Apollo's promise needs presidential leadership & a national security mandate

Sunday, Eric Berger at Ars Technica pondered the question, why did the Apollo moon program, which landed men on the moon almost fifty years ago, not result in an age of space exploration that led to lunar bases and voyages to Mars in the 20th Century? It is the same question this writer asked in“Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?” Berger comes to a similar conclusion, something that was not anticipated by many when Neil Armstrong made that first step, followed by over a billion people on a planet that then contained three and a half billion inhabitants.

Planetary Resources to provide agricultural data to Bayer

Planetary Resources, a company founded to mine asteroids for their bountiful resources, recently entered the Earth observation business. That entry has borne its first fruit with a memorandum of understanding between the company and the Bayer Company. Bayer has announced its intention of buying agricultural data from the Earth observation satellites that Planetary Resources will garner and sell them to its customer base.

Alan Grayson marries the woman who wants to replace him in Congress

Rep Alan Grayson, D-Florida, is considered colorful by his friends and insane by his enemies, which include most Republicans and many Democrats, including President Barack Obama and most of the party establishment. Nevertheless, Grayson is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Marco Rubio. In a strange twist, according to a Tuesday story in Politico, Grayson has married a woman who is seeking to replace him in the House, the former Dena Minning, now, Dena Grayson. The effect would be to give the aspiring member of Congress to have the same last name as the man who is vacating the seat, giving her an advantage in the upcoming August primary.

Roman Polanski faces a renewed threat of extradition for 1977 child sex conviction

According to Variety, film director, Roman Polanski faces yet another possibility of extradition to the United States, this time from Poland, due to his 1977 conviction on unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. Polanski fled the United States rather than face a jail sentence, and his lived mainly in France, where he has dual citizenship along with Poland and therefore has immunity from extradition.

How a semi-naked fat guy wrecked the Libertarian Party's chance in 2016

The Libertarian Party had a chance to achieve some measure of respectability. The Democrats and Republicans are about to nominate their most problematic candidates, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump respectively. The Libertarians have nominated candidates for president and vice president that, albeit former Republicans, have some executive experience. Gary Johnson was once governor of New Mexico and William Weld was governor of Massachusetts, so they have actually run something. To be sure, being libertarians, they have some problematic views, but so do Donald and Hillary.

The WOW “Alien” Signal May Be Explained After All

China to land Chang'e 5 at one of the moon's poles to return samples

According to a Sunday story in Time Magazine, China’s next moon mission will not be the previously announced Chang’e 4 landing on the far side of the moon, to take place in 2018, but a sample return mission to either the lunar South Pole or North Pole, designated as Chang’e 5, to take place in late 2017. The last Chinese lunar mission was the Chang’3 that landing on the lunar surface in late 2013.

Why 'Saving Private Ryan' is the ultimate Memorial Day movie

“Saving Private Ryan,” which first came out in 1998, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, among others, is the ultimate Memorial Day movie in the sense that it illustrates the cost of war, not only on the human body but the human soul. The film is remarkable in that it was made during that brief period of relative peace between the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the War on Terror.

SpaceX Falcon9 landing & Bigelow module inflation commercial space feats

The last couple of days have proven to be ones of accomplishment for private space companies. Friday, SpaceX launched the Thaicom 8 satellite into a super-synchronous transfer orbit, with a high orbit of 91,000km. The company managed to land the first stage of the Falcon 9, for the third time in a row, on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You.” Saturday. NASA managed to fully inflate the Bigelow Aerospace BEAM module attached to the International Space Station after a failed attempt on the previous day. Both events have implications for the future of space travel.

Iran arrests eight people for creating 'obscene' music videos

The AFP reports that the Iranian Islamic regime has arrested eight people in Tehran for making what it considers “obscene” music videos. The videos were broadcast into the Islamic Republic from an outside satellite channel. The incident was similar to one that happened a couple of years ago to a group of young Iranians who produced a tribute video for the Pharrell Williams song “Happy.” The arrests were part of a crackdown by the allegedly “moderate” theocratic government of President Hassan Rouhani. The Tehran police are recruiting up to 7,000 plainclothes officers to combat examples of “immoral” culture.

