Is shooting down Phobos-Grunt an option?
Is shooting down Phobos-Grunt an option?
Is shooting down Phobos-Grunt an option?
Month: November 2011
Is shooting down Phobos-Grunt an option?
Curing cancer using DNA and drugs
Curing cancer using DNA and drugs.
Curing cancer using DNA and drugs.
Soyuz capsule had docked with ISS
The Soyuz capsule with three astronauts has successfully docked with ISS.
The Soyuz capsule with three astronauts has successfully docked with ISS.
Another ObamaCare Glitch
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act offers “premium assistance”—tax credits and subsidies—to households purchasing coverage through new health-insurance exchanges. This assistance was designed to hide a portion of the law’s cost to individuals by reducing the premium hikes that individuals will face after ObamaCare goes into effect in 2014. (If consumers face the law’s full cost, support for repeal will grow.)
The law encourages states to create health-insurance exchanges, but it permits Washington to create them if states decline. So far, only 17 states have passed legislation to create an exchange.
This is where the glitch comes in: ObamaCare authorizes premium assistance in state-run exchanges (Section 1311) but not federal ones (Section 1321). In other words, states that refuse to create an exchange can block much of ObamaCare’s spending and practically force Congress to reopen the law for revisions.
The Obama administration’s solution? Ignore the law as written.
I have a better idea: Repeal the damn thing!
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act offers “premium assistance”—tax credits and subsidies—to households purchasing coverage through new health-insurance exchanges. This assistance was designed to hide a portion of the law’s cost to individuals by reducing the premium hikes that individuals will face after ObamaCare goes into effect in 2014. (If consumers face the law’s full cost, support for repeal will grow.)
The law encourages states to create health-insurance exchanges, but it permits Washington to create them if states decline. So far, only 17 states have passed legislation to create an exchange.
This is where the glitch comes in: ObamaCare authorizes premium assistance in state-run exchanges (Section 1311) but not federal ones (Section 1321). In other words, states that refuse to create an exchange can block much of ObamaCare’s spending and practically force Congress to reopen the law for revisions.
The Obama administration’s solution? Ignore the law as written.
I have a better idea: Repeal the damn thing!
Is Newt Gingrich America’s Churchill?
Is Newt Gingrich America’s Churchill?
As the author himself says, “The thought startles.” However, it is quite a fascinating read, founded strongly in history.
Is Newt Gingrich America’s Churchill?
As the author himself says, “The thought startles.” However, it is quite a fascinating read, founded strongly in history.
The Winds of Mars
Images taken 1363 days apart.
In two different papers published in two different journals in the past month, scientists have concluded that — despite the thinness of the planet’s atmosphere — the dunes and sands of Mars are being continually shaped and changed by its winds. In both papers the data from which this conclusion was drawn came from high resolution images taken by the HiRISE camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
What is especially interesting about this conclusion is that the climate models that had been developed for the Martian atmosphere, combined with wind measurements gathered by the various Martian landers, had all suggested that the kind of strong winds necessary to move sand were rare. To quote the abstract of the paper published on Monday in the journal Geology, Bridges, et al,
Prior to Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data, images of Mars showed no direct evidence for dune and ripple motion. This was consistent with climate models and lander measurements indicating that winds of sufficient intensity to mobilize sand were rare in the low-density atmosphere.
Similarly, the second paper, Silvestro, et al, published on October 22 in Geophysical Research Letters, stated that
results from wind tunnel simulations and atmospheric models show that such strong wind events should be rare in the current Martian atmospheric setting.
Yet, both studies found significant evidence that such winds do occur on Mars, and are moving sand in many different places.
» Read more
Ray Lynch – The Vanished Gardens of Cordoba
Congress has slashed the budget of John Holdren’s White House Science Office
The Senate/House final deal for the White House Science Office has slashed its budget by one third.
Frustrated that White House officials [i.e. John Holdren] have ignored congressional language curtailing scientific collaborations with China, legislators have decided to get their attention through a 32% cut in the tiny budget of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
See this story for more background.
The Senate/House final deal for the White House Science Office has slashed its budget by one third.
Frustrated that White House officials [i.e. John Holdren] have ignored congressional language curtailing scientific collaborations with China, legislators have decided to get their attention through a 32% cut in the tiny budget of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
See this story for more background.
Government inspector forces private citizens in a private house to pour bleach on home-grown food
We’re here to help you: A government inspector arrives during a meal and forces private citizens on private property to destroy the home-grown food.
Susan [the inspector] deemed our food unfit for consumption and demanded that we call off the event because:
1. Some of the prepared food packages did not have labels on them. (The code actually allows for this if it is to be consumed within 72 hours.)
