Matthew S. Williams's Blog, page 4

Episode 86 of SfS – The Space Race – is now Live!

Welcome back! This week’s episode is all about the origins and evolution of the American and Soviet space programs—in other words, the Space Race! As I mentioned in previous episodes, these programs began as an effort to research rocket technology to deliver nuclear warheads. However, a parallel struggle began as both the U.S. and the Soviets realized the benefits of reaching space. Considering the atmosphere of the Cold War, which was as much about ideology as it was about weapons, they also considered it a matter of national prestige to “get their first!”

The Soviets achieved an early lead, sending the first satellite to space (Sputnik-1) in 1958. They also got their first with the first man to space in 1963 (Gagarin) and the first woman to space in 1964 (Valentina Tereshkova) with the Vostok Program. NASA caught up with the Mercury program, which sent the first American astronauts to space (the Mercury Seven), but the Soviets were still maintaining an early lead. That would change as NASA launched the Gemini program, demonstrating that they could spend extended periods there.

The stage was set for the Apollo Program, which would decide the Space Race once and for all and forever alter the course of history. Of course, that epic story has to wait for Part II of the episode, coming soon!

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 85 of SfS – India’s Space Program – is now Live!

Hello again! In keeping with the theme of non-western space programs, this week’s episode was dedicated to the Indian space program – the India Space Research Organization (ISRO). Much like China’s space program, which was covered in a previous episode, India’s progress was incremental between the 1960s and 1980s. Nevertheless, the progress they made was foundational and allowed for many impressive developments by the turn of the century.

In addition, like other national space programs, India’s road to space was tied to the development of nuclear technology and weapons. Like China, India has also been forced to develop a number of technologies independently due to non-proliferation agreements and sanctions associated with the country’s nuclear testing. Last but not least, the steps they are currently taking parallel those of NASA and the Soviet space program during the “Space Race.”

This includes the development of heavier and heavier launch vehicles, the deployment of satellites, and sending robotic explorers to the Moon through the Chandrayaan program (“Moon vehicle”) and to Mars through the Mangalyaan program (“Mars vehicle”). All of this has served as a build-up to the creation of a crewed space program.

In the coming years, the ISRO will attempt to send “vyomanauts” to orbit for the first time as part of the Gaganyaan (“celestial vehicle”) program. They intend to follow this with the deployment of a space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, which will facilitate their ultimate goal: sending crewed missions to the Moon and beyond by 2040. Follow the links below to learn more…

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 86 of SfS – India’s Space Program – is now Live!

Hello again! In keeping with the theme of non-western space programs, this week’s episode was dedicated to the Indian space program – the India Space Research Organization (ISRO). Much like China’s space program, which was covered in a previous episode, India’s progress was incremental between the 1960s and 1980s. Nevertheless, the progress they made was foundational and allowed for many impressive developments by the turn of the century.

In addition, like other national space programs, India’s road to space was tied to the development of nuclear technology and weapons. Like China, India has also been forced to develop a number of technologies independently due to non-proliferation agreements and sanctions associated with the country’s nuclear testing. Last but not least, the steps they are currently taking parallel those of NASA and the Soviet space program during the “Space Race.”

This includes the development of heavier and heavier launch vehicles, the deployment of satellites, and sending robotic explorers to the Moon through the Chandrayaan program (“Moon vehicle”) and to Mars through the Mangalyaan program (“Mars vehicle”). All of this has served as a build-up to the creation of a crewed space program.

In the coming years, the ISRO will attempt to send “vyomanauts” to orbit for the first time as part of the Gaganyaan (“celestial vehicle”) program. They intend to follow this with the deployment of a space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, which will facilitate their ultimate goal: sending crewed missions to the Moon and beyond by 2040. Follow the links below to learn more…

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 84 of SfS – Islamic and Hindu Astronomers of the Middle Ages – is now Live!

Hello all! This week’s episode is part of a new segment that is semi-related to the Indigenous Astronomers series. It takes a look at major contributions and innovations that came from non-Western astronomers—i.e., those who lived outside of Greece, Rome, or Europe. Specifically, this episode deals with the astronomical traditions of Arab, Persian, and Indian astronomers from the 5th to the 16th century. Regretably, this aspect of history is often downplayed or overlooked in Western circles.

Not only were these polymaths and scholars responsible for preserving knowledge from Classical Antiquity that had been lost to Europeans. They also expanded on it greatly and brought their own traditions to the table. Such notable figures include Aryabhata, Al Sijji, Al Biruni, Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazan), and Al-Biṭrūjī (Alpetragius), all of whom challenged Ptolemy’s geocentric model of the Universe generations before their European counterparts.

