Author Archives: Taylor Matalon

Life on the ISS

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

The construction and operation of the International Space Station is a crowning paragon of human achievement. Though it is such a grand and awe-inspiring system, I am often curious about the smaller, tedious details regarding life on the station for the astronauts and cosmonauts. I looked up some youtube videos and found some rather amusing … Continue reading Life on the ISS Continue reading →

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The Great Filter

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

A lesser-known cousin of the Fermi Paradox is “The Great Filter.” The filter refers to a point in a species’ development that destroys most, if not all life. Essentially, the reason that the paradox exists must be because something is stopping other civilizations– all other civilizations. For us Earthlings, there are two possibilities: the filter … Continue reading The Great Filter Continue reading →

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The Future of Mars

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

Two prevalent and salient questions and goals surround our red neighbor. The first is the appreciable discovery of liquid water on Mars’s surface, which opens the door to the possibility of discovering life. The other is the goal of both NASA and private aerospace companies such as SpaceX to colonize Mars and establish a permanent human presence and … Continue reading The Future of Mars Continue reading →

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Colonization of Europa

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

Jupiter’s Ocean moon, Europa has been the subject of many works of fiction, as its oceanic surface of liquid water may be sustainable for life–either existing there today or humans in the future. One of NASA’s missions, the Europa Clipper, is set to launch in 2020 and should provide very detailed reconnaissance of the moon, … Continue reading Colonization of Europa Continue reading →

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NASA Applied Sciences: Not just rocket science

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is known throughout the world as an organization whose focus in on what lies beyond Earth. A lesser-known NASA department, Applied Sciences, is an example of the opposite. Applied Sciences diverts resources and minds towards using satellite and aeronautical engineering for the Earth Sciences. Applied science measures air … Continue reading NASA Applied Sciences: Not just rocket science Continue reading →

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Privatization in Aerospace

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

In the past week, the Trump administration published a document, obtained by the Washington Post, that described its plans to cease funding for the International Space Station and leave the station up for grabs for the private sector. This is being done to free up the NASA budget for other Aerospace Endeavors. NASA currently spends … Continue reading Privatization in Aerospace Continue reading →

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Historical Figures in Context

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

Galileo Galilei (2/15/1564-1/8/1642) not only made numerous important discoveries, including Jupiter’s moons information about sunspots, and gravitational physics, but also was a champion of scientific truth in a time of a tyrannical and ignorant Church. Galileo was a proponent and improver of the Copernican (or heliocentric) solar system model and fought hard to have the … Continue reading Historical Figures in Context Continue reading →

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Space is Faster than Light (Blog 1)

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

One facet of the universe that always left a bad taste in my mouth was the ostensible “speed limit” set by the speed of light (around 300,000 km/s). If the Universe is so vast, why is there a limit set by something that, for all we know, is not what makes up the Universe? I … Continue reading Space is Faster than Light (Blog 1) Continue reading →

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Taylor’s Intro Post (Blog 0)

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

Hey y’all, just making an introductory blog post for my site. Attached is a picture of the New York City. I am originally from New York, and plan to live there for my adult life. I do not only have a nostalgic or geographic attachment to the city, however. NYC represents efficiency, innovation, and nocturnality, … Continue reading Taylor’s Intro Post (Blog 0) Continue reading →

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