Polish professor ponders if Mars colonists need religion to survive

Konrad Szocick, a cognitive scientist and a professor of philosophy at the University of Technology Rzeszow in Poland, suggests that future Mars colonists are going to need something besides air, water, food, and shelter if they are going to survive and thrive on the #Red Planet. They are going to need religious faith to help them find a reason to live in the harsh conditions that are present on #Mars. The interesting aspect of Szocick’s suggestion is that the Mars religion has to be somehow created. One wonders about all of the other religions that already exist, some of which have comforted groups of people who have found it necessary to immigrate to a new place.

Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s plan to remake Saudi Arabia

The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman journeyed to #Saudi Arabia recently to interview the reformist Crown Prince #Mohammed Bin Salman. Friedman tends to have a somewhat distorted view of the world. For example, he is too much in love with the way China organizes its society and economy. However, if what he found happening in the Kingdom is anywhere close to accuracy, it is the most hopeful development to occur in the Middle East in a very long time. One would have wished that Friedman had not used the shopworn phrase “Arab Spring” however.

Why race and gender do not matter in Andy Weir’s ‘Artemis’

By all accounts, “Artemis,” [VIDEO]#Andy Weir’s new novel of economic intrigue on a future moon colony, is selling briskly, with a film on the way. The reaction to the book has been mostly positive. However, two writers at “Wired,” Justice Namaste and Sarah Scoles, decided to have something called “A Conversation about Race and Gender in Andy Weir’s Artemis.” What was contained within had more to do with what #social justice warriors think about the subject than what was depicted in the book, set on the moon in the 2080s.

‘Big Bang Theory’ actress dumps all over Thanksgiving

Most Americans love #Thanksgiving, gathering with the family to eat to excess, especially on Turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings. To be sure contemporary politics, with Trump-loving adults sparring with their millennial children, can make the holiday exciting, However, Thanksgiving and all that it stands for seems to have triggered Mayim Bialik, best known for playing Amy on “The Big Bang Theory.” To her, the holiday represents everything she loathes.

‘The Brave’ has a shocking cliffhanger in the last episode of 2017

“The Brave,” which has been airing on NBC Monday nights since it first premiered in September, is one of the great contemporary #military series that not a lot of people are watching, but should. It avoids the anti-Americanism of “Homeland” and the soap opera of “#Seal Team.” The episodes have been great set piece depictions of special operations in which a force of commandos supported by a team of analysts back stateside help America with her problems, primarily by eliminating them.

Charlie Rose is the latest celebrity caught being boorish to women

Of all the accusations of sexual harassment and abuse of #women by celebrities, the most unlikely seeming ones are against Charlie Rose, the venerable on-air personality for PBS and CBS. Yet, Rose has admitted to touching some of the female help in an inappropriate manner and parading around naked in front of them. Eight different women report of such behavior as well as lewd phone calls. The women worked directly for Rose and not for either of the networks where Rose lent his grace with his presence. Rose has been suspended from both CBS and PBS. At the age of 75, the suspension may well be the equivalent of firing.

Three reasons to build a Mars colony

Futurism Magazine had a recent story in which it polled a number of experts to list all the reasons we should not try to colonize #Mars for the foreseeable future. The reasons include that it is too far away, that the conditions are too severe, that a Mars colony does not have an economic benefit for Earth, and that colonizing Mars is just too expensive. To be sure, these are all valid reasons to not undertake the settlement of the Red Planet for the foreseeable future. However, three reasons exist for sending human colonists to make new homes on Mars.

Charles Manson has entered Hell

The cliché that everyone’s death diminishes us does not apply to Charles Manson. The career criminal, a #Cult Leader, failed musician, and mass murderer finally died at the age of 83 at Kern County Hospital. Manson had been serving nine consecutive life sentences for multiple murders he instigated in late 1969. He initially received the death penalty, but that punishment was overturned briefly by the United States Supreme Court in 1972, commuting it to life in prison.

Marco Rubio still harbors doubts about Jim Bridenstine for NASA administrator

While Rep. #Jim Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma, awaits a Senate floor vote on his nomination to be NASA administrator, Sen. #Marco Rubio, R-Florida, continues to express doubts about him. While the entire Democratic membership of the Senate Commerce Committee voted against Bridenstine’s nomination, he passed on a party-line vote. How the vote will stack up on the floor, likely to come after the Thanksgiving recess, is uncertain.

Arecibo Message: When We Tried to Communicate with Aliens

NASA to test new miniature nuclear reactor

World Nuclear News is reporting that #NASA is gearing up to test what it calls a kilopower reactor at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The idea is to provide future #Space Probes and even human expeditions into #Deep Space a new power source that will serve as an alternative to solar power [VIDEO] or Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). The work is being done with the help of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Why the Apollo moon landings were the greatest reality show in history

While the study mentioned in the tabloid, The Daily Mirror, surveyed people in the UK, its results will likely be replicated worldwide. People, responding to a poll conducted by an online live casino, choose the Apollo 11 moonwalk as the most momentous television event in history. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the funeral of Princess Diana followed as second and third most momentous. Americans might choose a different third most memorable event, say the JFK assassination or the Challenger accident, but Apollo 11 remains on top. The irony is that, as NASA Watch points out, half of Americans alive today never saw the moon landings live as they happened.

Christopher Tolkien departs as head of the Tolkien Estate

The news that #Christopher Tolkien has stepped down at the age of 93 from his post as director of the Tolkien estate, along with the amicable resolution of a long-running legal action between the estate and Warner brothers, means good news for fans of high fantasy. The recently announced “Lord of the Rings” TV series that will air on Amazon [VIDEO] is just the beginning. The Tolkien Estate will now be free to monetarize the entirety of the author’s body of work, including “The Silmarillion.”