Can Bernie Sanders explain why socialism destroyed Venezuela?

If Bernie Sanders ever became a serious candidate for president, either as a Democrat if Hillary Clinton gets indicted or as a standard-bearer of the Green Party if she does not, he will have to explain Venezuela. Venezuela constitutes the end game of socialism, where government control of the economy has destroyed the country as thoroughly as if it had been invaded by a foreign power. According to a piece in Time Magazine, shortages exist for 80 percent of consumer goods, including food. Electricity blackouts are now a regular occurrence. Long lines at stores, which were once a feature of the old Soviet Union, are now common. Hyperinflation on the scale of Weimer Germany has set in.

The real reason Rep. Louie Gohmert is wrong about gay people in space

Rep Louis Gohmert, R-Texas has caused a minor kerfuffle when he suggested that a future space colony ought to consist solely of heterosexual couples, especially if the idea is to restart the human race after a world-wide disaster, such as an asteroid strike. The Houston Chronicle took the conservative congressman to task Thursday with the implication of homophobia. NASA Watch has also taken up the hue and cry. However, both Gohmert and his critics are missing the point.

Will 'Hacksaw Ridge' rehabilitate Mel Gibson?

Recently, Shane Black, the writer of “Lethal Weapon,” suggested that Mel Gibson, the star of that film, has been “blacklisted” in Hollywood due to an incident ten years ago during which the actor/director made an anti-Semitic rant during a DUI stop. Gibson subsequently did the apology tour and went into rehab. However, he has only been in six obscure films since and has not directed anything since 2006’s “Apocalypto.” The once A-list actor and director of such films as “Braveheart” has fallen on hard times. But, Gibson may be about to rehabilitate himself with the first movie he directed in ten years, “Hacksaw Ridge.

The Bernie Sander Donald Trump debate enrages Senate Democrats

The idea of Bernie Sanders going head to head in a debate with Donald Trump may excite political junkies and have certain advantages for both candidates, but Sanders’ fellow senators on the Democratic side are taking a dim view of the prospect. As far as they are concerned, Sanders should have dropped out of the race months ago, leaving the field to the presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton. But Sanders refuses to give up and instead has chosen to give Clinton, and her supporters fits. The venerable socialist from Vermont has no chance of winning the nomination, unless Clinton is indicted due to the email server scandal. But he has every intention of embarrassing the Democratic frontrunner. His next opportunity will be in the California Primary, where Sanders is neck and neck with Clinton.

Commuter chaos, DWI uptick noted in Austin after departure of Uber and Lyft

In the weeks following the departure of Uber and Lyft from Austin, the commuter chaos that has been left in the wake of the ride share companies continues, according to a Thursday story on NPR. Riders and drivers alike have been left stranded, though the city government is trying to fix a mess of its own making by fostering a non-profit ridesharing company called RideAustin, being developed by a number of tech businesses in the city. A number of other, smaller startups are also trying to fill in the gap.

Has Bernie Sanders flip flopped on NASA funding?

Sen Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, the venerable socialist who is currently giving Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic nominee for president, fits by persisting in running, opened his mind Wednesday on a variety of subjects, most notably NASA and space exploration. Sanders’ answer was interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which because it was at variance with previously stated positions. Has the candidate executed a flip-flop (or “evolved” as some might charitably say)? Or is he pandering to technology oriented California? Perhaps the explanation is that, being a man of advanced years, Sanders may have forgotten what his previous position was.

'The Americans' to end after six seasons on the FX Channel

As the New York Times notes, FX has announced that its hit series “The Americans” will end after two more seasons. That means that the series will have a six-season run. The decision is said to be a creative one, meaning that the show runners have some sort of idea how they want the series to end and that six seasons will suffice.

