009. My Battery Is Low, and It's Getting Dark

Space Month, Mater Soap, Father's Day

I have always loved (and always will) space movies. I think it's another part of me that I associate dearly with my Dad. He was the one who showed me Alien (and Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection), Independence Day, Contact, Armageddon, and from there, I ventured to Prometheus, Gravity, Interstellar, Arrival, Alien: Covenant, First Man, High Life, and Ad Astra. And it's my most rewatched film genre.

Recently, I've been wondering why I love these movies. Upon perhaps my eighth full-length rewatch of Armageddon, it finally hit me. They're always about connection. Whether it be with fellow man, environment, or other beings, it always tackles the most ambitious parts of humanity: exploration, curiosity, pride, life, and love.

Three weeks ago, on May 31st, 2020, two astronauts became the world's envy as they launched into space. Not because they were on the first SpaceX Crew Dragon docking with the International Space Station, but because life here on Earth isn't the greatest right now. They were propelled out of our atmosphere into a coronavirus-free zone, right as Black Lives Matter gained recognition and solidarity, and as our country divided yet again. The saying "it gets worse before it gets better" hasn't rung more true in years.

It's been incredible to see a clear shift here in the US. Some of it bad but a lot of it good. At first, as with many, I was disheartened, discouraged, and felt utterly lost. It felt that we as humankind have lost: lost lives, direction, and decency. But out of that wartime smoke came clarity, light, and love. We will grow and be better.

How do I know? Because it's 2020, and I've never seen more diverse representation in film and television as I have in my entire 32 years of life. Remember the 2015 Oscars where Chris Rock delivered #OscarsSoWhite (created by April Reign) to the masses? That was only five years ago and look at the incredibly positive shift of representation in entertainment. When I was a teen, I don't remember seeing a cast as diverse as in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why or Never Have I Ever. But now I remember when finally, the Academy chose right, and a film of an entirely BIPOC cast won the Academy Award® for Best Picture (Moonlight at the 2017 Oscars). I can remember that summer when my family watched an American Rom-Com with a full cast of Asians (Crazy Rich Asians).

And I can say I'm very much looking forward to Christopher Nolan's upcoming Tenet that stars John David Washington as the lead actor. Back in my teens, I can't say I remember ever seeing a film trailer where a Black man was so much at its core: the gravity to a film. Back in the day, they would've added gratuitous scenes of supporting white cast, but what I remember of the trailer is solely John David Washington. (Even off-screen in marketing, he's on all key art and press.)

So don't lose hope. We have so much to look forward to.

Back to our Space Theme, husband and I have been tuning in to a new YouTube channel: ElderFox Documentaries. It started with streaming NASA Live, but thanks to the YouTube algorithm, it pointed us to this one. We've loved how informative it is and in bite-sized, digestible chunks. The channel started around a year ago, so the library isn't super stacked. But hoping the algorithm continues to help and point us to more channels like this! Below are a few we've enjoyed: 

1. New Horizons Found Something Strange on Pluto

2. Opportunity's Last Message: Why did it go silent on Mars?

3. New Mars Curiosity Rover Pictures

A deeper dive into the second video: this is what sparked the inspiration for Space Month and today's newsletter title. Early last year, final commands were sent to Opportunity; the Mars Exploration Rover’s (MER) mission was now complete. She was one of two rovers sent to Mars on an original 90-day mission that instead lasted almost 15 years! Opportunity and Spirit (can we take a moment to applaud NASA's impeccably uplifting names of missions, aircraft, and rovers?) were sent to either end of Mars. Both completed their 90-day missions and roved on to discover more than anyone ever hoped for, becoming true embodiments of their names. 

One of Opportunity's significant findings was the "bulletproof" evidence that water existed on early Mars! Because Opportunity lasted 50 times longer than her life expectancy, her last message on June 10, 2018, was bittersweet for an incredible team of scientists and engineers. Jacob Margolis, a science reporter, poetically presented that message to mission control as:

My battery is low, and it's getting dark.

These aren't the literal words of Opportunity's message. Nevertheless, this version spread like wildfire across the internet, and I can see why. A very humanistic, final goodbye delivered by a robotic companion who dedicated 15 years for research on behalf of mankind? No wonder all the scientists and engineers felt a deep wave of sadness once the mission was over.

MER Project Manager John Callas said,

It is sad, and it's going to be hard to top this mission. But at the same time, saying 'Good-bye' to something allows you to say 'Hello' to something else. Space exploration will forever continue, and now it's time for the next mission.

The team played an adaptation of the song "I'll Be Seeing You" during the final transmission to Opportunity with the following lyrics:

We’ll be seeing you Oppy / In all the familiar places / that these hearts of ours embrace.
And when the night is new / we’ll be looking at Mars / and we’ll be seeing you.

Below are just a few of the countless versions of this song:

(Yes! THE Joe Pesci!)

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2020 is the year of bar soaps in our household. We’ve gone through 9 thus far (from 7 brands) on the hunt for our favorite soap. It’s a little tricky because Husband and I have radically different skin: I’m dry, he’s oily. So it’s a tough order to find a soap that works for both of us, so I’d be happy to have one for each.

Of all the soaps we’ve tried thus far, there are three we love. One, I’m unfortunately not able to speak about yet. Second is one Husband’s loved for years and continues to use: the Chandrika Ayurvedic Soap (depends on retailer $0.99–$3.15, 2.64oz | 75g). The third is the Mater Soap Geranium Bar ($14, 5oz | 142g).

This one was a Christmas gift from my best friend. At $14 a bar, it seems pricey, but it’s also the largest soap we’ve tried so far, so the price is surprisingly comparable. To help it last, I cut and used smaller bars each time in the shower. The quality of this soap is beautiful. It lathers really well, and the Geranium bar is exceptionally gentle on my dry, sensitive skin. Husband likes the lather too but felt ultimately, it was too gentle and moisturizing for him. We both aren’t a huge fan of the potency of this scent either. I enjoy Geranium, but this one is very fragrant! It tends to permeate the room and linger for a long time. But we both like the lather of this soap, so I’m curious to try other bars like the Mugwort and Charcoal, and Basil and Pine Tar for Husband. The bar also lasted just under two months, with both of us using it.

All Mater Soaps are cold process soaps, cured for 4 weeks, handmade, and cut by hand in NYC. They offer a membership called “Mater Soap of the Month:” for $82, you get a bar each month for 6 months, including limited edition varieties and sometimes extra samples. All of their bar soaps currently sell for $14, so the membership doesn’t offer much of a discount (depending on how often you receive limited edition soaps). But if you’re adventurous with soaps, this would be a great membership to try!

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Today is also Father's Day! A special shoutout to all the Dads out there. Hope you're enjoying a day getting spoiled by your loved ones!

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Thanks for reading! I know I said, "Welcome to Space Month," but it's really just shy of a month. I have two other space-related newsletters coming. Next week I'll breakdown some of my favorite space films. I hope you enjoyed the space-inspired bar soap photos too! Have you tried any bar soaps that are out of this world? (Sorry, I had to.) Leave a comment on which ones you've loved. Wishing you a great start to your week!