Mark McCaughrean

https://mastodon.social/@markmccaughrean

Former Senior Advisor for Science & Exploration at the European Space Agency / JWST Science Working Group Interdisciplinary Scientist / Co-founder Space Rocks / New worlds ahead / Opinions very much own   

Now living in a hilly part of Germany & very much missing regular cycling with the wide horizons & big skies of The Netherlands 😢🚴‍♂️

Personal website: http://www.markmccaughrean.net
Space Rocks: http://www.spacerocksofficial.com

Public Key

npub1wg6rme2azwt767f82gvc6rtj38xfh56z087d08vjfcq8zklz5d3qjcp0eg

NIP-05 Address

markmccaughrean_at_mastodon.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8ydpau4w389ld0yn4yxvdp4egnnym6dp8nlxhnkfyuqr3t032xcsqdd9zh

Author Public Key

npub1wg6rme2azwt767f82gvc6rtj38xfh56z087d08vjfcq8zklz5d3qjcp0eg

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Last Notes

2024-07-29 10:41:17

- reply

The chassis number is stamped on the frame under the front rear seat, but the full plate turns out to be on the right rear door frame.
Where I should have seen it, but … 🙄🤷‍♂️

2024-07-29 10:26:38

Super niche question:
Where is the manufacturer plate on a 2009 Citroën C1, showing the VIN & weight?
The VIN is separately stamped on the metal chassis under the right-hand passenger seat, but where is the plate?
I’m trying to get a Certificate of Conformity from Citroën in FR to export our car from NL to DE, but cannot find the plate in the car.
The Citroën CoC people themselves won’t tell me where it is (wtf!?) & say I need to go to a dealer to find out.
Totally bananas 🙄

2024-07-09 20:09:40

And some nice video from the Ariane 6 upper stage showing some of the 17 payloads being deployed, including experiments from students, industry, & space agencies 👍
#GoAriane6
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/758/342/915/415/748/original/e2c49add7f4c8b20.jpeg

2024-07-09 20:00:54

Next milestone in today’s first Ariane 6 flight ticked off – the on-orbit reignition of the new Vinci motor 👍
The various payloads will be deployed soon, before the upper stage is deliberately de-orbited into the Point Nemo space graveyard in the South Pacific at the end of the mission.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/ESA_Web_TV
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/758/308/072/634/182/original/0c02c31bca9d64ba.jpeg

2024-07-09 19:13:46

The best word in space flight: the launch of the first #Ariane6 is nominal so far, including the lift-off, jettisoning of the solid boosters, Vulcain main engine cut-off, first stage separation, & Vinci second stage engine ignition 🙂👍
Some lovely live views from the ground & the rocket too 📹
#GoAriane6
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/758/122/097/228/851/original/84c411e8ae8049b5.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/758/122/151/960/165/original/8b45de8cdf073084.jpeg
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https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/758/122/277/279/393/original/2e11c5cac1c50baf.jpeg

2024-07-09 18:51:13

Time to tune in: the first launch of Europe’s new rocket is due in under 10 minutes.
#GoAriane6
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ogXamYYJpQk

2024-07-09 06:06:30

The first flight of #Ariane6 is scheduled between 20:00 & 00:00 CEST today from Europe’s space port in French Guiana.
Ariane 6 is critical to the next generation of ESA space science missions including PLATO, Ariel, Comet Interceptor, EnVision, Athena, & LISA, & much more beyond, both institutional & commercial.
Details on the largely test-oriented flight profile, including in-orbit engine restarts & upper stage deorbiting, plus info on how to watch 👇
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Ariane_6_launch_how_to_watch_and_what_to_look_out_for

2024-07-08 19:33:04

Carpe diem 🐝
Even as the sun slips below the hills to the south, a honeybee's work is not done 🍯
Perhaps not the sharpest of shots, given the rapidly dimming light, but the lovely evening colour mix of the lavender & the defocussed houses & trees on the other side of the valley seems worth sharing 🙇‍♂️
#Photography 📷
#MacroPhotography 🔬
#BackGardenEntomology 🪲
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/752/511/215/564/413/original/ccf2b38476161ef3.jpg

2024-07-04 22:51:48

The good news:
According to the exit polls & first couple of results, the Tories are toast & Labour look likely to achieve a historic majority.
The bad news:
The big vote swing isn’t from Tory to Labour, but to the ugly far-right Reform party.
So don’t be fooled – the Tories aren’t losing because they were very right-wing. They’re losing because they weren’t right-wing enough.
A scary virus is growing in the UK, even if the immediate picture is positive.
#UKGeneralElection

