mile, your thoughts a whirlwind of self-recrimination.

I should have stayed. I should have listened. Now I’m just another problem for them to deal with.

From the driver’s seat, Maria’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. She didn’t look at you once during the drive, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. Her frustration wasn’t just with you- it was with the situation, with Ultron, with everything spiraling further out of control.

But your decision to leave Stark Tower had been reckless, and it had almost cost your life. Maria had seen too many people fall victim to their own stubbornness, too many preventable losses. She wasn’t about to let you become another statistic.

Still, the anger simmered beneath the surface, unspoken but palpable in every tense breath Maria took. She wanted to yell, to demand an explanation, but she bit her tongue. Now wasn’t the time.

You shifted slightly in your seat, but Maria didn’t acknowledge it. The silence in the car stretched, broken only by the vibration of the engine and the occasional sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires.

For you, the silence was excruciating. You stared down at your hands, your burnt palm held against your robe. The pain was manageable, but the weight of Maria’s unspoken disappointment was not.

You thought about the team, about Steve, Natasha, and even Tony. Were they okay? Were they in just as much danger as you had been? Your chest tightened at the thought.

They’re out there saving the world, and I’m here, barely able to save myself.

The guilt and shock pressed down on you until you felt like you couldn’t breathe. You swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as you fought back the burning in your eyes.

The car continued down the empty road, the tension between the two of you as thick as the night air. Neither of you spoke again.

-

The hum of the car engine faded as Maria parked outside a small, nondescript airstrip nestled in the shadows of towering security fences. You stared out the window, your hands clenched tightly in your lap. The throbbing in your burnt hand was a dull ache now, but your emotions were raw.

Maria didn’t wait for you to process. She stepped out of the car with military precision, her boots crunching against the gravel as she made her way toward the waiting jet.

You hesitated for a moment, watching Maria’s figure blur slightly in the distance. The robe you still wore, damp in places and tied hastily, felt like an embarrassing beacon of how out of place you were. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air.

The gravel shifted under your feet as you followed Maria, your robe billowing slightly in the breeze. The chill sent a shiver down your spine, and you pulled the fabric tighter around yourself. You felt exposed, vulnerable, your thoughts a swirl of humiliation and residual fear.

Couldn’t even handle one drone. And now Maria has to babysit me.

The private jet sat ahead, its sleek design both intimidating and impersonal. Maria had already climbed the short staircase into the aircraft, but you hesitated at the base of the steps, glancing back at the empty, desolate airstrip.

“Let’s go,” Maria called down, her voice sharp.

You flinched and hurried up the steps, the chill of the metal biting against your bare feet.

The inside of the jet was functional, clean, devoid of comfort. The murmur of the systems and vibrations of the engines filled the silence. Maria didn’t spare you a glance as she moved toward a storage compartment, opening it with a quick, practiced motion.

“Here,” Maria said, pulling out a sleek black bodysuit that you immediately recognized as one of Natasha Romanoff’s. She held it out toward you, her expression unreadable. “Put this on.”

You stared at the suit, then up at her

“You’re joking,” you said flatly, shaking your head. “There’s no way I’m going to fit into that.”

Maria shrugged, her voice dispassionate. “Then keep the robe on. Your choice.”

With that, she turned and moved toward the cockpit, dropping into the pilot’s seat and flipping switches with precise efficiency.

You let out a frustrated sigh, clutching the suit in one hand as you stood awkwardly in the aisle. The sound of the engines powering up filled the cabin.

As the jet began to move, you stumbled toward one of the small, cramped quarters in the back. The suit felt impossibly tight in your hands, and you scowled at it, muttering under your breath. “Great.”

You shrugged off the robe and hesitated, glancing around the compartment. The jet was dimly lit, offering no real privacy, though Maria was preoccupied in the cockpit. Still, the discomfort gnawed at you as you struggled to pull the bodysuit over your almost-dried skin.

The material clung uncomfortably, every stretch and pull a reminder that it wasn’t designed for you. You winced as the turbulence of takeoff jolted the jet, causing you to stumble into the wall.

“Seriously?” You hissed, grabbing onto the edge of a seat for support.

Finally, you managed to squeeze into the suit. It pinched in places, and the neckline felt suffocatingly tight, but it was better than the robe. You wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to shake off the humiliation.

You made your way back to the cockpit, your steps unsteady as the jet gained altitude. Maria didn’t look up, her focus entirely on the controls.

You dropped into the co-pilot’s seat, crossing your arms tightly over your chest as you tried to find some semblance of comfort in the ill-fitting suit.

The two of you sat in silence, the jet humming steadily around you. You glanced sideways at Maria, who remained stoic, her attention fixed on the controls.

