Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Monday, August 30, 2021
Sunday, August 29, 2021
Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos wages lawfare on NASA and SpaceX © Joe Raedle/Getty Images Say what you will about Jeff Bezos, but he is not a quitter when it comes to getting a contract that he believes is his due. When NASA awarded a sole contract to Blue Origin’s main rival SpaceX for the Human Landing System (HLS) that will take Americans back to the moon, Bezos, as well as another contractor, Dynetics, complained to the General Accounting Office (GAO). On July 30, the GAO denied the protests. Congress provided only enough money for one HLS, at least for the first round. NASA found that SpaceX offered a superior design. The fact that Elon Musk offered the lowest bid did not hurt either.
Friday, August 27, 2021
Thursday, August 26, 2021
'ISIS suicide bomber' kills 13 at Kabul airport: Multiple casualties - including children and three US Marines - as two explosions tear through crowd, hours after Westerners were warned to stay away because of ISIS attack
Oh, to turn back time to a year ago and be able to warn people!
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
"Sabathier asserted that Musk had a cozy relationship with the Trump administration, which had populated NASA with a bunch of 'hacks,' including the Trump-appointed administrator Jim Bridenstine. As a result, Sabathier wrote, 'NASA’s reputation with industry has been eroded due to Trump politicizing of the Agency for his own gain. NASA HQ’s A-Suite leadership is currently incompetent and unpredictable.'" Jim Bridenstine a "hack?" The mind boggles.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Monday, August 23, 2021
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Musk also made a couple of interesting promises that NASA needs to pay attention to. First, he suggested on Twitter that SpaceX could develop a 21st-century moon suit “if need be” by 2024. Musk also suggested that the lunar Starship would be ready to take Americans back to the moon “probably sooner” than 2024.
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Friday, August 20, 2021
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Monday, August 16, 2021
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Bob Richards, a Canadian-born space entrepreneur, is most famous for having co-founded a company called Moon Express, which proposes to send commercial landers to the lunar surface. However, Richards has recently started another company, Artemis Music, which proposes to combine something called non-fungible tokens with space commercialization.
Saturday, August 14, 2021
Friday, August 13, 2021
Thursday, August 12, 2021
President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order decreeing that by 2030, half of all cars sold in the United States will run on electricity. The order is an example of the kind of central planning the Soviet Union indulged in with its five-year plans. Taken by itself, Biden’s order will have the same effect as King Canute’s order the tide cease coming in — which is to say, no effect at all.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
From Twitter: NASA's Inspector General says delays in spacesuit development are another factor making a 2024 astronaut Moon landing impossible.
With $420M spent and another $625M expected, suits won't be "ready for flight until April 2025 at the earliest."
Elon Musk responds: SpaceX could do it if need be.
Me: Do it!
Monday, August 09, 2021
Sunday, August 08, 2021
Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) wants to slap a tax on space tourism flights. He is calling his proposed bill the Securing Protections Against Carbon Emissions (SPACE) Tax Act. Blumenauer appears to be wrapping his desire to soak rich space travelers in the politics of climate change, the idea being that rocket exhaust consists of greenhouse gases. The tax would be much higher for orbital flights, such as those being mounted by SpaceX and Axiom Space. NASA flights would not be taxed. Flights that are a mix of commercial and science would be taxed on a “pro-rata share.”
Saturday, August 07, 2021
Friday, August 06, 2021
Thursday, August 05, 2021
Wednesday, August 04, 2021
Tuesday, August 03, 2021
Monday, August 02, 2021
Sunday, August 01, 2021
The suborbital jaunts accomplished by Richard Branson and Bezos were not just expressions of egos. They constituted the next steps in the creation of a brand-new industry, space tourism. Their main rival, SpaceX’s Elon Musk, is already planning flights of his Crew Dragon with private passengers willing to pay lots of money for an out-of-this-world experience in low Earth orbit. The first of these missions, Inspiration4, is being mounted to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Branson and Musk will charge a little less money for a few minutes of weightlessness and the best view of the Earth most have ever experienced.