Letters to Earth: Astronaut Don Pettit
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Here is the list of entries for Letters to Earth: Astronaut Don Pettit based on the selected criteria.
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July 1 - Diary of a Space Zucchini
Jul 01, 2012 02:32:25 AM | Don Pettit
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- Today Gardener and his crew will depart in their seed pod; the replacement crew is ready to carry on in their place.
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Going Home
Jun 29, 2012 10:53:48 AM | Don Pettit
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- When a frontier feels like home, it is no longer a frontier; it has become "civilization." Those determined to wander must now pack their bags and move further into the cosmos.
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Birth of a New Moon
Jun 28, 2012 12:55:20 PM | Don Pettit
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- I saw the waning crescent moon, a small sliver of white rising above the Earth limb.
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Carrying the Load
Jun 25, 2012 06:31:28 PM | Don Pettit
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- To maintain our muscles, bones, and cardiovascular systems, we exercise about two and a half hours each day.
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A Slice of Time Pie
Jun 22, 2012 04:44:40 PM | Don Pettit
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- If my day on Space Station were a pie, it would be sliced into many wedge-shaped slivers.
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Warm Regards
Jun 22, 2012 04:40:00 PM | Don Pettit
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- If Matisse and Van Gogh worked together to make a portrait of the Expedition 31 crew, this is what it might look like: Left to right in the first image are Joe Acaba, Gennady Padalka, Oleg Kononenko, Sergey Revin, and André Kuipers (I was running the camera).
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Beating Stray Light
Jun 22, 2012 04:36:40 PM | Don Pettit
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- Stray light—those nasty reflections off our Space Station windows—can ruin the aesthetics of nighttime imagery and viewing.
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Black Spot
Jun 22, 2012 04:32:19 PM | Don Pettit
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- June 6 - Last night we observed a little black spot on the Sun. We stayed up all night to record this with our cameras.
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Teamwork
Jun 21, 2012 11:16:08 AM | Don Pettit
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- May 24 - Tomorrow we capture the Dragon. I can tell that Gardener is focused on that task.
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The Sun
Jun 19, 2012 04:32:20 PM | Don Pettit
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- May 16 - Gardener is practicing taking images of the Sun. He is preparing for the Transit of Venus on June 5th. He has a special filter covering the front of a long telephoto lens so his eyes are protected.
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Help for Sunflower
Jun 18, 2012 10:43:01 AM | Don Pettit
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- Today was the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower.
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Happy Sprout Day
Jun 15, 2012 10:30:30 AM | Don Pettit
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- April 12 - We got new aeroponic bags today. They are a new design, much simpler than the old ones.
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From Us to You
Jun 14, 2012 05:05:41 PM | Don Pettit
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- A couple of pictures of the present we left in Dragon just before we closed the hatch last month. Click on the images to see them larger.
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What Do Dragons Eat?
Jun 14, 2012 05:05:28 PM | Don Pettit
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- April 2 - Oh no, we have algae root! Our plastic potting bags, being transparent, allow our roots to be soaked in light.
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Last Day on Earth
Jun 11, 2012 12:23:34 PM | Don Pettit
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- Another space poem by astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station.
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Homemade Ice Sheets
May 30, 2012 04:04:59 PM | Don Pettit
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- Last weekend I asked if I could use one of the research freezers onboard Space Station during my off-duty time. I made thin sheets of water about a millimeter thick (sort of like a soap film, but without the soap), and froze them.
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Solar Eclipse from Space
May 21, 2012 07:08:29 PM | Don Pettit
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- NASA Astronaut Don Pettit captured images of the astronomical event.
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The Beast
May 21, 2012 05:01:44 PM | Don Pettit
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- Weightlifting in weightlessness is now my favorite oxymoron. (It has surpassed my previous favorite: reality TV.)
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What Makes a Mission Name?
May 17, 2012 09:26:13 PM | Don Pettit
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- What space station crews call our "mission" is a bit more complicated than what you might think.
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My Address in Space
May 15, 2012 12:16:50 PM | Don Pettit
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- If my family and friends were to write me a letter, what address would they use? When I type my name on one of my stories, what address should I give?
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Embrace Me
May 11, 2012 12:28:59 PM | Don Pettit
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- A poem written after my Soyuz TMA-1 landing in 2003.
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Toe Koozies
May 04, 2012 03:51:24 PM | Don Pettit
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- Astronaut Don Pettit writes about how he uses socks in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station in his latest blog.
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Hit the Books and Work on Your Car!
Apr 27, 2012 04:13:34 PM | Don Pettit
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- Space is a desert unlike anything encountered on Earth. The human body is not configured to be able to survive in the cold, dark vacuum of this unearthly realm; creatures of this planet were never meant to go into space.
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Diary of a Space Zucchini
Apr 25, 2012 04:02:21 PM | Don Pettit
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- I have new leaves! I am no longer naked to the cosmos. They are not as big as before however they are just as green.