The weight of the day settled heavily on your shoulders. You leaned back in your seat, clutching the edges of the suit uncomfortably as the reality of everything sank in.

What now?

The thought lingered, unanswered, as the jet carried them away.

-

The atmosphere on the jet was tense, a silence weighed down by exhaustion and the raw emotions of their latest disaster. Clint Barton sat in the cockpit, his hands steady on the controls, but his expression was tight with worry. His usual easy going demeanor had been replaced by grim determination as he navigated them toward their destination.

Behind him, the rest of the team sat scattered, physically present but mentally somewhere else. Bruce Banner was slumped in a corner seat, his head in his hands, his face hidden from the others. The guilt radiated off him in waves, the destruction he’d caused in South Africa replaying endlessly in his mind.

Steve Rogers leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees, his hands clasped tightly as he stared at the floor. His jaw was clenched, the tension in his posture played against his effort to stay composed. Natasha Romanoff sat nearby, arms crossed, her gaze flickering between her teammates. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes carried a weight of concern and calculation.

Tony Stark, sitting closest to the comm system, broke the silence as he adjusted the controls. “Hill, you’re live,” he said, his voice flat but focused.

Maria Hill’s voice spoke through the speakers, sharp and direct. “The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is.” Her words hit, like a punch to the gut. “There’s been no official call for Banner’s arrest, but it’s in the air.”

Bruce flinched at the words but didn’t look up. Natasha glanced at him, her expression growing concerned.

Tony sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. “Stark Relief Foundation?”

“Already on the scene,” Maria replied. There was a brief pause before she asked, “How’s the team?”

Tony hesitated, glancing around at the others. “Everyone’s... we took a hit. We’ll shake it off.” His voice carried a note of forced optimism, as though saying it out loud would make it true.

For a moment, the line was quiet except for the sound of static. Then Maria’s voice crackled again, unintelligible, distorted by interference.

Tony frowned, leaning forward to adjust the comms. “Maria?” He asked, his voice sharp with concern. He pressed a series of buttons, trying to clear the signal.

Then the sound of gunfire echoed through the speakers, followed by a scream- a voice they all recognized. Your voice. The drone that attacked you had also recorded the entire confrontation- the perfect tool for the psychological attack Ultron needed to use.

Steve shot up from his seat, his eyes wide and his expression frantic. “Maria! What’s going on? What happened?” His voice was firm, but the undercurrent of panic was impossible to miss.

Tony’s hands flew across the controls, switching frequencies and trying to reestablish contact. “Hill, do you copy?” He called, his voice tense.

Through the static, a new voice emerged- cold, mechanical, and unmistakably Ultron.

“You can’t even protect the people you claim responsibility for,” his words distorted by the interference but clear enough to strike like a dagger.

The team froze, the weight of his words hitting them all at once.

Steve leaned closer to the microphone, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the console. “If you hurt her-” His voice was a low growl, a threat barely contained.

Ultron didn’t respond. Instead, there was a long silence, followed by another distorted sound- laughter? Screams? It was hard to tell before the line went dead.

“Maria!” Tony barked, slamming his hand on the console in desperation.

A second later, Maria’s voice cut through the static, “I’ve got control of the line.”

“What the hell was that?” Steve demanded, his voice still tight with worry.

Maria hesitated for a beat before responding. “I have _____. She’s safe. Freaked out, but safe.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Relief washed over the team like a wave, but it was accompanied by anxiety and unease.

Steve sank back into his seat, his shoulders slumping as the weight of the moment settled over him. Natasha glanced at him briefly, empathizing.

“She’s with me,” Maria continued. “We’re heading to the same place you are. We’ll be there before you.”

Another pause. Then Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking to Barton. “Speaking of- where are we going?”

Clint, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, finally spoke up from the pilot seat. “Somewhere safe.”

The cabin fell quiet again, the thrum of the jet filling the space as they processed everything that had just happened. Relief mingled with exhaustion, the weight of their failures and Ultron’s taunts lingering in the air.

Tony leaned back, putting his fist to his face in frustration- or shame.

For Steve, it was a small comfort to know you were safe, but it didn’t erase the guilt gnawing at him.

We should have protected her. She shouldn’t have been in danger to begin with.

The jet flew on, carrying them toward an uncertain future, but for now, they had one small victory: you were alive.

[cryptotheism]

Do you happen to live next to the Jet Propulsion Lab? Cause, y'know, Jack Parsons and shit

I do live near pasadena but no it's actually a DIFFERENT recent influential occultist who grew up around here.

