Texas' Rick Perry in Tampa Causes Speculation on 2016

NASA Launches Mission to Explore Van Allen Radiation Belts

Clint Eastwood Gives Republicans an Evening at the Improv

Report: Israel May Be Planning EMP Strike Against Iran

Mitt Romney's Plain Spoken Tribute to America's Spirit

Addendum: Mitt Romney invokes Neil Armstrong in acceptance speech

Neil Armstrong on the big screen and small

WISE Telescope Detects Millions of Black Holes, 1,000 Dust-Obscured Galaxies

Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law

Condoleezza Rice Speaks to the Republicans With Sweetness -- and Spice

Paul Ryan Sticks a Sword into Obama's Record and Twists Slowly

Addendum: The faded Obama poster

Obama invokes Neil Armstrong to defend his space policy

NASA's Kepler Telescope Discovers Two Planets Orbiting Double Star

Ted Cruz Causes Strong Reactions with His Republican Convention Speech

Mia Love, Republican, Tea Party Conservative, Haitian American, Speaks '

Left wing racist reaction.

Ann Romney Talks About Love of a Man Who Would Be President

Chris Christie Talked About Himself in His RNC Keynote Address

How I Love the Vampires of Dark Imagination

Private Company Proposes Building Lunar-Based Space Elevator

Texas Delegation Leads Revolt Over Proposed Republican Rule Changes

Chris Matthews Plays the Race Card; Newt Gingrich Deals it Back

Republican Convention Mystery Speaker Could Be Sarah Palin

Addendum: Nancy Reagan, Doug Wilder, Colin Powell...or Clint Eastwood?

Make my day.

Calls for a State Funeral for Neil Armstrong

Texas Lawmakers Mull Giving Prostitutes Rehab Rather Than Jail

The World Notes the Final Passage of Neil Armstrong from Earth

Russia Proposes Year-Long Stay on International Space Station

Jim Oberg has more details. It looks like planning is more advanced than hitherto revealed

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Hurricanes are Not Caused by Denial of Global Warming

Obama Campaign Tries to Pass Off Democratic Women as Republicans

Partisan politics intrude on Obama, Romney Neil Armstrong tributes

Iowahawk looks into the Moonwatcher in Chief's mind and finds it to be a scary place.

Texas Senate Debates School Choice, Charter Schools

Iran Wages a Real War on Women and Obama Does Nothing

Season Five of 'True Blood' Ends in Lots of Blood

Romney Made the Birth Certificate Joke to Make Obama Angry

Ron Paul Has His Last Hurrah at the 'We Are the Future' Rally

Biden 2016? Say it Aint So, Joe

Would a Bin Laden Movie by Spielberg Be Worth Seeing?

To Honor Neil Armstrong, Obama Posts Photo of Himself

The mind boggles

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Romney met with Neil Armstrong weeks before the moonwalker's death

Paul Spudis pays tribute

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Big Government reveals the dirty little secret behind "Solyndra in space.". Tom James, like most defenders of the commercial crew program, fails to grasp the point. Taking nothing away from the technical achievements of SpaceX, et al, without the massive government subsidies, these "commercial" crewed space projects would not exist. In light of that fact, to tout the commercial crew program as somehow being capitalistic or free market is laughable.

Addendum: Rand Simberg has some incoherent words about how capitalistic Solyndra in space really is.

It’s unfortunate that so many supposed conservatives are opposed to competitive markets in spaceflight, to the point that they embarrass themselves with ignorant rants against the Obama space policy, one of the very few things that the administration has gotten sort of right.

It is unfortunate that so many alleged libertarians support a system of government subsidies for alleged commercial space craft that are totally dependent on those subsidies and government contracts. Thus far none of the participants have developed any private markets for their government funded space ships beyond the talking about it stage. It continues to amaze me how this is so hard to understand.

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died

I once had an idea, back before Obama cancelled the Constellation program, that when the first Americans returned to the moon, Neil Armstrong, along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, would have played capcom for the landing and perhaps the first footsteps. Alas,even if the president had not been a jerk, it was never to be. Perhaps in some alternate reality.

The Next Small Step - an Alternate Future

Paul Spudis muses about sample return missions and suggests rather than bringing the Mars rocks to the lab, how about bringing the lab to the Mars rocks? Of course, by preference, I would bring the researchers to the Mars rocks as well...

