MMTT4S - "Come outside with me - there's this moon you've got to see"

Captain's log: 20 July 2019 - Still on Earth, but looking up

Go here and check this out, now. Then come back and read my blog.

You know how some things are just too good to only have one or do once? 

Potato chips, fishing, fresh steamed oysters, going to see a Dave Barnes show, Harold Nutall's chocolate dipped Oreo balls, watching Castaway...

Yum!

Well, today is the day we landed on the Moon back in 1969, fifty years ago. I've already written about this momentous event and celebration...thrice. Still, I can't resist reaching into that cosmic chip bag for just one more.

Image courtesy of NASA.gov

Let's briefly discuss the Moon. Our Moon. I find it lovely, mysterious, mesmerizing, and powerful. Plus, it can perfectly illuminate a midnight swim. It has captured our imaginations, and guided our ways. It has inspired explorers, poets, artists, soothsayers, chieftains, and surfers for ages. It controls tides, fishing cycles, migratory patterns, our seasons, and maybe even moods. 

Read this about the Moon from Space.com (after you've finished my post).

I like the moon for other reasons, too. For instance, when it is really bright you can see your shadow. Think about that - you can see your shadow at night, naturally without artificial light. You can actually watch it move when you see it rise or set if you have a straight line horizon. I prefer the ocean, but it works well over White Sands, New Mexico, too. Some say that if you are lucky enough to catch it set at just the exact moment, you'll see a green flash. This typically occurs over a tropical sea from a vantage point of a waterfront or pier-side bar after a few daiquiris. I've never seen it, but I keep looking. 

Anything that is so involved with the tides, fishing, and art has got to be awesome. That's our Moon. And we were so inspired by it, fifty years ago we stuck three guys into the nose of a rocket and blasted them into outer space to give the place a visit. Then we did it 5 more times, putting 2 astronauts at a time on the surface, the last occurring way back in 1972. Six trips and 12 visitors total. 

Now it looks like we're headed back with the Artemis missions. Scheduled arrival is set for 2024. That makes me happy, hopeful, and proud.


Today's tune from Jimmy Buffett is yet another homage to our planet's celestial buddy called "Everlasting Moon." This gem is found in Buffett's box set Boats, Beaches, Bars, & Ballads. It's on the Ballads CD, where it should be. Play it at night, outside, as you gaze into the nighttime sky and stare at the Moon's "smiling...laser-painted face." You'll be glad you did. 



Ground control: "Aloha, Amigos!"

MMTT4S - Lunar Lunch, Anyone?

Captain's Log: 19 July 2019, The Moon (imagined)

Image courtesy of NASA.gov

How about a dinner party on the Moon?

It's not that far fetched. NASA is planning a sustained presence on and around the Moon by 2028. Check this out for all the details - awesome!

Still, we are a ways off from hosting cookouts and watching the big game from the comforts of a humble lunar abode. I hope to see that happen, though. Heck, I'd hope to be one of the hosts, but that may be more likely for my grandkids or great grandkids. Maybe they'll Skype me down here on Earth and let me experience the lunar life vicariously. By then, we may be visiting with each other by 3D holograms or better. Or maybe - "GG to young Wally the 5th...beam me up, sonny boy." Who knows?

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

Today's tune is the 3rd Buffet song I'm using to celebrate Apollo 11's historical flight to the Moon, an epic adventure that occurred 50 years ago. This song is from his CD Riddles in the Sand, released in 1984, and is titled "Come to the Moon." Yet another song about life away from our planet, this tune displays what might be a fantasy of Jimmy's - living on the Moon. According to the singer, it sounds like lunar living may include a bit of solitude and, thus, he is inviting his sweetheart, who he misses dearly, to come visit. After all, according to Buffett, half a million miles isn't all that far in this future, and a starship's about to depart.