Planetary Resources is getting into the Earth observation business

Planetary Resources, a company devoted to prospecting asteroids and mining them for their mineral wealth, is getting into the Earth observation business, the company announced. The company has developed a new Earth observation satellite it called the Ceres, based on technology being prepared for the Arkyd spacecraft designed to prospect asteroids. Planetary Resources has raised $21.1 million in series A funding to start testing the technology and deploying the satellites.

Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh hit back at deceptive editing in Katie Couric documentary

The firestorm surrounding the deceptive editing of an anti-gun documentary called “Under the Gun,” executive produced and narrated by Katie Couric, continues apace. Conservatives such as Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh have pounced, pointing out that the editing, which substituted nine seconds of a “B-roll” for four minutes of answers to a question on background checks for gun purchases, was meant to make pro-gun advocates look stupid.

Did Ted Cruz really win by losing the nomination in 2016?

Peter Weber, writing for The Week, posit an interesting theory that Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas actually won in the long run by being denied the Republican nomination by Donald Trump. The idea is that Cruz will not be tainted by being defeated by Hillary Clinton in the November election, but will win reelection to his Senate seat easily in 2018 and will be well positioned to come roaring back in 2020 for another presidential run.

Bernie Sanders accepts a debate challenge with Donald Trump

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the venerable socialist from Vermont, is not likely to be the Democratic nominee for president, but according to a Thursday story in Politico, he is already parlaying his quixotic national campaign to raise his profile in the Senate. He is using his status as a national figure, with millions of admirers and Twitter followers, opposing both the Puerto Rico bailout bill and the Toxic Substances Control Act, the first landmark environmental legislation in a number of years. His opposition to these bills may be of no consequence, except to provide publicity for Sanders and irritate his fellow senators, however.

Hollywood goes back to Mars with 'The Space Between Us'

Last year, movie audiences thrilled to the story of an astronaut played by Matt Damon trying to survive after being stranded on Mars in “The Martian.” Now, in the upcoming film, “The Space Between Us,” Hollywood is going back to the Red Planet with another story, this time about a real-life Martian.

The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper

Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump exchange insults

As USA Today noted, the feud between Donald Trump and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, has flared anew. The renewed outbreak of hostilities started when Warren railed against Trump for profiting during the subprime housing crisis that led to the 2008 economic meltdown. Then, during a speech in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Trump mocked Warren, calling her “Pocahontas,” a reference to the senator’s hotly disputed claim of being part Native American. Trump followed up with a tweet that referenced the fact that Warren and her family made a tidy profit by flipping foreclosed homes, suggesting that she was a hypocrite. Warren has defended her business effort by claiming she just wanted to help her family and unemployed construction workers.

55 years ago President John F. Kennedy sent America on course to the moon

As ZME Science reminded us on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 is the 55th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s address on “urgent national needs” before a joint session of Congress in which he committed the United States to “achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” A little more than eight years later, the dream was given form when Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface in an event followed in real time by a billion people on a planet that contained just 3.5 billion inhabitants.

Children of Apollo: The Space Race Gambit

Children of Apollo: The Hard Road to the Stars

Children of Apollo: The First Woman on the Moon

NASA's Charles Bolden calls for space cooperation with China

According to a Tuesday story carried by the Voice of America, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called on the United States Congress to change the law that prohibits the space agency from cooperating with China. Bolden cited the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, which involved a joint mission of an American Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuz in 1975. The example might not be a good case for a similar mission with China, however. In any case, against the backdrop of a possible shooting war with China in the South China Sea, such a change as urged by Bolden is unlikely to occur.

78 year old Bill Cosby to stand trial on the charge of sexual assault

The AP reports that Bill Cosby, a decades-long icon of both the small and big screen, has been ordered to stand trial on a 23-year case in which he is accused of drugging a woman and then having sex with her. The incident, involving a Temple University employee named Andrea Constand, is just one of dozens of alleged encounters in which the actor and comedian is accused of drugging women to have sex with them. If Cosby is convicted in this case, he could serve ten years in prison. He is 78 and not in the best of health.