Al Franken latest celebrity to be accused of sexual assault

#Al Franken, United States Senator and the least funny person ever to be on Saturday Night Live, is the latest powerful man to be called out for sexually assaulting a woman. [VIDEO]Journalist Leeann Tweeden recounted a story of a series of incidents when both were on a #Uso Tour in 2006 to entertain the troops in Afghanistan. The juiciest part of the story is that photographic evidence exists of Franken groping Leeden’s breasts while she was asleep on the plane coming back to America with the failed comedian grinning at the camera.

How solar power is getting greater acceptance in the south

The argument that some in the public policy community make for investments in solar energy [VIDEO] is that it is a way to fight #Climate Change, the theory that the use of fossil fuels is causing the Earth to warm uncontrollably. However, according to the Clarion-Ledger, a newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi, solar is getting a full acceptance in the south, a region that traditionally is suspicious of the motives of environmentalists, for more traditional reasons. Solar is becoming cheaper and more competitive with fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal, and it is allowing homeowners and business owners to achieve energy independence.

How tax reform may end Obamacare at long last

Having punted twice on Obamacare, #The Senate Republicans have decided to try to redeem themselves by including a repeal of the individual mandate, which states that everyone must have health insurance or pay a tax penalty. The mandate has forced millions of people who are not on an employer or government health insurance plan to buy policies on the exchanges that are expensive and do not fit their individual health needs. How can the Senate include such a provision in a #Tax Reform Bill? One can blame or credit the United States Supreme Court.

Possible Earth-like planet discovered 11 light years away from Earth

Using its planet-hunting High-Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) instrument, the European Southern Observatory in Chile has discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting a #Red Dwarf Star called Ross 128 residing just 11 #Light Years away from Earth. The planet, designated Ross 128 b, has a good chance of being the home of extraterrestrial life due to the distance it orbits its home star.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are about to be thrown under the bus

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is considering appointing a special counsel to delve into the various illegalities and other shenanigans revolving around the Clinton Foundation, especially the Uranium One deal. Ordinarily, this news would elicit groans about a replay of the 1990s with Team Clinton going to war with the special counsel with the help of their media enablers. Kenneth Starr can relate to the hot hell that will follow. However, the Clintons may be stuck without their media allies this time. Some folks have started to wake up to what a beast Bill Clinton was toward women and their role in letting him get away with it.

Besides ‘Deadwood’ what other canceled TV series needs a big screen revival

Coming Soon notes that a “#Deadwood” movie is now in the works which is supposed to tie up some loose ends left from the HBO series that starred #Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane as rivals in the wildest of Wild West towns. This project is all well and good. However, many other defunct shows cry out for movie sequels. Some were canceled prematurely. Others were well beloved, and thus a revival would be welcomed.

Yuri Milner thinking about a private expedition to Enceladus

One of the most astonishing discoveries of the now concluded Cassini space probe that spent years orbiting Saturn was that of plumes of water shooting out of cracks in the ice crust of #Enceladus’ South Pole. Scientists believe that the plumes are coming from a subsurface ocean similar to the one that resides inside the ice crust of Europa. #NASA is now contemplating a $1 billion New Frontiers mission to explore Enceladus further, flying through the plumes with a suite of sensors designed to detect organic material, to launch in the mid-2020s. #Yuri Milner, a Russian born entrepreneur and philanthropist is also thinking about such a mission, privately financed, cheaper, and taking off sooner than the one NASA is thinking about.

In the future of Andy Weir’s ‘Artemis’ you can go to the moon on vacation

#Andy Weir’s second space novel, “Artemis,” is coming out and will in short order be a major motion picture, just like his first novel, “The Martian.” One of the fascinating aspects of the background of the novel is that it is set in a resort town on the moon, [VIDEO]called like the novel “Artemis.” #Business Insider notes that by the 2080s, enough people are willing to shell out $70,000 for a lunar vacation to justify building and maintaining such a city. Other moon based industries exist, which triggers part of the plot of the novel but we can just concentrate on what is involved in a lunar vacation for this piece.

Study suggests that NASA saved money going commercial for LEO transportation

When President George W. Bush first proposed commercializing Earth to low Earth orbit transportation in the wake of the Columbia accident, the initiative was thought to be radical, albeit one that cheered commercial space advocates. When President Obama doubled down on the concept, eliminating #NASA’s direct role in low Earth orbit transportation, cries of outrage could be heard from Congress. To be fair, most of the anger from Obama’s initiative resulted from his cancellation of the Constellation program, which many thought to be high-handed and politically motivated.

‘Let Her Speak’ is soon to be a major motion picture about Wendy Davis

The news that Hollywood is going to develop a movie about Wendy Davis, the hapless Texas state senator who is famous for a futile 11-hour filibuster against an anti-abortion bill and a doomed run for the governorship has raised eyebrows in Texas political circles. The fact that Sandra Bullock has been attached to play Davis has faces hitting palms. Of course, former Senator Davis is more popular in Hollywood than she ever was in the Lone Star State, but this sort of hagiography is just absurd. The title of the movie, “Let Her Speak,” is astonishing. Davis is most famous because she would not shut up.

Congress expresses frustration over NASA Space Launch System delays

During recent hearings about the state of the development of NASA space exploration systems before the House Science Committee, chairperson Rep, Lamar Smith, R-Texas issued a warning that Congress is beginning to lose patience with delays of the first flight of the Space Launch System. He warned that commercial alternatives being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin are starting to look more attractive. Ars Technica speculates that Smith, who is retiring after his current term, may feel freer to speak out about such matters.

