Mathieu Bich fools Penn & Teller
An evening pause: A magician fools some magicians.
Year: 2013
Sierra Nevada hires Lockheed Martin
The competition heats up: Sierra Nevada has hired Lockheed Martin to help man-rate its Dream Chaser manned space shuttle.
In related news, drop tests of Dream Chaser are now expected to begin within the next six to eight weeks.
SpaceX has signed a contract to launch an Israeli satellite.
The competition heats up: SpaceX has signed a contract to launch an Israeli communications satellite.
South Korea successfully launched its first satellite, using its own rocket, on Wednesday.
The competition heats up: South Korea successfully launched its first satellite, using its own rocket, on Wednesday.
The first stage was built by Russia, but everything else was produced in South Korea.
Stuck in Atlanta
First of all, thank you to all who have donated money to Behind the Black. You cannot imagine how much this is appreciated.
Second, I am stuck in Atlanta due to bad weather, including a tornado, plus the typical lies of airport employees. Had the Delta airline agents told me the truth about the bad weather in Atlanta when I was still in Phoenix, I would have grabbed a different flight to get to New York and make my flight to Israel. Instead, they lied — a typical behavior I have found from too many airline customer service agents — and told me I would have no trouble meeting my New York connection. I didn’t. They lied. GRRR.
Anyway, as I am here I have decided to try to take advantage of the delay to begin the tedious process of adjusting to Israeli time, getting up at 3 am, which is 10 am in Israel. Hopefully this will make the transition in Israel much easier.
Sheena Easton – For Your Eyes Only
An evening pause:
Off to Israel
For the next week my posting might be lighter than usual. Today I am heading to Israel to visit family and do a bit of sightseeing. Whether I have sufficient access to the internet to keep up with events as well as continue to post will not be clear until I get there and get settled in.
In the meantime, I will also be celebrating my sixtieth birthday while in Israel. If you have been a regular reader of Behind the Black and would like to help me celebrate this milestone with a donation to the website, I would be most grateful. The tip jar is located at the bottom of the right column, just below the search box.
Kepler is back in operation after a ten day rest to safe the mission.
Kepler is back in operation after a ten day rest to save the mission.
When Kepler launched in March 2009, it had four reaction wheels — three for immediate use, and one spare. But one wheel (known as number two) failed in July 2012, so a major problem with the currently glitchy wheel (called number four) could spell the end of the $600 million Kepler mission. It’s unknown at the moment if the 10-day rest period will bring wheel number four back into line. “Over the next month, the engineering team will review the performance of reaction wheel #4 before, during and after the safe mode to determine the efficacy of the rest operation,” Hunter wrote.
Cailyn Lloyd – Nocturne
An evening pause: What one person can do with modern technology and musical instruments.
A NASA experiment should produce a light show for those on the east coast tonight.
A NASA experiment should produce a light show for those on the east coast tonight.
Resistance to a new gun control law in New York appears to be rising.
Resistance to a new gun control law in New York appears to be rising.
This is what happens when you make the normal activity of ordinary citizens illegal. You breed contempt for the law, which in turn make it even less effective in doing what it is supposed to do.
Virgin Galactic has begun paying rent — under protest — for its use of a New Mexico spaceport.
Virgin Galactic has begun paying rent — under protest — for its use of a New Mexico spaceport.