2. Some of the meat was not USDA certified. (Did I mention that this was a farm to fork meal?)
3. Some of the food that was prepared in advance was not up to temperature at the time of inspection. (It was being prepared to be brought to proper temperature for serving when the inspection occurred.)
4. Even the vegetables prepared in advance had to be thrown out because they were cut and were then considered a “bio-hazard”.
5. We did not have receipts for our food. (Reminder! This food came from farms not from the supermarket! I have talked with several chefs who have said that in all their years cooking they have never been asked for receipts.)
I don’t actually agree with most of the ideas of the organic farm-to-fork movement. However, I find it beyond disgusting that our government thinks it has the right tell us what we can eat.
We’re here to help you: A government inspector arrives during a meal and forces private citizens on private property to destroy the home-grown food.
Susan [the inspector] deemed our food unfit for consumption and demanded that we call off the event because:
1. Some of the prepared food packages did not have labels on them. (The code actually allows for this if it is to be consumed within 72 hours.)
2. Some of the meat was not USDA certified. (Did I mention that this was a farm to fork meal?)
3. Some of the food that was prepared in advance was not up to temperature at the time of inspection. (It was being prepared to be brought to proper temperature for serving when the inspection occurred.)
4. Even the vegetables prepared in advance had to be thrown out because they were cut and were then considered a “bio-hazard”.
5. We did not have receipts for our food. (Reminder! This food came from farms not from the supermarket! I have talked with several chefs who have said that in all their years cooking they have never been asked for receipts.)
I don’t actually agree with most of the ideas of the organic farm-to-fork movement. However, I find it beyond disgusting that our government thinks it has the right tell us what we can eat.
The Wisconsin doctors who issued fake sick notes during the protests earlier this year will face the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board on Wednesday
The Wisconsin doctors who issued fake sick notes during the labor protests earlier this year will face disciplinary hearings on Wednesday.
The Wisconsin doctors who issued fake sick notes during the labor protests earlier this year will face disciplinary hearings on Wednesday.
Firing Incompetent Employees ‘Would Harm The Agency’s Work,’ SEC Chief Says
A wonderful example of why government does such a poor job: Firing incompetent employees “would harm the agency’s work,” according to the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. More here.
A wonderful example of why government does such a poor job: Firing incompetent employees “would harm the agency’s work,” according to the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. More here.
NASA extends Messenger mission at Mercury one year
No surprise here: NASA has extended the Messenger mission at Mercury for one more year.
No surprise here: NASA has extended the Messenger mission at Mercury for one more year.
Bronze artifact found in Alaska
A bronze artifact, resembling the remains of a buckle and a thousand years older than the house being excavated, has been found by archeologists in Alaska.
One Asia archaeologist suggested the piece may have been part of a harness or horse ornament. The researchers are looking for an East Asia expert to confer with on the bronze piece. Mason said it’s not likely the bronze piece was washed ashore after being dropped by a Russian explorer or a whaler. “That’s totally unlikely, in fact nearly impossible, considering where it is,” he said.
A bronze artifact, resembling the remains of a buckle and a thousand years older than the house being excavated, has been found by archeologists in Alaska.
One Asia archaeologist suggested the piece may have been part of a harness or horse ornament. The researchers are looking for an East Asia expert to confer with on the bronze piece. Mason said it’s not likely the bronze piece was washed ashore after being dropped by a Russian explorer or a whaler. “That’s totally unlikely, in fact nearly impossible, considering where it is,” he said.
The Mystery of the Lunar Ionosphere
The mystery of the Moon’s ionosphere.
The mystery of the Moon’s ionosphere.
NASA budget compromise
Congress has come up with a NASA budget compromise. More details here.
Overall, the NASA budget is cut by about a half billion dollars, the total matching what the agency got in 2009. The key figures are $406 million for commercial manned space, $3 billion for NASA’s in-house heavy-lift rocket and capsule, and $529 million to finish the Webb telescope.
I predict that the $3 billion will be a waste of money, the project getting cancelled before completion.
Congress has come up with a NASA budget compromise. More details here.
Overall, the NASA budget is cut by about a half billion dollars, the total matching what the agency got in 2009. The key figures are $406 million for commercial manned space, $3 billion for NASA’s in-house heavy-lift rocket and capsule, and $529 million to finish the Webb telescope.
I predict that the $3 billion will be a waste of money, the project getting cancelled before completion.
