Sauntering Vaguely Downward

At the weekend, Keiki expressed an interest in using a film camera. I think this might be because of one of the Miyazaki films we’ve watched recently. I showed him an array of the film cameras I have tucked away, and he picked out the Polaroid Impulse. As I haven’t used it in six or seven years, it didn’t have any film in it,. The packs only last about twelve months, so I would have had to get some new ones anyway. I didn’t want to order off Amazon as sellers there don’t seem to have any scruples about flogging expired film. I wasn’t entirely prepared for the sticker shock. I got some from Jessops, who didn’t have any colour film in stock, but did have black-and-white at £18 for a pack of eight. It focuses the mind wonderfully when you know that every time you press the shutter release, it costs £2.25.

Once I got over that, the film arrived in two days and I checked the manufacture date: October 2019. Phew. I loaded up the Impulse and instructed the children to work out two photos that they wanted to take outside in the garden.

( Closeups )

We’re saving the other four shots for a walk up the canal. I’ve also promised to rustle up some colour film, but possibly they’ll have to earn it through chores, as this could become a very expensive hobby otherwise.

I didn't take this photo - our neighbour's girlfriend did - but it must go into the project. I don't have many portraits of all of us and this is a particularly nice one.

Something symmetry something swans something square.

I spent most of the last two days in back-to-back meetings in a room with no windows. I am, therefore, bereft of inspiration for today's post. Have a photo of a tiny cherub tucked into a high alcove. I see him whenever I walk to work. (He is also a Pokéstop.)

It is now just over three weeks until Cassini plunges into Saturn’s atmosphere and the mission (but not the Project) comes to an end. I grow a little sentimental.


This is the flight spare of Cassini’s fluxgate magnetometer sensor, which will live on. We use it for command simulations on the ground.


This is a 1:25 scale model of the Cassini spacecraft, with the Huygens probe attached to its side. It includes the magnetometer boom, which is hidden in this view. These were distributed to the payload teams. It's been in our group longer than I have (>11 years).

I recently ordered a big perspex display box for the model, so we can have it on show at the upcoming Imperial Fringe festival, post-mission-end. I’ll be giving a talk at the Farewell to Cassini exhibit. Details to follow (on the Londoners filter) when they’re confirmed and the web site for event registration is live.


This is a screenshot of NASA Eyes on the DSN that I took on 4 August. DSS-14 at Goldstone (the antenna in white on the left) is receiving data from Voyager 1 (spacecraft shown on the right). I accompanied this with “We’re still listening” on magnetometrist on Instagram.

NASA has a poll, open until Tuesday 29 August, to choose a 60-character-or-less #MessagetoVoyager, to be sent on 5 September. If you want to vote on a message, go here.