Alongside Classical Hellenic scholars like Aristarchus of Samos and Seleucus of Seleucia, their works would go on to inspire 16th-century Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus to develop his heliocentric model of the Universe. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that the birth of modern astronomy would not have been possible without the work and innovations brought by astronomers from the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Check out the links below to learn more…

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 85 of SfS – Islamic and Hindu Astronomers of the Middle Ages – is now Live!

Hello all! This week’s episode is part of a new segment that is semi-related to the Indigenous Astronomers series. It takes a look at major contributions and innovations that came from non-Western astronomers—i.e., those who lived outside of Greece, Rome, or Europe. Specifically, this episode deals with the astronomical traditions of Arab, Persian, and Indian astronomers from the 5th to the 16th century. Regretably, this aspect of history is often downplayed or overlooked in Western circles.

Not only were these polymaths and scholars responsible for preserving knowledge from Classical Antiquity that had been lost to Europeans. They also expanded on it greatly and brought their own traditions to the table. Such notable figures include Aryabhata, Al Sijji, Al Biruni, Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazan), and Al-Biṭrūjī (Alpetragius), all of whom challenged Ptolemy’s geocentric model of the Universe generations before their European counterparts.

Alongside Classical Hellenic scholars like Aristarchus of Samos and Seleucus of Seleucia, their works would go on to inspire 16th-century Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus to develop his heliocentric model of the Universe. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that the birth of modern astronomy would not have been possible without the work and innovations brought by astronomers from the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Check out the links below to learn more…

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 83 of Stories from Space – China’s Space Program – is now Live!

This week’s episode was dedicated to one of the fastest-growing space programs in the world. I’m talking about the China National Space Agency (CNSA), which has made several big strides in recent years. Like all major space programs, China’s was conceived amid the Cold War and was related to the development of nuclear weapons. A further incentive was provided when the Soviets and the U.S. began sending satellites and crewed missions to space.

Progress was slow during the latter half of the 20th century due in large part to the chaos caused by the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). By the 1990s, with the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese Communist Party instituted many reforms to ensure its survival. By the 2000s, this extended to its space program, and many bold programs were launched. This included a crewed space program, a robotic exploration program, and plans for a series of space stations.

This culminated in the deployment of the Tiangong modular space station (aka. Tiangong 3), several crewed missions to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the Chang’e missions reaching the Moon, and the first Chinese mission to Mars (Tianwen-1). In the near future, China plans to create a permanent base in the Moon’s south pole region – the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). In the coming decades, they also plan to send crewed missions to Mars.

Follow the links below to learn more…

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 82 of SfS – Where is Everybody? The SETI Paradox – is now Live!

This week’s episode was the final installment in the Fermi Paradox series. For the finale, we examine the “SETI Paradox,” a proposed resolution that asks the question, “What if everybody is listening, but no one is transmitting?” This theory reflects humanity’s own conundrum when it comes to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI): should we continue to conduct “passive SETI” (listening) or engage in “active SETI” (messaging)?

In recent years, the latter has given rise to a new field known as Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or METI. While most efforts to make contact with an extraterrestrial species have been in the form of SETI, a few METI experiments have been conducted over the years. The most well-known example is the Arecibo Message, which was transmitted from the venerable Arecibo Observatory in 1974. Other examples include the Pioneer Plaques and the Voyager Golden Records. There have been other examples, but they don’t begin to rival the time or resources committed to SETI.

While METI has become a field in its own right, those who are passionate about it understand that there are necessary concerns. After all, we have no idea what’s out there. What if we broadcast our existence to the Universe and it leads to an invasion by a hostile civilization? It makes sense that other civilizations would be preoccupied with the same concerns, so perhaps this is why we aren’t hearing from anyone. As you might have guessed, there is some crossover with the Dark Forest Hypothesis here.

Follow the links below to learn more about this hypothesis and the controversy surrounding SETI vs. METI:

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Talking About Grief and Trauma

This is not something I’ve spoken publicly about much for obvious reasons. It’s painful and difficult to discuss the things in life that have traumatized us, especially when we are still dealing with the aftermath. While I addressed this in a previous post, it’s something I have not talked about on my site since. Suffice it to say, this past year has been the worst year of our lives here—that includes my wife, our Boy Jasper, our families, and myself.

It began on August 26th, 2023, when my wife suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and had to be rushed to hospital. It was a terrifying time, and she was very fortunate to have had life-saving surgery so quickly. However, we were warned that there could be long-term physical and neurological consequences. Not knowing what that meant, we were all scared as hell and just waiting and hoping for things to improve. Luckily, they did almost immediately.

In her first week in the hospital, Carla woke up from her medically induced coma and began communicating nonverbally with us. In the coming weeks, they removed her tracheal tube, and she began speaking with us. She was still coming out of her coma, but we could still understand some of what she was saying. This includes words in French, Russian, and German since she’s multilingual. But what really got me was the moment she said the name of one of my Tae Kwon-Do patterns.

