I love space, the stars, and observing our place in the universe.
There is little that I love more than going outside and keeping track of our celestial neighborhood. I spent much of my adolescence nocturnal to avoid the heat and people of Florida. I’m still rather nocturnal.
For my research I focus on our solar system, the outer solar system in particular. I’m working on a PhD thesis studying Saturn’s carbon cycle using data from the Cassini mission (2004-2017). I am reading a lot about our current state of knowledge for Uranus in preparation for the next major mission which I am hoping will provide a career trajectory for me if/when Congress starts funding it next year as promised.
The biggest thing that we know about the outer solar system is that we really don’t know that much about it. The past few decades have shattered our previous models of the outer solar system, and the scientific community still has not settled on a new paradigm. One thing is obvious, however: the planet that we know the least about is Uranus, and until we have better data it’s nearly impossible to narrow down the list of potential theories. In other words, these theories require better constraints on the properties of Uranus to be tested (Neptune is a close-ish second). Yes, I want to probe Uranus. It’s due for a check-up. I believe that the outer solar system has an under-appreciated and under-researched astrobiological potential. The elements of life (HCNOPS) are much more abundant in the outer solar system than the inner solar system. I am fascinated that our models of Uranus are so unconstrained that it is still possible that Uranus has an ocean whose surface is buried under all of those clouds we can’t see past. Clouds of CH4, NH3, H2S, PH3, H2O; clouds of the simplest biological precursor molecules: the volatile ices. We simply don’t know what’s going on out there, and we have poor constraints on the possibilities.
I am intersex and grew up in Florida. I have since escaped, if only just barely with my life and sanity. I’ve been taught about the many diverse carpentry techniques that American slaveowners allowed their slaves to practice, and that such skilled and creative labor can only occur under humane and fulfilling conditions. I’ve been taught that Woodrow Wilson was a great progressive devoted to civil rights who could have prevented WWII if people took him more seriously. I’m sure I’ve been taught many other things that need correction, but which I have yet to identify. I’m eager to learn and be corrected. My 11th grade US history class was taught under a 30 foot Gadsden flag that blocked the southern-facing windows so that it was backlit by the Florida sun. I am a socialist with a strong rebellious streak. I tend to hold unusual positions: rebelling against misinformation can lead you down strange paths to find the truth. I believe that non-standard interpretations of available data (when done in good faith, and when new data is welcomed to update or challenge these interpretations) are a healthy and important part of maintaining a diversity of viewpoints and keeping a perspective on the subjectivity of truth.
I am a big supporter of freedom and liberty, in software and in politics. I see computers as extensions of our brains, and the software that connects us as a new iteration of social institution connecting our minds and ideas. I believe that our minds deserve a certain amount of freedom and privacy. I believe that we should have the right to decide how our minds work and interact with the great internetworked collaboration of minds. We have a right to know how our minds make decisions, who our minds are talking to, and who is reading our minds. I am a big supporter of free/libre software, gnu+linux operating systems, and free and respectful means of communication and collaboration. We deserve to communicate using media that respect the users. If a platform does not respect its users, its users will not respect each other.
I see here a community that claims to be based on respect. I have been lurking for several months without an account. I am satisfied enough with that claim to make an account. I hope to get to know you people better; I hope to learn and discuss current events together, and I hope to share cool developments in our understanding of the outer solar system as they arise.
Nice to meet everyone!
I love space, the stars, and observing our place in the universe.
There is little that I love more than going outside and keeping track of our celestial neighborhood. I spent much of my adolescence nocturnal to avoid the heat and people of Florida. I’m still rather nocturnal.
For my research I focus on our solar system, the outer solar system in particular. I’m working on a PhD thesis studying Saturn’s carbon cycle using data from the Cassini mission (2004-2017). I am reading a lot about our current state of knowledge for Uranus in preparation for the next major mission which I am hoping will provide a career trajectory for me if/when Congress starts funding it next year as promised.
The biggest thing that we know about the outer solar system is that we really don’t know that much about it. The past few decades have shattered our previous models of the outer solar system, and the scientific community still has not settled on a new paradigm. One thing is obvious, however: the planet that we know the least about is Uranus, and until we have better data it’s nearly impossible to narrow down the list of potential theories. In other words, these theories require better constraints on the properties of Uranus to be tested (Neptune is a close-ish second). Yes, I want to probe Uranus. It’s due for a check-up. I believe that the outer solar system has an under-appreciated and under-researched astrobiological potential. The elements of life (HCNOPS) are much more abundant in the outer solar system than the inner solar system. I am fascinated that our models of Uranus are so unconstrained that it is still possible that Uranus has an ocean whose surface is buried under all of those clouds we can’t see past. Clouds of CH4, NH3, H2S, PH3, H2O; clouds of the simplest biological precursor molecules: the volatile ices. We simply don’t know what’s going on out there, and we have poor constraints on the possibilities.
I am intersex and grew up in Florida. I have since escaped, if only just barely with my life and sanity. I’ve been taught about the many diverse carpentry techniques that American slaveowners allowed their slaves to practice, and that such skilled and creative labor can only occur under humane and fulfilling conditions. I’ve been taught that Woodrow Wilson was a great progressive devoted to civil rights who could have prevented WWII if people took him more seriously. I’m sure I’ve been taught many other things that need correction, but which I have yet to identify. I’m eager to learn and be corrected. My 11th grade US history class was taught under a 30 foot Gadsden flag that blocked the southern-facing windows so that it was backlit by the Florida sun. I am a socialist with a strong rebellious streak. I tend to hold unusual positions: rebelling against misinformation can lead you down strange paths to find the truth. I believe that non-standard interpretations of available data (when done in good faith, and when new data is welcomed to update or challenge these interpretations) are a healthy and important part of maintaining a diversity of viewpoints and keeping a perspective on the subjectivity of truth.
I am a big supporter of freedom and liberty, in software and in politics. I see computers as extensions of our brains, and the software that connects us as a new iteration of social institution connecting our minds and ideas. I believe that our minds deserve a certain amount of freedom and privacy. I believe that we should have the right to decide how our minds work and interact with the great internetworked collaboration of minds. We have a right to know how our minds make decisions, who our minds are talking to, and who is reading our minds. I am a big supporter of free/libre software, gnu+linux operating systems, and free and respectful means of communication and collaboration. We deserve to communicate using media that respect the users. If a platform does not respect its users, its users will not respect each other.
I see here a community that claims to be based on respect. I have been lurking for several months without an account. I am satisfied enough with that claim to make an account. I hope to get to know you people better; I hope to learn and discuss current events together, and I hope to share cool developments in our understanding of the outer solar system as they arise.