Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Update: Starship lifts off on first integrated test flight, breaks apart minutes later
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
I find it interesting that a man slated to be the first African American to fly around the moon listens to a song by another African American who detested the very idea of space exploration. I think Gil Scott Heron was ill informed, not the least about the idea that the Apollo program was conducted at the expense of black people.
In fairness, it should be noted that Glover does not agree with the sentiments expressed in the poem.
Monday, April 17, 2023
Sunday, April 16, 2023
The European Space Agency has launched the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) on an eight-year voyage to the moons of Jupiter. Starting in July 2031, JUICE will explore Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and its three ocean-bearing moons, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. In December 2034, JUICE will orbit Ganymede to give that moon a closer look. Ganymede is of particular interest as it is the only moon in the solar system known to have a magnetic field. The mission will end a year later when it expends its propellent and crash-lands onto Ganymede.
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Friday, April 14, 2023
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
NASA’s announcement of the crew of Artemis II, a mission to circle around the moon in advance of a lunar landing, has sparked interest and excitement among people on Earth. The prospect of returning to the moon has burnished the space agency’s reputation and has created a new focus on the dreams of space entrepreneurs such as SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos to colonize space and exploit its natural and energy resources for the benefit of all humankind.
However, the excitement is not universal.