Month: April 2011
Bolden says Orion to be scaled back
Surprise! NASA administrator Charles Bolden told lawmakers on Monday that with the new budget the Orion capsule had to be scaled back somehow.
Watch over the next few years as Orion and the new heavy-lift vehicle (the program-formerly-called-Constellation) slowly evaporate, even as both cost us billions in money we no longer can afford.
Surprise! NASA administrator Charles Bolden told lawmakers on Monday that with the new budget the Orion capsule had to be scaled back somehow.
Watch over the next few years as Orion and the new heavy-lift vehicle (the program-formerly-called-Constellation) slowly evaporate, even as both cost us billions in money we no longer can afford.
China finds SpaceX’s launch prices challenging
Competition! China finds SpaceX’s launch prices low — and a challenge to meet.
Declining to speak for attribution, the Chinese officials say they find the published prices on the SpaceX website very low for the services offered, and concede they could not match them with the Long March series of launch vehicles even if it were possible for them to launch satellites with U.S. components in them.
Competition! China finds SpaceX’s launch prices low — and a challenge to meet.
Declining to speak for attribution, the Chinese officials say they find the published prices on the SpaceX website very low for the services offered, and concede they could not match them with the Long March series of launch vehicles even if it were possible for them to launch satellites with U.S. components in them.
TSA security looks at people who complain about … TSA security
So you think you have freedom of speech? The TSA specifically singles out people who complain about TSA security.
So you think you have freedom of speech? The TSA specifically singles out people who complain about TSA security.
SWAT Team Sent In to Confiscate 13-Year-Old Over Unneeded Medication
Our land of freedom: SWAT team sent in to confiscate 13-year-old over unneeded medication.
Our land of freedom: SWAT team sent in to confiscate 13-year-old over unneeded medication.
“Our current unfunded entitlement liabilities run about $100 trillion.”
Federal funding for IPCC back in budget
The pigs win: Funding for the IPCC restored to budget in 2011 budget deal.
The pigs win: Funding for the IPCC restored to budget in 2011 budget deal.
No deal
No deal. Key quote:
If Democrats are not going to do even minor surgery on Medicare and Medicaid and Republicans are not going to raise taxes, there is no hope of big budget deal to cut a deficit now running at 11 percent of gross domestic product.
And that raises another question. How long can the Federal Reserve continue financing these deficits? China, choking on U.S. debt, is reportedly beginning to divest itself of U.S. bonds. Japan will need to sell U.S. bonds to get hard currency to repair the damage from the earthquake and tsunami. And the Fed is about to end its QE2 monthly purchases of $100 billion in U.S. bonds. Where is the Fed going to borrow the $125 billion a month to finance this year’s deficit of $1.65 trillion, and another of comparable size in 2012? Bill Gross’ Pimco, the world’s largest bond fund, has sold all his U.S. bonds and begun to short U.S. debt. Pimco is betting that the value of U.S. Treasury bonds will begin to fall.
We may be about to enter a maelstrom.
No deal. Key quote:
If Democrats are not going to do even minor surgery on Medicare and Medicaid and Republicans are not going to raise taxes, there is no hope of big budget deal to cut a deficit now running at 11 percent of gross domestic product.
And that raises another question. How long can the Federal Reserve continue financing these deficits? China, choking on U.S. debt, is reportedly beginning to divest itself of U.S. bonds. Japan will need to sell U.S. bonds to get hard currency to repair the damage from the earthquake and tsunami. And the Fed is about to end its QE2 monthly purchases of $100 billion in U.S. bonds. Where is the Fed going to borrow the $125 billion a month to finance this year’s deficit of $1.65 trillion, and another of comparable size in 2012? Bill Gross’ Pimco, the world’s largest bond fund, has sold all his U.S. bonds and begun to short U.S. debt. Pimco is betting that the value of U.S. Treasury bonds will begin to fall.
We may be about to enter a maelstrom.
Useful idiot hanged by Palestinians
Useful idiot: Pro-Palestinian activist murdered by Islamic Palestinians.
Useful idiot: Pro-Palestinian activist murdered by Islamic Palestinians.
