Reprocessed M42 with larger dust cloud

After watching a couple stellar video tutorials by Anna Morris, I decided to put some of her techniques to work on my M42 stack from last month.

Here is my reprocessed image, with emphasis on bringing more of the dust clouds forward.

And here is the same image with an insert comparing my previous processing attempt to this one. I'd say there's some improvement!

Nothing Beats an Astronaut: How the AXE Apollo Sweepstakes Benefits Mankind

Nothing Beats an Astronaut: AXE Apollo Sweepstakes commercial

Nothing Beats an Astronaut, these are the words that appear on the screen after each AXE Apollo Sweepstakes commercial. Not only is AXE offering one lucky winner a trip to space on the XCOR Lynx sub-orbital space vehicle, but the mass exposure of the commercials has generated buzz about private spaceflight and boldly proclaims the social status of astronauts above all other professions.

XCOR Lynx sub-orbital space vehicle (XCOR.com)

The sweepstakes itself (which runs 1/9/13 at 6:00:00 a.m. PT through 2/3/13 at 11:59:59 p.m. PT) offers a chance to travel to sub-orbital space aboard the XCOR Lynx. Tickets aboard the Lynx run $95,000 but it looks like AXE got a deal because the approximate retail value of the prize is $86,000 (including a $25,000 check to offset taxes).

The bargain could have something to do with the fact that the Lynx is "now under development" and "will undergo a flight test program beginning in 2013" (XCOR.com). So AXE is banking on the fact that the Lynx will be completed in time for contest winners. The official rules include a deadline of December 31, 2020 - after which the winner will receive the approximate retail value of the prize rather than a trip to sub-orbital space.

The sweepstakes was officially opened with an announcement by Buzz Aldrin, and although the rules only mention one grand prize winner, other sites have mentioned that as many as 22 people could be joining the AXE Apollo Space Academy.

Will the Winner Really Become an Astronaut?
"The criteria for determining who has achieved human spaceflight vary" (Wikipedia). The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) defines spaceflight as any flight over 100 kilometers (328,084 feet), and in the United States the threshold is only 80 kilometers (262,467 feet). The FAA is developing a special classification for Commercial Astronauts (so far, 2 commercial astronaut wings have been awarded).

According to XCOR's website, the Lynx Mark I will have a maximum altitude of 200,000 feet. So it sounds like pilots and passengers on this version of the vehicle will not achieve astronaut status. However, the Lynx Mark II is designed to reach 328,000 feet, making pilots and passengers true Commercial Astronauts.


How does this sweepstakes benefit mankind?

• Draws attention and awareness to private space flight.
• Funds the private space industry and development of the Lynx by purchasing (at least one) advance ticket.
• Gets millions of viewers to picture themselves traveling to space.
• Boldly claims that "Nothing Beats an Astronaut" boosting astronaut social status and career desirability.
• Boosts the astronaut coolness factor, and also depicts an astronaut trumping the sexiness of firefighters and lifeguards.
• Markets the history of the Apollo program through repetition of the name.
• Makes space travel seem more accessible to the average person.
• Encourages the timely development of the Lynx space vehicle by listing a prize deadline in the official sweepstakes rules.

How does this sweepstakes hurt mankind?

• Excludes women from their marketing through the phrase "Leave a man. Come back a hero."
• Excludes women by depicting astronauts as men, and marketing to men only.
• Excludes women by depicting them as the damsel in distress.
• Excludes minorities by only depicting white actors as astronauts.

It's good to see space travel promoted on what is arguably the most mainstream of mainstream television programs ever (the Super Bowl). Although the commercials are extremely misogynistic, they do a hell of a job inspiring the idea that astronauts are awesome and that private space flight is just around the corner. On the other hand, I can't think of a better way to alienate women than to exclude them completely from the boys club. I hope a women wins the sweepstakes, wouldn't that just show them!

Update 2/8/2013: It looks like there is another way into space with AXE announcing a social media popularity campaign in which the two profiles with the most votes will attend Space Camp. There, they will be joined by 8 more people selected at a later date - and 1 out of those 10 at Space Camp will be randomly selected to join the Super Bowl Sweepstakes winner in space.

I've also been looking around the AXE site some more and noticed they have some pretty funny and very macho looking wallpapers. Yeah I guess science is fun, but dude, the chicks bro!

AXE Apollo astronaut wallpaper

Macro lens snowflakes with Canon PowerShot A3100 IS

Snowflakes on the arm of my winter coat taken with Canon PowerShot A3100 IS. Most of the flakes were sticking together into larger clumps as they fell. These split apart when they hit my sleeve, but not without some damage. They each have 6 delicate arms, but some of the finer details appear to have broken off during their landing.

1/400 sec, f/2.7, ISO 1600, 6.2 mm focal length

Cold battery woes

How frustrating! There was a break in the clouds last night, so I ran to get my tripod. By the time I got outside, the clouds had reappeared. On top of that, my iPhone 5 battery drained from 50% to 0% in about 5 minutes.

It looks like my dream of long luxurious star trails on an iPhone will have to wait for slightly warmer weather. The 10°F ambient temperature outside sucked the life out of my battery like a Dementor's Kiss. I guess it should be no surprise, the iPhone's super slim design, conductive aluminum back plate, and recommended operating temperatures between 32° to 95°F all conspire to block my attempts.

I also cracked my Otterbox taking my phone in and out of the case too often. My next case will have to be easier to remove so I can quickly strip my phone for use in the Glif.

I guess I don't know my own strength

Ok, these gear posts are getting old. I need some new content! Unfortunately, the forecast calls for more of the same through Thursday.

Falling snow photos with iPhone using Slow Shutter Cam and flash

Nine straight days of snowy gray skies are driving me stir crazy, so I'm taking the time to learn more about iPhoneography apps and techniques. I've been in an iPhone photography mood since I got the Glif tripod mount, but I haven't had much to shoot overhead.

Here are some artsy pictures of nice fat falling snowflakes from last night. Some were handheld and some used a timer with the phone laying on the sidewalk. (No iPhones were damaged in the making of this post). In some of the images, the streaks look like grass - with texture from the ice crystals streaking past the camera illuminated by the flash.

3 photos layered in Filterstorm app, each about 2 sec each in Slow Shutter Cam light trail mode

This first image is buffed up a bit by layering several photos in Filterstorm (). The other images below are straight from the camera with no color correction or layering: