On Thursday, August 13, 2015, I had a chance to go on-site at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center in western Hancock County, Mississippi to view and photograph a rocket engine test as part of a social media tour.  I jumped at the chance for a whole lot of reasons.  First, because it is a super cool opportunity to learn about some of our cutting-edge technology right in the area where I work!  (In my day job I’m working with two different groups based out of Stennis Space Center, and monitoring easements on about 1/10th of the sound buffer zone surrounding the Center.)  And, its where I started working full-time; when I graduate from Mississippi State University, I came down to Stennis Space Center (or to National Space Technology Labs as it was known then) and worked on a bunch of cool projects that involved all manner of flora and fauna, including endangered species, prescribed fire, and acid deposition.  And, it was at Stennis that Kristin and I first met.  My father-in-law worked at Stennis as well, and a set of bricks for him and each of his grandchildren is in place out in front of the Infinity Science Center.

Honorary bricks in front of the Infinity Science Center.

When I arrived at the Infinity Science Center, I saw all the static displays out front – the rocket engines, the NOAA data bouys, the US Navy riverine craft, but it was the sculpture out front that caught my eye.  Marlin Miller turned a lot of beach-front trees killed by Hurricane Katrina into really cool wildlife carvings using a chainsaw and a small sander.  He has a sculpture of an eagle in front of the Infinity Science Center that is made from a single, large live oak with metal parts from Stennis engine test stands and Space Shuttle engines.

Marlin Miller’s eagle sculpture framed by two tour buses.

I checked in and got a bag of information and a personalized social media credential for the day.

Name tag for the day!

The folks with NASA did a great job of preparing the social media users for the SR-25 rocket engine test.  We listened to NASA employees and contractors and learned all kinds of details about the Space Launch System, and what it will do.  We learned about the Orion capsule that will house human beings as we go beyond near-earth orbit and on to Mars and beyond.  And we learned about the RS-25 engines from their history to how they are being adapted and used today.

Scale Model of Space Launch System including the main rocket, Orion capsule, and pair of solid rocket motors.

The day was full data and specifications, many of them superlatives!  The Space Launch System and the RS-25 rocket and all of the other parts needed to support the upcoming missions are truly amazing.  If I remember correctly an RS-25 engine has four turbos, and each turbo generates 7,000 horsepower!  The Space Launch System has 4 RS-25 engines at it’s base plus to solid rocket motors on the side – and it needs them to generate enough lift to get the 5.5 million pounds of mass off the earth and out of earth’s gravitational pull!  The temperatures inside the engine are at extremes – the liquid hydrogen fuel is coming in at -425°F and at one point is separated from the products of it’s combustion at about +6,000°F by around 14 inches!  The exhaust is leaving the engine at around 13 times the speed of sound!  I only wish I could remember half the cool statistics that I heard.

The presenters were challenged to find things we could understand to compare the SLS and the RS-25 to… Many times they used the Apollo program (represented by the Command Module for Apollo 4 that we saw!) or a sport-utility vehicle or a racing car.

We listened to a large number of presenters share information about NASA, the Space Launch System, the Orion capsule, the RS-25 engine, the support teams and companies.

John Yembrick, NASA Office of Communication Social Media Manager, did a great job of preparing us to soak up a great deal of information.

Panels of NASA employees and contractors gave us overviews and answered questions.

The panels and speakers were the folks who were actually doing the job.  It was very, very interesting to hear their individual parts and how well all those parts are adding up to the final product.

We had a surprise speaker, Dr. Dava Newman, NASA Deputy Administrator. It was her second time at a social media event.

We took a trip to the B-2 Rocket Engine Test Stand (currently undergoing renovation) so that we could see a huge test stand up close before watching an engine test from afar.

Social media attendees learn about the rocket engine test stands at Stennis.

During lunch NASA Astronaut Dr. Jeanette J. Epps told us about astronaut training, potential future missions, and answered questions.

Astronaut Jeanette Epps responding to a question.

Then we headed back out for a tour of the rocket engine facilities and  to the A-1 rocket engine test stand to watch, listen to and feel the RS-25 rocket engine test.  We were about 1/4 mile from the engine test stand, and there was no doubt that something major was going on when the engine fired off!  The ground rumbled, the sound was loud (even with hearing protection), and the immense plume of steam coming out of the test stand all gave evidence to the power of a single engine running in place.

RS-25 rocket engine running in test stand A-1 at Stennis Space Center.

After witnessing that impressive, immense display of technology and power, we climbed back on the air-conditioned bus to gulp bottles of cold water.  We got just refreshed enough in a few minute ride to stop by the canals that were dug from the East Pearl River by the US Army Corps of Engineers to the test stands.  Many of the rocket engines and parts are delivered by barge from the Pearl River up through a system of locks.  In the lowest lock was the Pegasus – NASA’s barge.  Pegasus recently underwent modification to enable it to carry the Space Launch System – that involved cutting the barge in half and adding 50′ section to the middle so that this enclosed barge is now 310′ long – just barely long enough and wide enough to carry the Space Launch System.  A minor technological achievement to enable major technological achievements later!

