Some thoughts on a government shutdown and NASA
Some thoughts on how a government shutdown would affect NASA.
Some thoughts on how a government shutdown would affect NASA.
Author: Robert Zimmerman
Some thoughts on a government shutdown and NASA
Station photo op cancelled
The Soyuz fly-around of the space station to photograph it with the shuttle docked has been canceled.
The Soyuz fly-around of the space station to photograph it with the shuttle docked has been canceled.
John Denver – Back Home Again
The Survey of Cass Cave, Monograph #4 of the West Virginia Speleological Survey
Cover story: Astronomy’s Crystal Ball
Interior Secretary Salazar issues first Gulf of Mexico drilling permit since oil spill
Faced with pressure from Congress and the courts, Interior Secretary Salazar finally stopped stalling and issued late Monday the first Gulf of Mexico drilling permit since the BP oil spill.
Faced with pressure from Congress and the courts, Interior Secretary Salazar finally stopped stalling and issued late Monday the first Gulf of Mexico drilling permit since the BP oil spill.
As the 14 Wisconsin Democrats run, meet the numerous Illinois Tea Party activists giving chase
As the 14 Wisconsin Democrats run, meet the numerous Illinois Tea Party activists giving chase.
As the 14 Wisconsin Democrats run, meet the numerous Illinois Tea Party activists giving chase.
For 50 Straight Weeks, the Majority Has Supported Repeal
Repeal Obamacare already! And for fifty straight weeks, the majority in every poll has agreed.
Repeal Obamacare already! And for fifty straight weeks, the majority in every poll has agreed.
Democratic lawmaker threatens female Republican lawmaker: “You Are F***king Dead!”
The civility of a mainstream Democrat lawmaker: “You Are F***king Dead!”
The civility of a mainstream Democrat lawmaker: “You Are F***king Dead!”
Robotic arm breakdown adds spacewalk drama
The crash of the computer that runs the station’s robot arm stranded a spacewalking astronaut in space for about 20 minutes yesterday.
The crash of the computer that runs the station’s robot arm stranded a spacewalking astronaut in space for about 20 minutes yesterday.
Scientists buy tickets on Virgin Galactic
The Southwest Research Institute has purchased two tickets from Virgin Galactic for its scientists to fly on SpaceShipTwo.
The Southwest Research Institute has purchased two tickets from Virgin Galactic for its scientists to fly on SpaceShipTwo.
India’s space agency gets a 35% hike for 2011
Not all space agencies (think NASA) have budget problems: India has given its space agency ISRO a 35% hike for 2011.
Not all space agencies (think NASA) have budget problems: India has given its space agency ISRO a 35% hike for 2011.
The sponge-like Saturn moon
The sponge-like Saturn moon. Key quote:
Hyperion measures about 250kms across; it rotates chaotically and has a density so low that it might house a vast system of caverns inside.
The sponge-like Saturn moon. Key quote:
Hyperion measures about 250kms across; it rotates chaotically and has a density so low that it might house a vast system of caverns inside.
Leif J. Robinson, Editor in Chief of Sky & Telescope magazine for 20 years, passed away Sunday
R.I.P. Leif J. Robinson, who served as editor of Sky & Telescope for twenty years, passed away Sunday at the age of 71 at his home in Costa Rica.
R.I.P. Leif J. Robinson, who served as editor of Sky & Telescope for twenty years, passed away Sunday at the age of 71 at his home in Costa Rica.
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
Amateur images of ISS and the shuttle
Take a gander at this spectacular image of the shuttle approaching ISS, taken by an amateur astronomer from the ground!
Take a gander at this spectacular image of the shuttle approaching ISS, taken by an amateur astronomer from the ground!
The Beer has Landed: Astronauts4Hire Completes Space Beer Microgravity Test
The beer has landed: The first test of space beer in weightlessness has been completed. Key quote:
Astronauts4Hire Flight Member Todd Romberger was selected to perform the flight research. Todd sampled the beer during 12 microgravity parabolas, each reproducing the weightless conditions of space for 30 seconds at a time, and recorded qualitative data on beverage taste and drinkability as well as biometric data to gain a first look at alcohol effects the body.
The beer has landed: The first test of space beer in weightlessness has been completed. Key quote:
Astronauts4Hire Flight Member Todd Romberger was selected to perform the flight research. Todd sampled the beer during 12 microgravity parabolas, each reproducing the weightless conditions of space for 30 seconds at a time, and recorded qualitative data on beverage taste and drinkability as well as biometric data to gain a first look at alcohol effects the body.
Some enchanted evening
An evening pause: The simple, poetic words of Oscar Hammerstein to the music of Richard Rogers, sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell at Carnegie Hall, 2005.
Who can explain it?
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons.
Wise men never try.
A private space station by 2016
NASA’s chief technologist admits it will be a decade before Orion flies
This is why I call it pork and a waste of money: NASA’s chief technologist admits it will be a decade before Orion and the heavy-lift rocket mandated by Congress flies.
This is why I call it pork and a waste of money: NASA’s chief technologist admits it will be a decade before Orion and the heavy-lift rocket mandated by Congress flies.
Shuttle Discovery docks with space station for 13th and final time
The beginning of the end: The shuttle Discovery docked successfully with the space station, its 13th and final visit to ISS.
