Starship Asterisk*

Beyond wrote:

Also i do feel like i have to point out a teenie-tiny not quite rightness. Beyond has a 'capital' (B), and owlice has a regular (o). Unless of course you start a sentence with either. Then Beyond still has a capital (B) and owlice has a capital (O). That's kinda funny, actually. Owlice lives in Washington D.C., the Capital city, but doesn't normally have a capital (o). I live out in the (b)oondocks, but always have a capital (B). As the Moody Blues sing -- Isn't life strange?

owlice wrote:Beyond, I'm glad you got your power back!

owlice wrote:Earthquake, hurricane... I figure a plague of locusts is next.

Chris Peterson wrote:
We had our first freeze last night... down to 30°F. It was late coming this year, so people got a week or two extra with their gardens. But most of the plants will be done for pretty quickly now, and I expect this should start the aspen leaves changing en masse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremuloides wrote:

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<<Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America. The species is referred to Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen, and Quakies, names deriving from its leaves which flutter in the breeze. The name references the quaking or trembling of the leaves that occurs in even a slight breeze due to the flattened petioles. The specific epithet, tremuloides, is given for this trembling characteristic. Other species of Populus have petioles flattened partially along their length, while the Quaking Aspen's are flattened from side to side along the entire length of the petiole. The given name Waverly means Quaking Aspen, or Meadow of Quaking Aspen. The tree-like plant has tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden to yellow, rarely red, in autumn. The species rarely flowers, often propagating through its roots to form large groves. It propagates itself primarily through root sprouts, and extensive clonal colonies are common. Each colony is its own clone, and all trees in the clone have identical characteristics and share a single root structure. A clone may turn color earlier or later in the fall than its neighbouring aspen clones. Fall colors are usually bright tones of yellow; in some areas, red blushes may be occasionally seen. As all trees in a given clonal colony are considered part of the same organism, one clonal colony, named Pando, is considered the heaviest and oldest living organism at six million kilograms and approximately 80,000 years old. Aspens do produce seeds, but seldom grow from them. Pollination is inhibited by the fact that aspens are either male or female, and large stands are usually all clones of the same sex. Even if pollinated, the small seeds (three million per pound) are only viable a short time as they lack a stored food source or a protective coating.

Beginning in 1996, individual North American scientists noticed an increase in dead or dying aspen trees. As this accelerated, in 2004, word spread and a debate over causes began. No insect, disease, or environmental condition is yet specifically identified as a joint cause. Trees adjacent to one another are often stricken or not. In other instances entire groves have died. Because of the vegetative regeneration method of reproduction used by the aspen, where an entire group of trees are essentially clones, there is a concern that something that hits one will eventually kill all of the trees, presuming they share the same vulnerability. A conference was held in Utah in September 2006 to share notes and consider investigative methodology.>>

BMAONE23 wrote:
You see the whale in the blue portion
but do you see the wolley mammoth in the green portion?
The red bands are the front and rear legs

BMAONE23 wrote:You see the whale in the blue portion
but do you see the wolley mammoth in the green portion?
The red bands are the front and rear legs

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Pete Conrad does typical Pete Conrad stuff, 1965.
Thanks to Retro Space Images for this amazing photo!

owlice wrote:
RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

Enough, already!! Cut it out!!

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003172/ wrote:
<< Apollo 12 is said by many to represent the most congenial of the Apollo crews, featuring the boyish Pete Conrad, who made no attempt to hide his obvious elation while he was shuffling around on the moon. The Saturn V rocket that launched the mission from Earth was struck by lightning twice during its ascent to orbit, but luckily, no serious damage occurred and the mission was a success. The crew landed in the moon's Ocean of Storms near Surveyor 3, a robotic probe that had previously landed on the moon two years earlier. To this date Surveyor 3 remains the only probe to have been sent to another world and receive a subsequent visit from its creators.>>

bystander wrote:Don't be such a hog, send us some rain. We need it!