A human in Texas. Studied the geological sciences but ended up on another path working in the human spaceflight business: 37+ years on Space Shuttle & Orion, retired as of April 1st, 2026. #Photography and #gardening in my spare time.
#Orion #Artemis #Fossils #Geology #NASA
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Published at
2026-04-24T15:30:45Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Decided to plant a little herb #garden at the house here and in the middle of the work to prepare the bed for them this guy showed up. Looks like a potential troublemaker. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Up on the bell tower of #Peratallada at sunset. It still works, striking the hours and half hours. Quite loud and startling when you’re standing right underneath it. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Carpenter #bee visiting a blanket #flower in the front #garden. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter I’m not sure it’s even that low. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter BloomSquirreling npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Eiffel’s ironwork. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Red-bellied #woodpecker launching. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter a good friend of mine that I first worked with on the Shuttle was a main engineer on the Crew Module Uprighting System, the 5 big inflatable balloons things on top of the crew module. I like to tease him about his “beach balls”. But looks like they worked perfectly, I just texted him congratulations. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter thank you ! npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Anoles two ways. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter thanks! I worked on Orion software, part of that was designing and testing models of the Orion components and systems and flight environment that comprise the full vehicle simulation used to develop and test the flight software in all the various test environments and laboratories, as well as used in the crew training simulators. Did your kid work in Houston or Denver (which is where most of the US part of Orion was developed)? npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter So as of yesterday I am retired, had a 37+ year career working in #NASA human spaceflight, Space Shuttle and then the #Orion spacecraft. I set my retirement date in the hope that the #Artemis 2 mission, Orion’s first crewed flight, would have completed by then but Feb launch was delayed and by “cosmic coincidence” Artemis 2 finally launched yesterday - my final day. Very proud of all my colleagues and all the hard work we’ve done to get to this point. Onward to the #moon - and beyond. Ad astra. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Bergen, #Norway npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Uhh…howdy. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Positano on the #AmalfiCoast. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter One of our backyard nut ninjas 🥷. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter At least somebody is getting to enjoy the January strawberries. 🍓 🐿️ npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter American Goldfinch, eating basil seeds. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Southern #Colorado npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter More of my* strawberries going to the backyard freeloaders. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #FensterFreitag #photography #Besalú #Catalonia #Spain npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter I’ve seen pics of the black ones but we don’t have those here, only ones I see are eastern grey which are brown with creamy white belly (in my photo) and fox squirrels which are brown with yellow/orange belly. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter A happy new year #squirrel searching for strawberries. With our warm late autumn/early winter weather here in SE TX my #strawberry plants are suddenly producing more blossoms & fruit than they did all summer - and so far the #squirrels are getting all of it. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Tossa de Mar npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Besalú bridge busker. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter thanks! npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Who watches the watcher. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Bee and Mistflower npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Squirrel on the house. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Montmartre npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Bergen Harbor, #Norway npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Matagorda Beach, Texas, night sky view looking inland. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter It’s full of…#stars. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Vøringsfossen, #Norway npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter A pod of #pelicans. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Hollowed-out center of a redwood #tree. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Hands in hands. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Ponte Vecchio and the Arno River at #night. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Cardinal rule. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Torrey Pines #Beach, #SanDiego npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Brunelleschi’s dome on the Duomo di #Firenze. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Floofed-up #cardinal on a chilly afternoon. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Monarch on mistflower. Still seeing these around but we just had a strong cold front (for SE TX) blow in today with temps going to freezing tonight so this may be the last we see of them for a while. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Ruins of the Greco-Roman town of #Empüries, #Catalonia, #Spain npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Montmartre window. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter A yellow-collared scape #moth on mistflower in the front garden. This was a new sighting for me, don’t generally expect to see moths in the daytime, though I read they are a common species in North America. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Sue-meg State Park, northern #California npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter View across the Saint-Vincent Cemetery in #Montmartre npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter An orange-crowned warbler on the hummingbird feeder, maybe wondering where they’ve all gone. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter After a week of mostly cold (for SE TX), wet, cloudy weather, the sun came out yesterday and with that I was surprised again to see some late season #butterflies, mostly #monarchs and long-tailed skippers, swarming the main blooming plant remaining in the front #garden, the mistflower. Made for this one brief encounter. Sharing is caring. