Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Saturday, December 21, 2024
Friday, December 20, 2024
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Monday, December 16, 2024
Sunday, December 15, 2024
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.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Friday, December 13, 2024
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
I suppose this is consolation for not being Kamala Harris' NASA administrator. On the one hand, Garver knows space policy backwards and forwards and has the industry and government contacts that Atmos will find useful. On the other hand, she is a radical leftist that may prove to be a problem.
Monday, December 09, 2024
Sunday, December 08, 2024
Recently, NASA selected the SpaceX Falcon Heavy to launch the Dragonfly aerial probe to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
The selection constitutes another win for Elon Musk’s launch company. It also proves SpaceX’s growing contribution to NASA’s planetary science-oriented missions to destinations such as Europa, a moon of Jupiter (launched in October) and to 16 Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid (launched in 2023).
Brought across to undeath in the 15th Century, the Contessa Gabriella Doria has walked the night, feeding on the blood of the living. However, on occasion, she had faced foes far more formidable and certainly more evil than a vampire.
Saturday, December 07, 2024
From Book 1: July, 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 has triumphantly returned to Earth. In this alternate history thriller, President Richard Nixon puts into a motion a scheme to ramp up the space race to pressure the Soviets into making diplomatic and military concessions. Thus begins a story of high adventure on the final frontier and of low intrigue in the corridors of power back on Earth. It will prove to be the fulfillment of a dream for Wendy Pendleton to be the first woman to walk on the moon. It will be a nightmare for Cal Lauren, a political operative determined to stop the space race at all costs to fund the social programs he holds dear.
Children of Apollo: The Space Race Gambit continues with Children of Apollo: The Hard Road to the Stars and concludes with Children of Apollo: The First Woman on the Moon
Friday, December 06, 2024
I'm going to be on The Space Show podcast later today at 2 pm EST, 1 pm CST. Whatever shall we talk about?
My space policy books: Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Why is America Going Back to the Moon(How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
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
Thursday, December 05, 2024
Wednesday, December 04, 2024
From Scott Pace: “Excellent choice. He has the technical, management, and business skills NASA needs, plus personal spaceflight experience. He’s walked the walk. Not just talked about space.”
From Jim Bridenstine: “Jared Isaacman will be an outstanding NASA Administrator and leader of the NASA family. Jared’s vision for pushing boundaries, paired with his proven track record of success in private industry, positions him as an ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era of exploration and discovery. I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm him.”
Tuesday, December 03, 2024
Monday, December 02, 2024
Sunday, December 01, 2024
Having survived World War II and returned to America, General George S. Patton is given a new assignment by President Harry Truman. He is to travel to the British Mandate of Palestine, where a bloody war is brewing between Jews and Arabs, and give his evaluation to the President. But Patton's tendency to exceed his orders may prove a problem for the United States government. Moreover, a dark secret from his past will threaten to derail his mission entirely.
A stunning work of alternate history that places one of the 20th Century's greatest soldiers in the midst of the founding of the State of Israel.
NASA is in need of new leadership and guidance lest a bedrock of its programs, the increasing reliance on the commercial sector to accomplish tasks in a timely and cost-effective manner, including the Artemis program, fail.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Friday, November 29, 2024
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Monday, November 25, 2024
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Having survived World War II and returned to America, General George S. Patton is given a new assignment by President Harry Truman. He is to travel to the British Mandate of Palestine, where a bloody war is brewing between Jews and Arabs, and give his evaluation to the President. But Patton's tendency to exceed his orders may prove a problem for the United States government. Moreover, a dark secret from his past will threaten to derail his mission entirely.
A stunning work of alternate history that places one of the 20th Century's greatest soldiers in the midst of the founding of the State of Israel.
Both Blue Origin and Rocket Lab have not only created viable launch vehicles, they have acquired customers, a prerequisite to becoming profitable businesses.
However, while both the New Glenn and Neutron rockets are competitors to the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is not resting on its laurels. The company is developing the Starship monster rocket, which recently underwent its sixth test flight.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
“If I were Bezos, I’d be worried. It’s not just Elon Musk’s alliance with the incoming president, it’s the fact that his rocket development is years behind schedule of SpaceX,” said Mark Whittington, an author who studies space, politics and policy.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Monday, November 18, 2024
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Elon Musk is one of the biggest winners of the 2024 presidential election, next to President-elect Donald Trump. He went all in to reelect Trump, spending millions of dollars and even personally campaigning in the pivotal state of Pennsylvania.
Musk will have an outsized influence in the coming second Trump administration, particularly regarding space policy.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Friday, November 15, 2024
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Orbital bu Samantha Harvey #CommissionEarned