Last night, the Conway City Council successfully voted to add “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information” to its rules against discrimination of city employees. The aldermen who represent my ward, Mark Ledbetter and Mary Smith, voted against the measure. I sent the following email to them this morning.

Local article regarding the vote  |  Full ordinance

Here’s the relevant portion of the ordinance (click to enlarge):

The letter:

Mary and Mark,

Both of you represent me on the Conway City Council. I’m saddened to hear of your dissenting votes on last night’s measure ensuring non-discrimination protections for city employees without regard to “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information” in addition to the protections already guaranteed by the city.

Protecting citizens and city employees from discrimination of any kind is table stakes for our civic leaders. In voting against this measure last night, you have failed to serve your constituents at the most fundamental level.

I urge you to reconsider your position on this issue and any similar measures brought to vote by the Conway City Council. It is my hope that you will work to ensure that the City of Conway actively works against discrimination of any city employee, citizen, or visitor for any reason. I request that the Council consider a broader non-discrimination measure that protects all citizens and visitors in Conway.

Everyone should feel welcome in our growing city. As we seek to encourage job growth in the high-tech sector and continue to support our city’s three universities, we should welcome diverse groups of workers and professors. This diversity will position us with a strong work force to help our city grow and educate. This diversity will increase the quality of life for all Conway residents.

Thank you for your time and for your service to the citizens of Ward 3 in Conway.
(This message and any responses will also be posted online at http://www.isaythings.com.)

Thanks,
Geoff Ryken

The following resolution was adopted by the Presbytery of Arkansas at its 128th stated meeting on February 21, 2015.

Whereas Jesus instructs his disciples to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’; and,

Whereas the Presbytery of Arkansas respects the dignity of every human being; and,

Whereas the Presbytery of Arkansas has previously voiced its opposition to the destruction or denial of civil rights based on any prejudice, whether it be based on race, religion, nationality, country of origin, gender or sexuality, and

Whereas we believe religion must never be invoked so as to cloak discrimination;

BE IT RESOLVED

that the Presbytery of Arkansas, at its 128th Stated Meeting, declares its opposition to Arkansas House Bill 1228, allowing discrimination based on religious conviction, particularly intended to target gay, lesbian, and transgender people as well as others; and against Senate Bill 202, barring localities from passing anti-discrimination laws. We ask the Governor to use his power to veto this legislation.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.”

Early in the evening of January 28, 1986, President Ronald Reagan began an address to the nation with those words. The President had planned to address congress and the nation that night regarding the State of the Union. However, that address was postponed. It remains the only time the State of the Union address has been postponed.

Earlier that day, the Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, only to break apart 73 seconds later, resulting in the loss of its seven person crew: Greg Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ron McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Mike Smith, and Dick Scobee.

Not since the 1967 Apollo 1 tragedy had the nation lost astronauts in a spacecraft disaster. Reagan’s address was comforting to a shocked and grieving nation. Yet, it was also inspiring. President Reagan addressed the grief the nation was feeling but also assured them that exploration would continue. In a matter of fact style, Reagan gave the address the nation needed. Through simple words coupled with eloquent prose and poetry, the great communicator summed up the feelings of a mourning nation and renewed a commitment to explore in spite of exploration’s hardships. In his words, “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.”

And so we have. With manned missions to lower earth orbit and unmanned missions extending great distances from our planet, we have explored. In the last year, we’ve marked 10 years of continuous operation on Mars by a rover and 15 years since the launch of the first segment of the International Space Station. In 2011, we retired the Space Shuttle, but the remaining orbiters are in museums where they inspire every day. NASA and multiple private companies are hard at work designing and building the next American spacecraft that will carry humans to orbit and beyond.

But the seven lives lost on January 28, 1986, are more than a notation in a timeline of human exploration. These astronauts inspired a nation not only through their sacrifice, but through their courage, their vision, and their commitment to a nation built on that shared premise and dream of exploration.

President Reagan’s speech that evening is remarkable. I watch it every year on January 28, and I encourage you to do the same today.

Links:
Transcript of President Reagan’s speech
AP: Questions and answers about the State of the Union

Wake up the kids. Really. The people of earth are about to attempt a great feat: landing a rover the size of a Mini-Cooper on the surface of a planet millions of miles away.