What to do with a problem like Roy Moore?

Republican voters in Alabama are caught in a quandary. A story in the #Washington Post had accused Judge #Roy Moore of initiating sexual contact with a 14-year old girl in the late 1970s when he was 32. The accusation, nearly 40 years later, is almost impossible to prove or disprove. However, in the wake of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and Bill O’Reilly, the last thing a politician needs is an allegation of a sordid sexual encounter with a child that is not only immoral but illegal under Alabama state law. The accusation at the very least follows the old principle that was once expressed by Lyndon Johnson. Moore is forced to deny it, keeping the story in the public eye.

When Fighter Pilot Torres Was Ordered to Shoot a UFO in 1957

Ted Cruz is sure that Democrats are responsible for Southerland Springs massacre

When a deranged gunman entered a church in the small town of Southerland Springs [VIDEO], Texas and started to shoot people, including pregnant women and crying babies, a lot of people on social media were quick to place blame on people and entities beyond the shooter. TV personality Chelsea Handler was pretty sure it was the Republicans. Former “Star Trek” child actor Wil Wheaton cursed the NRA, a narrative that fell apart when the news broke that a former NRA instructor stopped the shooting and put the monster to flight with his personal weapon.

Does George Takei think ‘Star Trek’ was real?

Shakespeare once wrote that love makes fools of us all. That statement may be true, however, if the Bard had lived in the modern age, who might have written Twitter makes fools of us all. Some people would point to the president’s frequent missives as a case in point. However, perhaps the dumbest tweet of the year may have come from #George Takei, best known for playing Lt. Sulu in the original “#Star Trek” and who is now an Internet Social Justice Warrior.

Steven Spielberg takes a big risk in ‘The Post’

As Deadline Hollywood reports, the first trailer of the upcoming Steven Spielberg directed period drama, “#The Post,” is available and can be seen below. The movie, which will be released in selected theaters in December to qualify it for the Oscars before being released wide in January, stars Tom Hanks as Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, and Meryl Streep as the Post’s publisher Katherine Graham. The story is about the struggle in the early 1970s to publish the so-called Pentagon Papers, a series of documents that revealed the American government’s unvarnished assessment of the Vietnam War, one that was wide of its public stance.

Apollo astronaut Dick Gordon has died at the age of 88

Dick Gordon started his career as a naval aviator in 1953 and then as a naval test pilot in 1957. Gordon was selected in the third group of NASA astronauts 1963. He flew on Gemini 11 and as command module pilot on #Apollo 12. He was slated to command Apollo 18. However, that mission was canceled due to budget cuts. Gordon died on November 6, 2017, at the age of 88. Thus the ranks of the Apollo-era astronauts continue to dwindle as time and age call them to that final journey.

Has the zombie apocalypse genre run its course?

#Zombie Apocalypse TV series, which include “#The Walking Dead,” its spinoff “Fear the Walking Dead,” and their quirky cousin on the SyFy Channel, “Z Nation,” have started to notice something. These shows have begun to #Run stale and, indeed, run out of gas. Each of these shows has gone beyond its McGuffin, that most of the human race has died and have risen as undead, flesh-eating creatures, to wreck civilization and menace the few living humans left alive. The zombie apocalypse scenario, once the initial shock wears off, either becomes something that can be adapted to or else one has to conjure up other threats to keep the suspense going.

Newt Gingrich explains how Nixon took the fun out of space exploration

If you have not gone to Newt Gingrich’s alternate history Facebook page, “What If, History that Good Have Been,” you ought to. The page consists of short videos by the former speaker, writer, and history teacher in which he describes counterfactuals, what if a historical event went differently than it did in real life. The one that interested me the most, for reasons you’ll find obvious if you have been following my work, is “What if Nixon had Continued Kennedy’s Space Program?”

Members of the Saudi royal family detained in ‘anti-corruption sweep’

As the New York Times reports, a new Saudi Arabian “anti-corruption” sweep has nabbed 11 princes of the extended royal family, including billionaire investor Prince #Alwaleed Bin Talal, as well as four sitting ministers and a great many former ministers. The alleged criminals are as of this writing cooling their heels, rumors suggest, at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh which is being turned into a holding center for royals and other officials who have been targeted. An airfield that services private planes has been closed as a measure to keep anyone else from fleeing the country.

Will the first lunar colony be a tourist resort?

#Andy Weir, whose debut novel “#The Martian” was a runaway bestseller and the basis of a hit movie, is due to release his second book, “Artemis,” on November 14. “Artemis” is set on a #Lunar Colony and is a slightly different story than “The Martian.” Weir sat down with Business Insider recently and discussed, among other things, the economics of colonizing the high frontier of space.

Why are more fans watching ‘The Orville’ than ‘Star Trek: Discovery?’

As Deadline Hollywood reports, “The Orville,” #Seth Macfarlane’s take on a Star Trek-style space adventure series has been renewed for a second season, a remarkable accomplishment considering how hard it is to keep such a series on the air. The gentle reader is invited to think about what happened to “Firefly” to illustrate the point. The news is even more surprising considering that an actual Trek series, “Star Trek: Discovery” is also airing, albeit on the new CBS Access channel for which one has to pay a subscription. What is even more surprising is that while the critics like “Star Trek: Discovery” far more than “The #Orville” the fans are flocking to the latter series.

Where is ‘House of Cards’ headed now that Kevin Spacey is gone?

