Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Monday, October 28, 2024
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Ever since resigning from his post as NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine has been working as a consultant and occasional public speaker in his beloved Tulsa, Okla. He has not made a lot of news.
That all changed when NASA appointed Bridenstine to chair a Mars Sample Return strategy review team. The team will assess the various proposals to return geologic samples from Mars for study on Earth.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Friday, October 25, 2024
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Monday, October 21, 2024
Sunday, October 20, 2024
In the early morning hours of Oct. 13, SpaceX launched another Starship test, the fifth so far.
The launch, like previous ones, was impressive enough. But the Superheavy first stage, descending after being separated from the Starship second stage, and then being plucked out of the air by the Mechazilla arms back at the launch pad, was a whole new level of impressive. They did it successfully on the first try.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Friday, October 18, 2024
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Monday, October 14, 2024
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Amid an important election, natural disasters and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, the exploration of the moon is proceeding apace. Three companies — two of them American and associated with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Systems program, and one Japanese — are preparing to land on the lunar surface within the next few months. “
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Friday, October 11, 2024
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Wednesday, October 09, 2024
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Monday, October 07, 2024
Sunday, October 06, 2024
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, recently boasted that he will land five uncrewed Starship rockets on the surface of Mars in 2026. If all of those landing attempts are successful, he intends to follow up with the first crewed expedition to Mars by 2028.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed the plan, urging Musk to get people on Mars by the end of his prospective second term. And why not? The sight of human beings walking on the Red Planet would be a tremendous capstone on one of the most unusual and controversial political careers in history.