I have always been a huge Star Wars fan. When I was in kindergarten, I decided that I was going to be a Jedi when I 'grew up'. Quickly realizing that the force was not strong in me, I got quite interested in astronomy and, at one point, badly wanted to become an astronaut.

As I grew, my dreams changed - I got bitten by the writing bug and devoted much of my teens and twenties to learning how to craft words. But, while I never actually pursued my dreams of becoming an astronaut, I still consider myself something of a space nerd. So, I eagerly seek out and digest every bit of astronomy related news that I am lucky enough to hear about.

The world of space has yielded two interesting stories over the past few days and I would like to share them.

First, European astronomers announced that they discovered another 32 planets outside of our solar system. If you are keeping track it means that astronomers (including many who work with N.A.S.A.) have found over 400 planets outside of our solar system. This is intensely exciting because astronomers now know that planets are significantly more common (statistically speaking) than early planetary-formation theories suggested.

Contrast that exciting piece of cutting edge science with the fact that N.A.S.A. was the victim of more malicious software than any other United States Federal Agency in 2007 and 2008. During that period, N.A.S.A. reported over 1,100 security incidents. At one point, several N.A.S.A. computers became part of a Ukraine-based bot net. In another high profile incident, a N.A.S.A. laptop was stolen. Unfortunately, that laptop contained unencrypted data on a hypersonic jet and test plans for space stations and test plans for a lunar orbiter.

These two stories do not seem related, but I think there is an important lesson to be found between the two. Some of the greatest minds in the world are involved in space exploration and research. These brilliant, technically sophisticated people have made tremendous strides in helping us understand the universe around us. However, they face the same kinds of dangers when they go online, and many of them fall victim to the same sorts of scams that we do.

If you believe that you have been the victim of cyber-fraud, please do not be embarrassed. And, please do not fall into the trap of blaming yourself. Rather, take steps to mitigate the damage, learn how to protect yourself, and report the fraud to the proper authorities.