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter View into the burial chamber of Cova d'en Daina, a 4000+ year old #dolmen located near Romanyà de la Selva in #Catalonia, #Spain npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter A (nearly) empty street in Besalú. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Sagrada through the trees. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Waddell #Beach on the central #California coast. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter You are here. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Female northern #cardinal having a drink from the birdbath. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter I thought all the #monarchs were long gone, migrated off to parts further south - in fact there’s very little butterfly activity in the garden right now as you’d expect in late November - so I was surprised to find this straggler visiting the mistflower in the front #garden bed earlier this week. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Eating out of my hands (ok they’re actually my spouse’s hands). npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Street in Besalú npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter mine are just slightly sweet with a hint of appleyness but they are very dry. I see there are recipes to make jam out of them but you need a lot, like at least 2 cups. I doubt I have even half a cup. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter I recently learned that the fruit of the Turk’s Cap (aka Wax Mallow) are edible, they look and taste sort of like little bitty apples. They are considered a #Texas native so I planted a bunch of them back in the spring for the hummingbirds and insect pollinators, which loved them, and now just in time for Thanksgiving I am reaping a tiny harvest of the tiny fruit, (not nearly enough for a pie though 😞 ). npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Catalonian #Cats of Cadaqués npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter it’s a relative thing but really we just have two seasons, summer and not-summer. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Birdbath buddies. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter thanks, in SE TX we’ve had an unusually warm “autumn” so far (well it used to be unusual, now it’s becoming the norm) so there’s still blooming action in my garden beds, but particularly this Gregg’s mistflower - which spreads aggressively & now covers a good part of one end of the bed. Will have to cut back & root out most of it before next spring. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Honeybee on mistflower in the front #garden. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Always watching. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Barcelona from the roof of the Palau Güell. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Sunset near Round Top, #Texas npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Sunset at #Boston Harbor. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter View from the amphitheater north across #Arles with the #Rhône beyond. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Foot bath. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Often find #frogs in the water reservoir on top of my Greenstalk planter. This one had its own surfboard, Cowabunga dude. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Long-tailed Skipper on one of the few remaining #zinnias in our front #garden. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #FensterFreitag #photography #BlackAndWhite #blackandwhitephotography #Besalú #Catalonia #Spain npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Inside a church entrance looking out, Besalú. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter A winter #sunset from many years ago at Torrey Pines #Beach, #SanDiego, #California npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter View through an arch of the #Roman amphitheater in #Arles, #France npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Cardinal calling. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter An Orange Sulphur #butterfly with very tattered & torn wings visiting lantana flowers in the front #garden. This butterfly has really been through some sh*t, but it’s still going. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #SquirrelySaturday #squirrels #SquirrelsOfMastodon #SquirrelScrolling #photography #BackyardWildlife npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Besalú npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Seillans, #France npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Stone Lagoon Beach, northern #California npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter I looked for the Spanish translation of henge and it gave “círculo de piedras”, literally “circle of stones”. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter my understanding is that a henge is an open air ceremonial site consisting of a ring of stones within a circular ditch whereas a dolmen is a burial tomb built from upright stones topped with capstones. This site has a ring of stones close around the central burial tomb but I think it all was originally buried under an earthen hill. And the ring here is smaller than typical henges. The Catalan name for it, Cova d'en Daina, translates to Daina's Cave in English. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Tree above the stones of Cova d'en Daina, a 4000+ year old #dolmen located near Romanyà de la Selva in #Catalonia, #Spain npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Ruby-throated #hummingbird visiting Turks Cap flowers in the front garden. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #SilentSunday #photography #butterfly #zinnia #flowers #bloomscrolling #butterflyphotography npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #SquirrelySaturday #squirrels #SquirrelsOfMastodon #SquirrelScrolling #photography #BackyardWildlife npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Halloween sprouting at the homestead. 🎃 npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Autumn in the Gorges du Verdon, southern #France npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter On the #CostaBrava npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter #Medieval bridge at Besalú npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter House #finch eating some of the basil that I’ve let go to seed. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Note the left wing on this Gulf Fritillary, the big gap near the body, wing torn almost completely off. Yet this battered #butterfly seemed to be managing fine despite that, flittering around the zinnias. They just keep going till they can’t. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter The watcher on the wall. npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Besalú npub1rapzmse2t9syg694l465z4yl5wlld43wkz9xj9cdktrma5wu9urqc77pwr Trilobyter Fritillary in flight.
