Plus discoveries from ancient Babylon and Rome, SpaceX successes, Mars sample collection, and this picture of the Russian Nauka module (left) attached to the space station.

#01 NAUKA

+ Russia's plan to add a new science module to the International Space Station hasn't gone great. The module, named Nauka, was launched a couple of weeks ago and docked with the station on July 26th after reportedly having issues in orbit. About 3 hours later, Nauka unexpectedly fired its thrusters and continued to do so for 47 minutes. Although other thrusters on the station were able to counteract some of the motion, it went through 540 degrees of rotation (that's one and a half spins) before the errant thrusters were powered down (or perhaps ran out of fuel). That may not sound like a lot, but the space station is a large spindly structure the and unexpected motion like that can cause structural damage to various components. Although NASA insisted that the astronauts were never in any danger, (and to be fair, the rotation was slow enough they didn't even notice it) anytime you lose control of a space station for nearly an hour is clearly a cause for significant concern.

+ The fiasco on the station caused Boeing to delay a test flight of their Starliner capsule. Shortly before the rescheduled launch, controllers found an issue with a valve in the capsule and have called off the launch indefinitely until the problem can be properly diagnosed and fixed. Considering that Boeing's last try in late 2019 months nearly resulted in a catastrophic loss of the vehicle, they definitely aren't taking chances this time around. It looks like it might be another couple of months before Boeing tries again. 

#02 SPACEX

+ Meanwhile, SpaceX is getting ready to launch the tallest rocket ever. I knew the finished thing was going to be ginormous, but I did not realize that their prototype would break the record. Expect a launch of the 395-foot tall Starship later this year.

+ In another win for the launch company, NASA selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to launch a probe to Jupiter's moon Europa in 2023. This comes after congress removed a requirement that the Europa mission launch aboard NASA's own SLS rocket for a number of technical and programmatic reasons.

#03 BABYLON

+ "Researchers in Saudi Arabia have discovered a sixth-century B.C.E. rock carving of the last Babylonian king, Nabonidus." The king is depicted with a crescent moon, sun, snake, and flower, a possible link to deities in the Mesopotamian pantheon.

#04 ROME

+ "For the first time in 100 years, Italian archaeologists have discovered a rare cippus, or boundary stone, used to delineate the borders of ancient Rome." The cornerstone is one of only 11 known to survive today and was installed in 49 C.E. when Emporer Claudius redrew the city's limits. I just finished reading a book on cartography and surveying, and it tickles me to think that the Romans were basically doing the same thing 2,000 years ago.

#05 COLLECTOR'S EDITION

+ One of Perseverance's primary goals on Mars is to collect rock samples for later return to Earth. The first attempt to extract a rock core using the drill on the end of the robot arm was made this weekend. Although it appears that the drilling operation worked, the rover was unsuccessful in collecting a sample. Indications so far are that the problem is likely due to the nature of the rock they tried to drill, and not any sort of hardware/mechanical issue. This news is hot off the press, but I'd expect to see another attempt in the not too distant future.

#06 CATCH AND RELEASE

+ Have you ever tried to catch a jellyfish? Neither have I but I imagine it's not easy, and that's doubly true if you're trying to avoid harming the creature and still collect useful scientific data. An expedition sponsored by the Schmidt Ocean Institute aims to test out new technology to make the job easier. In their quiver is a cool catch-and-release device called a Rotary Actuated Dodecahedron which can quickly capture small gelatinous animals, perform 3D scans to learn more about them, and then release critters back into the wild. The expedition will run from August 12th through the 21st.

#07 A GOOD BOOK

+ Thanks to Robert Macfarlane's book Landmarks, I now know words like bleb (bubble of air in ice), byung (rocky hill), and glassel (a pebble which was shiny and interesting when wet, and is now just a lump of rock). Macfarlane's greatest passions are language and landscape, both of which are on full display. Macfarlane describes the book as a "field guide to literature". Each chapter takes the reader on a journey through a particular type of landscape; islands, rivers, towns, mountains, snow, ice, etc. using prominent landscape and nature writers as a guide. Macfarlane recognizes that a place only has meaning if it can be named and described, and includes glossaries of unique and delightful terms between the chapters. I may never think of a citag (gust of wind), hassock (large pond), or aquabob (icicle) the same again.

Macfarlane expresses his own feelings about landscape while describing the work of authors Peter Davidson and Barry Lopez, "They see landscape not just as a static diorama against which human action plays itself out, but rather as an active and shaping force in our imagination, our ethics, and our relations with each other and the world. In the work of both, place invests consciousness and geography is insuperable from people."

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