Witnessing an event like this live, whether success or failure, will help inspire our kids as they see the value, excitement, and relevance of science and technology. These children will get a jump start on becoming the inspirers of the future, potentially leading the way in science and exploration themselves.

Well, don’t wake them up right now – just sometime before NASA’s and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) massive Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, “Curiosity,” makes its descent onto the surface of Mars about 12:31 AM CDT August 6 – that’s just after midnight tonight (Sunday, August 5).

Here are some steps to get your family ready:

Step 1

NOW (well, today, at least), show your kids this excellent video about the “7 minutes of terror,” the period where Curiosity must go from 13,000 mph as it enters Mars’ atmosphere to 0 mph as it is gently placed on the surface of Mars near Gale Crater.

After watching the video, click on the link below to view JPL’s great image showing the various configurations of Curiosity as she heads toward the surface (image credit: JPL/NASA).

Step 2

Watch the launch. Launches are always amazin, and it’s incredible to see what it took to get Curiosity away from earth and in a trajectory to land in a very small target area on Mars. Last November, I witnessed the launch of the Mars Curiosity (video below). There are other (better) videos on YouTube of the same launch.

Step 3

Follow along throughout the day and during Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) of Curiosity. Educate your kids about what’s going to happen tonight and why it’s important (I’ll let you ask the Google that question yourself). One of the best ways to keep up during landing day (and during the post-landing mission) is via Twitter.

• @MarsCurisoity – Official Mars Curiosity Twitter account
• @Doctor_Astro – MSL EDL engineer
• @steltzner – MSL EDL team lead
• @LeeCuriosity – MSL Guidance, Navigation, and Control Systems Manager
• @SciAstro – He’s in charge of science at NASA
• @marsroverdriver – He’s one of the JPL engineers that tells the rovers (including the rovers already on planet), where to go
• @doug_ellison – Visualization Producer at JPL (expert on NASA Eyes)
• @claratma – Student who submitted this essay to the naming contest for Curiosity (and won!)
• #MSL – hash tag people around the world can use to tweet their thoughts
• #NASASocial – hash tag used by lucky folks selected to be present at JPL during the landing or at several other NASA centers around the country over the weekend

I’ve created a Twitter list of all of these people if you’d prefer to follow that:  The List

Of course, feel free to follow me (@geoffryken) as I’ll try to tweet/re-tweet info I see from other Twitter users and news sources.

Step 4

WAKE. THE. KIDS. UP. Well, maybe not the little babies. I have a 3 year old, and I don’t think I’d wake her up just yet. Maybe 5 or 6 year olds can better grasp what’s happening with this landing.

After Midnight CDT, Curiosity will reach the atmosphere of Mars and begin the complicated, computer-controlled steps to place her wheels on Martion soil. Due to the communication delay between Mars and earth, we won’t know this has started until about 14 minutes later.  If you have NASA TV from your cable or satellite provider, just tune in.  Otherwise, you can watch it online here. NASA TV’s coverage will begin at 10:30 pm CDT, a couple hours before landing.

Again, keep in mind that there is about a 14 minute delay in receiving signals from Mars here on earth. If things go well with satellites orbiting Mars, we should know very quickly tonight if Curiosity is safe and sound.  However, a number of factors could cause communication delays of a couple of hours to a couple of day.  Feel free to tuck the kids back in bed in either of these cases.   If we’re extremely lucky, we might get a picture from Curiosity’s rear hazard avoidance camera fairly soon after a successful landing.

So, educate yourself, educate the kids, and watch history happen. If Curiosity  makes it safely to Mars, celebrate with them. If something goes wrong, and Curiosity doesn’t make it, take a moment to discuss with your kids that exploration and furthering scientific knowledge are hard. They are hard, they must be done, and we will continue trying. And we can all be a part of it.

Step 5

Go back to bed.

As I type this, I’m sitting on a bus heading to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Visitors Center and the NASA Causeway to view the final launch of NASA’s Space Transportation System, Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135.

I have mixed emotions this morning….
– Worried my car will get towed because of where it’s parked
– Missing the great experience I had at the NASA Tweetup for the prior launch and viewing it from KSC’s press site
– Nervous for a weather induced scrub
– Sad to see the shuttle program coming to an end
– Proud of the great work the shuttle workers have done for over 30 years

Mostly, thrilled to have another opportunity to see a Space Shuttle launch. Viewing a launch always seemed like one of those things I just would never do, in spit of being a huge fan of NASA and the Space Shuttles. Really, when you compare it to other lifetime checklist items, it’s pretty easily attained for someone living in this country. It just took a commitment by me and my family that we would make this happen for me.