As Cinema Blend notes, the fall of Kevin Spacey [VIDEO] from grace due to allegations of his sexual harassment and abuse of underage boys is going to affect the future direction of “House of Cards.” For the first five seasons, Spacey played the nefarious, Frank Underwood, starting as Chief Democratic Whip in the House of Representatives and ending as a disgraced former president. Now Spacey has been fired from the show, both as its star and executive producer. His behavior had created what can be described as an “unsafe work environment.”

Are you ready for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Series?’

With the great success of “Game of Thrones,” speculation has abounded about what the next great high fantasy TV series will be. Remarkably, according to Deadline Hollywood, “The Lord of the Rings” is being shopped around as a series. At one point HBO, Netflix, and Amazon were in the running as venues for the TV show based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Eyebrows are being raised across the entertainment industry for a number of reasons.

Courtesy of the Daily Caller, I smite the Senate Commerce Commerce Committee Democrats hip and thigh. Bridenstine Pummeled During NASA Confirmation Hearings

NASA renews CATALYST agreement with lunar lander companies

Part of the emerging strategy that NASA is employing to get astronauts back to the moon is to partner with commercial companies to provide lunar landing services. Even before the election of Donald Trump and the subsequent pivot back to the moon, the space agency had signed an agreement with a number of companies under the Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown, or CATALYST, initiative to develop lunar landing technologies. Such technologies will be used by commercial companies to provide lunar landing services for both NASA and commercial payloads. NASA has just renewed the CATALYST agreement with three companies, Moon Express, Astrobotic, and #Masten Space Systems.

Rick Perry was right about the link between fossil fuels and crime prevention

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry recently returned from a trip to Africa and noted a relationship between the availability of energy and #Crime Prevention. According to the Houston Chronicle, Perry recounted a conversation with a young girl in South Africa who noted that her family needed electricity so that she could read without using an open fire. He stated, “--"those fumes literally killing people. But also from the standpoint of sexual assault." He also noted that street lighting helps to reduce crime such as sexual assault and that electricity can be easily generated by #fossil fuels.

Diverting hurricanes with satellites a possibility

Donna Brazile reveals the extent of Hillary Clinton corruption at the DNC

#Donna Brazile has served a number of roles in the Democratic Party. She was, for example, Al Gore’s campaign manager. Her most recent office was as the interim chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, starting on July 24, 2016, when Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned from that position in disgrace. She has set forth what she found in a new book, “Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House.” An excerpt from the book describes the shocking extent to which Hillary Clinton [VIDEO] and her team had “taken over” the DNC before she won the presidential nomination. Generally, a presidential candidate does not gain control of the party apparatus until after he or she clinches the nomination.

NASA confirmation hearings turns into partisan attack on Jim Bridenstine

The Washington Post reports that Rep. #Jim Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma had his confirmation hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee for the post of NASA administrator. Led by ranking member Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, committee Democrats tag teamed against him, accusing the Oklahoma lawmaker of being everything from a climate change “denier” to a partisan politician. Bridenstine was also savagely attacked for his opposition to same-sex marriage to his vote (on Constitutional grounds) against the Violence Against Women Act. The Democrats conducted what amounted to a coordinated attempt to take down Bridenstine’s nomination.

Astrobotic chief executive supports the Deep Space Gateway in lunar orbit

The results of NASA’s 45-day study to map out a path to a return to the moon is still a few weeks away. However, it looks like that both the space agency and industry is looking at the so-called #Deep Space Gateway, as it is now being called, as a crucial part of the architecture to get robots and humans back on the lunar surface. John Thornton, the chief executive of a company called Astrobotic, recently penned an op-ed in Space News supporting the DPG concept.

How the New York terror attack may affect the Virginia governor’s race

Recently, as the gentle reader may recall, a group called Latino Victory started to run an ad in Virginia that depicted a white, Ed Gillespie supporter attempting to run down minority children with his pickup truck. The Ralph Northam campaign at the time refused to condemn the ad, and its supporters claimed that it accurately reflected the racist nature of Republican Trump supporters.

Campaign ad depicts Ed Gillespie supporter trying to murder minority children

The Virginia governor’s race is winding down ugly with a new ad by a group called Latino Victory that depicts a white man attempting to run down an African American, Hispanic, and Muslim child with his pickup truck. The truck bears an Ed Gillespie campaign bumper sticker and flies the Confederate battle flag. The sequence, fortunately, turns out to be a nightmare experienced by one of the children. “Is this what Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie mean by the American dream?” the Narrator inquires.

In Kevin Sorbo’s ‘Let There Be Light’ an atheist has a near-death experience

“Let There Be Light” is a new film starring and directed by Kevin Sorbo, best known for the 1990s TV series “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.” The story concerns a professional atheist who undergoes a #Spiritual Awakening after undergoing a near-death experience. The movie also stars Sam Sorbo, the real-life wife of the star, as the character’s estranged Christian spouse. The film is produced by Fox News’ #Sean Hannity, which means that he provided the bulk of the financing.

Who is the more scandalous, Paul Manafort or Kevin Spacey?

As this is being written, the media is convulsed with two scandals. One involves a political operative and businessman named #Paul Manafort who is accused of a variety of white collar crimes that include money laundering and conspiracy. The other concerns a famous Hollywood actor named #Kevin Spacey who was charged with attempting to sexually assault a 14-year-old boy back in the 1980s. Which scandal is the most outrageous?

‘The X-Files’ is coming for yet another season in 2018

The trailer for the next ten-episode season of “The X-Files” has been released and can be seen below. Once again Mulder and Scully are the only two people standing in the way of the secret government conspiracy, as personified by the #Cigarette Smoking Man, and its nefarious plot to destroy the world, killing all seven billion of us. That is a pretty substantial burden for a couple of aging federal agents. One wonders if they are up to it?

