Exploration Blogs

Discover the best independent blogs about exploration on BlogRolly.

The Hidden Engineering of Floating Bridges — Ever wondered how a bridge can float? This Practical Engineering video transcript follows my tour of floating bridge eng
The Bizarre Bases of Antenna Towers — Remember the Warsaw Radio Mast collapse in 1991? In this Practical Engineering post I explain why guyed masts have those
The Hidden Engineering Behind the Falkirk Wheel — A rotating boat lift sounds like science fiction. I unpack the hidden engineering behind the Falkirk Wheel, explain how
My Inner Space Child — Space posters covered my walls in the sixties, and my Inner Space Child still lights up for rockets. I tour Orbiter 2016
What If Space Really Sucks? — What if space really sucks? I riff on a Space Review essay and The Expanse, arguing Mars colonization challenges show sp
Earth Simulator (with Airplanes) — Ever circled a lighthouse in a silver PT-17 Stearman at sunset? I do, in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, and I write ab
Integral Launch and Reentry Vehicle: Triamese (1968-1969) — A surprising 1968 shuttle idea imagined three identical modules lifting a Space Base for 100 people by 1980. I walk you
Apollo-Soyuz II (1974) — Imagine a 1977 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project revival. In this post I trace the NASA Flight Operations Directorate study for
Could the Space Voyages in the Film and Novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" Really Happen? (Part 2) — What if Discovery's engines actually worked? I trace Clarke's plasma jet and Kubrick's skeletal Discovery, compare the n
Could the Space Voyages in the Film and Novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" Really Happen? — Could 2001: A Space Odyssey really happen? I revisit my childhood obsession and unpack NASA Glenn papers by Stanley Boro
Could the Space Voyages in the Film and Novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" Really Happen? (Part 3) — Saturn up close is weirder than any movie set. In Part 3 of my series on could the space voyages in 2001 A Space Odyssey
The First Voyager (1967) — Imagine standing in 1967 reading NASA's Voyager brochure. In this post I retrace JPL's Voyager program from 1961 studies
Venus As Proving Ground: A 1967 Proposal for a Piloted Venus Orbiter — Curious how Venus could act as a proving ground for Mars? I walk through a 1967 proposal for a piloted Venus orbiter by
Chronology: Piloted Flybys 1.0 — Did you know NASA once treated piloted Mars and Venus flybys as a low cost bridge between Apollo and crewed planetary la
A Robotic and Piloted Planetary Exploration Program for the 1970s and Early 1980s — A bitter turning point in NASA history. I recount 1967 from the Apollo 1 cabin fire and FY1968 budget cuts to the clash
Field Day: New York City — Field day New York City sent me on an art exhibitions in NYC crawl. I hit Tara Donovan at Pace Gallery, Odili Donald Odi
Rhea From about 50,000 km — Curious what Rhea looked like during Cassini’s close flyby? In this post I unpack the 30th’s images, why the closest fra
Cassini Team Shows Some Color — A rare color view stopped me in my tracks. I walked through NASA's surprise release of Cassini color images and the Cass
Wallpapers: Three From Apollo — Remember the first moonwalk? In this post I picked three Apollo wallpapers that capture the awe of the first moonwalk an
A Long Amazing Stretch of Pluto — What a shock, Pluto's geology rivals the inner worlds. I still can't believe New Horizons' Pluto geology shows floating
Rosetta’s Goodbye Landing — Under 10 km above comet 67P the dust field looked alive. I processed the first Rosetta goodbye landing image to reduce n
Most Incredible REAL Video From the Surface of a Comet — Stunned by a 25 minute timelapse from the Philae lander, I guide you through the real video from the surface of Comet 67
Enter Prometheus — A close-up view of Saturn's moon Prometheus, taken with Cassini's narrow-angle camera on December 6, 2015, grabbed my at
We are Star Sand — Picture this, the Sun as a grain of sand. I walk you from 1,000 to 1,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 stars with sand mats, cube
