Moody Blues – Nights in White Satin
An evening pause:
Year: 2012
NASA is soliciting private aerospace companies to bid on building their designs for rocket upper stage that will send the Orion capsule beyond Earth orbit.
NASA is soliciting private aerospace companies to bid on building their own designs for the rocket upper stage that will send the Orion capsule beyond Earth orbit.
This is good news: Rather than design the upper stage themselves, NASA is behaving like a customer and looking for someone else to provide them the product, much as the agency has been doing in buying from private companies crew and cargo services for ISS. Using this approach the agency is more likely to get its upper stage quickly and at less cost.
A private organization is now taking the White House to court over the president’s decision to install three new members on the National Board Relations board without Senate approval.
The court suits begin: A private organization is now taking the White House to court over the president’s decision to install three new members on the National Board Relations board without Senate approval.
Once again, President Obama’s decision to make these appointments in this unprecedented manner, when it was obvious the appointments would be challenged legally, was a terrible decision that will do no good and a great deal of harm. At minimum, it puts a cloud over anything these appointees do.
Above all, this action is further evidence that this President is an arrogant man with no interest in running the government in a manner that is reasonable or fair.
NASA awards $42m for new Langley cafeteria and conference center
NASA has awarded a $42 million contract to build a new cafeteria and conference center at its Langley Research Center in Virginia.
They can’t build a rocket to put humans in space, but dammit, those NASA workers are going to have nice place to meet and eat!
Panda escape
An evening pause: Freedom: even this panda thinks it’s a good idea.
The child suicide bombers of Islam
The child suicide bombers of Islam.
Yeah, this religion and the culture it spawns is exactly the same as all the others. Yeah, right.
Obama asks for more power to consolidate government agencies
President Obama today asked Congress for additional power to consolidate six government agencies.
While this at first sounds like a very good idea, I must admit that it is difficult for me to trust this man with more power, at any time. In addition, how serious can we take his claim of desiring to save money when his administration is on a pace to increase the federal debt by more than $6 trillion, exceeding the debt accumulated by all Presidents from George Washington to Bill Clinton?
A totally drug-resistant tuberculosis strain has emerged in India.
Not good: A totally drug-resistant tuberculosis strain has emerged in India.
The discovery makes India the third country in which a completely drug-resistant form of the disease has emerged, following cases documented in Italy in 2007 and Iran in 2009.
The computer system of the Japanese space agency has been attacked by hackers.
The computer system of the Japanese space agency has been attacked successfully by hackers.
Engineers have gone to a back up radio system on Cassini after a primary unit did not respond as expected in late December.
Engineers have gone to a back up radio system on Cassini after a primary unit did not respond as expected in late December.
The cause is still under investigation, but age may be a factor. The spacecraft launched in 1997 and has orbited Saturn since 2004. Cassini completed its prime mission in 2008 and has had two additional mission extensions. This is the first time its ultra-stable oscillator has had an issue.
I Know Him So Well – Judy Kuhn & Sissel
An evening pause: From the musical Chess, a concert version from 1989, sung by Judy Kuhn & Sissel.
Fishing under ice
An evening pause: See if you can figure out what’s going on here, before the end.