#01 SCROLLS

+ The Dead Sea Scrolls, one of the crowning archeological finds of the 20th century, are a gift that keeps on giving. The scrolls contain ancient Hebrew and Jewish religious manuscripts and survived for over 2000 years in the Israeli desert. More fragments of the scrolls were recently uncovered along with a 6000-year-old skeleton and a 10,000-year-old basket, possibly the oldest in the world. To access the ancient treasures, researchers had to repel 260 feet down a precarious cliff face to reach a cave that is for some reason called the "Cave of Horrors." Someone go find Harrison Ford because I have a new idea for a movie!

#02 ROBOTS IN SPACE

+ Perseverance continues to rack up mission firsts on the surface of Mars. The first audio recording of the rover driving was released and added to the growing list of sounds on Mars we've never heard before. Perseverance is currently looking for a good spot to drop off a pint-sized helicopter named Ingenuity for a series of flights likely to happen in April. NASA is expected to release more details during a press conference this Tuesday, March 23rd.

+ The flagship James Webb Space Telescope looks to be on track for launch in October. Details of when the telescope will be transferred to its launch pad in French Guiana are being kept under wraps apparently due to pirates of all things.

#03 PEOPLE IN SPACE

+ NASA completed an engine test on the agency's next-generation crewed launch system, a welcome development after an initial attempt was aborted early back in January. Meanwhile, assembly of the rocket's boosters was completed in Florida. 

+ President Biden nominated former Senator Bill Nelson to lead NASA. Nelson has long been an advocate for space exploration funding and even flew on the space shuttle while in the House of Representatives. However, his reputation within the aerospace community is a bit more complicated. He architected the law that directed NASA to build the Space Launch System rocket, now years behind schedule and billions over budget, and hasn't historically shown much enthusiasm about including upstart commercial space companies in NASA's long-term plans. Regardless, expect the Senate to confirm Nelson for the post without much fanfare. 

#04 CARTOGRAPHY

+ It's surprisingly difficult to accurately chart a spherical globe on a two-dimensional map, but that hasn't stopped cartographers from inventing many different ways to do so. I've never been able to keep them all straight but the folks over at the World Map Generator certainly can. Use the tool to generate your own custom world maps with any number of different projections and layouts. I had a lot of fun with this one!

#05 SUBMARINES

+ A brief look at how deep sea research submarines work from NPR's Shortwave. And while we're talking about audio shows, check out the new Deep-Sea Podcast for all your deep-sea exploration needs!

#06 WORKING WOMEN

+ If you read the last couple of editions you know that I am engaged to a librarian, so it seems like about the right time to feature these hard-riding librarians who rode pack horses to spread education and joy.

+ "Around 1910, Ida Holdgreve, a Dayton, Ohio, seamstress, answered a local ad that read, 'Plain Sewing Wanted.' But the paper got it wrong. Dayton brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright were hiring a seamstress, though the sewing they needed would be far from plain." Holdgrove is now believed to be the first woman ever to be employed in the aerospace industry after getting hired by the Wright Brothers as a plane sewer.

+ Learn how Mrs. Edge founded the first sanctuary for birds of prey and in the process charted a new course for the environmental movement.

#07 A GOOD MOVIE

+ Filmmaker Craig Foster has spent years of his life swimming in the freezing kelp forests off the southern coast of Africa. In the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, he tells the story of an octopus he found hiding in the cracks of a protected reef. Day after day he comes back to the reef, ever so slowly earning the octopus's trust and eventually building what amounts to a friendship with the normally reclusive animal. She regularly greets Foster and is undisturbed as he watches her hunt, play with fish, evade sharks, and do whatever else octopuses do in their free time. In the process, the octopus teaches Foster about his own life and what it means to be human. This movie wonderfully illustrates how thin of a line separates humans and nature is in the best way possible. 

"What she taught me was to feel... that you're part of this place, not a visitor. That's a huge difference."

That's all for this week! You can respond to this email to tell me about anything you liked or didn't like, tell me about a project you're working on, or suggest a story. You might also forward this email to a friend so they can subscribe too!

- Evan Hilgemann

This newsletter was produced as a private venture and not in the author's capacity as an employee of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology or of Griffith Observatory. Any views and opinions expressed herein or on exploreandobserve.com are his own and not those of his employers.

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