Linzmj - Untitled

Sneaky sneak 

Some snow scenes in Claude Monet’s paintings.

I am loving the tree cam, it has the most interesting stuff in my yard currently. Here's a little medley from the last couple of weeks.

The Illustrated Book of Manners: A Manual of Good Behavior and Polite Accomplishments, 1866

Mathematician. Leader. Heroine. Remembering Hidden Figure Katherine Johnson

Tonight, count the stars and remember a trailblazer. 

We’re saddened by the passing of celebrated #HiddenFigures mathematician Katherine Johnson. She passed away at 101 years old. 

An America hero, Johnson’s legacy of excellence broke down racial and social barriers while helping get our space agency off the ground.

Once a “human computer”, she famously calculated the flight trajectory for Alan Shepard, the first American in space.

And when we began to use electronic computers for calculations, astronaut John Glenn said that he’d trust the computers only after Johnson personally checked the math.

As a girl, Katherine Johnson counted everything. As a mathematician, her calculations proved critical to our early successes in space travel.

With slide rules and pencils, Katherine Johnson’s brilliant mind helped launch our nation into space. No longer a Hidden Figure, her bravery and commitment to excellence leaves an eternal legacy for us all.

“We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics.” - Katherine Johnson 1918 -2020 

May she rest in peace, and may her powerful legacy inspire generations to come! What does Katherine Johnson’s legacy mean to you? Share in the comments. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com 

That’s a totally straight way of eating a pie, right? 

I mean… Right?

Yeah… right… ;)

*gifs credits to @onceland

Cherry blossoms in Nara by Hiroyasu Inoue‎, as seen on Tokyo Camera Club

And these guys are still around too, swooshing through the yard and landing gently as they do wherever there is a promise of food. I see more couple photos on the booth now, and the males are seemingly starting to squabble. First one shows the beautiful subtle back colours of the female.