The real reason why Hillary Clinton wants to be president

Rich Lowry recently opined that Hillary Clinton cannot explain to anyone why she should be president. Actually, the case is that she could offer such an explanation, but it would not be one that many people would find attractive.

The real reason Donald Trump thinks Vince Foster's death was 'fishy'

People who think that elections should be about the issues are tearing their hair about the way Donald Trump is going after Hillary and Bill Clinton. First, Team Trump rolled out the Internet ad that featured various women complaining about how Bill savaged them while Hillary cackles over a grainy black and white image of the former president with a cigar in his mouth. Then, Trump himself pronounced the death of Vince Foster to be “fishy.”

NASA to be ordered to literally aim for the stars in House funding bill

It turns out that the mandate for NASA to return astronauts to the moon is not the most exciting part of the space agency’s funding bill now moving through the House. The same bill suggests that NASA start to research propulsion technologies that would be used to send the first probe to Alpha Centauri, according to a Monday story in Science. The idea is that the first expedition to the nearest star to our solar system would depart in 2069, the 100th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The language seems to have been included in the bill by Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, the chair of the appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA.

Trailer for Civil War epic 'The Free State of Jones' has been released

The trailer for an upcoming Civil War drama, entitled “The Free State of Jones,” has been released, according to Coming Soon. The movie, which stars Mathew McConaughey, tells the story of Newton Night, a deserter from the Confederate Army, who rebelled against the Confederacy and established his own independent country in Jones County, Mississippi. “The Free State of Jones” is written and directed by Gary Ross, who created such films as “The Hunger Games” and “Seabiscuit.” The movie is scheduled to be released on June 24.

Former Vice President Al Gore takes a dim view of Donald Trump

Al Gore, the former vice-president and presidential candidate, appeared on “The Today Show” on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his documentary movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” Understandably, the conversation drifted to contemporary politics. Gore takes a dim view of Donald Trump and his quest for the presidency. Climate change is at issue. Trump is a climate change skeptic, and his energy policy is being developed by people who are sympathetic to fossil fuels. Gore has become famous for warning the world about the alleged dangers of human-caused global warming.

House appropriators to mandate NASA send astronauts back to the moon

Ars Technica reported on Monday that House version of the NASA funding bill for the next fiscal year will contain a complete change in the space agency’s space exploration strategy. The bill will defund NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission, which proposes to snatch a boulder from an asteroid and deploy in in lunar orbit to be visited later by astronauts. Instead, the bill will mandate that the space agency begin plans to return to the lunar surface in advance of the Journey to Mars.

In the spirit of "I love it when a plan starts to come together."

A Giant Lunar Leap For Private Enterprise

U.S. can still beat China back to moon

Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?

Newt Gingrich is on Donald Trump's short list for vice president

National Review is reporting that Newt Gingrich has become Donald Trump’s most high profile policy advisor and the top of the short list for vice presidential running mate. On the latter, the selection of the former House Speaker and 2012 presidential candidate would defy conventional presidential wisdom. Most pundits suggest that a better fit for a Trump ticket would be much younger, preferably ethnic, perhaps a woman, and certain someone who brings with him or her an important swing state. Gingrich has none of these advantages. He does bring one of the most brilliant and outside the box minds in modern politics. That quality is both an advantage and a liability.

US Navy Officer Charged With Spying for China

Washington State GOP convention awards 40 out of 41 delegates to Ted Cruz

Donald Trump is, by all appearances, unifying the Republican Party behind his unlikely candidacy for president of the United States. That success is providing dividends, as the polls are beginning to show Trump neck and neck with, and even ahead of in some matches, Hillary Clinton. But, as CBS News reported Sunday, Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump’s defeated rival, remains the fly in the ointment and the monkey in the wrench where it comes to the drive by the mercurial real estate tycoon and reality show star to become president. Washington State Republicans held their state convention and awarded 40 out of 41 delegates to Cruz.

