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Elizabeth Tasker

@elizabethtasker.bsky.social

4.8K followers 960 following 1.5K posts

UK astrophysicist and science communicator working at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Author of 'The Planet Factory' and editor of ‘Planetary Diversity’. Very into space, virtual reality, computer graphics and rescue cats.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 25d

On 5 July, a manga predicted a catastrophic event that would wipe out much of Japan. But if a disaster were imminent, would we be prepared? The JAXA Planetary Defense team give a run down of projects worldwide to protect the Earth 🛰️🔭

My latest for JAXA Cosmos 🤸‍♂️🧪➡️ cosmos.isas.jaxa.jp/july-5-the-d...

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Reposted by Elizabeth Tasker

Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 16h

Cosmologists! We have a faculty job going here in Oxford - happy to answer questions. Brief version is that this remains a great & collaborative place to do science and the students are superb. 🔭 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOP628/a...

Associate Professor of Cosmology at University of Oxford

Recruiting now: Associate Professor of Cosmology on jobs.ac.uk. Click for details and explore more academic job opportunities on the top job board

www.jobs.ac.uk

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3h

I guess so! It’s definitely Friday evening Japan time.

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 12h

I really loved the humour!

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 13h

SLIMbles wobble, but they don’t fall down! In January 2024, the JAXA SLIM mission achieved Japan’s first soft lunar landing with pinpoint precision, but face down! The team celebrated by creating these awesome models from Mino washi paper that always roll into their head (like Playskool Weebles) 😂

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 14h

Come join me at @nerdnitetokyo.bsky.social (in Tokyo and online) on Friday at 8pm JST for nail biting, humorous, informative, slightly-stressed-because-I-made-all-these-promises account of the night that Japan landed on the Moon while I narrated the live stream 🛰️🔭! Tickets here 🧪: tokyo.nerdnite.com

Snapshot of the first slide of my presentation. It shows a microphone where the circular mic is actually a picture of the Moon. A cartoon of the SLIM spacecraft with a smiley face is flying past. The title is "Talk me down: narrating Japan's lunar landing".

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 1d

It was a recorded version: it’s playing on repeat in Horizons at the moment.

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

The new @walkaboutminigolf.bsky.social VR crazy gold course has the SPOOKY 🎃 vibe of an abandoned fairytale theme park, and you can ride the rollercoaster while awaiting your turn to putt! You can also ride a sheep carousel 🎠 🐑 The courses are incredibly imaginative and so fun to explore!

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

I feel the same!

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

Good job finding that post!

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

Hot vending machine drinks are back in town!

A small bottle of milk tea held in my hand in front of a vending machine. You can’t tell, but I swear it’s a hot one!

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

Our team @futuremeetings.bsky.social (when not incognito as Celery Penn) explores different tech solutions to online meetings to help keep the world connected, especially as we seem to be drifting ever further apart. We often experiment with VR, and “Celery Penn” is the name of one of our headsets!

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

Playing our card gives you up to 3000 points from your opponent's cards (although I'd be lying if I said I truly understood the rules of trading card games).

You can download the complete set of trading cards from asteroids Itokawa, Ryugu, and Bennu here:

はやぶさ粒子トレーディングカード | 地球外物質研究グループ｜宇宙科学研究所

curation.isas.jaxa.jp

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

The new cards show grains from asteroid Bennu, returned by the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission and shared with JAXA in exchange with Ryugu grains from Hayabusa2. Comparing two independent samples massively increases the scientific value of the missions! (Collaboration, see? 😄)

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

You can print them yourself from the JAXA curation team website! curation.isas.jaxa.jp/card/

はやぶさ粒子トレーディングカード | 地球外物質研究グループ｜宇宙科学研究所

curation.isas.jaxa.jp

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 2d

New asteroid grain trading cards created by JAXA curation! @futuremeetings.bsky.social submitted the suggestion for the “collaboration” card, under the code name, Celery Penn! The grain resembles holding hands, with text “we are always stronger when we work together, even when we’re worlds apart”.

Ten new trading cards, showing an image of an asteroid grain above its “power” and description of ability.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

Good call! Thank you ☺️

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you!

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

… except it’s Sunday. And that sums up my week, ladies and gentlemen.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

Happy #caturday! (with #NorahNeko)

A selfie of me leaning towards a cat basket where a calico cat is sitting. The cat is also leaning forward so we can touch noses.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

Stretch! #NorahNeko

A calico cat is curled on my knee while I’m sitting at my desk. Her front paws are pressed over her face and her back legs are stretched out at odd angles.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

With the launch looming in approximately one year from now, messages (hopefully predominately) of good luck and excitement were added to cloths depicting the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft 🛰️. I think we had four filled by the end of the open day!

A large cloth depicting the MMX spacecraft landing on Phobos is covered with written messages.

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

20 years ago, Hayabusa collected a sample from asteroid Itokawa. Damaged by a huge solar flare, the spacecraft still returned the sample capsule to Earth in 2010. With no way to save the spacecraft, JAXA rotated Hayabusa so that its cameras could see Earth before burning up in the atmosphere 🛰️.

A large poster at the ISAS JAXA Sagamihara open day, showing a picture of Hayabusa visiting asteroid Itokawa with text celebrating 20 years since touchdown.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

Solid point!

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

It’s our open day at ISAS. A terrifying prospect, and it’s pouring with rain. But this is a half-scale model of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft. HALF SCALE. It’s the biggest spacecraft we’ve ever built 😳

A view from above of the lobby at the Sagamihara campus for ISAS JAXA. The space is dominated by a large spacecraft model, covered in gold and flanked by large solar panels. Even at half size, it towers cover the visitors.

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Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 3d

Not bad, but a bit sweet.