Gold plated interstellar clouds, sprayed by supernovae
Voyager 2 has switched to backup thrusters in an effort to extend the spacecraft’s life
Voyager 2, 9 billion miles away, has successfully switched to using its backup thrusters in an effort to extend the spacecraft’s life at least another decade.
Voyager 2, 9 billion miles away, has successfully switched to using its backup thrusters in an effort to extend the spacecraft’s life at least another decade.
Shifou Mountain Footpath Construction
An evening pause: In China they are building a tourist footpath on the side of Shifou Mountain. For additional information as well as video of the work, go here.
A plank path along cliffs is taking shape in a scenic spot in Yuyang city, South China’s Hunan Province. The path zigzags several hundred meters long but is only one meter wide along cliffs, without guardrail. The path builders walk on it as if in an ordinary street.
NASA, the federal budget, and common sense
Let’s be blunt: the federal government is broke. With deficits running in the billions per day, there simply is no spare cash for any program, no matter how important or necessary. Nothing is sacrosanct. Even a proposal to cure cancer should be carefully reviewed before it gets federal funding.
Everything has got to be on the table.
Thus, no one should have been surprised when word leaked two weeks ago that the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama administration was proposing cutting the entire unmanned planetary program at NASA, while simultaneously eviscerating the space agency’s astronomy program. No more missions to Mars. No probes to Europa or Titan. Further and longer delays before the James Webb Space Telescope is completed. And Kepler’s mission to find Earth Like planets orbiting other stars would end mid-mission.
The Obama administration has to find ways to trim the budget, and apparently it is considering eliminating these programs as a way to do it.
Yet, the money spent on space astronomy and planetary research is a pinprick. Considering that the federal government overspends its budget by approximately $3.5 billion per day, and the total amount of money spent on these two science programs equals about $2.4 billion per year, it seems senseless at first to focus on these kinds of cuts. Quite clearly, even eliminating them entirely will not put the federal budget into the black.
Now I am not one to say, “Cut the budget, but please leave my favorite programs alone!” I recognize the serious financial state of the nation, and realize that any budget suggestions I make must include significant total cuts to NASA’s budget.
As a space historian and science journalist who knows a great deal about NASA, however, I also know that there is plenty of room for cuts in NASA’s budget. By picking our priorities carefully at a time when our options are limited, NASA might even be able to accomplish more, not less, with a smaller budget.
Moreover, if I, as a space junky, think it is possible to continue NASA’s most important programs and still trim its budget by 15% to 20%, in real dollars, doesn’t that suggest that the same could be done across the entire federal government?
All it takes is a little knowledge, some common sense, and the courage to say no.
» Read more
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the challenge to Obamacare during this term
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Obamacare during this term, with an expected decision to occur prior to next year’s elections.
No matter how the court rules, the timing here is not good for Obama and the Democrat Party. If the court kills the law, it will illustrate how misguided it was. If they uphold it, it will only fire up the voter base that wants it repealed to vote against the party that passed and still supports the law. And that voter base has consistently been made up of large majorities of the population, based on every poll taken since the law was first proposed.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Obamacare during this term, with an expected decision to occur prior to next year’s elections.
No matter how the court rules, the timing here is not good for Obama and the Democrat Party. If the court kills the law, it will illustrate how misguided it was. If they uphold it, it will only fire up the voter base that wants it repealed to vote against the party that passed and still supports the law. And that voter base has consistently been made up of large majorities of the population, based on every poll taken since the law was first proposed.
The Chinese have completed a second docking at their space station
The Chinese have successfully completed today a second test docking between the unmanned Shenzhou space capsule and their space station Tiangong 1.
The Chinese have successfully completed today a second test docking between the unmanned Shenzhou space capsule and their space station Tiangong 1.
A Singaporean businessman, his wife and two children have paid $1 million to become the first Asian family to fly together on SpaceShipTwo
This is my idea of a family outing: A Singapore businessman, his wife, and two children have paid $1 million to become the first Asian family to fly together on SpaceShipTwo.
This is my idea of a family outing: A Singapore businessman, his wife, and two children have paid $1 million to become the first Asian family to fly together on SpaceShipTwo.
Russian space agency head says there is still a chance to save Phobos-Grunt
The head of the Russian space agency said yesterday that there is still a chance to save Phobos-Grunt.
“The probe is going to be in orbit until January, but in the first days of December the window will close” to re-programme it, he told Russian news agencies at Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
He also said that the probe will not pose a threat, and will burn up in the atmosphere if it should fall to Earth.
The head of the Russian space agency said yesterday that there is still a chance to save Phobos-Grunt.
“The probe is going to be in orbit until January, but in the first days of December the window will close” to re-programme it, he told Russian news agencies at Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
He also said that the probe will not pose a threat, and will burn up in the atmosphere if it should fall to Earth.