More thin gruel about space in Republican Party Platform

Republicans Move to Quell Ron Paul Discontent at Tampa Convention

NASA: SpaceX to Begin Regular Cargo Flights to ISS in October

Louis Friedman wrong; Mars is not the limit for human space flight

Did Barack Obama Order the Deaths of Michael Weston and Friends?

Climategate Heads for a Courtroom as Michael Mann Sues National Review

Democrats on the Election: It's the Legitimate Rape, Stupid

Opposition to 'I Can't Remember the Alamo' Trademark Brews

Report: NASA's Bolden mulling removal of three center directors

Mars Curiosity Rover Goes on Its First Drive from Bradbury Landing

Romney Free Market Energy Policy More Likely to Succeed

Prince Harry Naked Shows the Perils of Lewd Conduct in the Internet Age

Dark Hunt is now out

Vampire vs. Terrorist

On September 11, 2001, the second day that will live in infamy, Gabriella Doria, an Italian noblewoman and an over 500 year old vampire, was meeting with investment partners at the World Trade Center when the building and her world fell on top of her. Later, when she had been dug out of the rubble, she vowed vendetta.

Her dark hunt for Osama bin Laden would take longer than she had imagined, would cost more than she had thought to bear, and would involve more dangers than she could imagine. Her enemy would himself turn to dark powers to fulfill his dream of a world enslaved to a perverted version of a world religion.

New 'Big Chill' Theory of the Universe's Beginning Challenges the Big Bang

Does this mean that the show "The Big Bang Theory" is going to have to undergo some changes? How does Sheldon Cooper view this idea? (I can guess.)

Court: Texas Can Cut Women's Health Program Funding to Planned Parenthood

Atheists Obnoxious for Wanting to Remove the 9/11 Cross

Write-In Candidate Could Be Best Option in Missouri

Gene Cernan attacks Obama's short changing NASA's space program

Addendum: Keith Cowling screams and leaps.

President Obama was born in Hawaii (a U.S. state, by the way) and has lived in the United States for his entire life except for 1967-71. Between 1966 and 1969 Mitt Romney lived in France. John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone and spent much of his youth living abroad. So what? As for what the phrase "traditional America is all about" means, perhaps Cernan will enlighten us as to what he's implying if/when he participates in the Republican national convention.

Of course McCain spent most of his time overseas being tortured for his country in Hanoi, so Keith may want to walk back his statement just a bit. Romney spent his time in France trying to convert the natives to Mormonism, an American born religious denomination if there ever was one. Both of their life experiences caused the two men to appreciate their American identity all the greater.

It can be argued that Obama does not appreciate the country he was elected to govern. He is on record as sneering about American exceptionalism and suggesting that America has "shown arrogance." In his infamous speech at the Kennedy Space Center, Obama ridiculed the idea of going back to the moon with a "been there, done that" trope that could only be described as off putting and embarrassing. That must be especially true for Buzz Aldrin who will never live down the statement, "Buzz has been there."

In the meantime much of the commentary on Keith's little screed consists of "Captain Cernan may have walked on the moon, but he is surely a crazy old man now." What ever happened to respecting ones elders?

Addendum 2: Cavuto: Gene Cernan is my hero

D.C. Court Rules Against EPA in Air Pollution Case Involving Texas

NASA to Launch InSight Discovery Mission to Mars in 2016

Shock Illinois Poll: Implications for Obama's November Chances

Democrats Outraged at Akin -- but Not Enought for Him to Withdraw

'Political Animals' Needs a Second Season

Curiosity Rover Fires Laser for the First Time at a Mars Rock

Ron Paul Supporters Headed for the Republican Convention, Ready to Fight

Paul Ryan: NASA an 'invaluable asset to our national security.'

Beijing's South China Sea Grab an International Crisis

Time for Todd Akin to Step Aside for 'Legitimate Rape' Comment

Masten Xombie rocket completes third envelope expanding free flight test

NASA's Mighty Eagle landing vehicle prototype passes free flight tests

'The Expendables 2' a Film Review

The "Fight for Space" project reached its $100,000 secondary goal on kickstarter.