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Helen of Earth
Apr 23, 2012 11:44:06 AM | Don Pettit
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- Another poem by astronaut Don Pettit aboard the International Space Station.
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Flashes of Reality
Apr 19, 2012 12:52:17 PM | Don Pettit
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- In space I see things that are not there. Flashes in my eyes, like luminous dancing fairies, give a subtle display of light that is easy to overlook when I’m consumed by normal tasks.
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I Wonder Why
Apr 13, 2012 10:18:03 AM | Don Pettit
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- Nature has a vivid imagination, more so than any human. By venturing into unknown territory, discoveries will be made that tickle our imagination and enrich our minds.
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One in a Billion
Apr 11, 2012 12:49:02 PM | Don Pettit
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- I often hear someone remark, "The chances of X happening are one in a million," where X could be any number of rare events such as winning the lottery.
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Diary Of A Space Zucchini
Apr 06, 2012 05:38:07 PM | Don Pettit
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- Expedition 30 Flight Engineer Don Pettit chronicles the growth of plants aboard the International Space Station in his latest space blog.
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More About That Flash
Apr 06, 2012 11:12:41 AM | Don Pettit
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- There’s more to that recent Space Station flash by an amateur astronomy group than may have met the eye, so here are a few more details.
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A Needed Boost
Apr 04, 2012 10:51:52 AM | Don Pettit
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- Here is my attempt to capture a Station re-boost last weekend using ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) propellant.
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Space Is My Mistress
Apr 03, 2012 05:44:24 PM | Don Pettit
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- Seeing as how April is National Poetry Month…
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Seven Faces of Dr. Don
Apr 02, 2012 04:58:10 PM | Don Pettit
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- By mistake I had taken a picture in the Space Station Cupola that showed the reflection of my face in all seven windows. So I set up to intentionally do this, with an artistic flair.
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On the Trails of Stars
Mar 26, 2012 11:53:19 AM | Don Pettit
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- The sky is not the limit for producing artistic compositions.
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Blood and Treasure
Mar 23, 2012 06:18:58 PM | Don Pettit
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- Gold, silk, and spices were the tangible treasures from past explorations. Today, the frontier of space offers treasures that are golden but not gold—secrets about the biochemistry of life, drawn from the bodies of astronauts.
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Mar del Fuego
Mar 14, 2012 04:31:32 PM | Don Pettit
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- Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire, was what Magellan named the tip of South America in 1520. He saw the fires set by local inhabitants who did not want the Portuguese explorer to set foot on their land.
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A Flashing Success
Mar 05, 2012 11:25:50 AM | Don Pettit
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- Flashing space station with beams of light as it passes overhead had never been successfully done—until yesterday.
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Our Fancy Coffee Machine
Feb 29, 2012 01:35:04 PM | Don Pettit
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- Water is an essential ingredient not just for us, but for all life forms that we recognize.
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Earth Photography: It’s Harder Than It Looks
Feb 24, 2012 04:51:52 PM | Don Pettit
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- From my orbital perspective, I am sitting still and Earth is moving. I sit above the grandest of all globes spinning below my feet, and watch the world speed by at an amazing eight kilometers per second (288 miles per minute, or 17,300 miles per hour).
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Leonardo’s Closet
Feb 23, 2012 11:45:18 AM | Don Pettit
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- On space station, we have a closet module. Its prosaic name is PMM. In a former life, it was an MPLM, a special transport container that flew up and down to space station in the back of the Space Shuttle. Made in Italy for NASA, the PMM was formally christened Leonardo—obviously named after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
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Jelly on Both Sides
Feb 17, 2012 04:08:42 PM | Don Pettit
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- When your slice of bread falls on the floor, everyone anxiously looks to see if it landed jelly side up or jelly side down. Simple probability gives a 50-50 chance either way, but it seems more correlated to the difficulty of cleaning that particular section of flooring.
On space station the probabilities are still the same, but the results are different.
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A Lab for Science, and for Thinking
Feb 02, 2012 11:12:11 AM | Don Pettit
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- The International Space Station was conceived and constructed through the cooperation of fifteen nations. Now, with it's construction complete, we can focus on how best to use it.
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The Expanding Universe of Trash
Feb 01, 2012 06:51:31 PM | Don Pettit
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- It is not surprising that the humble garbage can, essential for Earth-borne civilization, is likewise essential for space station.
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Flying without Wings
Feb 01, 2012 03:44:05 PM | Don Pettit
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- During interviews from space station with school children I am often asked what on Earth I miss the most.
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Absence of g
Feb 01, 2012 03:36:51 PM | Don Pettit
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- A poem by Expedition 30 Flight Engineer Don Pettit.
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The World Through a Looking Glass
Jan 27, 2012 04:21:18 PM | Don Pettit
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- Looking through the cupola windows on Space Station, it’s only natural to reflect upon who we are and where we fit into the world below.