2024-07-01 11:09:46

In the November 1932 German federal elections, the NSDAP won 33% of the vote.
These were the last free & fair elections before the Nazis seized power in 1933.
Remember: fascists don’t need to win a majority of the votes to end democracy.
They just need to split the opposition.
Fingers crossed that French left & centre right voters truly understand this before the second round.
#BackToTheFuture
#LearnFromHistory
#HowTheHellIsThisHappeningAgain

2024-06-29 16:32:41

What a treat 🙇‍♂️
Finally rediscovered my DSLR battery charger & after juicing up, went out into the hot summer garden for a macro recce 👀
This was the first thing I saw – a crab spider, probably of the goldenrod species (Misumena vatia), sitting on a lavender flower with an ambushed honey bee in its jaws 😱
Combine with some opportunist flies & a nice creamy background to make one of my favourite recent photos 🙂👍
#Spiders
#Arachnids
#Photography
#MacroPhotography
#BackGardenEntomology
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/700/831/113/558/566/original/96eb8f7cd27018da.jpg

2024-06-29 16:32:41

2024-06-28 11:11:26

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick & tired of the bellicose psychodramas playing out in many of the twentieth century’s superpowers, each at different stages of their imperial decay.
At worst, their ugly posturings threaten a short, sharp, & horrific end to our civilisation.
At best, they’re a narcissistic distraction from the critically important issues facing humankind, most notably working together in peace to prevent catastrophic climate change.
Which, of course, may be no coincidence.

2024-06-25 09:51:50

“Listen, primate boy. I don’t mean to judge, but I’m 72 in your years and *I* still look magnificent.” 😼🙈
#Tigger 😽
#Bengals 🐅
#Photography 📷
#CatsOfMastodon 🐈
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/676/636/798/429/917/original/d2409ecc61745fdd.jpeg

2024-06-12 11:32:09

Homage to #Hitchcock, selfie-style 🙂🤳
#Photography 📷
#BlackAndWhite
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/603/414/288/468/603/original/071dbdc56148bb0e.jpeg

2024-06-11 18:13:11

Very sad to hear of the passing of Ed Stone, who has died at the age of 88.
Best known perhaps as the project scientist for the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune from 1972 to 2022, Ed played a key role in the history of space science, including 10 years leading NASA JPL.
I met him at a space particle & fundamental physics conference at CERN in 2012, where I took these pictures. Originals: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCM5rJJ
Ad astra, Ed ✨
#SpaceScience #SpaceExploration #Astrodon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/599/319/874/488/587/original/55bd99f6b5a40a69.jpg
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2024-05-12 20:45:22

Such a lovely sunset during this evening’s 58km ride, you get three pictures, not just one 🥳
Add yesterday’s 67km ride & others earlier, and that makes for 232km this week. Which is decent, all things considered 🤷‍♂️
#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/430/056/128/168/963/original/55e45abc4daf7a18.jpeg
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2024-05-10 23:20:18

Not bad; not bad at all 🙂
Especially for 52°N 🤷‍♂️
#AuroraSelfie
#Wassenaar
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
#SpaceWeather 🚀☁️
#AuroraBorealis
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/419/348/781/243/437/original/41a583819ffe3909.jpeg

2024-05-10 12:07:29

You'll definitely see much better pictures, but this is mine 🌞🤷‍♂️🙂
The massive sunspot group AR3664, one of the largest for years, has been flaring & chucking out massive amounts of particles towards us for days 💥😬✌️
Which is why there's a severe geomagnetic storm warning for tonight & a good chance of seeing aurorae way down south in Europe 🥳🤞
#SpaceWeather 🖖
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/416/701/571/815/952/original/c7791cb0e19ccc12.png

2024-05-07 14:51:14

Just as a reminder, it is to escape the capricious whims, machinations, & ambitions of hugely wealthy crypto/fintech/bitcoin obsessed tech bros that we are on Mastodon rather than on the sites they own.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/07/jack-dorsey-quits-bluesky-board-urges-users-stay-elon-musk-x-twitter

2024-05-03 07:58:19

Heads up 👀
China is due to launch their Chang’e 6 mission in the next couple of hours 🚀🛰️
It’s the first to attempt the return of samples from the lunar far side, in the scientifically very interesting South Pole-Aitken Basin region 🌑
There are some European experiments on-board & some of my ESA colleagues are at the launch site 🤞
There’s a livestream on CGTN & I’m due to be on at 09:30UTC / 11:30CEST.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_6
https://www.cgtn.com/tv
#SpaceFlight #SpaceExploration

2024-04-14 11:51:07

Dayglo halo 🌞
A lovely long-lasting 22° halo around the Sun due to ice in cirrus high in the sky over Wassenaar today, nicely set off by some passing low clouds 🙂👍
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
#AtmosphericOptics 🌈
#CloudAppreciationSociety ⛅️
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/269/407/426/187/280/original/f3e7a3640ecf5233.jpeg