Is the return of ‘Quantum Leap’ finally going to take place?

#Donald Bellisario has been retired for the past ten years. He decided to retire after he lost creative control of the last TV series he created, “NCIS,” during a dispute with the #show’s star, Mark Harmon. Now the creator of shows including “Magnum PI,” “Jag,” and “Air Wolf,” is attempting to make a comeback. He has written a feature motion picture screenplay based on one of his most celebrated TV shows, “Quantum Leap.”

Nathan Fillion’s next TV show will be called ‘The Rookie’

Those who have followed the career of #Nathan Fillion, the star of such TV series as “Firefly” and “Castle,” have wondered what his next project will be. According to Deadline Hollywood, Fillion, after passing the time with a number of guest roles, has landed his next TV show, as both lead actor and executive producer. The series will be called “Rookie” and will feature Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie cop in the history of the Los Angeles #Police Department. The series is said to be based on a true story.

Plaque honoring George Washington to be removed from church where he worshiped

Some months ago, in what CNN termed “a meltdown for the ages,’ President Trump commented on the war against the statues. "This week it's Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson's coming down. I wonder, is it #George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?" At the time, the president was accused of rendering aid and comfort to alt right Neo-Nazis. Taking down monuments to George Washington? Whoever heard of such a thing?

Ed Gillespie enlists the help of Robert E. Lee in the Virginia governor’s race

Ed Gillespie, the Republican running for governor of Virginia, seems to be surging in the polls as of late, with some showing him comfortably ahead of his Democratic opponent, Ralph Northam. Gillespie, according to Hot Air, has seized on three issues in order to pull off an upset win - sanctuary cities, restoring voting rights to felons (he is against it) and the war on statues. He has even cut an ad accusing his opponent of wanting to pull down “civil war monuments.” The left is reacting as if Gillespie had just done a goose step in public, which is likely all part of the plan.

When will people return to the moon?

Those people who have been following the Trump push to return to the moon may be wondering, when will people actually arrive at Earth’s nearest neighbor? After all, when President Kennedy stated the man on the #moon goal in 1961, he said, “Before this decade is out.” By hard work, lots of money, and no little luck, the thing was accomplished on July 20, 1969. However, no one is discussing deadlines for the current lunar effort. This oversight may be wise, considering the tendency of NASA and commercial space to miss deadlines.

‘Suburbicon’ is officially a box-office flop

The Hollywood Reporter is noting that the latest George Clooney Matt Damon collaboration, “Suburbicon" is crashing and burning at the box-office. The movie, which fetched a devastating review in Breitbart, is set in a 1959 suburb and is directed by Clooney and stars Damon and Julianne Moore. From John Nolte’s review, we can gather, it is a comedy of some sort that once against exposes the sordid, violent underbelly that is flyover country where people live in beautiful houses, with well-manicured lawns and have lives of quiet desperation. An element of race is interjected into the movie when a black family moves in just in time to get blamed for a crime that is committed.

Why Catalonia declaring independence from Spain is a bad thing

I first became aware that there was a #Catalonia #Independence movement when I was writing for the Capitalist Review a couple of years ago. Catalonia is a region of #Spain that is centered on Barcelona. Even though it has been a part of Spain since the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalonia has its own distinct language and culture. Pro-independence parties won regional elections in 2015. Now Catalonia has gone the next step and has declared independence. Authorities in Spain are not amused and are moving to crush the independence movement and take the region under direct control.

Solar reactor that extracts oxygen from lunar soil invented by German engineer

Phys.org is reporting that a German engineer named Thorsten Denk, working at the Plataforma #Solar de Almeria in Spain, has developed the first step for a solar-powered reactor that can make water and then oxygen from #Lunar Soil. The use of such a machine would enable lunar explorers to live off the land and not have to ship oxygen from Earth.

The future of space journalism (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this essay, I examined the pitiful present and the glorious past of TV space journalism. However, what about the future of reporting on and (perhaps in the fullness of time) from space? We can’t go back to the past of Jules Bergman and Walter Cronkite The nature of both #space exploration and the media have changed dramatically since the days of the Apollo program.

TV space journalism is in a poor state (Part 1)

Recently #Tim Peake, a British astronaut who did a six-month tour on the #international space station, sat down for an interview with Amanda Holden on ITV’s “This Morning” that airs in the UK. Holden asked Peake a peculiar question. “When you went to the Moon did you take a piece of the Moon and bring it back with you?” Palms struck faces and jaws dropped across the United Kingdom. Apparently Ms. Holden, who also hosts “Britain’s Got Talent,” was unaware that the last man to walk on the moon was the late Gene Cernan in December 1972, long before Ms. Holden or Peake had been born. Peake blandly explained that he went to the International Space Station and not the moon.

Trump Justice Department settles with Tea Party groups over IRS abuse

People who have been following the various scandals that accompanied the Obama administration may remember the operation involving Lois Lerner, in charge of the #IRS division that handled applications for tax-exempt groups, which targeted Tea Party and conservative groups. When a group that Lerner and company considered opposition to the Obama administration applied for non-profit status, their applications were held up, and the groups were made to jump through hoops and were asked a great many intrusive questions as a way to entangle them in red tape.