Pegasus, a 310-foot long barge, in the locks at Stennis Space Center.

All in all, a very long, technology-filled day!

#NASASocial #SLSFiredUp

If you look at the currently published range maps (which are usually several years behind to start with for almost all species…) for American cliff swallows, they are not supposed to be in coastal Mississippi.  When we moved back to coastal Mississippi a few years ago, there were cliff swallows nesting under a bridge just up the river from our rental house, and I found another colony under yet another bridge that was easy (okay, relatively easy) to get some decent shots of them nesting.  And in all cases in Mississippi, I’ve seen a mix of cliff swallows and barn swallows.

I had taken pictures of barn swallows gathering mud to build nests several years ago (when I was still shooting film), but had never had a chance to do that again.  They only build nests for a 2-week or so period every year.  I guess I was in the right place at the right time because I got the chance to photograph not only barn swallows, but also cliff swallows gathering mud to build nests recently.

The barn swallows landed on relatively thick mud and pecked up a ball of mud, sometimes picking up small fiberous sticks and roots first.  The cliff swallows “hover landed” over very soft mud and pecked up a more gooey ball of mud.

Here’s a pair of cliff swallows fluttering as they pick up mud.

And here is a barn swallow picking up a beak of mud for it’s nest.

The two different species build nests that look different as well.  The cliff swallows build a vase-shaped nest with a narrow tube opening.

The barn swallows build a cup-shaped nest that is open at the top.

Both nests are amazing works of architectural art work, especially when you realize that they are built from mud with a few sticks, roots and feathers mixed in without the use of hands!

I had a chance to meet Jason & Nicole Hahn for their Birds of Prey Nature Photography Workshop (http://www.outdoorphotoworkshops.com/) near their home in central Florida.    Having shot with Jason in the field before and hearing other folks talk about their workshops, I knew that it would be an enjoyable, productive trip.  As I drove far into the night on Friday, I was questioning my decision.

But my decision was primarily made on wanting to get an environmental portrait of a southeastern American kestrel.  The population of these diminutive little falcons that are native to the Deep South and breed in the open, frequently burned piney woods is declining precipitiously.  I wanted an image that showed one of these photogenic little falcons in their native habitat.  And I knew that there just might be that opportunity on this workshop.  I also knew that there would be an opportunity to photograph a dozen or so other species of raptors.  As it ended up (if my mental recall is correct), we had an opportunity to photograph 18 individual birds of 14 different species.

Nicole was great on the phone and via e-mail leading up to the workshop, and I could tell that she was organized.  I had no idea how organized until she opened her 3-ring binder with releases and information as she checked us into the workshop!  I knew that Jason and I shared a similar approach to photographing wildlife, but wasn’t aware that his approach to workshops was similar to that shared by Gary Carter (www.garycarterphotos.com) and myself – do everything you can to make sure the participants are getting the shot before you pick up your own camera.   Jason and Nicole make a great team for a workshop participant, whether the photographer has just got their first camera or has been photographing for decades.

We met at the rehabilitation facility where we were going to shoot.   The facility rescues, rehabilitates, and reconditions raptors for release into the wild.  The birds that we got a chance to photograph were not candidates for release, either because of an injury or because of early imprinting on humans rather than their own kind.  These avian ambassadors allowed for up close photographic opportunities that would take months and months of field time to have a slight chance of getting something as good in the wild.

We started out photographing a trio of owl species, and then quickly moved on to the kestrels – the main reason that I was there.  And I was able to create an image of a kestrel that is obviously in a southern longleaf pine habitat (except that it was really in an old pasture).

A southeastern American kestrel perched on a longleaf pine branch.

Jason was really good about thinking through shot opportunities out loud all through the workshop.  He constantly talked about camera settings, backgrounds, compositions, perspectives, etc.  And it was his prodding to “not forget a profile shot” that resulted in me getting this shot of a kestrel apparently peering from a nesting/roosting cavity.  (Yes, kestrels are cavity nesters.)

A kestrel peers from a cavity entrance.

Having lived on the Satilla River within a mile or so of 7 different swallow-tailed kite nests per season for a few nesting seasons, I’ve had many, many opportunities to see and photograph flying and nesting swallow-tailed kites.  I’ve seen a few in captivity, but not had a chance to photograph one up close and personally in good light with a good background.  I had that opportunity in spades on this workshop.  Swallow-tailed kites  are neotropical migrants (they winter in South America and breed in the southeastern United States).  They seem to require large tracts of mature bottomland hardwood forests for nesting.  Needless to say, they are not doing well either.

A swallow-tailed kite perches on an oak branch.

In addition to perched shots, because the rehabilitation facility had falconers, we had a chance to photograph several species in flight.  We watched an impressive peregrine stoop at a lure.  Unfortunately, while 1/1250^th of a second was fast enough to freeze the falconer’s motion, it was not sharp enough to freeze a peregrine in mid-stoop.  But there were other chances to photograph the peregrine (and a couple of other falcons as well).

