Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Why is America Going Back to the Moon (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Monday, July 29, 2024
Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again)
Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, departed from the lunar surface on December 14, 1972. The last words he spoke, officially, were, “And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return: with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17." Decades later, despite the efforts of two American presidents, human beings have not returned to the moon. Why Earth’s nearest neighbor remains untouched by human footsteps after so long remains one of the vexing questions of modern times. Mark R. Whittington, the author of the Children of Apollo trilogy and The Last Moonwalker and Other Stories, attempts to answer this question in his new long essay Why is it so Hard to Go Back to the Moon? The answer involves failures of leadership of multiple American presidents as well as political intrigue and backstabbing that shortened the Apollo program and left two return to the Moon programs stillborn. More important, Whittington seeks to set out a political blue print, learning from mistakes of the past, for setting course back to the Moon. Why is it so Hard to Go Back to the Moon is not a typical future in space book. The author does not delve into technical designs for lunar voyages. Instead he looks at the much harder than rocket science art of politics in relation to returning to the Moon. Why is it so Hard to Go Back to the Moon? is a must read for anyone interested in influencing future space policy or who are just interested in learning about the intersection between space exploration and politics.<>P>
Sunday, July 28, 2024
NASA’s VIPER cancellation is more than a disappointment, it’s a scandal
Space News reports that NASA has stopped work on the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). The space agency has run out of money and, absent a last-minute salvation by Congress or either a commercial or international entity, the mission will not fly.
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Kamala Harris the 'soul-destroying bully': Former staff expose shock details of degrading tirades, decades-long 'toxic' behavior that left people in TEARS - and saw them quit at unprecedented levels
Friday, July 26, 2024
A Brother on the Moon #CommissionEarned
On a December day in 1967, a pilot whose jet fighter is in the process of cracking up ejects a moment sooner and therefore lives when he otherwise might have died. A life that would have ended on the tarmac at Edwards Air Force Base continues on. Six years later, Major Robert Lawrence, United States Air Force, becomes the first black American to walk on the Moon.
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Why is America Going Back to the Moon (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Monday, July 22, 2024
Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Sunday, July 21, 2024
President Joe Biden Drops Out Of 2024 Presidential Race
This has LBJ in 1968 vibes all over again. All is chaos under heaven and the situation is excellent.
Update. He's endorsed Kamala.
Can the Boeing Starliner bring back its astronauts and its reputation?
The first crewed flight of the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station was supposed to last just eight days.
The Starliner lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on June 5 with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams and, after problems with helium leaks and thrusters, docked with the ISS. About a month and a half later, Wilmore and Williams are still on the ISS, doing useful work, but with no return date set as of yet.
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Friday, July 19, 2024
Republican Party platform goes all in on space exploration
The Republican National Convention that took place in Milwaukee this week occurred in the wake of the attempted assassination of the once and likely future president, Donald Trump — an event that has become the defining moment of the 2024 election. However, a section tucked within the Republican platform will likely have more far-reaching effects than the shots that rang out in Butler, Pennsylvania, last Saturday.
In Chapter 3, which relates the Republican Party position on the economy, part of a section that deals with innovation and mentions space exploration stands out.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Why is America Going Back to the Moon (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Apollo 11’s memories are fueling excitement for the Artemis generation
The 55th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969, is drawing nigh. The anniversary falls under the shadow of the Artemis program, which intends to land astronauts on the lunar surface sometime later this decade.
The anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing has been a bittersweet occasion for a long time. Nobody has walked on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in December 1972. Until recently, the prospect of anyone else visiting the moon seemed to be remote at best. Apollo seemed to represent a lost time of glory that was unlikely to recur.
Monday, July 15, 2024
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Sunday, July 07, 2024
Why is Jeff Bezos launching another lawfare attack on SpaceX?
However, to use that phrase from “Die Hard,” Jeff Bezos, whose Blue Origin company aspires to be a competitor to SpaceX, is trying to be a fly in the ointment, a monkey in the wrench, a pain in the backside where Elon Musk’s long-term plans are concerned.
Bezos has filed a complaint with the FAA seeking to curb Starship launches from the Kennedy Space Center, which Musk plans to do once the giant rocket is operational. Bezos’s excuse is that launching too many Starships would be bad for the environment.
Saturday, July 06, 2024
Friday, July 05, 2024
The Attack by Kurt Schlichter #CommissionEarned
"From the author of the bestselling Kelly Turnbull People’s Republic series of action novels comes his latest thriller, THE ATTACK. Set in the very near future and ripped from today’s headlines, THE ATTACK is a terrifying novel that describes in frightening detail exactly how America’s enemies could launch a massive terrorist assault here at home. From the White House to the Middle East, from the blood-stained streets of America’s suburbs to the cockpit of a B-2 bomber that will initiate the first blow in America’s merciless vengeance, THE ATTACK blends vivid realism with stirring action.
"With input from key military and counterterrorism experts, THE ATTACK tells the story of a cunning, implacable, and brutal enemy taking advantage of a confused and weak president to launch an assault that dwarfs Hamas’s strike on Israel. With a wide-open border and American law enforcement focused on churchgoers and parents attending schoolboard meetings, the jihadist enemy can pick the time and place for its deadly attack. The only things standing in its way are the courage of America’s brave first responders and military, as well as regular citizens who are caught up in the bloodshed and are forced to fight back."
Thursday, July 04, 2024
Wednesday, July 03, 2024
Why is America Going Back to the Moon (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned
Tuesday, July 02, 2024
Monday, July 01, 2024
Why is it So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? (How America went to the moon, stopped, and is returning again) #CommissionEarned