Texas Senator Cornyn Demands Answers on Russian Sub in Gulf of Mexico

Senate Races in Texas, Florida Could Determine Future of NASA

Criticism of Obama by Veterans Neither Gutless nor 'Almost Treasonous'

Will Biden Step Aside 'Voluntarily?'

You Only Vote Twice or Mitt Romney as a Bond villain.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Confirms Helium in Moon's Atmosphere

Texas Researchers Begin Restoration of 17th French Ship 'La Belle'

Dumping Joe Biden May Be Worse Than Keeping Him on the Ticket

Bill Maher on Sarah Palin, Paul Ryan, and Black People Who Don't Drive

Illegal Immigrants Line Up at Mexican, El Salvadorian Consulates in Houston

India Announced Approval of Mars Probe to Launch Nov. 2013

Mitt Romney Goes Old Testament on Team Obama for 'Chains' Remark

Romney Campaign to Try Mediscare Attack Against Democrats

From France, a short film,"Terraform"

Study, Based on NASA Data, Suggests that Mars Has Plate Tectonics

Apparently there was a false report that Maggie Thatcher had died. But death will not have the Iron Lady that easily.

Court Rules Against EPA in Texas Flexible Air Permitting Case

Why Hecklers at Ryan Iowa Rally Got Physical

Left-Wing Pacifists Don't Like 'Stars Earn Stripes'

Rep. John Culberson, R-TX to propose NASA reform bill

Addendum: The Slashdot link also links to some posts that raise some objections to the Culberson bill. Since the bill is a work in progress, I'm not sure how he will address it, but here are some of my thoughts.

What if we're stuck with a bad NASA administrator?

I will presume this to mean someone who is either incompetent or insubordinate and not someone whose approach to space policy makes a particularly blogger upset. In that case, I imagine that such a person could still be forced to resign for cause.

Aren't multi-year budgets unconstitutional?

The way entitlements get around this is that Congress is always free to modify spending on -- say -- social security. In the case of a NASA project, such as a Mars lander, a future Congress could vote to modify spending if the project goes into cost overruns. However the default would still be to spend the multi-year budget. It would this be harder to mess with a NASA project by proactively defunding it rather than just failing to provide funding. This also answers the objection on how to handle situations such as Kepler. Congress could still proactively cancel it or appropriate more money if the project gets out of control.

Multi year budgets would help to mitigate against projects that get out of control since NASA managers would have an understanding of exactly how much money they have to spend. Situations such as when the Bush administration promised a certain amount of money for Constellation and then OMB failing to deliver could be avoided.

Bumped

The cover art for Dark Hunt, in which Gabriella Doria, heroine of Dark Sanction, goes up against the greatest enemy of civilization in the first decade of the 21st Century.

Obama, Romney Touch on Mars Curiosity Landing in Public Statements

NBC Orders Pilot for Cleopatra Series -- with 'Sorcery, Gods and Monsters'

Ron Paul is Not Impressed with Paul Ryan

Rand Simberg has leaped the length of his chain once again over my pointing out that Obama's commercial crew program constitutes a subsidy for certain private companies' spacecraft projects. One of the definitions of a subsidy as noted by Websters is "a grant by a government to a private person or company to assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public." The is the exact definition of what the commercial crew program does, which is to give money (a grant) to private companies such as SpaceX and Boeing to build spacecraft that it is hoped will one day service the International Space Station, which is deemed advantageous to the public. I fail to understand why this is so hard for the Internet Rocketeer Club to understand.

Addendum: Rand needs to get a sense of irony. Otherwise he would not post things like this. "Awwwww, isn’t that cute? Mark still fantasizes both that I have a “chain,” and that I ever “leap the length” of it. It seems to be one of his favorite expressions. That’s the autism, rather than the Tourette’s."

Rand should also look up the term "metaphor" and while he is pretending to be a shrink, contemplate his own obsessive compulsive disorder.

Is Paul Ryan or Has He Ever Been an Acolyte of Ayn Rand?

Sarah Palin, the Unconventional, Chooses Not to Speak at the RNC

For your viewing pleasure, how the lamestream media always trash republican vice presidential candidates.

