First post of the New Year!…. I guess it’s about time since we’re almost into the second month. Let’s get it started off right with a 2-part series featuring the very reasons for this site’s existence. Space Kids!

That’s right, Space Daughter and Space Son. Ladies (and elders) first so this post will feature Space Daughter (Margaret).

There’s a whole lot I can say about Space Daughter and her drive and determination to become an astronaut and be the first person to set foot on Mars, but if I’m not careful I’ll digress……

So I will keep focused and shine a spotlight on her latest achievement. It was Tuesday night December 27, 2022. Clear skies graced us with above average atmospheric conditions, too. Space Daughter and I decided to get a quick-ish viewing session in before it got too late. So I carried my Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dobsonian telescope out into the back yard and got everything setup. Before I could even turn my red-dot finder on, Space Daughter declared that she wanted to operate the scope by herself. Keep in mind she’s 9 years old. Since I’m all about “learning by doing” I instinctively relinquished the reigns of the cannon-sized Dobsonian-mounted Newtonian reflector telescope (say that five times really fast) into the capable hands of 9 year-old Space Daughter. Without any assistance from me, only a couple verbal instructions, she was able to maneuver the 6″ telescope all by herself and locate the moon! I assisted a little with the videography, but my intervention was so minimal that I have no reservations declaring it was all her accomplishment. She then went on to take a couple photos of Saturn and Mars, the planet she will walk on some day!

So, allow me to introduce Space Daughter’s Grand Debut…. the Moon!