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Whatever happened to the “spaceplane”?
NASA ended the US’s interest in spaceplanes when it scrapped the shuttle fleet a decade ago. But other space agencies and private companies in other countries are very much in the game. ESA, India, even the UK. And, of course… Whichever future the spaceplane does have, it will involve China. “We know very little about […]
Blue Jets, Red Sprites, Trolls, and Elves in Space
“Blue jets” rise up from clouds. Above the lightning, “red sprites” can be seen (plasma discharges). Known about since 1886, not photographed until 1989….and now known to occur on Jupiter. Check out this page for some amazing photos… “NASA captures blue jets and red sprites above thunderstorms from space” (somebody needs to help Forbes with […]
Bringer of Light, Chapter 11: Ceres (Part Two)
(Weng and his “assistant” Gen have arrived at Ceres, where after some difficulty they convinced the Ceres Mining Council to give them water supplies for an increasingly crowded Mars. None of them realize what the water will do…) “Smells like the ocean,” Weng muttered. “Yes,” Talbot said. “This used to be the Sea of Salt.” […]
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© Matthew Apple and Taking Leave, 2009-2020. Duplication of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. If you would like to post or copy brief excerpts from the blog, please provide a link to the original URL along with an author’s credit.
Tag Archives: life
The First Year Wall (Part 1) – Gakudo and the Kid
Three weeks ago, our youngest daughter went to nursery school for the last time. The following Monday, she started gakudo (学童, short for 学童教育 gakudokyouiku, which is usually translated as “after school program”). Since both my wife and I work … Continue reading
Posted in child safety, coming of age, education, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, parenting, school
Tagged children, education, family, handmade, Japan, Japanese customs, life, parents, schooling
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Death of a Cherry Tree
This past Monday, city workers came to cut down a cherry tree near our house. It had been there for years. We found out later that a neighbor had complained that leaves falling in her backyard were a nuisance to … Continue reading
Posted in death, Japan, Japanese culture, nature, spring
Tagged children, family, inspiration, Japan, life, trees
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