Monday, December 30, 2019

KENOBI - A Star Wars Fan Film

China's next moonshot could decide who owns the future

In regard to the narrower race for which side will be first to return to the moon and establish a base or settlement, China is clearly ahead. Since the moon is the gateway to the rest of the solar system, who will be the first to do those things is a very serious question. The answer could determine who owns the future, China, ruled by a tyrannical government, or the United States, with its traditions of freedom and tolerance.

Starlink Satellites Produce Wave of UFO Sightings in the US
What Is Trump’s Space Force—And What Does It Mean for NASA?
NASA Just Unveiled Its 2020 Mars Rover, And We're Beyond Excited
What's the Point of the James Webb Space Telescope?
Did God Create The Universe?

Saturday, December 28, 2019

I hesitate to even mention this since the newsletter that quotes me extensively is a publication of the Lyndon Larouche organization. Lyndon Larouche was a perennial presidential candidate who was also a raving loon and a conspiracy nut. He believed that the Queen of England is a drug kingpin and that Henry Kissinger was trying to take over the world. Hr also had an interest in space exploration and fusion energy, hence my inclusion in their journal. I am, needless to say, embarrassed.
New Russian weapon can travel 27 times the speed of sound
How did the universe begin?
Can Trump Put Humpty-Dumpty (the USA) Back Together Again?
Recession, robots and rockets: another roaring 20s for world markets?
China launches powerful rocket in boost for 2020 Mars mission

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Congress greenlights NASA's crewed moon lander — sort of

The good news is that the NASA spending bill for the current fiscal year, passed months late, has enough money to start the development of a crewed lunar lander. The bad news is that Congress is being stingy with the amount of money it is allowing the space agency to spend and has added conditions.

The Space Force has gone from joke to reality
For All Mankind Producers Break Down Season 1 Finale and Post-Credits Scene
NASA Selects Two Proposals to Support Health and Performance in Astronauts on Missions to the Moon and Mars
Next task for NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft: Kiss an asteroid and avoid Mount Doom
Space Force instrumental to future of America's defense, says former NASA astronaut Tom Jones
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft returns to Earth, lands in New Mexico after failed mission

Monday, December 16, 2019

The Space Force has gone from joke to reality

The United States Space Force transitioned from joke to reality recently when the House authorized its establishment as part of a defense authorization bill. Remarkably, a considerable number of Democrats voted for the bill that contained the Space Force. They did so in return for a provision that allowed for a 12-week family leave for federal workers. Thus, a space-faring, war-fighting military service was born, thanks to good, old-fashioned backroom wheeling and dealing.

Top Gun: Maverick (2020) – New Trailer - Paramount Pictures





Now, I really have the need for speed.
SpaceX, NASA and Boeing have a common problem: Making sure their parachutes work
Channel 2 gets an inside look at NASA’s lunar lander program
NASA's NICER Mission Reveals An Unexpected Neutron Star Surprise
Why Nikola Tesla was obsessed with the Egyptian pyramids
Europe calls on NASA for help as Mars mission runs into serious trouble

Wednesday, December 04, 2019

I just got the best news of the current century.

I'm not gonna die of cancer!

After an ultrasound and then a biopsy, we discovered that the two masses on my back are benign cysts after all and not something that might kill me. The masses come out a week from Friday, but in the meantime, suck it, Death! Not today.

Russia's status as a space power will end with the start of NASA's commercial crew
Astronomers propose a novel method of finding atmospheres on rocky worlds
NASA is going to shoot an asteroid and Europe will examine the mess
NASA orbiter spots crash site of Indian lunar lander
Early Asteroid Impacts Could Have Spurred Today's Tectonic Activity
Bloomberg overtakes Harris in new poll