Curmudgeons Corner
Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Friday, July 18, 2025
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Monday, July 14, 2025
Sunday, July 13, 2025
The “big, beautiful bill” recently signed into law enacted a number of tax, spending and regulatory measures. President Trump and his supporters regard the new law as a triumph. Trump’s enemies not so much.
NASA spending measures are tucked inside the bill that can best be described as ugly, or at the very least ill-advised.
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Friday, July 11, 2025
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Wednesday, July 09, 2025
“I don’t think it ever does any good for somebody like Elon Musk to annoy his biggest customer, which is the United States government,” space policy expert Mark Whittington said.
However, he underscored the government is also highly dependent on SpaceX, making it hard for Trump to realistically cut off the company.
Musk’s threat last month to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is responsible for ferrying astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station, sent shockwaves through the space community. He ultimately walked back the threat.
“SpaceX is so good at what it does, launching things into space, and is far beyond any of his competitors,” Whittington added. “There’s not much the federal government can do to him without alternatives.”