Monday, December 23, 2024

How might NASA change under Trump? Here’s what is being discussed

The transition team has been discussing possible elements of an executive order or other policy directives. They include:

Establishing the goal of sending humans to the Moon and Mars, by 2028

Canceling the costly Space Launch System rocket and possibly the Orion spacecraft

Consolidating Goddard Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama

Retaining a small administration presence in Washington, DC, but otherwise moving headquarters to a field center

Rapidly redesigning the Artemis lunar program to make it more efficient

Asked to Write a Screenplay, ChatGPT Started Procrastinating and Making Excuses: Maybe it *is* turning into a real writer.
Superman director says ‘battered’ hero in new film represents the US
Neil Cavuto is not only a great TV personality, he is an even better friend
The Sky People #CommissionEarned
In the Courts of the Crimson Kings #CommissionEarned
The Lords of Creation (Lords of Creation, 3) #CommissionEarned
To Turn the Tide (1) (Make the Darkness Light) #CommissionEarned
The Winds of Fate (2) (Make the Darkness Light) #CommissionEarned
New method turns plastic waste into valuable resources with vaporizing process
Sodium-ion batteries hit 458 Wh/kg: Breakthrough material closes gap with lithium
Scientists Discover Heart-Saving Powers in Olive, Grape, Garlic, Rosemary, and Saffron
5 million miles: Breakthrough EV battery breaks record range, lasts over 20,000 cycles
Marble bust possibly depicting Cleopatra’s ‘true face’ excavated in Egypt
Hyundai Mobis tackles EV battery overheating with ‘pulsating heat pipes’
Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Benjamin Netanyahu: The Inside Story of Israel’s Victory
End the Houthis’ Threat to Global Trade
Putin Sends Trump a Ukraine Message

Sunday, December 22, 2024

The end is near for the Iranian mullahs
How Hot is the Moon? A New NASA Mission is About to Find Out

The story of Alfredus Gaudianus, the inn keeper

By Mark R. Whittington

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, of course because of presents under the tree and stuffing oneself silly with turkey and all the trimmings. Everyone knows the story of Mary and Joseph not finding room at the inn and being forced to birth the Baby Jesus in a stable. Then the shepherds and the Three Magi show up with gifts and words of worship. But until now no one has heard the story of the inn keeper.

It just so happens that the inn keeper in question was one of my dearest wife’s many ancestors, a retired Centurion in the Roman legions named Gaius Alfredus Gaudianus. After over 23 years of service under the Eagles, he decided to retire and open an inn in Judea, a land that he had grown fond of.

Alfredus felt sorry for the couple he was obliged to put up in the stable among the animals. He managed to find another guest, a physician named Gregorius Domus, to help Mary to give birth. Then it occurred to him that the family might like something to eat. So, he whipped up a dish based on a recipe from his beloved mother back in Sicily that consisted of noodles mixed with butter, cheese, garlic and cream and brought it personally for Mary and Joseph to eat.

However, with all the shepherds and wise men and so on showing up, Alfredus started to run short. It was then that the Christ Child, new born as he was, performed his very first miracle, know as the multiplying of the pasta. All, therefore, had enough to eat to celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.

Later, Alfredus heard, from his contacts with King Herod’s Roman guard, that the order had gone out to murder all the first born. He quickly spirited away Mary, Joseph and Jesus to Alexandria, Egypt, where they would be safe.

Alfredus lived to a ripe old age, having converted to Christianity but also avoiding the various persecutions. The early Christians would often celebrate the birth of Jesus with the pasta dish he served. The custom fell out of favor, though, with turkey, goose, and ham being served instead for Christmas dinner.

There is a rumor that Alfredus is up for sainthood in the Catholic Church. There is an account of more than one miracle when a chef, running out of ingredients, prayed to Alfredus and then, finding them in some out of the way cupboard.

By the way, the pasta dish in question is called fettucine alfredo

That’s my story, anyway, and I’m sticking to it.

Is iSpace getting into the rare helium mining business?

One of the next private companies to attempt a moon landing in the new year will be the Japanese iSpace, due for a launch no earlier than January 2025. Its first attempt met with failure in April 2023. The January launch will take place on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in a ride-share with Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander and will take several months to reach the moon.

Rocks from Chinese Moon mission suggest Luna's history needs revision
The Prototype: SpaceX And Firefly Are Sending Science To The Moon
Vast and SpaceX to launch two human spaceflight missions to ISS
NASA's solar probe is about to fly closer to the sun than any human-made object ever
The Gabriella Doria Stories (3 book series) #CommissionEarned
Japan begins research to make Moon habitation reality
RFK Jr. should not be confirmed as HHS secretary
Ocasio-Cortez faces uncertain political future

Friday, December 20, 2024

US to mint nuclear power from soda mine with eight 50 MWt microreactors
NASA head Bill Nelson offers advice for successor in farewell interview
US: First 345 MW sodium-cooled nuclear reactor progresses with new contracts
US startup’s new system to capture 4,000 tons of CO2, produce 100 tons of hydrogen
FAA updates Starship launch license for next flight
Trump win is already paying dividends
Vast signs agreement with SpaceX for private astronaut missions to the ISS
SpaceX will launch Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander to the moon in mid-January with these 10 NASA payloads
Leveraging the Defense Production Act to Stockpile Minerals
What America is getting wrong about health insurance
Five Ways to Cut Your Risk of Cancer
CO₂-eating bacteria can recycle carbon from chimney smoke directly into new products
When Gen. George Patton Called on God
What Is Your Attitude Toward Trump 2.0?
A Brother on the Moon (Stories of Alternate History by Mark R. Whittington Book 1) #CommissionEarned
Patton in Palestine (Stories of Alternate History by Mark R. Whittington Book 2) #CommissionEarned
How Trump Can Ease the Housing Crisis
Trump Tackles Daylight Saving Time
The Biden LNG Export Gambit Fails

