Explorations

A collection of random findings, (un)conscious musings, ideas that go “boink” in our heads and items of general cromulence.

Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky

On July 20, 1969, as commander of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. His first words after stepping on the moon, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” were televised to Earth and heard by millions. Just before he reentered the lander, he made the enigmatic remark: “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky.”

Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky” statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled.

On July 5, 1995, in Tampa Bay, Florida, while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26-year-old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had died and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question.

In 1938 when he was a kid in a small midwest town, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball that landed in his neighbor’s yard by the bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky.

As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky, “Sex! You want sex?! You’ll get sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!”

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Man on the Moon

Spaghettification...

...is what happens when you get too close to a black hole. Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains.

Poof!

Ever wonder what would happen if the sun disappeared? You can stop wondering.

A Boy and His Atom: The World’s Smallest Movie

IBM creates the world’ smallest movie by moving individual atoms one at a time.

Water droplets, a knitting needle and no gravity

Astrounaut Don Pettit demonstrates why he has a more interesting job than me.

How much water is on Earth?

How much water is on Earth if you pooled together every single drop from every single source? Not that much.

Enlighten the gray matter
Endumben the gray matter
Things to Know and Do
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Pearls of wisdom from the interwebs

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