The double planet, rocky and wet with a big moon, as seen from Saturn.
The double planet, rocky and wet with a big moon, as seen from Saturn.
Year: 2013
Boeing today unveiled a full scale mock-up of the interior of its CST-100 manned capsule.
The competition heats up: Boeing today unveiled a full scale mock-up of the interior of its CST-100 manned capsule.
The plundering of NASA
From one of my readers: The Plundering of NASA: an Expose, How pork barrel politics harm American spaceflight leadership. You can buy the ebook edition here, and the print edition here.
I just finished reading it. Boozer’s introduction and opening two chapters provide one of the best detailed summaries explaining clearly why the United States today cannot launch its own astronauts into space, and why we are threatened with the possibility that we won’t be able to do it for years to come. And while his perspective is mostly from an engineering perspective, he also gives some of the political background behind this situation.
His later chapters are not as effectively written, but the opening is still worth it.
I will give a hint about his thesis: it involves comparing the Space Launch System (SLS) with private commercial space. And SLS does not fare well.
George Zimmerman, still in hiding because of death threats, went public long enough on Thursday to help rescue a family trapped in an overturned car.
George Zimmerman, still in hiding because of death threats, went public long enough on Thursday to help rescue a family trapped in an overturned car.
The article also notes the continuing death threats to his family.
Two days before IRS White House appointee William Wilkins established the guidelines for reviewing IRS applications of conservatives, he met with Obama.
Working for the Democratic Party: Two days before IRS White House appointee William Wilkins established the guidelines for reviewing IRS applications of conservatives, he met with Obama.
IRS chief counsel William Wilkins, who was named in House Oversight testimony by retiring IRS agent Carter Hull as one of his supervisors in the improper targeting of conservative groups, met with Obama in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on April 23, 2012. Wilkins’ boss, then-IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman, met with Obama on April 24, 2012, according to White House visitor logs.
On April 25, 2012, Wilkins sent Hull and fellow Washington-based IRS official Lois Lerner “additional comments on the draft guidance” for approving or denying tea party tax-exempt applications, according to the IRS’ inspector general’s report.
It is quite possible that the two events are unrelated. This also could be the smoking gun linking Obama to the IRS scandal. Fortunately, the story notes that thirteen people attended this meeting, which means it should be possible to find out what actually happened there.
Robot engineers have successfully built a fleet of small flying robot helicopters that can fly individually or as complex large arrays.
Robot engineers have successfully built a fleet of small flying robot helicopters that can fly individually or as complex large arrays. With video.
Applying this biologically-inspired solution to swarms of robots could enable a wide range of applications. Swarms of robots could be used to explore other planets, or search a large area for a missing person. When a larger payload needs to be lifted, groups of robots would combine to make a larger flying platform and when that job was done, disperse into smaller groups that can cover a larger area. The advantage of distributed control in these scenarios is that there is no vulnerable central control unit which, if taken out, could bring down the entire mission.
Engineers continue to struggle to find the cause of the spacesuit water leak during a spacewalk last week.
Engineers continue to struggle to find the cause of the spacesuit water leak during a spacewalk last week.
They have eliminated many possible causes, but have not found any clear culprit. The consequence right now? No EVAs with an American spacesuit can occur until they solve the problem.
Why has Cassini detected no waves on the lakes of Titan?
Why has Cassini detected no waves on the lakes of Titan?
Pro-global warming climate scientists, called to testify to Congress by Barbara Boxer (D-California), admitted yesterday that the global temperature has not risen for the past 10 to 15 years.
The uncertainty of science: Pro-global warming climate scientists, called to testify to Congress by Barbara Boxer (D-California), admitted yesterday that the global temperature has not risen for the past 10 to 15 years.
“Killer salt and other ‘scientific’ disasters.”
The continuing technical troubles of the James Webb Space Telescope.
The continuing technical troubles of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Though it appears they are keeping within their latest budget and scheduling margins (which is almost nine times the original budget and almost a decade behind the original schedule), the number of issues described in this article is quite worrisome.
An illegal police raid no different than a home invasion.
An illegal police raid no different than a home invasion.
He was claiming to be a police officer, but the man she had seen looked to her more like an armed thug. Her boyfriend, Dorris, was calmer, and yelled back that he wanted to see some ID. But the man just demanded they open the door. The actual words, the couple say, were, “We’re the f—— police; open the f—— door.”
And then there’s this, from the policeman:
“She sure shouldn’t be going to the press.”
Read the story and weep.