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The Eye of Issyk Kul
Jan 25, 2012 04:57:30 PM | Don Pettit
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- Out of numerous Kyrgyz lakes, one in particular stands out—Lake Issyk Kul. When seen from orbit, Issyk Kul appears to be a giant eye, looking at us looking down at it.
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Whisker Cleaning Time
Jan 25, 2012 04:09:32 PM | Don Pettit
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- I have never been able to shave with a safety razor without slicing my face, so I use a rotary electric razor instead. In weightlessness they work just as well, and the whiskers are captured inside the shaving head. But how does one clean out the whiskers in weightlessness?
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The Sweet Smell of Molecules
Jan 24, 2012 10:20:09 AM | Don Pettit
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- A vacuum is a condition that is nearly devoid of molecules, and space is a molecular desert that makes the Empty Quarter of the Saudi Arabian peninsula seem like an oasis in comparison.
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Perpetual Twilight
Jan 20, 2012 10:50:47 AM | Don Pettit
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- Twice a year, near the winter and summer solstices, the orbit of space station nearly parallels the terminator—the fuzzy line separating day from night on the surface below. For a period of about a week, we live in what seems like perpetual twilight, being in neither full daylight nor full night. Our orbit follows the terminator, so that space station is constantly sunlit. From this vantage I can see both day and night simply by swiveling my head from left to right.
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Lost Chopstick
Jan 19, 2012 12:19:10 PM | Don Pettit
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- I like to eat with chopsticks, and I bring a pair on every flight.
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Grand Views of the Grand Canyon
Jan 19, 2012 11:50:32 AM | Don Pettit
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- The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is simply amazing when viewed from an orbital perspective.
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Candid and the Camera
Jan 17, 2012 02:28:09 PM | Don Pettit
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- For my Soyuz launch, I had worn a standard Shuttle diaper with two inserts for extra absorption. (I have found it advantageous to add a little extra in certain places—in weightlessness, urine will creep around under the guise of capillary action and find your long underwear.)
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Gone for the Season
Jan 09, 2012 12:05:00 PM | Don Pettit
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- Being absent for the holidays is collateral damage for an explorer, whatever the location.
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Six Months Turns to Ten
Dec 22, 2011 03:59:30 PM | Don Pettit
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- Space Station expeditions are planned for six months. Some may be a few weeks shorter, some longer. Malfunctions in your spacecraft can impact the mission duration either way by two months or more.
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Please Don’t Squeeze the Astronaut
Dec 22, 2011 02:22:54 PM | Don Pettit
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- Taking human anatomy into account, the toilet facilities on space station have an architecture that expertly aligns the purpose to the environment (such trifles as a toilet seat are not needed when you are weightless). The Soyuz spacecraft is a different matter.
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Godspeed to Earth
Dec 22, 2011 12:36:26 PM | Don Pettit
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- As you get closer to launch you shed earthly possessions, and your worldly stuff becomes meaningless. In my dorm room I give away my things, the tangible items needed on Earth that are of no use to me anymore.
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The Pieces Come Together
Dec 22, 2011 12:18:27 PM | Don Pettit
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- Four days ago our rocket was in pieces, scattered across the floor of the assembly building. Like anxious parents checking on their sleeping children, we took one last peek inside our Soyuz spacecraft. Everything was tucked in where it should be.
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Baikonur Graffiti
Dec 22, 2011 12:14:11 PM | Don Pettit
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- At the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, we scribble on our dormitory room doors shortly before leaving for the launch complex—with an indelible marker, no less. Doing this as a kid would have resulted in a fierce scolding. I know I have had such a talking to, and in turn have talked to my sons.
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Me and My Spacesuit
Dec 22, 2011 12:09:49 PM | Don Pettit
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- Our Soyuz spacesuit is named after the Russian word for falcon: сокол (sokol). It serves only one purpose, to keep us alive in the event of a cockpit depressurization. We venture into a place that is devoid of nearly all matter–a vacuum. This vacuum is as vast as space itself, and in a flash will remove our life-sustaining vapors with no more perturbation than an 18-wheeler smashing a jackrabbit on Route 66. And the effect on your body would be about the same.
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What Makes an Explorer?
Dec 22, 2011 12:02:34 PM | Don Pettit
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- There is a type of social deviate who doesn’t fit in, and who naturally seeks the freedom of the wilderness. The American frontier was settled by that kind of spirit. Ironically, the wilderness of space requires a high degree of social conformity before you are allowed to enter, so today’s pre-selection of candidate explorers effectively requires a different personality type from those who historically ventured into the frontier.
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The Road to Space
Dec 22, 2011 12:00:32 PM | Don Pettit
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- The road to space is a long and arduous path, a meandering trip that in many ways is more demanding than the Space Station mission itself. Training to fly into space is also the next best thing to actually flying into space. And flying into space is what my job is all about.
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A One-Way Ticket
Dec 22, 2011 11:48:32 AM | Don Pettit
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- Unlike my previous trips, this time I arrived in Russia on a one-way ticket. My bridge has been burned. And now I’m in Kazakhstan, awaiting our December 21 launch.
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