Scheduling the next Dragon flight, the first to dock with ISS
Scheduling the next Dragon flight, the first to hopefully berth with ISS.
Presently they are saying early January, though it appears that no one will be surprised if it gets delayed to February.
Scheduling the next Dragon flight, the first to hopefully berth with ISS.
Presently they are saying early January, though it appears that no one will be surprised if it gets delayed to February.
A first glimpse inside Fukushima since the March 11 earthquake
A first glimpse inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant since the March 11 earthquake.
A first glimpse inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant since the March 11 earthquake.
Soyuz rocket successfully launches three astronauts into orbit
A Soyuz rocket has successfully launched three astronauts into orbit.
This is the first manned launch since the shuttles were retired, and the first Russian manned mission since the failure of a Soyuz rocket in August. If all goes well, the astronauts will dock with ISS in two days.
A Soyuz rocket has successfully launched three astronauts into orbit.
This is the first manned launch since the shuttles were retired, and the first Russian manned mission since the failure of a Soyuz rocket in August. If all goes well, the astronauts will dock with ISS in two days.
Police clear out Occupy protesters in Portland, arresting fifty
Update in Portland: The police have cleared out the Occupy protesters there, arresting fifty in the process.
Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that any serious violence occurred. Kudos to the police, as well as the protesters.
I take back my kind words about the protesters above. There is now evidence that at least some Occupy Portland protesters wanted to do serious harm, using “homemade grenades”.
Update in Portland: The police have cleared out the Occupy protesters there, arresting fifty in the process.
Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that any serious violence occurred. Kudos to the police, as well as the protesters.
I take back my kind words about the protesters above. There is now evidence that at least some Occupy Portland protesters wanted to do serious harm, using “homemade grenades”.
Deborah Harry – The Tide is High
An evening pause: Deborah Harry performing The Tide is High live, with a full orchestra, a horde of dancers, and audience participation.
Occupy Portland protesters prepare to confront police
Peace and love: It appears the Occupy Portland protesters are preparing to confront the police with homemade weapons and reinforcements.
People in the camp are expecting 100-300 re-enforcements from various locations. There may even be as many as 150 anarchists who will arrive soon. There is information that people may be in the in trees during a police action and that there are people who are attempting to obtain a large number of gas masks. There is a hole being dug in one of the parks and wood is being used to reinforce the area around it. There are reports that nails have been hammered into wood for weapons and that generally there are people in the camps preparing for a confrontation with police. . . People were seen carrying pallets into the camp shortly after 1:00 a.m. this morning. The destination of the pallets is a structure with graffiti in the northwest part of Chapman Park, also known as “The 420 Hotel”. The people there are very suspicious of any passers by, we are not sure at this point what exactly they are doing. We have been told it looks like they were making shields.
Peace and love: It appears the Occupy Portland protesters are preparing to confront the police with homemade weapons and reinforcements.
People in the camp are expecting 100-300 re-enforcements from various locations. There may even be as many as 150 anarchists who will arrive soon. There is information that people may be in the in trees during a police action and that there are people who are attempting to obtain a large number of gas masks. There is a hole being dug in one of the parks and wood is being used to reinforce the area around it. There are reports that nails have been hammered into wood for weapons and that generally there are people in the camps preparing for a confrontation with police. . . People were seen carrying pallets into the camp shortly after 1:00 a.m. this morning. The destination of the pallets is a structure with graffiti in the northwest part of Chapman Park, also known as “The 420 Hotel”. The people there are very suspicious of any passers by, we are not sure at this point what exactly they are doing. We have been told it looks like they were making shields.
NASA halting work on its J-2X rocket engine
Par for the course: NASA, having successfully completed a 500 second test of the J-2X rocket engine, has halted all further development work on that engine.
The NASA program to build the heavy-lift rocket is expected to get $1.2 billion per year, and yet it doesn’t have enough money to develop both its first and second stages simultaneously? Kind of proves my point that NASA’s fixed labor costs, imposed on it by Congress, makes it impossible for the agency to ever build anything at a competitive price.
The result: every project dies stillborn.
Par for the course: NASA, having successfully completed a 500 second test of the J-2X rocket engine, has halted all further development work on that engine.
The NASA program to build the heavy-lift rocket is expected to get $1.2 billion per year, and yet it doesn’t have enough money to develop both its first and second stages simultaneously? Kind of proves my point that NASA’s fixed labor costs, imposed on it by Congress, makes it impossible for the agency to ever build anything at a competitive price.
The result: every project dies stillborn.