Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Sunday, June 29, 2025
On June 18, SpaceX rolled out the latest iteration of its Starship spacecraft to the test stand for a static fire test in preparation for a test flight scheduled for June 29. Then, around 11 pm Central Standard Time, the spacecraft exploded in a fireball, taking itself and the test stand out in a spectacular conflagration.
In 1944, with the world convulsed with war, the Contessa Gabriella Doria haunts the piazzas and canals of Venice. Few people know that she is not only an agent for Britain’s MI6 but that she is also a 450 year old vampire. But one SS officer, Kurt Hesselman, knows and has vowed to destroy her, using the occult powers he was born with. Their battle will rage from Gabriella’s beloved Venice to occupied France, and hence to Great Britain on the eve of the largest sea borne invasion in history. The outcome of the war and the fate of the world will hang in the balance.
Saturday, June 28, 2025
From Book 1: 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.
Children of Apollo: The Space Race Gambit continues with Children of Apollo: The Hard Road to the Stars and concludes with Children of Apollo: The First Woman on the Moon
Friday, June 27, 2025
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Monday, June 23, 2025
Sunday, June 22, 2025
In May, President Trump announced plans for a Golden Dome missile defense system, a multi-layered system designed to ward off ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles launched against North America.
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Friday, June 20, 2025
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Regarding last night’s accident that destroyed Starship, it is too early for too many hot takes. Obviously, the next flight test has been pushed off for an indeterminate period of time, I have two suggestions, however.
Elon Musk might want to drop everything else and head to Starbase to take charge personally. Too many accidents and glitches are occurring for a vehicle that is crucial for the return to the moon and humans to Mars.
Also, wouldn’t it be great if we had a permanent NASA administrator who could determine how this latest accident affects Artemis and make the appropriate decisions? Just a thought.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Apologies for the TLDR, but when you step back, it is kind of wild what we’ve all lived through over the last five years. No wonder so many young people are anxious about the future—the ‘disturbance in the force’ feels stronger by the day.
I don’t have any grand takeaways other than this--the world could use an immediate course correction in the direction of boring--or we may really need those Mars rockets sooner than expected. One thing is for sure--Israel is making a compelling case for Golden Dome.
Monday, June 16, 2025
Sunday, June 15, 2025
The social media-driven feud between President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may have simmered down a bit, with the rhetoric cooling and Musk even deleting some of his ill-considered posts about Trump from X and then apologizing for them.
But the shockwaves generated by the tit-for-tat insults and threats still reverberate through NASA and the commercial space sector.
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Friday, June 13, 2025
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Monday, June 09, 2025
Sunday, June 08, 2025
The White House suddenly and with no clear reason why, pulled Isaacman’s nomination. After months of a confirmation process, NASA was back to square one for getting a new leader.
Saturday, June 07, 2025
SpaceX held federal contracts with agencies like NASA and the Pentagon long before Trump’s presidency, becoming a crucial partner to the federal government as it phased out the space shuttle program.
If Musk reverses on his decision to keep Dragon in commission, experts say it could debilitate the U.S. space program
“If such threats were carried out, it would be catastrophic,” said space policy expert Mark Whittington, adding later, “Without SpaceX, we’re back to being dependent on the Russians.”
NASA has increasingly relied on SpaceX for its infrastructure, including the Dragon capsule, which is the only U.S. system capable of getting crews to the International Space Station.
Russia’s Souyuz capsules, the Associated Press reported, are the only other way to get crews to the space station.
Friday, June 06, 2025
Thursday, June 05, 2025
The uneasy alliance between the two men was also strained by a recent move by the White House to nix Trump’s nominee to run NASA, Jared Isaacman, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk, a close ally of Isaacman, had advocated for him to get the job.
The decision infuriated Musk, who complained to associates over the weekend that he had donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help get Trump elected in last year’s campaign, only to see Isaacman’s nomination pulled, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. Musk’s frustration over the NASA episode made him more willing to aggressively criticize the tax bill, people close to him said. Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I was frankly gobsmacked,” Mark Whittington, an author who studies space, politics and policy, told The Hill. “Jared Isaacman is well regarded by just about everybody.”
Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Tuesday, June 03, 2025
How American entrepreneurs can help win the space race against China
Monday, June 02, 2025
The source told CNN that Musk’s exit left room for a faction of people in Trump’s inner circle, particularly Sergio Gor, the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office and longtime MAGA supporter, to advocate for installing a different nominee.
Sunday, June 01, 2025
The good news is that SpaceX fixed those problems. Starship did not explode soon after separation from the Super Heavy. But, as so often happens during test flights of cutting-edge rockets, other problems arose.
"Musk was a key factor behind Isaacman's nomination as NASA administrator, and with his backing, Isaacman was able to skip some of the party purity tests that have been applied to other Trump administration nominees. One mark against Isaacman is that he had recently donated money to Democrats. He also indicated opposition to some of the White House's proposed cuts to NASA's science budget.
"Musk's role in the government was highly controversial, winning him enemies both among opponents of Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda as well as inside the administration. One source told Ars that, with Musk's exit, his opponents within the administration sought to punish him by killing Isaacman's nomination."
Much more about this anon.Saturday, May 31, 2025
Friday, May 30, 2025
Thursday, May 29, 2025
I'm surprised there wasn't one of those cringy online chats called "Terrorists for Kamala"
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Monday, May 26, 2025
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Sometime in the near future, if all goes well, a billion or more video screens will show the image of a stainless-steel tower on the lunar surface, the Starship Human Landing System. Then, a close-up of the elevator will follow, bearing two space-suited astronauts from the crew compartment to the base of the lander.
Saturday, May 24, 2025
Friday, May 23, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
But what if things had gone differently? If Israel Lost the War by Richard Chesnoff, Edward Klein, and Robert Littel seeks to answer that question.
The alternate history novel depicts a Six Day War in reverse. The Arab air forces strike first, destroying the Israeli Air Force on the ground, The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon roll in and conquer Israel within days. The life of the Jewish state, then just 19 years old, is snuffed out.
Monday, May 19, 2025
All prayers for @ScottAdamsSays. I pray that the doctors are mistaken. But if they are not, I hope God is a Dilbert fan.
Sunday, May 18, 2025
The so-called “skinny” version of the federal budget proposal was released recently. The NASA portion is causing angst and consternation.