A peregrine falcon perches on a falconer’s glove after a successful stoop at a moving lure.

The barn owl in front of the barns was a fun shoot.

A barn owl glides silently across the farm yard.

They also flew a pair of the mischievous Harris hawks at the same time.  Choosing a favorite flight shot of a Harris hawk was not an easy task.

A Harris hawk peers carefully as it soars, just waiting on a chance to pounce.

I just barely had room for this whole red-tailed hawk in the image as it decelerated to land on a perch.  Note the leather falconry field jesses and radio transmitter hanging in the image.  The handlers were great about helping pose the birds in such a way at times that the jesses, leashes, and bands wouldn’t be seen in the resulting images.  At other times, the falconry gear was a critical part of the story and images.

A captive red-tailed hawk flares as it prepares to land on a perch.

It was a treat to be able to create an iconic bald eagle image in front of an American flag as well.  The hard part was choosing a favorite bald eagle and American flag image!

A bald eagle perched in front of the American flag.

And the queen angelfish photographic opportunities were great as well.  As I walked into the local hotel the night before the workshop, I noticed that they had a nicely done saltwater tank that was very clean and had very few reflected highlights on the glass.  Since the lobby was deserted around midnight when I checked in, as I returned the luggage cart, I took a camera & lens with me to see if I could get a decent fish shot…

A queen angelfish swims by a coral head.

I recently heard the Indian pipes were blooming in a rich, mature woodland in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, so I went to photograph them.  Indian pipes (Monotropa uniflora) are strange-looking herbaceous woodland plants.  Indian pipes are named for their flowering stalks’ resemblance to the white pipes made out of kaolin clay that were common during the early colonial period in the Americas.

A kaolin (white clay) pipe used in colonial America.

The only time we really see Indian pipe is when their flowering stalks emerge from underground so they can be pollinated and produce seeds.

A single stemmed Indian pipe blossom emerges from the underground plant.

Indian pipe is also known as ghost plant or corpse plant.  This small plant that may grow as a single stalk or a group of stalks appears strange because it has no chlorophyll – the pigment that makes most plants green.  Chlorophyll is also the chemical that helps plants use solar energy to convert nutrients to sugars.  Since Indian pipe does not have chlorophyll, it has to get its energy from another source.

Indian pipes are parasitic!  Technically, they are a myco-heterotoroph.  That means that Indian pipes get their energy from a fungi.  Specifically, they get their energy from a fungi that has a mycorhizal relationships.   Mycorhizae are fungi that are symbiotic with roots.  In this case, the fungi help trees roots efficiently absorb water, phosphorus and other nutrients.  The tree gives the fungus carbohydrates.  So the Indian pipes attach themselves to a fungus that gets its energy from a tree – so Indian pipes indirectly get their energy from other plants.

A clump of Indian pipe on the floor of a rich, moist woodland.

Indian pipes are an ericad – meaning they are related to our blueberries, huckleberries, rhododendrons, and azaleas.  This is a little more understandable when the flower of an Indian pipe is compared to the flower of a tree sparkleberry (winter huckleberry).  The fruit of Indian pipes are capsules that more closely resemble rhododendron.

Indian pipe blossom.

Winter huckleberry blossoms.

A clump of Indian pipe with some fresh blossoms and some capsules already split to disperse their seeds.

Rosebay rhododendron capsules split.

Indian pipe can be found in almost every state in the United States of America except for a few states in the central southwest and Hawaii.  It has a sister species, Dutchman’s pipe (Monotropa hypopitys) that I was lucky enough to spot in one of those southwestern states.

Dutchman’s pipes are relatives of Indian pipes.

Unbeknownst to many folks, we’ve got scorpions in the Deep South.  We’ve got 5 or so species, all of them small (usually just over an inch when stretched out).  Yes, they can sting, and based on personal experience, it feels about like a bad wasp sting.

The places I most commonly see them are under loose pine bark.  Sometimes that pine bark is on older, living pines (I’ve even got an image of a federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker holding a scorpion just prior to chowing down on it!).  Sometimes that pine bark is on pines that have been killed by southern pine beetles.  The next most common place that I’ve seen them is in the bathtub!  It seems that they don’t mind coming into houses; they can walk up a wall with little difficulty, but they have a problem walking up the sides of a tub.  This particular one was found in a light fixture where it had fallen down from the attic.  Two other places that I’ve found them frequently were in folds of canvas tents at a summer camp and in folds of burlap in a ground blind at a hunting club.

One of the neat things about scorpions is that they fluoresce (or glow) under ultraviolet light.  There are also many minerals that fluoresce under ultraviolet light.  Knowing these two things, I’ve managed in the past to get these two fluorescent subjects together, and did so again the other evening.  Both the scorpion and the minerals fluoresce a little differently depending upon the ultraviolet source (UVA vs UVB vs UVC).  Unfortunately, I don’t have ready access to a UVB bulb in south Mississippi (yet), so the fluorescent part of this shot was taken with a low wattage UVA bulb.