Thursday, December 19, 2024

‘XPRIZE Healthspan will innovate and advance the field’
Precision Neuroscience lands $102m to advance AI-powered brain implant
The Math Behind Why Mexico’s Cartel War is a Never-Ending Nightmare
Vast signs agreement with SpaceX for private astronaut missions to the ISS
Patton in Palestine (Stories of Alternate History by Mark R. Whittington Book 2) #CommissionEarned
The reality of Ireland’s anti-Israel stance
Morning Glory: How long will Democrats' exile last?
Firefly wins NASA contract for third lunar lander mission
NASA Shows Off SUV-Sized "Mars Chopper" With Six Rotor Blades
We might finally know how the pyramids were built
Navigating the legal landscape of space mining: interpreting international space law
Outgoing NASA leader Bill Nelson weighs in on Elon Musk and SpaceX, defends plans for moon rocket
US faces risk of losing to China in second moon race
How Trump Can Keep the Good Vibes Going
The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories #CommissionEarned
Reducing Inflation Is Job One for Trump
How Ukraine Helped Topple Assad
What Trump Can Do About ‘Sanctuary Cities’

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

cBIN1 Gene Therapy Reverses Heart Failure
Modified lipid nanoparticles for targeted mRNA delivery to the brain
Stories of Alternate History by Mark R. Whittington (2 book series) #CommissionEarned
Factory Farming is Better Than Organic Farming
How Ireland declared diplomatic war on Israel
The World’s First Commercial Fusion Plant Will Be in Virginia
Why is America Going Back to the Moon (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Neural stem cell transplantation shows promise for treating chronic spinal cord injury
Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Gives Living Donor New Lease on Life
Putin’s Humiliation in Syria Reverberates in Russia

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

UAE ‘leads 5 projects’ aimed at Moon, Mars, asteroid belt
The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies: And How to Refute Them with Truth #CommissionEarned
Meet Endurance, a pioneering NASA moon rover designed to survive the frigid lunar night
Elon Musk solves Tesla and SpaceX's biggest problems in a week — and repeats that 52 times a year, Marc Andreessen says
NASA releases long-term strategy for robotic Mars exploration
KILL OBAMACARE, NOT CEOs
Trump Is Back, This Time Without Disdain
The Moon, Mars, and Beyond #CommissionEarned
Assad’s Fall Is a Chance to Back the Kurds
The Right Way for Trump to Ditch the Paris Agreement
Justin Trudeau Nears the End in Canada

Monday, December 16, 2024

New Immunotherapy Platform Better Targets Cancer Cells
Reading Actually Reshapes Your Brain — Here’s How It Changes Your Mind
MAID in the Great White North: Canadian per Capita Euthanasia Deaths Now Beat U.S. Gun Deaths
Antimatter Propulsion Is Still Far Away, But It Could Change Everything
Could deuterium be the key to finding aliens?

Patton's Third Army Is Prepared

In commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge

AI-powered blood test spots earliest breast cancer signs
It’s All a Conspiracy, Right?
Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? #CommissionEarned
The Middle East Is Up for Grabs
Britain Bans Puberty Blockers
Drones and the Cost of Lost Trust

Sunday, December 15, 2024

FAA takes step to streamline launch licensing process
Biden’s final days in the Oval Office offer a perfect metaphor for everything that was wrong with his tenure
Jared Isaacman is a brilliant choice for NASA administrator

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated billionaire entrepreneur and private space traveler Jared Isaacman to become the next NASA administrator. It came as a surprise to many, as Isaacman was not on anyone’s short list. But, on close examination, the decision should not have come as a surprise.

To rival SpaceX’s Starship, ULA eyes Vulcan rocket upgrade
Gwynne Shotwell, the woman making SpaceX’s moonshot a reality
From Starship tests to Starliner woes, recapping the biggest spaceflight missions of 2024
Cost overruns jeopardize Artemis moon landing, threaten NASA SLS rocket's future
The Gabriella Doria Stories (3 book series) #CommissionEarned
Edmontonian developing 3D printer that could be 'manufacturing plant of the moon'
Republicans make inroads in state legislative elections, teeing up high-stakes 2025 races
ABC settles Trump’s defamation suit for $15M

Saturday, December 14, 2024

“A Lot of Eyerolls”: Tulsi Gabbard Face-Plants With Senate Republicans
Trump Weighing Military Action Against Iran To Stop Nuclear Weapons Program: Report
The Bloodsport of Vilifying Health Insurers Must Stop
The US military is now talking openly about going on the attack in space
Elon Musk claims Starbase will become its own city
NASA cancels flight-ready lunar rover
Life doesn't have to be biological
Children of Apollo (3 book series) #CommissionEarned
Light-induced gene therapy disables cancer cells' mitochondria
How Israel Turned the Mideast Around
Overwhelmed by the Trump Era? Try a Different Timeline