I was explaining to her how I was doing this pattern in our driveway to calm down, and told her it was her favorite. She immediately said “Po Eun!” Already, she had given us lots of indications that she was herself and remembered everything. But these two words were the most reassuring and heart-melting words I’ve ever heard! From there, things continued to improve, but there were some very tense and frightening spots along the way.

As I explained in the previous post, the cause of her stroke was kidney failure. Regular dialysis was required, which she began getting three days a week less than a month into her recovery. Just before Christmas, she had her last surgery, and by February – much to my delight! – she was able to return home! Our Boy was so happy to see her, and we slept more soundly together than we had in the previous six months. Alas, things got difficult as the months went on.

I began feeling burned out all the time, and Jasper began throwing up every day, which I attributed to him picking up on my stress. However, by May, an ultrasound revealed that it was something else entirely. Our Boy had lymphoma in his intestines and would have to have an operation, a biopsy, and undergo chemo. And from the way the vets were describing things, it didn’t sound like his chances were very good.

After everything we’d been through, it felt like a gut punch or being kicked while we were down. But we chose to soldier on and get Jasper the treatment he needed. By mid-summer, his weight loss had gotten pretty bad, though he continued to be the tenacious Boy we’ve always known. I began to feel positive after he completed his first round of chemo, but another ultrasound said it was getting worse. At our request, the vet switched him over to another chemo drug, but Jasper continued to lose weight and become less active.

On August 25th, 2024, our Boy Jasper passed away peacefully in our home, having been surrounded by loved ones all day. It was the best passing we could have hoped for. He has stopped eating, lost most of his weight, and couldn’t stand up anymore. We were devastated, but I managed to pull myself together to give him his “last walk” to the vet for cremation. We got his ashes back in a special urn less than a week later, which now sits in a special shrine on our bookshelf.

A little over a month has gone by since he passed, and Carla and I have been picking up the pieces and doing our best to soldier on. But we still have a lot of hurdles to deal with, and I find myself dealing with anxiety and depression all the time. With my wife being off work and Jasper’s medical bills, we’ve been facing a financial crunch too. That is largely behind us, but I keep worrying about the next crisis that will hit us.

Back in December, I said that 2023 was the worst year of our lives. I was wrong. The period between August 26th, 2023, and August 25th, 2024, has been the worst year of our lives.

But before you go thinking it’s all darkness and grief over here, there have been many positive developments as well. Today, Carla is walking virtually unassisted with a walker, her health is impeccable, and she is killing it in all aspects of her recovery. Life is improving here, slowly, and we are simply riding out the grief and the anxiety. I look forward to the Fall and Winter being better, and have high hopes for 2025.

Episode 81 of SfS – An Interview with Sir Peter Beck – is now Live!

This week’s episode was special. By chance, I was able to secure an interview with Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck (yes, he was knighted!). For those unfamiliar, Rocket Lab is a New Zealand-based commercial space company poised to challenge SpaceX’s near-monopoly over commercial launches. Their first launch happened in 2009 and involved the sounding rocket (a test launch vehicle) Ātea-1 launching from their launch facility on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand.

This launch made them the first commercial space company in the southern hemisphere to reach space. Since then, Rocket Lab has launched over 50 smallsat missions using its small-launch Electron rocket and expanded its operations to the U.S. In the coming years, it will introduce the Neutron rocket, a medium-lift launch vehicle that will give them the capability to launch satellite constellations. Check out the links below to hear the full interview:

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube

Episode 80 of SfS – Indigenous Astronomy: The Aztecs – is now Live!

In this week’s episode, I returned to the ongoing series on Indigenous Astronomy with a look at the Aztec Empire and its traditions. Like all Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztecs had a rich astronomical and cosmological tradition that was as complex as anything created by the Babylonians, Greeks, Indians, Chinese, and others. In fact, their traditions demonstrate the type of universality that observations of the heavens inspire.

To the Aztecs, the movements of the Sun, the Moon, and the visible planets were seen as evidence of a cosmic order. Every activity they performed during the year was dictated by this order and even influenced their urban planning. In addition, they followed two calendars: a 365-day solar calendar (xiuhpōhualli) and a 260-day ritual calendar (tōnalpōhualli). Every 52 years, these calendars would coincide, which was seen as the end of a historical cycle.

What is also very interesting is the number of ignorant misconceptions about the Aztecs that have endured until this day. These include but are not limited to the belief that the Aztecs were an illiterate culture, that they lacked the wheel, and that they engaged in ritual cannibalism. This last myth has been especially hard to shake and seems to have been assumed about many Indigenous cultures all across the Americas – including the Anasazi, Inca, and most cultures in North America.

In any case, I hope this episode proves enlightening to all who hear it and inspires them as it inspired me while researching and recording it. Check out the links below to learn more…

Where to Listen:SimplecastApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicYoutube