This episode cracks open the history and traditions of NASA (ie. Lucky peanuts) to get to the nutty goodness, which includes hard science and looking towards future missions! To explore this Dr. Morgan Cable joins the pod! Dr. Morgan Cable is a research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Science Lead for the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor concept and Co-Deputy PI of the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) Instrument aboard the Mars 2020 (Perseverance) rover, also apart of the Cassini, Dragonfly and the Europa Clipper missions in various ways. Links and descriptions of things mentioned in the episode supplied by Dr Morgan Cable lightly edited:

Cassini virtual singers: https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/a-farewell-to-cassini-our-friend-at-saturn/

Curiosity leaving ‘JPL’ in Morse code on Mars: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/rover-leaves-tracks-in-morse-code

Perseverance parachute hidden code: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/science/nasa-mars-parachute-code.html

Monoliths for Europa Clipper, represent the team mascot, inspired by the monolith on Jupiter’s moon Europa in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s ironic because in the novel and the film we were told to “attempt no landing” at Europa, but in our first PSG meeting the author (Arthur C. Clarke) actually dialed in and gave us permission, which is really cool! You can hear more about that in an interview with Steve Vance (a fellow JPLer and scientist on Europa Clipper) here. So we make one Monolith and bring it to each Project Science Group (PSG) meeting. Here it is in one of our team photos, and we also have a team award called the Monolith Award and here is a twitter post about a recipient.

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There are just some research programs that some people find scary. Some make sense. Playing with radioactive material or pathogens can be risky! What about the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)?

HAARP is located in Gakona, Alaska a joint project between government agencies and the University of Alaska. It studies the ionosphere and its potential to improve radio communications and surveillance technology.

Government involvement? Surveillance? seems like a ripe topic for conspiracy theorists who do not trust institutions and don't have a firm grasp science and technology. So let's explore what some "think" this equipment can do! (with what it actually does)

As promised here is where you can get a kit to mind control a cockroach.... I didn't buy it! I am not sponsored etc. Just proof you can find it.

https://backyardbrains.com/products/roboroach

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Today I interview a researcher from the American Museum of Natural History, my uncle, Dr David Zurek about Novea. Yes the same institution where the famous Neil deGrasse Tyson resides.

What brought this episode about? Well ~3000 light years away from Earth, a white dwarf star named T Coronae Borealis known to astronomers simply as “T CrB,” is about to have a brief but powerful runaway nuclear reaction! Only issue is it's late! Join Whimsical Wavelengths and the discussion of two Dr Zurek's with respect to the Hubble Space Telescope, Novea (the correct plural) and runaway nuclear reactions!

Dr David Zurek's stated research intrests on American Museum of Natural History's website states: Photometric studies of stellar populations; variable stars; cataclysmic binaries; nova shells

American Museum of Natural History: https://www.amnh.org/

Hubble Space Telescope - Space Telescope Science institute https://www.stsci.edu/home

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Welcome back to the podcast that talks scientifically about disaster movies? Yes it has been two weeks so here is the next installment of Whimsical Wavelengths!

This time we join some colleagues, from Simon Fraser University's Volcanology Group, to watch the best(?) volcano movie ever made by "Hollywood". Dante's Peak. James bond becomes a volcanologist.

We tackle the science and the volcanic activity over beers. Learn about volcanic activity, a few stories from the field and a bit more about how decisions are made in a crisis. We use our own examples from volcanoes around world. There is even a Monty Python reference. What more could you want in an episode!

Simon Fraser University's Volcanology Group: https://www.sfu.ca/volcanology.html

IDBD for Dante's Peak: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118928/

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Episode 2 is here! Setting up some background for hopefully understanding the discussion when a handful of fellow volcanologists watch Dante's Peak together!

Yes that's right this is Whimsical Wavelengths where we over explain disaster movies! And attempt to show you igneous is bliss!

Where Mt St Helens gets it's magma? What are the signs of a long dormant volcano becoming active? Ever wonder how a stereotypical volcanic crisis unfolds? Then you are in the right place!

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The first episode! An introduction to the podcast and looking at the history of wavelengths. Kind of like a long trailer. Full of bad science "dad" jokes and puns while weaving a tale through history.

Future episodes will include guests from NASA, my previous research group, American Museum of natural History and other academics who are experts on the topics focused on, Sometimes the host, like this first episode, will be on his own looking at topics like volcanic eruptions or tackling modern-day scientific conspiracy theories.

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