'All the Way'' makes Lyndon Johnson a heroic figure with a slice of his career

A heroic biop of President Lyndon Johnson is a tricky proposition. Those who were alive when the man was president remember him mainly as the man who devised two of the greatest disasters in American history, Vietnam and the Great Society. Jay Roach, well experienced in doing historical dramas that do violence to history, succeeds in making LBJ a heroic figure in the HBO film version of “All the Way,” a stage play that takes a slice of Johnson’s life, beginning with the searing tragedy of the Kennedy assassination and ending with the triumph of the 1964 election. In the middle, the film depicts the struggle to enact the Civil Rights Act, a world-changing piece of legislation that helped to end the noxious institution of racial discrimination in the South known as Jim Crow.

China reveals plans for large space station called the Tiangong 3

The latest Chinese space station, the Tiangong 2, is slated to be launched later in 2016 and will be visited by Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou spacecraft. But, according to Spaceflight Insider, the Chinese are already looking ahead to their permanent low Earth orbit space facility, the Tiangong 3, slated to begin construction in 2018.

Bernie Sanders targets Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for electoral defeat

The Bernie Sanders insurrection continues apace, but now with a new target. To be sure, the venerable socialist is still contesting Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, going to far as to declare that she is “jumping the gun” in declaring that she is the nominee. But now Sanders is targeting Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, the chairperson of the Democratic National Committee and a member of Congress. The New York Times noted on Saturday that Sanders is supporting Wasserman-Shultz’s primary opponent, a radical law professor named Tim Canova.

Los Angeles production of 'Romeo and Juliet' denounced for 'Israel bashing'

...a version of the classic love story being performed at Los Angeles’ Theatricum Botanicum is causing accusations of the Bard’s genius being perverted into an Israel-bashing screed. Responding to complaints by parents whose children were exposed to the version of the play, set in contemporary Jerusalem, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has denounced the production.

NASA's Orion could visit a lunar orbit outpost built by Orbital-ATK

Paramount to drop lawsuit against "Star Trek' fan film 'Axanar'

Democratic California senators fear violence from Bernie Sanders supporters

Amitai Etzioni revives discredited arguments against human space exploration

Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?

What about that cliffhanger at the end of 'The Blacklist?'

Scientists envision exploring Neptune's moon Triton with a hopping vehicle

Why President Barack Obama will not apologize for the atomic bombing of Japan

Donald Trump raises the rape issue against Bill and Hillary Clinton

Andy Weir, of 'The Martian' fame, has sold a new film project to Hollywood

Ideas abound for how NASA can conduct the Journey to Mars

The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper

Japan prepared to launch first expedition to the lunar surface by 2019

The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories

J.K. Rowling defends Donald Trump's right to be 'offensive and bigoted'

Democrats hopelessly divided by violence and threats of violence

House NASA bill provides increases for Orion, Space Launch System, Europa

Building trade unions in revolt over superpac alliance with Tom Steyer

NASA study shows how water on Mars will sustain future explorers and settlers

In the last episode of 'Castle' Richard and Kate get a happy ending -- or did they?

The Surreal World of Alien Abduction and Missing Persons

American businessman to recreate 9/11 in the mother of all Mythbusters-style experiment

Will China take an Iranian astronaut to the moon?

'Mad Max' beats 'The Martian' for best dramatic presentation for 2015?

The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper

The Martian [Blu-ray]

Guess who Ted Cruz did not mention during his Texas Republican Convention speech

Get ready for the return of 'Killjoys' and 'Dark Matter' to the SyFy Channel

Donald Trump weighs in on the transgender bathroom issue

The cancellation of 'Castle' has left an opening in Nathan Fillion's schedule

For example, is it finally time to talk about that revival of "Firefly?'

Jon Stewart slams Hillary Clinton as 'inauthentic' and 'robotic'

More details for China's Chang'e 4 to the far side of the moon revealed

The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories

Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?

