Month: March 2012

20Zing! or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Listen to my Heart

Travel, explore, learn.

If I were one to have a mantra, I suppose that might be a contender. It certainly sums up a lot of what I have done in my life, and what I want to continue to do with my future. Since many of my closest friends follow a similar life approach, we moved forward from a tightly-knit Kentucky community to a nationally scattered support group. However, we’ve agreed that once a year we will re-join forces to bring in each new year together.

2010 – We kept warm with positivity, love, and cheer in Chicago, IL.

2011 – We kept cool with adventures, mountain hikes, and green chilies (ok, not so cool with that one) in Las Cruces, NM

 In lieu of new years resolutions, during our time together we complied the following list of phrases that we wanted to incorporate into our year. They became our 2012 Zing! Phrases.

1. Upfront & Flawless
2. No repeats
3. It’s a lot, but I like it
4. Experience the experience
5. Be a better person
6. No fear in the New Year
7. Elevate (AltiTUDE!)
8. Dark and Dirty!
9. Advance the night
10. Respect the process
11. Loose/Lucid/Limitless
12. One step ahead
13. Graduation or Death!

If this year was to have 13 mantras, I suppose these would be contenders.
I am trying to lead this post towards the eventual answering of the inevitable question on your mind:
“Why on Earth would you want to do such a thing?”


Short answer: so that one day people will be asking, “Why on Mars would you want to do such a thing?”
Why did I feel so inspired to apply? In yesterday’s video post, Dr. Tyson speaks about how we want to feel connected, feel relevant, feel like we are participating by just being alive. To add to this, I propose that we also want to able to make impacts, make changes, make things different by working hard and devoting our lives to doing. 

When I read that first article introducing me to the concepts of the study, my initial response was: I would be perfect for this. Close article. Back to thesis writing. Reopen article. This would be perfect for me. Close. Write. Reopen. I could help send a manned mission to Mars. It’s a lot, but I like it. Repeat. It’d be difficult, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a lasting impact. No fear in the New Year. And so, exactly one month ago, I decided to apply.

2013 – We will be together once more in a currently undetermined location. Perhaps it will be my last hurrah before traveling to Hawaii and entering the analog habitat for the first of 120 days. Travel, explore, learn.

Questions of the Day:

Fellow applicants, what prompted you to apply?
Readers, is this project something you would consider? Why or why not?

We Are Made of Star Dust

I am trying to limit the number of daily posts so that I don’t overwhelm readers, and also so that I don’t run out of ideas! However, since inspiration and passion are important tenants of this blog, I must share this video.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson is gifted with an eloquence that I admire and strive to attain. He is currently the world’s most recognizable astrophysicist. Perhaps you have seen his meme or presence in pop culture? Along with Bill Nye (the Science Guy), Dr. Tyson is a commendable and entertaining science communicator. I will discuss the importance of scientific dialogue in subsequent posts, but spoiler alert: it’s vital.

Challenge Accepted

Starting a blog is a big undertaking. But, then again, so is living in an isolated research station designed to simulate the living and working experience of six astronauts on a real Mars mission. So, why does this blog feel like the more challenging pursuit?

Last week, with a mere 7 minutes to spare, I submitted my 19 page application to the Cornell/University of Hawaii Hi-SEAS mission. I allowed myself a brief moment to savor my achievement and enjoy that pleasant calmness that follows the anxiety of anticipating a deadline. Graduate School does not allow you much time to rejoice before it throws a new obstacle your way, so I grabbed my thinking helmet and was off to tackle more challenges.

But, instead of studying for my statistics exam, I wanted to be searching the Hi-SEAS facebook page for news of other successful applicants. Instead of finishing my SAS homework, I wanted to be reading and commenting on blogs that have already started to chronicle the application process. It was becoming increasingly clear that waiting quietly and patiently for semi-finalists to be announced in late-March was not an option.

When I first discovered the call for applicants in early February, something took hold of me and inspired my decision to spend the limited spare time I had available on compiling a competitive application. Once inspiration, motivation, and excitement take hold, it’s quite difficult to tell everything bubbling up inside of you to hush up! With good reason, that is my voice aching to be heard!  I have more to say and I shouldn’t think I have to wait to do so. I spoke often about passion and optimism in my application. It seems only fitting to demonstrate them now.

I hope to spend the next year sharing my opinions, insight, and knowledge with the followers of the blog. I encourage everyone to add their own voice to the mix through comments, questions, suggestions, jokes, etc. I will attempt to maintain a wide assortment of discussions, while remaining ever-mindful of the big picture objective: instilling an interest in all for space exploration (and other scientific endeavors). The challenge of maintaining a blog pales when compared to the potential impacts of inspiring others.

I will leave you with a few words from friends that have inspired me.

“Your words are your best weapons, adversity is your toughest battlefield, but your armor of determination will shield your way.” C. L.

“just tiny people
in the middle of space
in a tiny amount of time
completely irrelevant
except to each other” D. C.