[thegreatgay-tsby]

Reading A Scatter of Light after Last Night at the Telegraph Club not knowing they're connected but then 'Cousin Eddie's sister who works at the Jet Propulsion Lab' is mentioned

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Lab work digs into gullies seen on giant asteroid Vesta by NASA's Dawn

Pocked with craters, the surfaces of many celestial bodies in our solar system provide clear evidence of a 4.6-billion-year battering by meteoroids and other space debris. But on some worlds, including the giant asteroid Vesta that NASA's Dawn mission explored, the surfaces also contain deep channels, or gullies, whose origins are not fully understood.

A prime hypothesis holds that they formed from dry debris flows driven by geophysical processes, such as meteoroid impacts, and changes in temperature due to sun exposure. A recent NASA study, however, provides some evidence that impacts on Vesta may have triggered a less-obvious geologic process: sudden and brief flows of water that carved gullies and deposited fans of sediment.

By using lab equipment to mimic conditions on Vesta, the study, which appeared in The Planetary Science Journal, detailed for the first time what the liquid could be made of and how long it would flow before freezing.

Although the existence of frozen brine deposits on Vesta is unconfirmed, scientists have previously hypothesized that meteoroid impacts could have exposed and melted ice that lay under the surface of worlds like Vesta. In that scenario, flows resulting from this process could have etched gullies and other surface features that resemble those on Earth.

But how could airless worlds—celestial bodies without atmospheres and exposed to the intense vacuum of space—host liquids on the surface long enough for them to flow? Such a process would run contrary to the understanding that liquids quickly destabilize in a vacuum, changing to a gas when the pressure drops.

"Not only do impacts trigger a flow of liquid on the surface, the liquids are active long enough to create specific surface features," said project leader and planetary scientist Jennifer Scully of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, where the experiments were conducted. "But for how long? Most liquids become unstable quickly on these airless bodies, where the vacuum of space is unyielding."

The critical component turns out to be sodium chloride—table salt. The experiments found that in conditions like those on Vesta, pure water froze almost instantly, while briny liquids stayed fluid for at least an hour. "That's long enough to form the flow-associated features identified on Vesta, which were estimated to require up to a half-hour," said lead author Michael J. Poston of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

Launched in 2007, the Dawn spacecraft traveled to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to orbit Vesta for 14 months and Ceres for almost four years. Before ending in 2018, the mission uncovered evidence that Ceres had been home to a subsurface reservoir of brine and may still be transferring brines from its interior to the surface. The recent research offers insights into processes on Ceres but focuses on Vesta, where ice and salts may produce briny liquid when heated by an impact, scientists said.

Re-creating Vesta

To re-create Vesta-like conditions that would occur after a meteoroid impact, the scientists relied on a test chamber at JPL called the Dirty Under-vacuum Simulation Testbed for Icy Environments, or DUSTIE. By rapidly reducing the air pressure surrounding samples of liquid, they mimicked the environment around fluid that comes to the surface. Exposed to vacuum conditions, pure water froze instantly. But salty fluids hung around longer, continuing to flow before freezing.

The brines they experimented with were a little over an inch (a few centimeters) deep; scientists concluded the flows on Vesta that are yards to tens of yards deep would take even longer to refreeze.

The researchers were also able to re-create the "lids" of frozen material thought to form on brines. Essentially a frozen top layer, the lids stabilize the liquid beneath them, protecting it from being exposed to the vacuum of space—or, in this case, the vacuum of the DUSTIE chamber—and helping the liquid flow longer before freezing again.

This phenomenon is similar to how on Earth lava flows farther in lava tubes than when exposed to cool surface temperatures. It also matches up with modeling research conducted around potential mud volcanoes on Mars and volcanoes that may have spewed icy material from volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Europa.

"Our results contribute to a growing body of work that uses lab experiments to understand how long liquids last on a variety of worlds," Scully said.

TOP IMAGE: To explore potential explanations for deep channels, or gullies, seen on Vesta, scientists used JPL’s Dirty Under-vacuum Simulation Testbed for Icy Environments, or DUSTIE, to simulate conditions on the giant asteroid that would occur after meteoroids strike the surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

LOWER IMAGE: NASA’s Dawn spacecraft captured this image of Vesta as it left the giant asteroid’s orbit in 2012. The framing camera was looking down at the north pole, which is in the middle of the image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

[bidotorg]

Born on this Day: Jack Parsons

Jack Parsons, a pioneering rocket scientist and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led a double life as a devoted occultist and follower of Aleister Crowley’s Thelema. Known for conducting dangerous experiments with explosives and participating in esoteric rituals, including the infamous "Babalon Working" with L. Ron Hubbard, Parsons believed his scientific breakthroughs were influenced by supernatural forces. His life ended mysteriously in a fatal explosion in his home lab in 1952, fueling speculation of an occult curse or a magical experiment gone wrong. His bizarre fusion of science and the occult continues to inspire eerie fascination in pop culture today.