Air Force and NRO ink deal with SpaceX
Who says there aren’t customers for the new rocket companies? The Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office have inked a deal with SpaceX, preliminary to using the company’s rockets to launch military satellites.
Who says there aren’t customers for the new rocket companies? The Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office have inked a deal with SpaceX, preliminary to using the company’s rockets to launch military satellites.
Congress removes wolf from endangered list
Congress removes the wolf from the endangered list. From Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana):
“Right now, Montana’s wolf population is out of balance and this provision will get us back on the responsible path with state management. Wolves have recovered in the Northern Rockies. By untying the hands of the Montana biologists who know how to keep the proper balance, we will restore healthy wildlife populations and we will protect livestock. This provision is best for our wildlife, our livestock and for wolves themselves.”
I don’t know if Tester’s description of the situation in Montana is accurate (though I tend to rely on local expertise in these matters). However, to get an opposing viewpoint the article above goes to the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization I do know something about. In caving matters relating to white nose syndrome, CBD has pushed extremist and outright ignorant policy positions (trying for example to have all caves and mines on all public lands closed in order to protect bats, even though there is literally no evidence that such an action made sense). I would not trust their opinions under any condition.
Congress removes the wolf from the endangered list. From Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana):
“Right now, Montana’s wolf population is out of balance and this provision will get us back on the responsible path with state management. Wolves have recovered in the Northern Rockies. By untying the hands of the Montana biologists who know how to keep the proper balance, we will restore healthy wildlife populations and we will protect livestock. This provision is best for our wildlife, our livestock and for wolves themselves.”
I don’t know if Tester’s description of the situation in Montana is accurate (though I tend to rely on local expertise in these matters). However, to get an opposing viewpoint the article above goes to the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization I do know something about. In caving matters relating to white nose syndrome, CBD has pushed extremist and outright ignorant policy positions (trying for example to have all caves and mines on all public lands closed in order to protect bats, even though there is literally no evidence that such an action made sense). I would not trust their opinions under any condition.
No Future For X-37B?
The Ford Model T
Why Houston Did Not Get A Shuttle
Wayne Hale: Why Houston did not get a shuttle.
Wayne Hale: Why Houston did not get a shuttle.
An asteroid that winks
An asteroid that winks.
An asteroid that winks.
Battery powered Chevy Volt produces more CO2 than an ordinary gasoline engine
The electric-powered Chevy Volt actually produces more CO2 than an ordinary gasoline engine!
I don’t know if the analysis in the above article is completely accurate, but it sure suggests that switching to electric cars over gasoline is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and is probably not a good idea.
The electric-powered Chevy Volt actually produces more CO2 than an ordinary gasoline engine!
I don’t know if the analysis in the above article is completely accurate, but it sure suggests that switching to electric cars over gasoline is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and is probably not a good idea.
Liquefaction
The real disaster in Japan continues: Liquefaction.
The real disaster in Japan continues: Liquefaction.
The WISE space telescope results go online
The WISE infrared space telescope results are now online, for anyone to search.
Data from the first 57 percent of the sky surveyed is accessible through an online public archive. The complete survey, with improved data processing, will be made available in the spring of 2012. A predecessor to WISE, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), served a similar role about 25 years ago, and those data are still valuable to astronomers today. Likewise, the WISE legacy is expected to endure for decades.
You can hunt for new asteroids, comets, and galaxies here, with instructions on how to do it here.
The WISE infrared space telescope results are now online, for anyone to search.
Data from the first 57 percent of the sky surveyed is accessible through an online public archive. The complete survey, with improved data processing, will be made available in the spring of 2012. A predecessor to WISE, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), served a similar role about 25 years ago, and those data are still valuable to astronomers today. Likewise, the WISE legacy is expected to endure for decades.
You can hunt for new asteroids, comets, and galaxies here, with instructions on how to do it here.
NASA Faces Awkward, Unfortunate Spaceflight Gap
Reality bites: NASA faces awkward, unfortunate spaceflight gap.
Reality bites: NASA faces awkward, unfortunate spaceflight gap.
