With a successful Soyuz docking today, ISS is back to a full six person crew.
With a successful Soyuz docking today, ISS is back to a full six person crew.
Year: 2012
“We will make sure that the person who made that film is arrested and prosecuted.”
Guess who said this: “We will make sure that the person who made that film is arrested and prosecuted.”
And the speaker was not an Islamic radical.
The Idea Of North – Fields of Gold
An evening pause:
on the road
Because we have a friend visiting from Maryland, we are off to do some sightseeing today in Bisbee and Tombstone. Thus, posting will be light. Also, tonight’s appearance on the John Batchelor Show is been rescheduled for tomorrow night.
The after effects of the giant storm on Saturn.
The after effects of the giant storm on Saturn.
The Air Force has released its investigation into the failure of the August test flight of the X-51a hypersonic scramjet.
The Air Force has released its investigation into the failure of the August test flight of the X-51a hypersonic scramjet.
As first surmised, the problem was a control fin. Though they haven’t set the date for the next test flight, it appears they do intend to proceed.
Stratolaunch has officially opened its production facility in Mojave.
The competition heats up: Stratolaunch has officially opened its production facility in Mojave.
On Wednesday Richard Branson told an audience of students in Poland that the first paid tourist flight of SpaceShipTwo is at least 12 to 18 months away.
On Wednesday Richard Branson told an audience of students in Poland that the first paid tourist flight of SpaceShipTwo is at least 12 to 18 months away.
That seems about right. This gives them about a year of powered flight tests, all manned but with no paying customers, in order to make sure the system is save for customers.
Judy Garland – But not for me
An evening pause: From the 1943 film Girl Crazy.
The son of a Democratic Congressman in Virginia has been caught on video helping to facilitate voter fraud.
The son of a Democratic Congressman in Virginia, a paid member of the Congressman’s re-election campaign, has been caught on video helping to facilitate voter fraud.
Singing sand dunes
Singing sand dunes. With video.
Reactions to the Italian conviction of seven earthquake scientists
Two reactions today to the Italian conviction of seven earthquake scientists:
- Italy’s top scientists resign their government posts after quake conviction.
- What’s wrong with punishing bad predictions?
In the first, scientists are appalled. In the second someone asks what I think is at least a reasonable question. Even if we agree that prison is an overreaction in this case, it does seem valid to me that scientists face some consequences for misstating risks in certain circumstances.
The rock found on Sunday is not part of the meteor that fell over San Francisco last week.
False alarm: The rock found on Sunday is not part of the meteor that fell over San Francisco last week.
Kat Edmonson – Lucky
An evening pause:
The comet that vanished
The comet that vanished.
The TSA is pulling its invasive X-ray scanners from the country’s busiest airports.
Good news: The TSA is pulling its invasive X-ray scanners from the country’s busiest airports.
Unfortunately, they aren’t getting rid of them, only moving them to less busy airports. Nonetheless, this action suggests that the refusal of many people (such as myself) to submit to these machines slowed things down enough that the TSA was forced to abandon them. This suggests that more people should refuse and force them to do as many body searches as possible. In the end we get rid of them all.
This is the first time since 1988 that climate hasn’t been mentioned in the presidential debate cycle
When you try to sell government policy based on crisis, and that crisis doesn’t take place as predicted, and in fact is shown to be based on fraud and dishonesty, the sales job will eventually fail. Thus, better to forget the whole thing and make believe it never happened.
The first mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope has been completed.
The first mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope has been completed.
This is the first of seven. It is also the largest single mirror ever polished, at 8.4 meters, or 27.5 feet across. When completed the GMT’s segmented mirror will be 25 meters across, or more than 82 feet.
An ode to the beauty of nature in 23 images.
An ode to the beauty of nature in 23 images.
The death threats against Mitt Romney continue to pour out from Twitter.
Leftwing civility: The death threats against Mitt Romney continue to pour out from Twitter.