Saudi Arabia to invest $1 billion in Virgin’s space launch enterprises

Space News reports that the Virgin Group and the Public Investment Fund of #Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement for an investment of $1 billion into Virgin’s #Space Launch enterprises. The deal includes an option to add another $480 million in financing. The agreement represents a financial shot in the arm for the space launch company that has been struggling to get off the ground for the past 13 years, ever since the winning of the Ansari X-Prize,

Aidan Gillen to appear in UFO-themed series for the History Channel ‘Blue Book’

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Roger Zemeckis is set to executive produce a new scripted series for the History Channel called “#Blue Book,” which will depict the United States #Air Force’s efforts to investigate UFO phenomena. #Aidan Gillen, best known for his role as “Littlefinger” on "Game of Thrones" is set to star as astronomer and UFO expert Dr. J. Allen Hynek who was the chief science advisor for Project Blue Book.

Hillary Clinton is concerned about the state of the Republican Party

#Hillary Clinton, who turns 70 as this piece is being written, has a host of troubles to contend with, from the Uranium One scandal [VIDEO] to the revelation that he campaign colluded on the so-called Trump Russia dossier [VIDEO]. However, neither her birthday nor her latest legal troubles have stopped her from expressing concern for the #Republican Party. She says that the GOP is “imploding” and that this process frightens her.

Sen Patty Murray opposed to Jim Bridenstine’s nomination as NASA Administrator

The Senate Commerce Committee has announced that Rep. Jim. Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma, will finally get his hearing on the subject of his nomination to be #Nasa Administrator on November 1. Bridenstine’s appointment will be considered along with three Commerce Department Nominees, so the opportunity for questions will be limited.

Sarah Palin reacts to accusations of sexual harassment against Mark Halperin

CNN is reporting that NBC news analyst #Mark Halperin is accused of #Sexual Harassment by five different women from when he worked for ABC. Halperin has pretty much admitted to the misbehavior, stating that he did pursue relationships with women he worked with but now realizes that his behavior was “inappropriate and caused others pain.” #Sarah Palin, who was a subject of a controversial book Halperin co-wrote called “Game Change” that was turned into an HBO movie starring Julianne Moore as the former governor of Alaska, expressed a degree of schadenfreude in her Twitter feed.

Iran declares United States in breach of nuclear weapons agreement

The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that the Iranian government is accusing the #United States of 18 separate violations of the #Nuclear Weapons accord. The accusation is seen by foreign policy experts as a ploy to distract from the Islamic Republics own violations of the agreement. The Iranians took this initiative hard on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to decertify the agreement that was first concluded under the Obama presidency and has been controversial ever since.

Report calls for support of commercial space to enhance national security

The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that a new report by Center for a New American Security has concluded that encouraging commercial #Space exploration will enhance America’s strategic edge over Russia and China in space. The Trump administration is already pursuing a strategy of using commercial companies such as SpaceX and #Blue Origin as partners for its plans for deep space exploration. Initiatives such as partly funding the development of the SpaceX Raptor engine [VIDEO] will enhance military space as well.

How Drones Helped Hurricane Harvey Rescue Effort

Is the military helping to pay for commercial space exploration technology?

#The United States #Air Force recently granted SpaceX $40.77 million dollars to go toward the development of the Raptor, a liquid methane liquid oxygen burning rocket engine envisioned to power the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR). The BFR is designed to support lunar bases, Mars colonies, and point to point transportation on Earth. Slate theorizes that the Trump administration is channeling money to help commercial sector space exploration through the military rather than NASA. The idea is that expenditures of money on that scale are less conspicuous going through the Defense Department rather than NASA because of the relative sizes of their budgets.

Actress files suit against the Weinstein Company

Hot Air is reporting that the first lawsuit against the #Weinstein Company as opposed to #Harvey Weinstein himself concerning the disgraced Hollywood producer’s long history of sexual abuse and perhaps worse against young women. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by a struggling actress named Dominique Huett. She is asking for $5 million.

Israeli company creates new 3D food printer

One of the ways that 3D printing technology promises to change the world is in the production of #food. The idea is to take the raw components of food, run them through a printer, and produce something that is at once nutritious and tasty. NASA is interested in the application as a way to feed astronauts on deep space missions. Some commercial kitchens are already using #3D Printing to create chocolate sculptures and custom cake decorations. The Foodini is a 3D food printer that can be programmed to generate dishes that seem identical to those that are made naturally. An eatery in London, Food Ink, serves from a menu that is entirely made up of 3D printed dishes,

Crown Prince Bin Salman wants Saudi Arabia to ‘return’ to moderate Islam

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir apparent to the throne of #Saudi Arabia, is determined to be a transformative monarch. He has announced that under his rule, the kingdom will be “returning” to a form of moderate Islam. Leaving aside whether Saudi Arabia, well known for its kind of radical Wahhabism, was ever moderate, a singular reason exists for the Kingdom to lessen its support for extreme Islam. It is running out of oil revenues and needs to reinvent itself while it still can.

The DNC and the Clinton campaign helped to pay for the Russia Trump dossier

The revelation that the DNC and the #Clinton Campaign, working through Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, funded the research conducted by Fusion GPS into the so-called Russia Trump dossier starting in April 2016 has rocked Washington to its foundations. The document, the veracity of which has been called into question by a number of intelligence sources, has formed the basis of conspiracy theories that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian intelligence to steal the 2016 presidential election.

Jeff Flakes calls it quits in the Senate

Sen. #Jeff flake, R-Arizona has announced his retirement. He made it pretty clear that he is bringing his Senate career to a close because Flake is sick and tired of Donald Trump, a man with whom he has clashed repeatedly. #Hot Air speculates that Flake has looked at his reelection numbers, measured them in the balance, and has found them wanting. He has a formidable primary opponent in Kelli Ward and, beyond that, a strong Democratic challenger Krysten Sinema. Better, perhaps, to tell the voters of Arizona, “You can’t fire me. I quit.”

