Category Archives: Other Stories

Devil’s Toenail

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devils_toenail_001This “toenail” was found in a field in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It was thought carrying one in your pocket could ease the pain of rheumatism. Since this is about 3 inches or 7.5 cm long, it would be a rather large charm.

However, it really is not a toenail, one from the devil or any other creature. It is an extinct animal related to the oyster, known as Gryphaea. They lived in shallow waters during the Mesozoic period, about 250–65 million years ago. Click on the image for a larger view.

Craters of the Moon

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apollo_16_crater_2Apollo 16 landed on the highlands of the moon. This is an image of one of the Cinco Craters on the slope of Stone Mountain, which was 2.4 miles or 3.8 km from the lunar lander and about 500 ft or 150 m above the landing site. Some of the oldest rock samples from the moon were taken from this region. The lunar landing crew were John Young and Charles Duke, with Thomas Mattingly remaining in orbit. Click on the image for a larger view. Continue reading →

Mountains of the Moon

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mountain_of_moon_2Apollo 15 was the first mission to use a lunar rover. One of the mission destinations was Rima Hadley. This sinuous rille, a river-like channel, is about 80 miles or 120 km in length and rises about 1,200 ft. or 370 m from the landing site. I created this composite of the side of Rima Hadley from images from NASA’s Project Apollo Archive. David Scott and James Erwin were the lunar crew, with Alfred Warden remaining in orbit. Click on the image for a larger view.

Earthrise

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apollo_earthriseThis image is from the newly released Project Apollo Archive by NASA of the pictures taken during the Apollo missions. While the crew never reached the surface of the moon, Apollo 8 was the first time humans had left Earth’s orbit and orbited another celestial body. It was the first time we could view our planet from a place other than Earth. The crew on that mission was William Anders, Frank Borman, and James Lovell. Click on the image for a larger view.