Do you ever imagine what lunar or martian or planet "x" colonies would be like? I do (is that weird?). I'm sure my imagination has created conditions and environs that are impossible to produce on Earth, much less on alien worlds. If we ever do populate the moon, don't be surprised if a Margaritaville Restaurant and Adult Community pop up on the shores of the Sea of Tranquility. Would those residences be considered beach houses on the Moon? I wouldn't be surprised if talks are underway.  Not sure I'd want my permanent residence there, but a vacation home might be nice for an occasional cosmic getaway. Just think - you come in after playing 18 holes, having outdriven your longest golf drives back home on the local muni course by cool couple of miles, a full Earth shining bright overhead, not a cloud in the sky, your favorite hangout just a hop, skip, and a jump away - literally. The views would be breathtaking, not to mention the atmosphere, so leave your helmet on.

It would be cool.

Image courtesy of NASA.gov

Frigid, really. At least during the night. The days would be sweltering. According to CoolCosmos.com, the temperature on the Moon can fluctuate from -298 (yes, that's a negative) to 224 Fahrenheit. So, there's that. Minor hurdle. NASA and SpaceX, I'm sure, have that covered.

Then there's the whole oxygen thing. Again, a minor detail that a little planning (and some genius scientists and engineers) will certainly remedy.

Getting there has been done, but is still an issue. Cost, training, timing - blah, blah, blah.

Well, we've a ways to go until "Come to the Moon" is a beckoning we may hear regularly. Until then, though, enjoy yet another Jimmy Buffett song for the summer and celebrate Apollo 11's grand feat from 50 years ago.

Oh, and check this out for today from NASA! According to NASA: "Today at 1 p.m. EDT, NASA celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and looks to exploration of the Moon and Mars in a live, two-hour broadcast. NASA TV will air Apollo 11 programming all week including replays of the original historic Moon landing footage on July 20."


From mission control - Aloha, amigos!

MMTT4S - Seven Sisters

Captain's Log: 17 July 2019, Earth...still

I'm a hopeless dreamer. Because of that I also tend to be a closet conspiracy theorist, a believer in UFO's, a dragonfly whisperer, wielder of the Force (doesn't always work), inner Walter Mitty channeler, and viewer of the History Channel's show Ancient Aliens. 

Image courtesy of starwars.com

I believe that we simply cannot explain everything. I think we are beings that must rely on belief and faith to not only to have a meaningful existence here on Earth, but to make it through our existence here as well. We learn new things every day. That should be a priority for us as a people and also for each of us individually. 

I believe we will make contact with aliens from another planet one day.

That is, if we haven't already done so. That's an interesting topic for a much lengthier conversation, though.

Image courtesy of
Amazon.com

Today's tune is the second in a series to help us celebrate our "one giant leap for mankind" as Neal Armstrong put it so perfectly. In the song, Jimmy brings in a character from one of his best-selling novels Where is Joe Merchant.  In his tale, Buffett introduces us to Desdemona, who believes she can communicate with aliens and, in an effort to reach the Pleiades constellation,  she attempts to build a rocket ship, which doubles as a bakery while "under construction." The song "Desdemona's Building a Rocket Ship" comes directly from the story. It has a catchy bridge that mentions the Pleiades. 

Image of the Pleiades Constellation
courtesy of earthsky.org

From Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas, a Titan. Zeus turned the sisters into a cluster of stars because Orion the hunter pursued them so heavily. Orion, then became a constellation to continue his pursuit of the sisters, which he continues to do every night in the darkened heavens. 

Myths were a way to explain the unknown universe. Science has helped us discover actuality, but there are still plenty of inexplicable events that science has thus far been unable to clarify. So, even though we know that the Pleiades are stars and not sisters, could they be calling to the Desdemonas out there? Maybe.

Is there life out there? Are there aliens? I kinda hope so. It would seem to be such a waste of space otherwise. If we ever do encounter them (unless we, of course, have not already), I hope the meeting is a positive one. We have enough complications with our own species to add another problematic one. I like the portrayal in the movie Contact. Then again, Don Henley claims that aliens are "not here" and "they're not coming...not in a million years," in his song "They're Not Here...They're Not Coming." He argues that we really don't offer much of an incentive ("McNuggets?"). Could be. 

