Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Is it time to sell the moon?
"As nations and even private companies prepare to return humans to the moon on a grand scale, the question of how commercial activities can be managed on the lunar surface has become more crucial. One attempt to clarify that question has been published by free-market think tank, the Adam Smith Institute. The proposal, called Space Invaders: Property Rights on the Moon, is an attempt to facilitate private ownership of land on the moon. The paper suggests that private property ownership of parcels of the lunar surface will create wealth on Earth and even alleviate poverty."
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Friday, February 25, 2022
Thursday, February 24, 2022
What Matthew McConaughey got wrong about the new space age
Nothing is quite as annoying as a Hollywood star attempting to lecture the masses about public policy. Whether it's Tom Hanks with his “morning in America” pro-Biden ad that left out inflation and supply chain problems, or Matthew McConaughey taking shots at space barons like Elon Musk, entertainment industry virtue-signaling proves how out-of-touch people with tons of money can become living in a leftist cultural bubble.
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Monday, February 21, 2022
Sunday, February 20, 2022
When will SpaceX's Starship fly to space?
An unmistakable fact of SpaceX’s Starship, stacked atop the Superheavy rocket, is its immensity. The rocket ship is a gleaming, stainless-steel tower the height of a skyscraper at SpaceX’s South Texas Starbase facility. Its purpose is to deliver 100 metric tons of people and material anywhere in the solar system, either to Earth orbit or to the moon and Mars with refueling. When it flies, it will revolutionize the art and science of space travel just as the ocean-going caravel did sea travel centuries ago.
Saturday, February 19, 2022
Friday, February 18, 2022
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Monday, February 14, 2022
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Why the Space Force merits respect and an expanded mission
Part of the problem is that, while the Space Force is engaged in an important mission regarding the operation and defense of America’s space assets, none of it is considered newsworthy. Recently the Space Force launched a pair of satellites designed to inspect other satellites in geostationary orbit, an important step for developing situational awareness in space. But that mission pales in comparison to, say, the recent raid that resulted in the death of the head of ISIS.
Saturday, February 12, 2022
Friday, February 11, 2022
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Wednesday, February 09, 2022
Tuesday, February 08, 2022
Monday, February 07, 2022
Sorry, Candace Owens, but men really did walk on the moon
Candace Owens, the right-leaning populist commentator, is no stranger to controversy. For example, she recently tore into former President Donald Trump for his advocacy of taking coronavirus vaccines, which he helped to come into being thanks to Operation Warp Speed. However, Owens has taken to Twitter and championed an oldie-but-goodie conspiracy theory.
“Now for some light-hearted fun. What’s the one ‘conspiracy theory’ that no matter what anyone says you believe is true. Mine is that the moon landing in 1969 was completely faked. Just nothing about it makes sense. Especially NASA ‘accidentally erasing’ the original footage.”
Trump's ambassador to Israel writes Sledgehammer: How Breaking with the Past Brought Peace to the Middle East #CommissionEarned
Sunday, February 06, 2022
Why former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine endorsed a congressional candidate
Recently, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine endorsed Virginia Republican John Henley for the House of Representatives. Why did Bridenstine, who hewed to a strict, nonpartisan posture when he led the space agency, seemingly dip his toe back into partisan politics? The answer is that Bridenstine, a canny politician, appears to be playing the long game to make sure that space policy is given the attention that it is due in Congress by supporting a man with knowledge and experience in that area.