Elon Musk can save the 21st century

Russia was secretly supporting the anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protests

Buzzfeed is reporting on another example of Russian attempts to influence the American political process and sow discord among Americans. However, the operation in question had nothing to do directly with the 2016 presidential election. It had everything to do with pouring gasoline on the fire of the #Dakota Access Pipeline controversy. A coalition consisting of a Native American tribe and environmental groups attempted to block the pipeline through legal action and direct protest , which included civil disobedience at the site where it was being built.

Nelson and Scott are neck and neck in the 2018 Florida Senate race

According to the Miami Herald, the senate race shaping up in Florida between Sen. #Bill Nelson, the incumbent Democrat, and Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is term-limited, is a dead heat more than a year out, 37 percent to 36 percent. The same poll showed that 20 percent of Florida voters are not aware of who their choices are. However, since Nelson has won his Senate races comfortably in 2012 and 2006 after winning narrowly for the first time in 2000, the poll suggests that he is in trouble.

EPA ends the practice of ‘sue and settle’ to impose regulations

The #epa has ended a #Practice known as “sue and settle” by which regulations could be imposed by a backdoor method that lacked the usual transparency required for new rules by government agencies, according to the Washington Examiner. The practice has cost the private industry $68 billion since 2005 and has imposed an annual cost of $26 billion. Moreover, the practice has caused millions of hours of paperwork and red tape to be mandated on the private sector.

A math professor finds racism in mathematics

Campus Reform relates the story of a University of Illinois #Math professor named Rochelle Gutierrez who has concluded in a new book that mathematics is racist because it encourages #White Privilege. People who think that math simply describes the universe as it is have apparently got it all wrong. The thesis may come as a surprise to the Indians and Arabs who helped to develop algebra. Katherine Johnson, the African American math genius who made herself useful to the early space program, never knew she was promoting whiteness by being so good at the subject.

Now parents are worried their little girls want to dress as Moana for Halloween

Sadly, stupid politically correct nonsense has intruded on Halloween, in particular, the selection of costumes for the kids to wear while they go out pestering the neighbors for candy. Apparently, parents are having conniptions over whether or not their daughters should go out dressed as the latest favorite Disney princess, Moana [VIDEO], the heroic Polynesian navigator who braved the Pacific in the company of a deity played by Dwayne Johnson, the actor formerly known as “the Rock.” Such a thing might be considered #cultural appropriation.

What a former NPR head found during a journey through red state America

Ken Stern, a former CEO of NPR, decided to spend a year exploring red state #America. He attended church with evangelicals, hunted on a Texas ranch, drank with unemployed factory workers, went to Tea Party meetings, and even to a NASCAR race. When he found and related in both a New York Post piece and an upcoming book “Republican #Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right.” The title of the book was obviously a takeoff of “Black Like Me,” the 1961 book by a white journalist named John Howard Griffin recounting his journey in the Jim Crow south with his skin darkened to make himself resemble a black man. Stern’s experiences will not quite as horrific as Griffin’s, but were illuminating to him nevertheless.

‘Geostorm’ is officially a box office disaster

“#Geostorm,” the global disaster movie directed by Dean Devlin and starring Gerard Butler, looks like that it is going to be such a box office bomb that it is going to lose its investors between $50 million and $100 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The response of audiences should not be much of a surprise as the movie was shot in 2014 and had its release date pushed back multiple times due to weak test audience reaction. The question arises, why?

Linda Billings thinks that the National Space Council meeting is a ‘spectacle’

Linda Billings, a self-described expert in communications, has just published her take on the recent meeting of the National Space Council, which she refers to, caustically, as a “spectacle.” She quotes from an obscure French philosopher about what such a thing is, as images and words meant to supplant reality. In this, as in much else, Dr. Billings is wide of the mark. The NSC meeting was only interesting to people who follow space policy. It also pretty much tracked reality in regards to what the current state of space policy is.

Hillary Clinton targeted in Russian spy plot

The story about the Russian spy plot to gain access to the Clintons reads like a plotline from “The Americans.” The Hill is reporting that Vladimir Putin targeted Bill and #Hillary Clinton to achieve influence over the then powerful political power couple in 2009 and 2010. Part of the operation was legal, albeit unseemly, involving lobbying the State Department to get the Uranium One deal. The effort provided a lot of support for the Clinton Global Initiative and helped to ensure Bill Clinton with a $500.000 payday for a one-hour speech in Moscow. Part of the effort was covert and illegal.

Trump to become more aggressive fighting the Taliban

The Daily Caller is reporting that the #trump administration has changed the strategy in Afghanistan with a view of bringing the civil war between the Afghan government and the Taliban [VIDEO]to a conclusion. Under Obama, American efforts had primarily been directed at Al Qaeda. Trump has unleashed American military and intelligence assets against the former rulers of the landlocked Central Asian country.

In ‘The Walking Dead’ the war against Negan begins (spoilers)

“#The Walking Dead” has returned to Sunday nights and with it the Great War against Negan and the so-called Saviors. We had finished the previous season with the usually cocky wielding of Lucille being sent packing from Alexandria thanks to the timely intervention of the Kingdom and the Hilltop, spearheaded at King Ezekiel’s attack tiger. In the first episode of the new season, the alliance of Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom take the fight to #Negan.

Environmental groups find new reason to oppose Bridenstine as NASA head

Rumor has it that the confirmation hearings for Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) for #NASA administrator will be held on November 1, though this date had yet to be officially confirmed. However, a number of #environmental groups and some science groups such as the Union of Concerned Scientists are marshaling to oppose Bridenstine’s appointment.