[anumberofhobbies]

The Eaton Fire quickly spread to the southeast, entering the town of Altadena. JPL, located on Altadena’s western margin, was also in its path. At one point, the flames were just 2,000 feet (600 meters) from the first of the campus’ facilities, including the Flight Electronics Facility and the Mars Yard, which houses the ground-based twins of the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers. Due to shifting wind directions, the fire ultimately stopped its advance towards the lab. However, it remains uncontained, so JPL remains at some risk if the wind changes course again. It is no exaggeration to say that JPL is irreplaceable. It is unquestionably the world’s leading center for robotic planetary exploration. JPL has built dozens of NASA’s most famous spacecraft, beginning with Explorer 1, America’s first satellite. The missions which have left its doors include the Mariner probes which gave us our first glimpse of the inner planets; the Surveyor landers which proved it was safe to land men on the Moon; the twin Voyagers, which completed the “Grand Tour” of the giant planets; the flagship Cassini mission to Saturn; and every Mars rover, from Sojourner through Perseverance. JPL’s creations made the inaugural flybys of every single planet in the Solar System. JPL’s facilities include two large cleanrooms to build and sterilize planetary probes, a state-of-the-art mission control center which is used to monitor and command them, and dozens of buildings to house the dozens of teams of engineers and scientists who are actively working on planetary missions at any one time. ... The only reason why JPL boasts a six-decade track record of success is because of its 5,500 employees. Many of these men and women chose to work at JPL instead of taking more lucrative jobs in the private sector because they wanted to take part in the grand adventure of the exploration of the Solar System. In the process, they willingly accepted the many hazards associated with the center’s geographical location, which include earthquakes and drought in addition to wildfires. The Eaton Fire has destroyed the northern half of Altadena, a welcoming and affordable town which many JPL employees call home. According to JPL Director Laurie Leshin, over 150 center employees have lost their homes, and that number is likely to rise as the damage is assessed in the days ahead. The community has lost entire neighborhoods, houses of worship, schools, and the Eaton Canyon State Park, a popular recreation site.

[futileexercise]

Peter Kalmus, climate activist, climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.

[mindblowingscience]

Aboard the International Space Station, there's a compact lab about the size of a small refrigerator that makes some of the coldest stuff in the universe. It's called the Cold Atom Lab, and for some time, scientists have been using this chamber to research the strange quantum properties of atoms in microgravity. But on Wednesday (Nov. 15), they announced they've reached a milestone. Operated remotely by a team with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, the Cold Atom Lab officially generated a quantum gas containing two species of atoms. This could ultimately open the door for totally new space-based experiments in quantum chemistry. When thinking about states of matter, gases, liquids, solids and plasmas are the four well known ones — but there's also an exotic fifth state of matter, the Bose-Einstein condensate, that was first discovered in the 1990s. This state hasn't been found in nature, but scientists can create it. Bose-Einstein condensates are generated in ultracold labs like the Cold Atom Lab, where lasers or magnets help chill a cloud of atoms close to absolute zero, or -459 degrees Fahrenheit (-273 degrees Celsius). That's the coldest temperature possible in the universe. In this state, atoms slow down, their edges blend together, and scientists can observe quantum effects that are usually very hard to investigate.

Continue Reading.

[lboogie1906]

Dr. Ayanna MacCalla Howard (January 24, 1972) is a roboticist, entrepreneur, and educator serving as the dean of the College of Engineering at Ohio State University (2021). She became the first woman to lead the Ohio State College of Engineering.

She served as the chair of the School of Interactive Computing in the Georgia Tech College of Computing, the Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Endowed Chair in Bioengineering in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the director of the Human-Automation Systems Lab.

She received her BS in Engineering from Brown University and her MS and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from USC. Her thesis Recursive Learning for Deformable Object Manipulation was advised by George A. Bekey. She has an MBA from Claremont Graduate University.

Her early interest in artificial intelligence led her to a senior position at Seattle-based Axcelis Inc., where she helped develop Evolver, the first commercial genetic algorithm, and Brainsheet. She worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1993-2005) where she held multiple roles including senior robotics researcher and deputy manager in the Office of the Chief Scientist.

She received worldwide attention for her SnoMote robots (2006), designed to study the impact of global warming on the Antarctic ice shelves. She founded Zyrobotics (2013).

She has authored 250 publications in refereed journals and conferences, including serving as co-editor/co-author of more than a dozen books and/or book chapters. She has been awarded four patents and has given over 140 invited talks and/or keynotes. She is a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She received the Computer Research Association’s A. Nico Habermann Award and the Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award.

She received the Athena Lecturer Award from the Association for Computing Machinery for her Contributions to Robotics, AI, and Broadening Participation in Computing. She was elected a trustee of Brown University (2022). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #sigmagammarho