The beginning of the end: The shuttle Discovery docked successfully with the space station, its 13th and final visit to ISS.
Northern Lights
An evening pause: When the Sun gets active, such as the solar flare of February 15, 2011, the sky in the high latitudes gives us the world’s best light show.
The caves of Copernicus
and the Ocean of Storms
The discovery of new caves on the Moon keep coming. Today I have two new stories. The first is a discovery by professional scientists of a giant lava tube cave in the Oceanus Procellarum or Ocean of Storms. The second is the detection of a plethora of caves and sinks on the floor of the crater Copernicus, found by a NASA engineer who likes to explore the gobs of data being accumulated by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and made available to all on the web.
The image below of the Moon’s near side, taken by India’s Cartosat-2A satellite and taken from the science paper, shows the location of lava tube in Oceanus Procellarum (indicated by the red dot) and the crater Copernicus.
First the professional discovery. Yesterday, the Times of India reported the discovery of lava tube more than a mile long on the Moon. I did not post a link to the article because I didn’t think the news story provided enough information to make it worth passing along. Today however, fellow caver Mark Minton emailed me the link where the actual research paper could be downloaded [pdf]. This I find definitely worth describing.
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A Half-Gigabyte View of the Moon
Two High-priority Climate Missions Dropped from NASA’s Budget Plans
Two high-priority climate missions dropped from NASA’s budget by the White House. And what’s most amazing: No one’s squealing!
“Removal of these missions was not what we desired and not what the administration desired, but it was a clear recognition and acknowledgement of the budget issues we face as a nation,” [said Steve Volz, associate director for flight programs at NASA’s Earth Science Division]. “It’s cleaner to be allowed to delete the scope that goes along with the dollars than to have to figure out how to do more with less.”
Two high-priority climate missions dropped from NASA’s budget by the White House. And what’s most amazing: No one’s squealing!
“Removal of these missions was not what we desired and not what the administration desired, but it was a clear recognition and acknowledgement of the budget issues we face as a nation,” [said Steve Volz, associate director for flight programs at NASA’s Earth Science Division]. “It’s cleaner to be allowed to delete the scope that goes along with the dollars than to have to figure out how to do more with less.”
Detector Array Deterioration Poses New Problem for JWST
More problems for the James Webb Space Telescope: The detector arrays for several instruments are deteriorating, even as they sit on the shelf. And remember, the 2014 launch date is probably going to be delayed until 2016. Key quote:
“As you get further and further out with [the launch date], it really raises questions about how far down the [integration and test] process you go for the instruments … and how long you have to store all that before you actually launch,” [Webb program director Rick Howard] told the NASA Advisory Council’s astrophysics subcommittee during a Feb. 16 public meeting here. “And that just makes everybody even more nervous about this problem than anything else.”
More problems for the James Webb Space Telescope: The detector arrays for several instruments are deteriorating, even as they sit on the shelf. And remember, the 2014 launch date is probably going to be delayed until 2016. Key quote:
“As you get further and further out with [the launch date], it really raises questions about how far down the [integration and test] process you go for the instruments … and how long you have to store all that before you actually launch,” [Webb program director Rick Howard] told the NASA Advisory Council’s astrophysics subcommittee during a Feb. 16 public meeting here. “And that just makes everybody even more nervous about this problem than anything else.”
A round-up of state efforts to balance their overdrawn budgets
I have mostly focused on the federal budget battles. However, Wisconsin highlights how the same battle is going on at the state level. Here is a round-up of the state budget efforts under several Republican administrations, put forth by a California newspaper (located in a Democrat-run state with its own budget problems).
I have mostly focused on the federal budget battles. However, Wisconsin highlights how the same battle is going on at the state level. Here is a round-up of the state budget efforts under several Republican administrations, put forth by a California newspaper (located in a Democrat-run state with its own budget problems).
Senate Democrats express support for the most recent House Republican proposal
Have the Democrats blinked? Senate Democrats have expressed support for the most recent House Republican proposal, a short-term continuing resolution that cuts $4 billion for its two week span and terminates 8 programs outright. A lot more details here, including a program-by-program breakdown of the cuts. Key quote:
Republicans have made abundantly clear that they wish to avoid a government shutdown, as have Democrats to a degree, though for the most part they [the Democrats] have spent the last few weeks preemptively blaming Republicans for a shutdown, while at the same time failing to produce a single piece of legislation that would prevent one.
Have the Democrats blinked? Senate Democrats have expressed support for the most recent House Republican proposal, a short-term continuing resolution that cuts $4 billion for its two week span and terminates 8 programs outright. A lot more details here, including a program-by-program breakdown of the cuts. Key quote:
Republicans have made abundantly clear that they wish to avoid a government shutdown, as have Democrats to a degree, though for the most part they [the Democrats] have spent the last few weeks preemptively blaming Republicans for a shutdown, while at the same time failing to produce a single piece of legislation that would prevent one.
Bugs Bunny – Haredevil Hare (1948)
Another climategate whitewash
The inspector general of the Department of Commerce has just issued a review of NOAA’s response to the climategate emails and has essentially given the agency a clean bill of health. You can download the full report here [pdf].
It’s. just. another. whitewash. Let me quote just one part of the report’s summary, referring to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to NOAA in June 2007 in which the agency responded by saying they had no such documents:
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