The Russian head of the Baikonur spaceport has resigned.
The Russian head of the Baikonur spaceport has resigned.
It appears that this is part of the continuing shake-up in Russia’s space operations as a result of its recent launch failures.
Year: 2014
Kate Upton and Sports Illustrated have completed a swimsuit photo shoot on the vomit comet.
The competition heats up: Kate Upton and Sports Illustrated have completed a swimsuit photo shoot on the vomit comet.
More here, with pictures.
Cygnus has departed ISS after successfully bring its cargo to the station.
Cygnus has departed ISS after successfully bring its cargo to the station.
NOAA’s official prediction for this winter was worse than monkeys working on typewriters.
The uncertainty of science: NOAA’s official prediction for this winter was as bad as monkeys working on typewriters.
“Not one of our better forecasts,” admits Mike Halpert, the Climate Prediction Center’s acting director. The center grades itself on what it calls the Heidke skill score, which ranges from 100 (perfection) to -50 (monkeys throwing darts would have done better). October’s forecast for the three-month period of November through January came in at -22. Truth be told, the September prediction for October-December was slightly worse, at -23. The main cause in both cases was the same: Underestimating the mammoth December cold wave, which brought snow to Dallas and chilled partiers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
But don’t worry. These guys know exactly what’s going to happen to the climate in a hundred years.
Three relatively large near Earth asteroids have just been discovered.
Chicken Little report: In October of last year three relatively large near Earth asteroids were discovered unexpectedly.
Read the report, which is the second notice at the link. I missed it at the time. Each of these new discoveries was interesting and surprising. Key quote: “The delayed discovery of 2013 US10 is a bit harder to explain, since current population models suggest that almost all near-Earth asteroids of this size and orbit should have already been found.” Apparently not.
In related news, a several hundred foot wide asteroid zipped past the Earth this evening.
A Boston hospital kidnaps a man’s daughter and then slaps a gag order on him to try to prevent him from talking about it.
A Boston hospital kidnaps a family’s daughter and then slaps a gag order on them to try to prevent them from talking about it.
The Boston hospital, to which the girl was transferred on the advice of her original doctors in Connecticut, disagreed with the treatment and then forced their decisions on the family to the point of denying them access to their daughter. The father is now going public because he fears if she doesn’t get the right treatment “she is going to die.”
Though the story makes no mention of it, we must remember that Massachusetts is the land of Romneycare, where the government has stepped in to run the medical world. Somehow, I strongly suspect that fact plays a part in this story, if only as a cultural factor.
Police shoot and kill an 80-year-old man in his own bed.
Police state: Police shoot and kill an 80-year-old man in his own bed.
They were looking for drugs, which they did not find. They also apparently lied in their police report about what happened.
Is Google planning to launch a constellation of 1600 satellites?
The competition heats up: Is Google planning to launch a constellation of 1600 satellites?
Russia’s Proton rocket successfully put a commercial Turkish communications satellite into orbit on Saturday.
The competition heats up: Russia’s Proton rocket successfully put a commercial Turkish communications satellite into orbit on Saturday.
India unveils its first test manned capsule.
The competition heats up: India unveils its first test manned capsule.
There was an earlier story about this that was very vague. This one is only somewhat more informative (the test flight could happen as early as May), but it also includes a picture of the capsule, which is essentially only the structural hull.
Opportunity heads uphill after engineers finally pinpoint the origin of the rock that appeared out of nowhere.
Opportunity heads uphill after engineers finally pinpoint the origin of the rock that appeared out of nowhere.
They have now confirmed that the rock was kicked off a larger piece when Opportunity traveled over it.
The Facebook comment that ruined a life.
The Facebook comment that ruined a life.
And just guess who is ruining that life.
“Indeed we are not purists. We just want people who fundamentally represent our values.”
The real tea party platform: “We are not purists. We just want people who fundamentally represent our values.”