The Value of the Moon: How to Explore, Live, and Prosper in Space Using the Moon's Resources

Ted Cruz sounds the alarm about Iranian nuclear tipped missiles

Texas pushes back against Obama public school transgender bathroom order

Obama Eastern Europe missile defense system inflames tensions with Russia

What happened at the end of season nine of 'The Big Bang Theory?'

European Space Agency helping Russia to explore the South Pole of the moon

Judge's ruling could mean the final collapse of Obamacare

How the development of the next generation NASA spacecraft are proceeding

Ricky Gervais comes to the defense of Donald Trump -- sort of

Are Americans Angry Enough to Violently Revolt?

Joe Biden reveals who he thinks would have made the best president

Hillary Clinton's West Virginia defeat has ominous implications for November

Ron Howard produced 'Mars' miniseries airs on the National Geographic Channel in November

The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper

USC professor wins NASA prize to make building materials from lunar soil

The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories

Hillary Clinton makes a campaign promise concerning space aliens

Ted Cruz reveals his plans for the Republican National Convention

The cost of Bernie Sanders' agenda pegged at $33 trillion

'Barbarians Rising' to bow on the History Channel in June

The Gap gets a black eye because of a space shuttle ad

Obama advisor Ben Rhodes boasts of how the Iran nuclear deal was based on a lie

Texas state legislature to enact business friendly rules governing Uber & Lyft

The day after the voters of Austin decided to drive Uber and Lyft, the ridesharing companies, out of the Texas state capital, the Houston Chronicle reported on Sunday that Republican lawmakers in the Texas legislature have decided to ride to the rescue. The lawmakers will introduce a bill in the 2017 legislative session to establish a state-wide regulatory regime for ridesharing companies. The proposed legislation will be far more business-friendly than the draconian measures favored by Austin and which now exist in Houston.

Dana Carvey's Church Lady returns to Saturday Night Live to abuse Ted Cruz & Donald Trump

Sarah Palin is going after Paul Ryan for not supporting Donald Trump

Could Newt Gingrich help Donald Trump 'make the moon great again?'

Ridesharing deregulation fails in Austin, Uber and Lyft to cease operations

Saturday, Austin declined to pass a proposition that would have lifted requirements for a stringent background check for drivers who work for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The requirements include fingerprinting and other measures that Uber and Lyft maintain are overly burdensome and unnecessary. Opponents of the deregulation proposition are engaged in a considerable amount of chest thumping that Austin will not compromise on public safety. The ridesharing companies, true to their word, are preparing to cease operations in the Texas capital.

NASA's space program would have been great if Ted Cruz had become president

The nagging argument of what a Donald Trump presidency might mean for NASA and its plans for space exploration was joined Friday by US News and World Report, which focused what may have been lost when Sen. Ted Cruz. R-Texas dropped out of the race after losing the Indiana Primary. The piece was a curious departure from the trope often made in the media that Cruz is somehow “anti-science” based on his skepticism about climate change. The article is also in stark contrast to the recent CNET piece that suggested that Trump would be good for NASA’s Journey to Mars as he would give it a commercial flavor.

Donald Trump's latest Twitter war is with Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Former Texas governor Rick Perry the latest to bend the knee to Donald Trump

Donald Trump could commercialize NASA's Journey to Mars and a return to the moon

The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper

Elon Musk's SpaceX lands a Falcon 9 first stage for the second time in a row

Shortly after midnight on Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a Japanese communications satellite, the JCSAT-14 to a geostationary transfer orbit. A few minutes later, for the second time in a row, the first stage of the launch vehicle landed on a drone ship, dubbed the “Of Course I Still Love You,” waiting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX employees at the company’s headquarters erupted into chants of “USA! USA! USA!” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a celebratory, “WooHoo!!”