In any case, fifty years ago when we took that giant leap, we may have also taken a baby step in reaching out to some cosmic neighbor from light years away. So, enjoy today's tune, it can be found on Jimmy's Banana Wind CD,  and continue your celebration of Apollo 11's successful mission to the Moon. 

Info book from Banana Wind CD

Adios, amigos! Earth out.

MMTT4S - We're GO Flight.

Captain's log: Stardate 16 July 2019, Earth

Houston, give me a go/no-go for launch...

I've been fascinated by the cosmos for as long as I've lived. My childlike wonder of the great expanse has never died. If anything, it's stronger today than ever.

For one thing, the universe is big. Trying to fathom its size is beyond my meager capabilities. But that doesn't stop me. I totally geek out on space. I catch myself staring skyward at night long enough for people around me to start whispering to their companions, asking if something is wrong with "that strange man." I'm addicted to identifying the heavenly bodies that appear in the nighttime sky. I use an app on my phone called Star Chart for assistance. It's awesome and it lets you wow (interpreted as "bore" or "annoy") your family and friends by allowing you to point to a star and say things like, "You see that star right there? Yeah, that's not really a star, it's a planet. Venus to be exact." Pointing out Mars or Orion's Belt for the 18th night in a row doesn't stir my family like it does me. Around day 4 it really doesn't stir them at all, actually. They just accept that I'm weird that way.

On July 16th, 1969, NASA sent three astronauts into space on the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.

Image courtesy of TexasMonthly.com

While, Michael Collins orbited the Moon in the command module, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took the lunar lander Eagle to the surface on 4 days later - July 20th, 1969. These 2 heroes spent over 21 hours on the lunar surface. Could you imagine? That would be 21 of the greatest hours of my life. Right after the seventeen three hours of my wedding and reception, and the hours of my two kids' birth, of course. After the jaw-dropping views and experiences of the space flight, to then skip around on the Moon would just be one speechless moment after another. I'd go now. I'd go tot Mars. I'd hang out in the Space Station. Heck, I'd settle for Disney's Space Mountain right about now.

If you haven't paid much attention to real news lately, which is becoming more difficult to find, or if you didn't do the math earlier, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission to the Moon, when man stepped foot on the Moon for the first time ever. There are some out-of-this-world celebrations going on around the nation. This Space Tourism Guide lists commemorative events planned all across the country. If you can't make it to an official celebration, you can do your own thing. Here's a suggestion from Space.com. Here's another from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Radiotimes.com gives a listing of TV, film and radio shows that are celebrating the historic event as well. Lots to do. And why not? 

I, of course, have a Jimmy Buffett offering for you as well. Buffett and I share a passion for outer space, even though when it comes to the grand debate I'm a Star Wars guy and he's a Trekkie. He mentions the moon, Star Trek, Captain Kirk, Vulcan, stars, rocket ships, and more space-related stuff numerous times throughout his voluminous library of music. Today's tune is titled "Beach House on the Moon." Somewhat appropriate, right? It appears on his album by the same title that was released in 1999. It's a children's story, one he probably adapted from a bedtime tale he told his son, Cameron. It's fantastical and imaginative. He sings, "...'teach your children' to go fishing with their minds," and that's exactly what he does in this tune.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

So as you celebrate this epic achievement in the history of mankind, take a moment to tune in to this lunar tune, maybe as you gaze off into the cosmos, and let your dreams and wonders carry you to your own beach house on the Moon. And, by the way, that bright star leading the Moon through its orbit right now is Jupiter.  A dimmer Saturn will be following its larger neighbor's trail near the Moon as well. And hapless Pluto is right behind Saturn but you'll need help spotting it. Just in case you're interested.

Aloha, amigos!