NASA engineers examine cause of Morpheus accident

Romney campaign offers thin gruel for future NASA space policy

Clint Eastwood Makes Mitt Romney's Day

Paul Ryan's views on NASA space policy are unknown at this time

In Picking Paul Ryan, Romney Chooses a Man and a Vision

NASA's Mars Curiosity shows crash of descent stage sky crane

Despite Mars Curiosity Landing, Poll Shows Tepid Support for Human Mars Mission

Syfy Channel developes space adventure/drama 'Clandestine'

AWOL Muslim Soldier Sentenced in Fort Hood Terrorist Bomb Plot

Nancy Pelosi Calls Boring Spirits from the Vasty Deep

Rep. Allen West Beats Up White Women in Racist Ad

NASA's Morpheus crashes and burns in first free flight test

Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Undergoes Heart Surgery

British physics students find flaw in Bruce Willis 'Armageddon' Film

Singer, Actor Randy Travis Arrested for DWI, Threatening Officers

Obamacare Exacts 'Pizza Tax'

In 'Dallas' Ewing Energy Could Save the World

NASA releases orbital view of Curiosity landing site

Curiosity returns first hires image from Gale Crater Mars landing site

With NASA Money, Development of Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser Proceeds

The only surviving video of Mark Twain, taken by Thomas Edison in 1909

Texas Executes Marvin Wilson, Mentally Challenged Murderer

America Should Start Attracting French Tax Exiles -- Before Canada Does

Why Obama is like the Sheriff of Nottingham

Romney Campaign Allies with Ted Cruz on Welfare Reform, Small Business

Pro-Obama Ad Accusing Romney of a Woman's Cancer a New Low

Success of Mars Curiosity Sparks Renewed Space Policy Debate

Cheney Walks Back Slam on Palin, But it's Not Enough

Al Armendariz's New Mission: End Coal Power in Texas

NASA's Curiosity Science Rover Lands on Mars

Also Descent of Curiosity by parachute imaged from Mars orbit

Romney Can Exploit Obama's 'Genuine Disdain' of Him

Moe Lane has an theory about Obama's Romney Derangement Syndrome. Obama hates Romney because Romney's dad loved him and didn't abandon him. But then that would apply to most of Obama's political enemies as well.

The Chick-fil-A Same-Sex Marriage Culture War Has Just Begun

Pasadena, Gale Crater Base here. The Curiosity has landed. More anon.

How to Train Your Dragon to Be Brave

'Total Recall' Remake is a Pointless Disappointment

Obama campaign in Florida taunts Romney for lack of space policy

About the first Mars colony where something unexpected and wonderful happens. Dedicated to that Mars visionary, Robert Zubrin.

If Dick Cheney is Darth Vader, Then Sarah Palin is Princess Leia

SyFy greenlights pilot for 'High Moon' young adult TV series set on lunar colony

NASA's latest round of commercial space subsidies to have Texas economic impact

Congress Passes Iran, Syria Sanctions Bill Over Ron Paul's Objections

Farewell to Gore Vidal, Author and Zealot

I guess that there are some parts of London one shouldn't invade, even if one is undead. And dig Honor Blackman's return to the movies.

NASA Selects SpaceX, Boeing, Sierra Nevada for Commercial Crew Subsidies

Chick-fil-A Harasser Should Not Have Been Fired

Democrats Not Above Voter Suppression

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Boeing and SpaceX will split most of the next round of commercial crew subsidies with Sierra Nevada getting a smaller cut. More anon, especially after the official announcement.

Sir John Keegan, Military Historian, Passes On

Some Media Reactions to Ted Cruz's Senate Victory

NASA's Bolden Speaks on Future Mars Mission, Chinese Moon Landing

Bolden actually believes that the world should cheer a Chinese lunar landing the same way that they did Apollo 11. He also doesn't think America should lead in space and that, given an "unlimited budget" for NASA, he would not deviate from the current Obama plan.

Why Harry Reid Thinks Mitt Romney is Guilty Until Proven Innocent

How the Chick-fil-A Kerfuffle Became About Free Speech

Ted Cruz Wins a Crushing Victory in the Texas Republican Runoff

Obama Asks Defense Contractors to Violate the WARN Act for Political Reasons

Sterling Archer should take notes. This is how one fights on top of a speeding train.

And since when has Q become 12 years old?

Walesa Endorsement Ends Romney Foreign Trip with a Triumph

NASA Prepares Media Coverage of Mars Rover Curiosity's Landing