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14 posts total
Elizabeth Tasker

When you take off your headset to find someone clearly laughing at you πŸ˜‚ #NorahNeko #CatsOfMastodon

Eye

@elizabethtasker

I wonder what she thinks you're doing πŸ˜„

Elizabeth Tasker

Somebody in my apartment zoomed around and meowed non-stop at 4am. And this was their response to the alarm at 7am πŸ€¦πŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

#CatsOfMastodon #NorahNeko

Elizabeth Tasker

A class action shot for Caturday, caught by the balcony webcam!

(Casper is a shy, stray cat who visits the balcony for food.)

#CatsOfTheBalcony #CatsOfMastodon

Elizabeth Tasker

After a week away, I currently have a velcro cat. So this is how we did Japanese class this evening. #CatsOfMastodon #NorahNeko

Elizabeth Tasker

Over the New Year, I was looking after this furry foster, Yanko, while her true fosterer was travelling. Yan spent most of her life on the streets, but is very friendly and now lives a life of luxury down the road from me. She’s been suffering from some kidney issues, so I had to remember how to give subcutaneous fluids (these go just under the skin, so much easier than an IV). Yan was dutifully patient when I soaked her outside rather than inside πŸ˜… #CatsOfMastodon #RescueCats

Elizabeth Tasker

We have matching paws!

#NorahNeko does not seem completely sold on this concept.

#CatsOfMastodon

Elizabeth Tasker

It's 6:30am, I'm in Singapore Airport and Mastodon, do I have a story for YOU.

It all began... with an asteroid grain. Again.

Elizabeth Tasker

Having written off my taxi driver, who had blithely told me he had never heard of the Hayabusa2 mission, I entered the airport carrying an asteroid grain in its protective case, and a small-scale model of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft.

Full of confidence after completing a similar trip to France, I headed for customs.

Which was completely unstaffed.

An awkward phone conversation ensued, which began in Japanese, ended in English, communicated nearly nothing but did summon assistance.

Elizabeth Tasker

And this, my good people, is what I was really doing in France last week (apart from counting aeroplanes at the Paris Air Show):

Smuggling... uh, *couriering* grains from asteroid Ryugu to CitΓ© de l'espace in France. They will be on public display from this autumn!

Do I look IMMENSELY HAPPY to be handing over that case in Toulouse? Let's talk about the behind the scenes adventure... πŸ“¦ πŸƒβ€β™€οΈ

More πŸ“·:
isas.jaxa.jp/gallery/feature/i

And this, my good people, is what I was really doing in France last week (apart from counting aeroplanes at the Paris Air Show):

Smuggling... uh, *couriering* grains from asteroid Ryugu to CitΓ© de l'espace in France. They will be on public display from this autumn!

Do I look IMMENSELY HAPPY to be handing over that case in Toulouse? Let's talk about the behind the scenes adventure... πŸ“¦ πŸƒβ€β™€οΈ

Elizabeth Tasker

Despite the fact JAXA has delivered grains for scientific study all over the world, this particular permutation had not been attempted before. These Ryugu grains were for outreach, not science, so they could pass through the x-ray scanner without issue.

As you can imagine, this vastly simplifies the paperwork needed to clear airport security but... to what?

The scientific container looked very official, potentially resembling soil (bad), cultural heritage (bad), horrifyingly expensive (bad)...

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