Sunday, December 30, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Friday, December 28, 2018
What is SpaceX doing in South Texas?
Something is happening at the SpaceX space port in Boca Chica in far South Texas that could change the world. Space News reports that a test article of the Big Falcon Rocket’s upper stage, dubbed “Starship,” is under construction at the SpaceX launch facility. The test rocket will be as wide as the operational Starship rocket but not as tall.
Student Found to Have Violated Title IX by Asking Another Student on a Date or why I'm glad I went to college in the seventies
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
BILL NYE IS A MARS SETTLEMENT DENIER
Bill Nye, the former “science guy” and president of the Planetary Society, recently declared in an interview that settling Mars and terraforming it into a reasonable analogue of Earth is “science fiction.” Robert Zubrin, the president of the Mars Society who dreams of a Mars frontier as a second branch of humanity and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, who wants to build a city on the Red Planet, are apparently living and working in vain.
The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper
Monday, December 24, 2018
Inside Bernie-world's war on Beto O'Rourke
My advice is to pass the popcorn. This left wing civil war is going to be epic.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Friday, December 21, 2018
Christmas in space: How Apollo 8 mission saved 1968
In August 1968, the same month that the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was rocked with riots, a young NASA manager named George Low conceived the idea of sending the second manned Apollo mission around the moon.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
HOW NASA TURNED STEPH CURRY’S MOON LANDING DENIAL INTO PR GOLD
When Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry denied that the moon landing ever took place, NASA could have been forgiven if it had ignored him. Much of what comes out of the mouths of celebrities, be they athletes, actors, or musicians, tends to be drivel. However, someone in the new media-savvy NASA correctly determined that the space agency had been handed an opportunity. NASA duly invited Curry to visit the Johnson Spaceflight Center to see some moon rocks and talk to astronauts and scientists about the moon landing and see that it had indeed taken place.
Monday, December 17, 2018
50 years have passed since NASA's Apollo 8 mission circled the moon for the first time — here is every Apollo mission explained
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Friday, December 14, 2018
China shoots for the far side of the moon
China’s moon program is part of that country’s drive for super-power status. Just as the United States reaped hefty soft-power dividends by beating the Soviets to the moon, China hopes to profit by showing that it too is capable of conducting deep space operations. The fact that Beijing will gain access to the abundant resources of the moon would not be a bad thing either, from China’s point of view.
However, recent developments in China’s economic posture may have long-term effects that would derail that country’s plans to use the exploration and later economic exploitation of the moon for its benefit.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
BILL NELSON, WITH AN UNIMPRESSIVE RECORD ON SPACE, BIDS FAREWELL
Bill Nelson, the soon-to-be former senator from Florida, gave his farewell speech to the Senate on his favorite subject: how he saved the U.S. space program from ruin. The speech was partly maudlin platitudes, partly name dropping, and partly a good pat on Nelson’s own back. He failed to mention a couple of things, including the fact that NASA is headed back to the moon and that the Obama-era journey to Mars is defunct.
While the senator did touch on his experience as a space junketer, he omitted some crucial details.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Sunday, December 09, 2018
Saturday, December 08, 2018
Friday, December 07, 2018
Exploring Bennu, the $670 billion asteroid headed toward Earth
About a week after Mars InSight touched down on Mars, another NASA space probe, OSIRIS-REx, arrived in orbit around an asteroid headed toward Earth called Bennu. The probe will spend the next two years mapping and examining Bennu.
Thursday, December 06, 2018
Wednesday, December 05, 2018
Tuesday, December 04, 2018
Of flags on the Moon
The recent flap over the omission of the raising of the American flag on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in the new film First Man illustrates not only the importance of symbols in our understanding of history but how different people regard the same symbols differently. Some Americans were incensed at the omission of the flag raising at Tranquility Base. The makers of the film insist that their decision not to include that event was an artistic decision and one not meant to denigrate the unique role that the United States played in landing a man on the Moon.
With a number of nations aiming toward the exploration of the Moon, one is reminded that love of symbols such as national flags is not unique to Americans.
Monday, December 03, 2018
Sunday, December 02, 2018
Saturday, December 01, 2018
Friday, November 30, 2018
What NASA's InSight probe could tell us about life on Mars
NASA Mars InSight probe is the latest visitor from Earth to arrive on Mars.
A NEW TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE HAS A NASA PROBLEM
Newly-elected Texas Democrat Lizzie Fletcher is basking in the afterglow of her victory over the soon-to- retire Rep. John Culberson, a Republican who has represented the state’s 7th congressional district since 2001. Fletcher has, by all accounts, promised to legislate in moderation and to find common ground while in Washington.
