The federal government’s debt ceiling will be reached no later than the end of February, and possibly sooner.
The day of reckoning looms: The federal government’s debt ceiling will be reached no later than the end of February, and possibly sooner.
Year: 2012
Space tourism — in a balloon.
Space tourism — in a balloon.
A newly successful test of a balloon could allow paying human customers to enjoy stunning Earth views and the weightless astronaut experience by 2014. The test balloon carried a humanoid robot up to an altitude of almost 20 miles (32 kilometers) on Nov. 12 — just a few miles shy of where skydiver Felix Baumgartner leaped from during his “space dive” in October. Startup Zero 2 Infinity wants to eventually offer hours of flight time for space tourists to do whatever they want in a near-space environment.
Ticket prices are $143K. And they have a list of customers who have already plunked down deposits.
Twenty places that you should try to visit before you die.
Twenty places that you should try to visit before you die.
Photo Op meets red tape. Red tape wins.
Photo Op meets red tape. Red tape wins.
I find quite disturbing how people still have faith in the empty promises made by politicians at a disaster scene. The politician is there for only one reason: to look good for the cameras. Rarely if ever does that appearance mean a damn thing. If anything, it will only hinder relief efforts, as local authorities have to scramble to deal with the politician’s entourage rather than deal with disaster victims and their problems.
I actually have far more respect for politicians who stay away during these times of crisis, rare as they are. They show common sense and good judgment.
The waterfalls of Iceland
An evening pause:
SpaceX and Stratolaunch have parted ways.
SpaceX and Stratolaunch have parted ways.
In the original plan, Stratolaunch would build the first stage, the biggest airplane every built, which would lift the second stage, SpaceX’s Falcon 9, into the air. It appears, however, that the modifications required to make the Falcon 9 work in this configuration were not in SpaceX’s interest, so the company backed out and Stratolaunch has instead made a deal with Orbital Sciences to provide the second stage rocket.
NASA is soliciting ideas on how to use the two Cold War era telescopes given to the space agency by the military.
NASA is soliciting ideas on how to use the two Cold War era telescopes given to the space agency by the military.
Both telescopes are comparable in size to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Why state regulation is better than federal regulation
In response to my condemnation of the insane requirement by Obamacare that restaurants and take-out pizza delivery services publicly post on their menus the calorie count for every item, including a calorie count for each of the literally thousands of topping variations for pizzas, regular reader Patrick Ritchie asked me, “What level of super market labeling would you support?”
I replied, “I think the federal government has no business requiring any labeling at all. This is a state matter, pure and simple, both for practical and Constitutional reasons.”
He responded, “Which practical reasons? I’m genuinely curious. What makes a state regulation inherently better than a federal one?”
My response to this last question was quite long, and after reading it Patrick suggested I elevate the comment into a full headlined post. I have decided to do so. Here is what I wrote, edited slightly for clarity:
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The Russians today announced a reorganization of their space industry.
The Russians today announced a reorganization of their space industry.
An obvious attempt to deal with their increasing production and quality control problems, this proposal has both good and bad parts to it.
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Los Alamos engineers have successfully tested a simple fission nuclear reactor for generating electricity in space.
Los Alamos engineers have successfully tested a simple fission nuclear reactor for generating electricity in space.
Echostar signs a multi-satellite deal using the Ariane 5 rocket.
The competition heats up: Echostar signs a multi-satellite deal using the Ariane 5 rocket.
Several points:
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Impressive radar images of near-Earth asteroid 2007 PA8 were taken during its recent fly-by of Earth.
Impressive radar images of near-Earth asteroid 2007 PA8 were taken during its recent fly-by of Earth.
The images … reveal possible craters, boulders, an irregular, asymmetric shape, and very slow rotation. The asteroid measures approximately one mile wide (about 1.6 kilometers).
The asteroid poses no threat to Earth. The resolution of the images, however, is astonishing, especially considering it was done by radar.