Home > Topic > The Altitude
1 " Our bird of hope was being denied the altitude it sought, just free enough to fly dangerously close to the reality of the treetops. "
― Dan Groat , An Enigmatic Escape: A Trilogy
2 " On Friday the 13th of April 2029, an asteroid large enough to fill the Rose Bowl as though it were an egg cup, will fly so close to Earth, that it will dip below the altitude of our communication satellites. We did not name this asteroid Bambi. Instead, it's named Apophis, after the Egyptian god of darkness and death. If the trajectory of Apophis at close approach passes within a narrow range of altitudes called the 'keyhole,' the precise influence of Earth's gravity on its orbit will guarantee that seven years later in 2036, on its next time around, the asteroid will hit Earth directly, slamming in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. The tsunami it creates will wipe out the entire west coast of North America, bury Hawaii, and devastate all the land masses of the Pacific Rim. If Apophis misses the keyhole in 2029, then, of course, we have nothing to worry about in 2036. "
― Neil deGrasse Tyson
3 " An Attitude of Gratitude Delivers to you the Altitude of Beatitudes "
― Jaachynma N.E. Agu , Risk It, Be Different
4 " Not that I haven't leaped up into the blinding light of competence now and then. It's sustaining the altitude that defeats me. "
― Lois McMaster Bujold , A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga, #12)
5 " I suddenly remember being about seven, riding beside him in the car, and asking him how grown-ups found their way to places. After all, I had never seen him pull out a map." I guess we just get used to taking the same turns," he said, but I wasn't satisfied." Then what about the first time you go somewhere?" " Well," he said, " we get directions." But what I want to know is who got them the very first time? What if no one's ever been where you're going? " Dad?" I ask, " is it true that you can use stars like a map?" " Yeah, if you understand celestial navigation." " Is it hard?" I'm thinking maybe I should learn. A backup plan, for all those times I feel like I'm just wandering in circles." It's pretty jazzy math—you have to measure the altitude of a star, figure out its position using a nautical almanac, figure out what you think the altitude should be and what direction the star should be in based on where you think you are, and compare the altitude you measured with the one you calculated. Then you plot this on a chart, as a line of position. You get several lines of position to cross, and that's where you go." My father takes one look at my face and smiles. " Exactly," he laughs. " Never leave home without your GPS. "
6 " Attitude determines the altitude of life. "