However, Fletcher also has some fences to mend because of a campaign strategy she pursued that attacked Culberson`s support of science, in particular, a telescope at the southern tip of South America and a mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. Her campaign claimed that Culberson was neglecting the needs of the district in favor of science and space exploration.
However, by winning on this basis, Fletcher has caused a great deal of alarm in the scientific and space communities.
How NASA will get back to the moon: Make it cheaper and unite space sector
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the first nine commercial companies that will become partners for America’s return to the moon. The companies will compete for a share of $2.6 billion to provide transportation services for the space agency to the moon’s surface. The commercial missions will involve small landers that can get to the lunar surface relatively cheaply.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Medieval Matters: The Many Sins Of Braveheart
Wallace and company screaming for “freedom!” in their Pict-paint while dressed up in 17th-century kilts on a bridge-less meadow is the equivalent of me making a movie about the Battle of Bunker Hill in which I dress the American colonials in Star Trek uniforms, paint their faces with made-up “Native American” designs … and then shot the film in a Florida parking lot.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Murphy Brown,' 'Happy Together' to End After Initial Orders on CBS Good! She was irritating them and doubly so now. Now bring back Firefly.
Margaret Atwood Is Writing a Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale Apparently the sequel is inspired by Trump, which is funny, because the original was inspired by Reagan, the affable cold warrior who did not bring about the dystopia but instead ended the Soviet Union. The book remains one of the most stupid, unrealistic books of its sort ever written.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
What NASA's InSight probe could tell us about life on Mars
NASA Mars InSight probe is the latest visitor from Earth to arrive on Mars.
After a voyage lasting nearly seven months, the probe entered the Martian atmosphere. For seven nail-biting minutes, the probe decelerated from 12,000 miles an hour to just five miles an hour. Then InSight touched down on the Elysium Planitia.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Russia space agency chief: We’ll verify US moon landings They could save the money and recognize that Americans really did walk on the moon and humbled the Soviet Union into the dust.
Friday, November 23, 2018
OPINION: WHAT’S BEHIND NASA’S ‘SAFETY REVIEW’ OF SPACEX AND BOEING?
When it was reported that NASA is suddenly going to conduct what it called a “safety review” of SpaceX and Boeing, the two companies that will soon be flying astronauts to and from the International Space Station, eyebrows raised and jaws dropped across the media. The space agency has been working closely with SpaceX for the past 10 years, and with Boeing since the Apollo program. Nevertheless, the reviews will be extensive and intrusive, involving inspections of facilities and interviews with hundreds of employees.
NASA lost key support to explore Jupiter's moon
One of the casualties of the 2018 midterm elections may be NASA’s plans to explore Europa, a moon of Jupiter thought to have a warm-water ocean beneath an icy surface and, perhaps, alien life. Rep. John Culberson, a Republican from Texas, an appropriations subcommittee chairman who championed efforts to explore Europa, was defeated at the polls by Democrat Lizzie Fletcher, a corporate lawyer. It was even the subject of a Culberson attack-ad.
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
I hear that Elon Musk wants to rename the Big Falcon Rocket the "Starship." It was, allegedly, the idea of SpaceX's new intern, Zefram Cochrane. The vehicle will not actually venture to another star system "at first."
Sunday, November 18, 2018
OPINION: IS SPACE EXPLORATION MOTIVATED BY AMERICAN NATIONALISM?
Many have complained about the poor quality of education offered by elite universities for years. The latest evidence supporting that complaint recently appeared in an article called “Make Outer Space Great Again,” published in Brown University’s student-run Political Review.
The premise was that the space program, especially under President Trump, is motivated by something called “Christian nationalism” and American isolationism. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Nice retweet and endorsement by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
OPINION: IS SPACE EXPLORATION MOTIVATED BY AMERICAN NATIONALISM?
Many have complained about the poor quality of education offered by elite universities for years. The latest evidence supporting that complaint recently appeared in an article called “Make Outer Space Great Again,” published in Brown University’s student-run Political Review.
The premise was that the space program, especially under President Trump, is motivated by something called “Christian nationalism” and American isolationism. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Friday, November 16, 2018
NASA's carpool to Space Station is back on as Russian rocket Soyuz quickly returns to flight
When a Russian Soyuz rocket suffered a mishap on October 11, the question arose whether the International Space Station could be sustained until the problem was discovered and fixed. The launch failure sent NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin on a dangerous, high-G ballistic abort maneuver.
