Sean Blair
banner
unionjackjackson.bsky.social
Sean Blair
@unionjackjackson.bsky.social
Scicomm and stuff
Reposted by Sean Blair
“Conversation with Smaug”, by JRR Tolkien, for 1937’s “The Hobbit”.

I’ve no idea what state of mind Tolkien was in when he painted it. But every time I’ve seen it, and I’ve seen it a lot, I get the impression that he was having a really great time. It’s so zestful, in its details & as a whole.
November 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
I’ve only just stumbled across the fantastic fact that Margaret Thatcher’s 1970s voice coach, who taught her to lower her voice and speak more resonantly, was none other than Catherine Fleming, who voiced the evil Animus in bonkers 1965 Doctor Who serial The Web Planet. The Zarbi’s not for turning!
November 15, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
October 2, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
Today at #ESTEC in 🇳🇱 we celebrate 30 years of ESA Navigation activities, which resulted in the world's most accurate satellite navigation system, Galileo - one of our 50 hallmark achievements in our 50 year anniversary! www.esa.int/About_Us/ESA...
September 2, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
An agency is defined by taking action - so what has the European Space Agency been up to during its first 50 years? Find out in our new brochure: esa.int/About_Us/ESA...
June 20, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
June 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
TANK vs TESLA

"We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again"

- ⁠WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank
May 7, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
“America Open Your Eyes!”, 1941, by Jean Carlu.
March 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
As Europe's Hera asteroid mission flew past planet Mars on 12 March it autonomously locked onto dozens of impact craters and other prominent features, tracking them over time, to test the self-driving technology Hera will employ to navigate around its target asteroids:
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
March 26, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
Our Hera spacecraft science team, including Dr Brian May of Queen, were amazed as the first images came in from the spacecraft's gravity-assist flyby of Mars and martian moon Deimos - see why here: www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
March 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
🔴 Our #HeraMission just flew by Mars, using the planet’s gravity to speed up towards its target asteroids. Wondering what it was like for the mission engineers to assemble Hera? Make one with LEGO 🧱 – choose your favourite model and get building! 🔨 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
March 13, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
Our Hera science team are busy processing images returned from today’s Mars flyby – including astrophysicist, stereoscopist & guitarist Sir Brian May, seen with Principal Investigator Prof Patrick Michel. Images to come in tomorrow's livestream at 11:50 CET (10:50 GMT): www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
March 12, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
As Hera flies by Mars today, it cannot return the images it acquires directly, because it needs to rotate its antenna back to Earth to do that. If you want to see what it is doing second by second from 1245 CET, check the real-life simulation we will soon start here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KILq...
March 12, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Our real-time simulation of Hera’s flyby around Mars starts now: youtu.be/KILqbZon5EY?...
March 12, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
This is #HeraMission's view of Mars acquired yesterday, at 1.07 million km from the red planet, hurtling towards it at 9 km/s. The north pole and other features clearly visible - closest approach comes at 13:51 CET today, images unveiled tomorrow! www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
March 12, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
As our Hera asteroid mission flies by Mars tomorrow, it will image Deimos - the smaller and more enigmatic of the two martian Moons - from as close as 1000 km away. The results will be unveiled at our livestream on Thursday!
www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
March 11, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
Did you know our #HeraMission - about to fly around 🔴Mars - has its own AI 🤖 ready to chat with anybody? Developed by Terra Mater Studios (part of @redbull.com), implemented by Impact AI & backed by @microsoft.com, learn all about the Hera Space Companion: news.microsoft.com/source/emea/...
March 11, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
📽️After five months in the darkness between planets, #HeraMission flies past Mars TOMORROW - while imaging the surface and the enigmatic moon Deimos, as a try-out of its instruments before reaching the Didymos binary. Then, this Thursday, see these images unveiled live! www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
March 11, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
seen in newark, new jersey

🔥
February 23, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer:

We stand with #Ukraine for as long as it may take, and I hope you heard that cheering in the street - the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you and Ukraine,and our absolute,unwavering determination to stand with you ⤵️ 1/2
March 1, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
I can't stop laughing at this man I'm sorry. This is the kind of shit the biggest loser in the world would say to their girlfriend about buying her flowers on Valentine's Day once, and he's doing so in an argument that started because he called her a bitch
March 1, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Sean Blair
Q: Which dystopian nightmare movie is this from?

A: Reality.
January 26, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
Got a VR headset for Christmas? Try travelling through space with our Hera asteroid mission - download DIVE's *free* Guardians of Earth app for anyone with Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3 or 3S VR glasses www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
January 7, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Sean Blair
As Proba-3 undergoes commissioning, its startrackers
(cameras linked to constellation-spotting computers) track the orientation of the slowly-spinning spacecraft. Here’s a peek at their first images, including a photobomb from planet Earth!
www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...
December 9, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Turn your finger sideways and look at the thickness of your nail - then imagine steering spacecraft to that level of precision. Writing up ESA's double-spacecraft Proba-3 mission 👉https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Proba-3/Eclipse-maker_How_Proba-3_subtracts_the_Sun
November 26, 2024 at 5:21 PM