House approves 2011 budget deal in 260-167 bipartisan vote
With substantial numbers of Republicans and Democrats voting against, the House today nonetheless approved last week’s budget deal for the 2011 fiscal year by a vote of 260-167.
Next important deadline: on May 16 or so the federal government should reach its debt limit.
With substantial numbers of Republicans and Democrats voting against, the House today nonetheless approved last week’s budget deal for the 2011 fiscal year by a vote of 260-167.
Next important deadline: on May 16 or so the federal government should reach its debt limit.
A revolt on the right over budget deal?
A revolt on the right over budget deal?
“There is a gut feeling in some quarters today that the Boehner-Obama deal could be in bigger trouble than anybody realizes.”
A revolt on the right over budget deal?
“There is a gut feeling in some quarters today that the Boehner-Obama deal could be in bigger trouble than anybody realizes.”
Taxing the rich will not solve the problem
Because it is often claimed that we can solve our federal budget problems by closing loopholes and increasing taxes on the wealthy, I thought I’d share this video from Bill Whittle, dramatizing this Iowahawk essay.
We can argue all day about whether we should increase taxes on the wealthy, but that is not going to solve our debt problem. Even if we confiscated every penny of profit from every person or corporation earning more than million dollars a year, we would still not make the slightest dent in the federal deficit.
Our federal government is simply spending money it doesn’t have. We need to cut spending, and cut spending drastically, in order to gain some control over this problem.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to me the American people or Congress are yet willing to face this fact.
Marvel ends publication of Fantastic Four comic
After 588 issues, Marvel to end publication of the Fantastic Four comic book.
After 588 issues, Marvel to end publication of the Fantastic Four comic book.
The Obama adminstration in 8 charts
The squeals at NOAA
The pig squeals at NOAA: The agency’s administrator told Congress yesterday that the 2011 budget deal will cause great harm to weather monitoring.
Note that NOAA is getting $4.5 billion in the 2011 budget, $700 million more than the weather agency got in 2008.
Only in Washington is a budget increase of almost 20 percent in three years called a draconian cut.
The pig squeals at NOAA: The agency’s administrator told Congress yesterday that the 2011 budget deal will cause great harm to weather monitoring.
Note that NOAA is getting $4.5 billion in the 2011 budget, $700 million more than the weather agency got in 2008.
Only in Washington is a budget increase of almost 20 percent in three years called a draconian cut.
Budget problems might delay JWST until 2018
The telescope that ate astronomy: More budget problems for the James Webb Space Telescope, with its launch likely delayed again until 2018.
The telescope that ate astronomy: More budget problems for the James Webb Space Telescope, with its launch likely delayed again until 2018.
Experiment fails to find dark matter
The uncertainty of science: An underground experiment in Italy has failed to detect dark matter, as theorized by scientists.
In a paper published online last night, the XENON100 researchers report three events detected during a 100-day run of the experiment last year that might have been due to dark matter1. However, as they expected to see between 1.2 and 2.4 background events — interactions mostly caused by a radioactive contaminant in the xenon — their result is statistically negative and therefore rules out the existence of many of the more strongly interacting and heavier WIMPs.
The uncertainty of science: An underground experiment in Italy has failed to detect dark matter, as theorized by scientists.
In a paper published online last night, the XENON100 researchers report three events detected during a 100-day run of the experiment last year that might have been due to dark matter1. However, as they expected to see between 1.2 and 2.4 background events — interactions mostly caused by a radioactive contaminant in the xenon — their result is statistically negative and therefore rules out the existence of many of the more strongly interacting and heavier WIMPs.
Boeing moves forward on its commercial manned capsule
Boeing moves forward on its commercial manned capsule.
Boeing moves forward on its commercial manned capsule.
Budget deal cuts this year’s deficit by just $352 million, not $38 billion
They really do think we are all fools: Last week’s budget deal actually cuts this year’s deficit by only $352 million, not $38 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
And they might be right.
They really do think we are all fools: Last week’s budget deal actually cuts this year’s deficit by only $352 million, not $38 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
And they might be right.