Nancy Pelosi is wistful for a Romney presidency

The following story is a couple of days old but is worth delving into since former President George W. Bush [VIDEO] has gotten the strange new respect treatment from the left. It seems that House Minority Leader #Nancy Pelosi said, during a speech, that "Wouldn't it be nice if [Romney] were president of the United States?" The statement has, to put the matter mildly, caused eyebrows to rise across the United States.

Trump to allow release of JFK assassination files

AFP, among multiple media outlets, reports that President #Donald Trump will not block the release of top-secret files concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Some in the intelligence community had wanted to keep the records secret, the theory being that they might reveal still current sources and methods. However, Trump would like to see them released in the interests of transparency.

Steve Bannon for United States Senate?

#Steve Bannon, former consigliere to #President Trump and current head of Breitbart News, gave a speech at the fall convention of the California Republican Party. The address was vintage Bannon, praising President Trump, excoriating the Republican establishment, and championing his brand of economic nationalism. The speech roused Hugh Hewitt, a radio talk show host and cable news commentator to offer an outside-the-box suggestion.

President Trump slams Frederica Wilson in a blistering tweet

As he tends to do, President #Donald Trump took to Twitter recently and launched on Rep. #Frederica Wilson. It was the latest salvo in one of the more degrading Washington battles in recent memory. It started when Wilson claimed that Trump had been “insensitive” when calling to console a widow of a soldier recently killed in action. Things spiraled out of control from there.

Why Newt Gingrich is vindicated by Trump’s return to the moon plan

If one person on Earth feels vindicated about the Trump administration’s push to return to the moon, it is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In a recent post in his newsletter, the former presidential candidate and current social and political commentator waxed eloquently about the recent meeting of the National Space Council chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. Gingrich stated, “I am especially excited about Vice President Pence’s recognition that it is important to put Americans back on the Moon – and that going to the Moon is about more than just landing there.” To understand why Gingrich is so excited, one has to go back over five years when the former speaker was a presidential candidate.

An Apollo astronaut reflects on why we haven’t been to Mars yet

Popular Mechanics caught up with #Apollo astronaut #Thomas Stafford recently. The 86-year-old former Air Force officer, test pilot, and astronaut voiced a complaint that is common with people of his era. Why have we not been to #Mars yet, not to mention even back to the moon since 1972? The spectacle of a burst of space exploration that included six successful expeditions to the lunar surface was a handful, followed by decades of being trapped in low Earth orbit was aggravating to those who lived through it. The reasons are complicated and I explain them in “Why is it so Hard to Go Back to the Moon?”

You can’t boycott Israel if you want Harvey relief money in Dickinson, Texas

The town of Dickinson, which resides south of the Johnson Spaceflight Center, was one of the hardest hit areas [VIDEO] in Texas due to Hurricane Harvey. Many homes and businesses wound up being flooded out. Six weeks after the storm, the community is still trying to recover.

Liberal students support the Trump tax plan when they think it’s Bernie Sanders’

Perhaps taking a cue from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas who hammered Sen #Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont by asking him what parts of the Trump tax reform package he dislikes, a group called Campus Reform sent a man in the street interviewer to the campus of George Washington University and asked random students about tax reform. The answers were illuminating.

Why the left now misses George W. Bush too

Ten or so years ago, people on the left were making movies that fantasized about the assassination of then-President George W. Bush. The younger Bush was the recipient of the kind of hatred that is unprecedented in American history, except for the ire that every other politician with an “R” after his or her name gets. Bush had a brief moment of popularity after 9/11, but by the middle of his second term, it was all but gone.

Why the Senate passing a budget resolution is a big deal (maybe)

The Senate passed a #Budget Resolution last night on a near party-line vote, with Sen. Rand #Paul, R-Kentucky bolting to join the Democrats to vote against it. The substance of the resolution is not as important as the fact that it sets up a vote on a #Tax Reform measure that can pass the Senate for 50 plus one votes instead of 60 votes. The question is, will the Senate pass tax reform or, as Hot Air is afraid it will do, blow it like it did Obamacare twice?

Blue Origin conducts a hot fire of its BE-4 rocket engine

#Rocket Engine testing is a common occurrence. Engines are set up on test stands and are fired to make sure they work as designed before being put inside a rocket to send it to Earth orbit and, sometimes, beyond. #Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space launch company, recently did a hot fire of its new BE-4 rocket engine. Ars Technica suggests that the test was historic for a number of reasons.

A scientist has an explanation why we have not heard from ET

The Fermi Paradox looks at the mathematical probability that #Intelligent Life is teeming in the universe and the fact that we Earth people have not received any signals from aliens yet. A number of possible explanations have been advanced to solve the paradox, including the depressing idea that civilizations tend to destroy themselves, say in a nuclear war or an environmental holocaust. However, Science Magazine notes that Alan Stern, the scientist most famous for his association with the New Horizon space probe that flew by Pluto a couple of years ago, thinks he has a possible explanation.

Pluto Lander proposed by Global Aerospace Company

When #New Horizons soared past Pluto just over two years ago, it revealed a strange world with glaciers of frozen nitrogen and mountains of packed water ice. Much of the features and processes that were uncovered by the probe were entirely unexpected by scientists, which is pretty impressive for a former planet that was downgraded to a “dwarf planet” in a decision that is still roiling the scientific community. Now, according to Spaceflight Insider, a group of scientists and engineers at the Global #Aerospace Company are proposing a follow-up mission that would land on Pluto and then hop about its surface.