Indeed, despite the allegations that we seek purity within the party, it is clear that what we want is a bold party of contrast – whether in the majority or minority. We want a party that will offer a bold stance on immigration and the debt ceiling, for example, and fight for it with equal and opposing force. We want loyal conservatives that share and fight for our conservative values the same way elected liberals fight for the Democrat party platform. Instead we are given a pale pastel version of Republicans who placate conservatives during election years, and then enact the liberal Democrat talking points through clandestine political efforts.
We know who is with us and who is with the political class. Everybody takes bad votes once and a while. Even Ted Cruz recently voted for a bad flood insurance bill. None of us are demanding purity from him because we know that on almost every issue he is not just a vote but a courageous and effective voice for the millions of us who are disenfranchised by the ruling class oligarchy. He fights every day in Washington for us.
The article also looks in detail at the recent debt ceiling vote and notes how it clearly revealed the loyalties of the Republican leadership. As the author states, “The leaders in the House and Senate, along with their boot lickers, are fundamentally against us. Many of us have known and observed this privately for years, but the debt ceiling vote – both in the House and Senate – brought their devious subterfuge out in the open.”
Read it all. Its goal is not to make you give up, but to recognize the difference between the Republicans who matter and the Republicans who are quislings.
More details here about the growing leadership fight in the Republican Party. Based on what I read, the present leadership, especially in the House, is on very thin ice.
The structural assembly of India’s manned crew module was delivered to its space agency this week.
The competition heats up: The structural assembly of India’s manned crew module was delivered to its space agency this week.
The article is not very informative, but it appears that this is the basic hull and structure of a manned test module that will be outfitted and then flown on a test flight of India’s GSLV rocket.
Orbital Sciences’ balance sheets booming as a result of commercial space.
Orbital Sciences’ balance sheets booming as a result of commercial space.
“Orbital’s fourth quarter financial results reflected solid growth in revenues, earnings per share and free cash flow, and capped a very successful year in 2013,” noted Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. This highly successful report reflects the successes Orbital have enjoyed during the last year. The most publicly recognized successes have involved the opening launches of their new Antares launch vehicle, two of which lofted the first Cygnus spacecraft on their missions to the ISS.
The FAA has given its permission for Blue Origin to expand its operations in Texas.
I’m so glad: The FAA has given its permission for Blue Origin to expand its operations in Texas.
“After reviewing and analyzing currently available data and information on existing conditions and the potential impacts of the Proposed Action, the FAA has determined that issuing experimental permits and/or launch licenses to Blue Origin for operation of suborbital RLVs at the West Texas launch site would not significantly impact the quality of the human environment,” the agency said in document posted on its website.
Two takeaways: First, Blue Origin is moving forward with the testing of more sophisticated suborbital and maybe orbital spacecraft. That is great news. Second, it really is annoying that they need the government’s approval to do this, especially since the FAA knows far less about it then they do.
For the first time in 20 years, the global total spent on government space programs declined in 2013.
For the first time in 20 years, the global total spent on government space programs declined in 2013.
According to Euroconsult’s newly released research report, Profiles of Government Space Programs, global budgets for space programs dropped to $72.1 billion in 2013 following peak spending at $72.9 billion in 2012. This is the first time since 1995 that public space programs worldwide have entered a downward trend, a direct result of the cyclical nature of countries’ investment in space-based infrastructures combined with governments’ belt-tightening efforts during tough economic times.
This is not bad news. It just reflects the shift from public to private in the space industry in the U.S. and elsewhere, which is also reducing the cost for doing exactly the same thing. Thus, spending might drop, but more is being done.
Torches, masks, and violent threats: The KKK used it (a almost entirely Democratic Party organization), and now environmentalists are running with it.
Torches, masks, and violent threats: The KKK used it (an almost entirely Democratic Party organization), and now environmentalists are running with it.
Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia House of Burgess, March 23, 1775.
For no reason in particular: Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia House of Burgess, March 23, 1775.
After reading it I have no doubt you will agree that this man is a right-wing extremist of the worst sort. Why, for instance, hasn’t the IRS come after him, along with OSHA, the EPA, and numerous other of our noble federal agencies that were created to protect us?
SpaceX gets incentives to build a spaceport in Texas.
The competition heats up: SpaceX gets incentives to build a spaceport in Texas.