Ted Cruz will be a major player at the Republican National Convention and beyond

Robert Downey Jr.: Tony Stark is a Hillary Clinton supporter

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox goes on bended knee before Donald Trump

How Hillary Clinton's legal problems may elect Donald Trump president

In the ordinary course of events, the nomination of a man with as many character flaws as Donald Trump as Republican nominee would mean certain doom for the GOP in the general election. However, Trump’s probable opponent is Hillary Clinton, a candidate with her own set of flaws. The Hill Newspaper reminded one and all on Wednesday that even if a criminal indictment over the affairs of the email server is not forthcoming, because the Justice Department sits on it, the problem is still going to fester. In the case of Judicial Watch v. the State Department. Judge Emmet Sullivan suggested that Ms. Clinton may need to be deposed. That means that the likely Democratic nominee for president will be required to answer questions, under oath, about her creation and use of an unsecured email server for official State Department business.

Donald Trump flip flops on Rafael Cruz Lee Harvey Oswald connection charge

Can 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' be saved?

Will people start having sex in self-driving cars?

Decades ago, the automobile had become not only a way to get around but a place to get it on. One would park somewhere with a date in an out of the way place and have sex in the back seat or the passenger seat. Yahoo Tech reported Tuesday that Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence (CAVCOE) has concluded that when self-driving cars become common, people are going to while away those long auto trips or even a commute to work by having sex.

Why is US Spending $1 Trillion on Nuclear Weapons?

How will President Donald Trump handle NASA and space exploration

As Donald Trump, incredibly, became the presumptive Republican nominee, a great deal of angst is arising over how he might handle NASA as president. Space Policy Online noted on Tuesday that Trump has dodged the question of how much the space agency will be funded during his potential presidency. Noting previous statements on the Journey to Mars, Ars Technica speculates that NASA will be in for a downsizing under a Trump presidency.

Asteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy

The Value of the Moon: How to Explore, Live, and Prosper in Space Using the Moon's Resources

Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?

Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee the hard part begins

No role for NASA to 'make America great again' for Donald Trump

Donald Trump accuses Ted Cruz's father of meeting Lee Harvey Oswald

China's space program to be used to develop technology and economic growth

Aviation Week reported Monday that China has suggested that its first crewed moon landing will take place in the 2031-36 timeframe. The schedule is somewhat later than the previous estimate, which placed a Chinese moon landing sometime in the 2020s. But, the announcement represents a long term strategy for the Chinese space program and its integration into larger political, military, and economic development. China has also announced goals to land more robotic probes on the lunar surface, a mission to Mars in 2020, and the building of a space station later this decade. The next crewed flight will take place later in 2016 and will involve tests of a prototype space station module called the Tiangong-2.

Hillary Clinton walks back her vow to bankrupt coal companies

Paul Spudis offers some truth about the Space Launch System.

The other Ronald Reagan movie that is in development

Will NASA or SpaceX be first to land people on Mars?

Donald Trump's legal problems may yet derail his presidential hopes

The dirty secret of the Donald Trump campaign is how the candidate is in almost as much legal jeopardy as is Hillary Clinton, in his own way. The American Thinker noted on Sunday that a suit has been brought against Trump concerning Trump University in which the real estate tycoon is accused of defrauding thousands of students out of tens of thousands of dollars in the false hope of benefiting from his business skills. Also, the tabloids are reporting that another lawsuit is alleging that Trump raped an underage girl at one of Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious sex parties.

Newt Gingrich's big idea for a Reagan movie is a romantic tragedy

Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan

Sunrise At Campobello

The Notebook

Donald Trump woefully unprepared to fight a general election campaign

Donald Trump touts support by Mike Tyson, boxing star and convicted rapist

One of the many boasts being made by Donald Trump as he continues his run for the presidency is that he has been endorsed by former boxing star Mike Tyson. The theory is that Tyson’s reputation as a “tough guy” should rub off on Trump. However, as Fox News noted on Saturday, Tyson is also infamous for having been convicted of rape in 1991. Team Cruz is not only pointing out this fact, but also reminding voters that Trump led the effort to keep Iron Mike out of prison, suggesting that Tyson’s victim, a teenage beauty queen, bore some responsibility for leading the boxing champion on by dancing with him and going to his hotel room.

Is NASA's Space Launch System really a 'rocket to nowhere?'