It was easier for STS-134 since I was picked for NASA Tweetup. That gave me access to Kennedy Space Center’s press site and terrific tours (see earlier posts for info and pics). I still had to make it down to Florida and pay my own lodging. We made that happen twice since that launch was scrubbed long enough for a return trip.

After Endeavor’s launch, I didn’t plan on coming back for the final launch. I took almost 3 weeks off work already in June to co-direct Montreat Youth Conferences weeks 1 and 2 ad had already taken time off and sent money ons my prior two launch trips. However, something kept nagging at me about this launch – this experience. This is the LAST launch of a Space Shuttle. This is it. The program and spacecraft I had always admired and learned so much about were about to be retired, and I wanted to witness her final launch.

Now, some might say an adult should ignore that nagging and save the money, time off, and work-catching-up-headaches and stay home. While that’s definitely a conversation to be had with oneself and family, ultimately those who stick to that line of thinking are missing out on so much. Not just a launch of the Space Shuttle or other experiences, but the exhilaration and fulfillment that comes from exposing yourself to something extraordinary and having an experience that transcends one’s daily life. Not to mention, the great people I’ve met and will continue to meet.

In 10, 20, or 50 years, would I remember what I did at work on July 8, 2011? No

In 10, 20, or 50 years, will I remember watching Atlantis leap skyward atop her powerful rockets and soar into space? Hell yes! My grandkids will be sick of hearing the stories.

I wish my wife and 2 year old daughter could be here as well, but Krista isn’t as interested in this as I am, and a 2:30 am departure time wouldn’t work well with Zoe, the 2 year old.

A final thought… there is no guarantee I’ll get to see a launch. There could be a scrub for any number of reasons. If so, I will not regret taking this trip. Just trying to see the launch is the transcending experience that fuels life, inspires me, and shapes my role in this world with my family.

Go Atlantis!

Although the cloud cover around Kennedy Space Center during Endeavour’s final launch on May 16 obscured our view 10-15 seconds or so following liftoff, it provided a unique opportunity to see a shadow cast by the sun across the smoke and vapor plume of Endeavour as she raced to orbit.

Below are four of the pictures I took that captured this shadow.  Click on any of the pictures or click here to view more on Flickr.

Quick post with a picture taken shortly after the solid rocket boosters were ignited during the final launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on May 16, 2011.  I attended as part of the NASA Tweetup.  Endeavour will dock with the International Space Station for the final time tomorrow morning, May 18, at 6:15 am EDT.  Watch it on NASA TV.

Space Shuttle Endeavour, seconds after liftoff on her final mission, May 16, 2011 (click for full size)

View more of my launch pictures on Flickr.

(Note: More posts on today’s launch are on their way)

As I pulled closer to Kennedy Space Center around 3:15 a.m. this morning, traffic sparse but determined, the Vehicle Assembly Building visible from a distance, and the xenon floodlights reaching far beyond launch pad 39A above the tree line to my right, this all felt familiar.

This was my second launch day (due to STS-134 scrub on 4/29), but that’s not why this was familiar.  I began to feel like I was driving right into a scene from Apollo 13 or one of the many film portrayals of the determined Apollo program that entranced the nation 40 years ago.  My mind was flashing to images of the red launch tower and black and white Saturn rockets that carried the United States beyond earth orbit.  Something about the seriousness of the darkness around me reminded me of the mission control workers of the 1960s in their black ties and white, starched dress shirts, huddled over control consoles and adjusting their thick, black glasses as they blazed trails by aiming up.

At this point in my drive, with trees on both sides of the highway and the spotlit Vehicle Assembly Building towering above the tree line, my view was similar to what someone driving to view the Apollo 11 launch in 1969 might have seen.  After all, Apollo 11 launched at 9:32 am ET, just over 35 minutes later than Space Shuttle Endeavour was scheduled to lift-off on its final flight later this morning.

My drive almost complete, I turned onto Kennedy Space Center’s Saturn Causeway and parked in the designated press site parking area, fully aware of the majestic Space Shuttle Endeavour 3.1 miles away, poised for a powerful and graceful launch in a few short hours.