At the time, some suggested that the space station would have to be abandoned entirely, or the current crew would have to wait it out until one or both of the commercial spacecraft under development would become available next year. Fortunately, the Russians found the cause of the abort in short order and, with a fix, will be prepared to launch with a new crew in early December.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Children of Apollo (3 Book Series)
July, 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 has triumphantly returned to Earth. In this alternate history thriller, President Richard Nixon puts into a motion a scheme to ramp up the space race to pressure the Soviets into making diplomatic and military concessions. Thus begins a story of high adventure on the final frontier and of low intrigue in the corridors of power back on Earth. It will prove to be the fulfillment of a dream for Wendy Pendleton to be the first woman to walk on the moon. It will be a nightmare for Cal Lauren, a political operative determined to stop the space race at all costs to fund the social programs he holds dear.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
How will the 2018 midterms affect NASA space policy?
The 2018 midterm elections featured the switch of the House from Republican control to Democratic control, the increase of Republican control in the Senate, and the fall of at least three space supporters from public office.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Friday, November 09, 2018
How will the 2018 midterms affect NASA space policy?
The 2018 midterm elections featured the switch of the House from Republican control to Democratic control, the increase of Republican control in the Senate, and the fall of at least three space supporters from public office.
Thursday, November 08, 2018
Make Outer Space Great Again
"Presidents have often alluded to manifest destiny when discussing space exploration: outer space is the next frontier. Presidential administrations have often conflated the imperative to pursue new knowledge with an American duty to lead other nations towards the stars. However, Vice President Mike Pence has recast the conversation in a way that hasn’t been present since the space race of the 1980s: cosmic exploration as a proxy for Christian nationalism. Pence’s rhetoric around the cosmos is a perfect vehicle through which he can solidify President Trump’s evangelical base. The nationalism that’s being sold in these speeches however, may shift space policies away from the international collaboration and back toward Cold War-era antagonism."
A remarkable screed filled with both ignorance of the roots of American space policy and hostility toward religion
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
ANOTHER SPACE COMPANY IS IN THE MOON RACE
Moon Express, a company based in Florida, was one of the five competitors of the Google Lunar XPrize that vowed to continue its mission to the lunar surface when the competition ended without a winner.
But rumors of cash flow problems at the company persisted, according to Space News, which threatened its ability to send its robot probe to the moon.
Two recent developments have brought Moon Express back in the game and buttressed its status as a player in the new, private push to the moon, which also includes another American company, Astrobotic, Israel’s SpaceIL and Japan’s iSpace, among others.
The prize may ultimately be wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.
Tuesday, November 06, 2018
Monday, November 05, 2018
Racing China to the high frontier
The last time the United States mounted expeditions to the Moon, the effort was part of a race with the Soviet Union. The Apollo 11 mission constituted a victory in that race with subsequent flights serving as victory laps. The United States not only won bragging rights for being the first and, thus far, only nation to land people on the Moon, but also established technological supremacy over the Soviets that the rival superpower never recovered.
A new space race is developing for a prize greater than the one won in the first Moon competition.
Fifty years later, the United States, this time with allies, is embarking on a return to the Moon, this time to eventually establish a lunar base. The outpost is envisioned to be a center of scientific research and commercial development that will enrich the participants in ways that are currently beyond evaluation.
However, China also has designs on the Moon, which do not bode well for the American-led alliance. A new space race is developing for a prize greater than the one won in the first Moon competition
Former NASA chief visits Space Coast, stumps for Sen. Bill Nelson
Charlie Bolden and Bill Nelson go way back to the time they flew on the shuttle together, the mission the then congressman strong armed his way onto. Later, Nelson all but hand-picked Bolden to be Obama’s NASA administrator. Now Bolden is returning the favor.
Sunday, November 04, 2018
Box Office: Flag-Free ‘First Man’ Flopped All over the World or it was not just irate right wingers who stayed away in droves
Saturday, November 03, 2018
Why DARPA Is Betting a Million Bucks on an "Impossible" Space Drive or why the EM Drive ia not dead yet.
Manifesto of the Committee to Abolish Outer Space
1 Humanity will never colonize Mars, never build moon bases, never rearrange the asteroids, never build a sphere around the sun.
2 There will never be faster-than-light travel. We will not roam across the galaxy. We will not escape our star.
3 Life is probably an entirely unexceptional phenomenon; the universe probably teems with it. We will never make contact. We will never f--k green-skinned alien babes.
4 The human race will live and die on this rock, and after we are gone something else will take our place. Maybe it already has, without our even noticing.
5 All this is good. This is a good thing
No it's not. Especially (3)
Mysterious interstellar asteroid 'Oumuamua could be a giant solar sail 'sent from another civilization to look for signs of life,' claim astronomers
Friday, November 02, 2018
Pompeo: Trump Reimposing All Sanctions On Iran Effective Immediately and some of the cast members of Game of Throne are not pleased
Poll: Dana Rohrabacher Takes 9-Point Lead in CA-48, Holds Back ‘Blue Wave' A champion of commercial space the Bloomberg machine is trying to take down.