Sen Ted Cruz proposes space based missile defenses

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas has sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis advocating for the development of space-based missile defense systems. He cites the nuclear threat from North Korea, the pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in Iran, and the increasing superpower competition with China and Russia, which includes the development of hypersonic missiles that would evade sea and land-based missile defenses. Space-based missile defense systems would provide a boost phase opportunity to shoot down enemy missiles.

Divorce prevention starts before you offer her the ring

Maybe you have already been burned by having a first marriage collapse in a #Divorce. Maybe you are thinking of embarking on the adventure of matrimony for the first time. You should know that in the #United States the chances of any marriage ending in a divorce or a permanent separation are as high as one in two, though recently it has declined to one in three. So how do you increase the odds of staying happily married until “death do you part?”

Preserve the Earth, go back to the moon, or settle Mars

One of the reasons Elon Musk proposes a Mars colony [VIDEO] is that it would serve as a backup for #Human Civilization, just in case the worst happens to Earth. The idea has caused some controversy from environmentalists who suggest that Musk regards the home planet of humanity as disposable. Better, they suggest, that we bend all efforts to preserving the Earth before gallivanting off to someplace else.

Are UFOs Real? Yes and No

‘Fight for Space’ deserves a new look during the Trump return to the moon

“#Fight For Space,” the 2016 documentary, by Paul Hildebrandt, is somewhat dated, coming out as it did during the doldrums of the NASA space program of the Obama years. However, the film is still a worthy historical document that deserves a fresh look in light of the #trump administration’s drive to revive space exploration, focusing on commercial partnerships and a return to the moon.

First to the Moon: Kickstarter

Fight brewing between Trump administration and congress over Europa Clipper

Most of the news, coming from the #trump administration’s NASA budget request, concerns the lunar exploration initiative and the controversy surrounding plans to commercialize the International Space Station. [VIDEO] However, according to Space News, the proposal suggests that a fight may also take place over the #europa clipper mission, now slated to launch in the mid-2020s. Questions vary from whether the mission should also include a lander, how much the probe will cost when it launches, and what it will launch on.

The four most annoying things about the current gun debate

The massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas #High School in Parkland, Florida rapidly turned from a gut-wrenching tragedy to a bowl churching farce as the anti-Second Amendment people pounced in the usual way they do to demand “common sense gun laws.” The twist this time is that a kind of contrived Children’s Crusade has been started that features classroom walkouts, demonstrations, die-ins, and an atrocity of a CNN town hall meeting where PTSD-addled children were allowed to yell invectives to adults.

Ted Cruz attacked from the right for supporting the International Space Station

Space politics can take some weird, twisty turns. In the wake of the proposal to commercialize the #international space station, Sen. #Ted Cruz, R-Texas expressed his reservations [VIDEO] about the scheme, though most think he might be open to such an arrangement as long as scientific research continues to be conducted in low Earth orbit. However, Cruz has been attacked, in turn, in the pages of the American Conservative, for his support for the ISS. It seems that the junior senator from Texas needs to hand in his fiscal conservative card for supporting the “space turkey.”

With SpaceX success, what happens to NASA’s Space Launch System?

‘Heathers’ is a TV show about a different kind of high school

“Heathers,” as many people of a certain age remember, was a 1988 dark comedy about #High School cliques, murder and madness that made stars of Wynona Rider and (for a while) Christian Slater. The movie depicted a pair of young lovers who go on a murder spree against the popular kids in their school, including three first-class rhymes with witches all named Heather. One did not know whether to root against the Heathers and a pair of jocks as they were being picked off or against the mad, bad and dangerous to know J.D. played by Slater.

Will the first people back to the moon be NASA or commercial astronauts?

The most significant news in space policy did not come out of the second public meeting of the National Space Council that took place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, even though the plans for deregulating space commerce will have far-reaching effects. The day before that meeting. Acting #NASA Administrator Robert #Lightfoot spoke at the Space Transportation Association Breakfast and opened his mind about the next human landings on the lunar surface.

My appearance on The Space Show from last night

The feminist case against space exploration and settlement

One of the persistent facts that run through the history of #space exploration has been the opposition of the political left to the concept. In times past, the phenomenon has featured leftist politicians who railed against money being spent on NASA that should instead, in their view, be spent on social programs.

The patriarchal race to colonize Mars is just another example of male entitlement

The First Black Astronaut and America’s Secret Outer-Space Spy Program

Why a Houston to Brownsville Hyperloop is needed

While everyone is focused on #Elon Musk’s space ventures, thanks to the recent launch of the Falcon Heavy, work on another of his ideas, the Hyperloop, proceeds. One route that has received an approval to start boring a tunnel to contain a line between Washington and New York has won a vague approval. Another hyperloop plan that seems to be moving forward is a line in India, between Mumbai and the town of Pune.

The Tesla In Space: Art Or Travesty?

Become a Good Conspiracy Theorist With These Skills

Study: NASA spending to double in the next 22 years

Just looking at the current budget proposal for #NASA, the outlook for the next few years seems to be pretty bleak. After boosting the #Space Agency’s budget to $19.9 billion, the Trump administration plans to drop spending back to $19.6 billion a year for the following three years. That means that NASA’s budget will be flat and its buying power will be steadily eaten up by inflation. The level of spending that the space agency is expected to go back to the moon on seems absurd, even given the expected contributions from the commercial sector and international partners.

I'll be on The Space Show Tuesday discussing, among other things no doubt, the Great Utah Moon Debate that I started in the pages of the Salt Lake Tribune. Times are 10 pm easterm 9 pm central.

Romney should open his mind to space exploration

Sorry, Mark, but moon colonies are just science fiction right now

The poles of the moon are the most valuable real estate in the solar system

Study suggests that people would react positively to the discovery of alien life

When alien first contact is depicted in fiction, the story is usually accompanied by worldwide violence as alien spacecraft destroy Earth cities, and humanity mounts a last-ditch desperate defense to save itself. “Independence Day” and “War of the Worlds” come to mind. However, a recent #Study published in #Frontiers In Psychology suggests that humans would react positively to a real-world discovery of #Alien Life, at least one that doesn’t involve mass casualties and destruction.