After getting situated at the press site, impressed with the view to the east, I took many pictures (one of which is above) to try to capture not just what I was seeing, but what I was feeling.  With a level of anxiety, I looked forward to the planned launch and final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

I’m writing this post from 30,000 feet on my way to Orlando for #NASATweetup. It feels a little surreal knowing what I’m about to experience over the next two days, culminating, hopefully, with the launch of a freakin’ Space Shuttle! This really is something out of a dream!

About the Tweetup… Here’s a great post from @bethbeck, who works at NASA, containing some pictures of the #NASATweetup tent (the “twent” – Ha!) among other things. Seriously, check out this post.

I’m a little at a loss for words (yes, that is great for a blog post). It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I’m looking forward to enjoying the Tweetup and hanging out with some interesting people. I’m a worrier, so I was freaking out internally a bit when an accident made the drive from midtown to LaGuardia take a long time, a few times at a standstill on the interstate.

Anyway, I clearly made it to the airport and eventually made it in the air.

I’ll be getting up early tomorrow morning so I can make the drive from Daytona Beach to Kennedy Space Center around 7:30 am or 8:00 am. I might have time for some mini-posts tomorrow, but if not, I’ll be tweeting all day. If you want to follow my tweets for #NASATweetup, check out my twitter page. Follow all #NASATweetup tweets here.

(This will be a quick post, as I’m finishing it while sitting at the airport.)

I use my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 all the time.  There are thousands of apps available for iOS devices…many of them junk.  However, there are also lots that are done very well – both for the functionality they provide as well as for how they deliver it.  Below I’ll list and discuss the apps I expect to use leading up to and during #NASATweetup for the STS-134 launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

NASATweetApps for #NASATweetup

FlightTrack Pro | [iTunes link] | This app has one of the best looking interfaces I’ve seen in an iOS app.  The app allows you to store a list of flights and displays the latest status for the flights along with gate, baggage claim, and airport information.  The pro version is integrated with TripIt.com, which lets users forward an email containing a flight itinerary to an email address and have that itinerary automatically synced with FlightTrack Pro.  This app includes push notifications, letting you know (often before the airport displays) if your flight is late.  This app is great for both iPhone and iPad.  iPad shows a map display during most uses of the app, while the iPhone can show a map display on request.

Twitter | [iTunes link] | While the official Twitter app  is good in iPhone, it really shines on iPad.  This app lets you tap or swipe on @names, #hashtags, and URLs and display that information in an overlapping pane to the right of your Twitter timeline.  Swiping the panel towards the right moves the panel mostly off screen, allowing you to view your timeline again, but still leaving access to that pane.  Check out some screenshots in iTunes.

MissionClock | [iTunes link] | I’ve only used this app for a short while, but it provides LOTS of information about various space missions.  Most important for #NASATweetup, it shows information for the STS-134 launch.  This is a universal app (designed for both iPad and iPhone), but the iPad version just appears to be a larger edition of the iPhone app.

Foursquare | [iTunes link] |  This app is just fun to use in general, as it lets you see how many other folks are checked in at a location as well as offering deals and coupons in some cases.  For this trip, it should be awesome to have a Foursquare check-in at the Kennedy Space Center press site and Vehicle Assembly Building!  This app is only designed for iPhone, so don’t expect anything fancy on the iPad.

WordPress | [iTunes link] | This is a great app to use to keep this blog up to date.  This is a universal app, although I’ve mainly used it for iPad.

Notability | [iTunes link] | I have only used this app a bit, but it allows you to type notes (great for capturing info from #NASATweetup speakers) as well as take pictures and sound recordings and associate them with those notes.  I’ve only used it on iPad, and it has a decent interface.  This app is only available for iPad.

NASA official app| [iTunes link] | This app has lots of good NASA info as well as streaming access to NASA TV.

Here are some other good #NASATweetup related apps:

• Friendly Pro for iPad| [iTunes link] – This is a great third party Facebook app for iPad.  I like the pro version because it gets rid of the ads.  A free version is also available, though.
• Facebook | [iTunes link] | (This app should be a lot better and is only available for iPhone.)
• Dropbox | [iTunes link]

What great apps for #NASATweetup have I missed?  Let me know in the comments below!