The Moon is Upside Down — Ever noticed the moon looks upside down from down under? After four years living in Australia I brought back a moon post
Countries in the Sky — Ever wondered how your country looks projected into the sky? I created the ZenithMap to visualize national borders on th
Get closer to the Moon without leaving the Earth — Ever wondered how close you can get to the Moon without leaving the Earth? I map the exact recipe. Stand on Mt. Chimbora
CLALLAM BAY FOSSIL HEIST — Sunshine, tides and a comic fossil heist made for a memorable Clallam Bay fossil hunt with my mom. We explored the Clall
What are the Real Laws of Geological Field Work and Research Publication? — Ever followed mileages in a field guide and found only landscaping? From writing a Yosemite and Coast Ranges field guide
The Abandoned Lands — Geology explorations, field notes, photos and stories from a 2012 summer roaming the margins of the Colorado Plateau, co
Driving Through the Most Dangerous Plate Boundary in the World: A Compilation of Fear — Fearsome subduction zones made central California a geological minefield. This compilation maps my road trip driving thr
Where the Sierra Nevada Rises From the Sea: A Compilation of Posts — Ever seen the Sierra Nevada rise from the sea? I compiled 15 posts tracing the Salinian Terrane from Big Sur to Bodega B
Vagabonding on Dangerous Ground — Want the full Cascadia story in order? I compiled every post from our Pacific Northwest geology road trip into a single
The Other California: What to See When You've Run Out of Postcard Destinations — Tired of Yosemite postcards? I've been cataloging California's hidden geologic gems, from Carrizo Plains and the best Sa
Once-Grand Apartments — Stark contrast in Havana stopped me in my tracks, the renovated Capitol faced shabby, partly abandoned once-grand apartm
The Curious Attraction to Cine El Megano — A humble theater stopped me on a Havana walk. I'm oddly drawn to Cine El Megano Havana for its pale blue facade, unusual
Permission To Start Again — Sometimes a draft arrives whole. In Permission To Start Again I recount finishing Episode 302 of Permanently Moved on th
Thirty minutes from sundown; time travel in the Anglican Chapel, Kensal Green Cemetery — Thirty minutes from sundown the Anglican Chapel at Kensal Green feels like time travel. With Meriel I explored the catac
Hell has more than 7 circles you guys — Pop quiz: how many circles does Hell actually have? I made a graphic from the Google Books ngram dataset as an excuse fo
Splash it all over: A brief history of aftershave. — I explore the history of aftershave and men's grooming, mixing my 70s memories of Brut and Old Spice with 18th century s
Paranormal Vortex Areas — Curious why places like Sedona and the Bermuda Triangle get labeled energy vortex locations? I trace the idea to Ivan T.
Flat earthers go to Antarctica — A surprising Antarctic trip tested flat earth claims. I report on the flat earthers trip to Antarctica led by pastor Wil
Eternal Flames — Curious how a flame can burn on a waterfall? In my new video on natural gas eternal flames I visit Eternal Flame Falls N
Mapping China from the air — Old aerial surveys, wartime mapping, and the strange politics of seeing China from above. I follow how maps, reconnaissa
Coral Bay — Coral Bay felt unreal: endless turquoise water, coral reefs just off the beach, and days ruled by tides instead of clock
A game I am playing: BotW. — I’ve fallen back into Breath of the Wild, wandering Hyrule like it’s an old friend. It’s not just nostalgia it’s the qui
Amsterdam — I spend a few days roaming Amsterdam canals, bikes rattling past, museums, and late walks by the water. Notes and photos
Pew-Pew — Noise, recoil, and the odd mix of fascination and discomfort around shooting culture. I’m thinking out loud about gear,
Largest islands in Thailand — I got curious about Thailand’s biggest islands and started digging. This is a look at the largest islands in Thailand, w
Athens, Part 2 — More time getting to know Athens beyond the obvious sights: side streets, cafés, and long, warm evenings. I carried my c