Author: Robert Zimmerman
Another lunar Earthrise image from the 1960s restored and enhanced.
Another lunar Earthrise image from the 1960s restored and enhanced.
One must remember that when these images from the 1960s were first taken, it was the very first time humans were seeing our home world from a distance. While today we are somewhat sanguine about such images, then no one knew exactly what the Earth looked like. These images told us.
If you want to see the inside of NASA’s gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), you better hurry. Tours cease in February.
If you want to see the inside of NASA’s gigantic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), you better hurry. Tours cease in February.
Tours into the VAB have only occurred during gaps in the American space effort. I was lucky to visit Florida back in 1977, after the end of the Apollo program and before the start of the shuttle program, so my tour went inside the VAB. For the last few years, since the shuttle’s retirement, interior tours resumed.
The tour is worth it. If you can find the time and money, get down there now!
Another law, another squelched dream
Surprise, surprise! Virgin Galactic space tourists could be grounded by federal regulations.
Virgin Galactic submitted an application to the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation in late August 2013, says Attenborough. The office, which goes by the acronym AST, has six months to review the application, meaning an approval may come as early as February. Industry experts, however, say that may be an overly optimistic projection. “An application will inevitably be approved, but it definitely remains uncertain exactly when it will happen,” says Dirk Gibson, an associate professor of communication at the University of New Mexico and author of multiple books on space tourism. “This is extremely dangerous and unchartered territory. It’s space travel. AST has to be very prudent,” he says. “They don’t want to endanger the space-farers or the public, and they can’t let the industry get started and then have a Titanic-like scenario that puts an end to it all in the eyes of the public.” [emphasis mine]
As I predicted ten years ago, the 2004 revision to the Commercial Space Act puts bureaucrats in charge of the exploration of space by private citizens, a fact that can have no good consequences.
» Read more
The Obama administration exempted the members of a Muslim Brotherhood delegation from any TSA inspection when the visited the U.S in 2012.
Does this make you feel safer? The Obama administration exempted the members of a Muslim Brotherhood delegation from any TSA inspection when the visited the U.S in 2012.
After three years in hibernation Europe’s Rosetta comet probe has successfully come back to life.
After three years in hibernation Europe’s Rosetta comet probe has successfully come back to life.
The craft at the heart of ESA’s €1-billion (US$1.4-billion) comet-hunting mission was shut down in 2011 to save energy while travelling in deep space. Rosetta successfully re-established communications with Earth on 20 January.
With an alarm pre-set for 10:00 GMT, a signal was expected at any time from 17:30 GMT, once the spacecraft had warmed up and turned its antenna towards Earth. But Rosetta kept everyone guessing, with the first sign that everything had gone to plan only arriving around 40 minutes later.ESA’s European Space Operations Centre erupted in cheering and hugging as small spikes appeared in radio signals received at NASA deep-space communications centres in Canberra and in Goldstone, California.
“You can literally just open up your browser, go to this, and extract all this information without actually having to hack the website itself.”
Guess which website. And guess what personal and confidential information he is extracting.
Aren’t you glad the Democrats and Barack Obama built it for you?
A comparison between reality and the predictions of global warming scientists from 1988 reveals an epic fail.
The uncertainty of science: A comparison between reality and the predictions of global warming scientists from 1988 reveals an epic fail.
Look especially at the charts at the link. While carbon dioxide emissions increased at a higher rate than predicted, the global temperature — predicted to increase from 2 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit — has instead remained completely flat.
A cancer patient discovers at the last minute that she can’t keep her doctor or get treatment, because of Obamacare.
Repeal the damn law! A cancer patient discovers that she can’t keep her doctor or even get treatment, because of Obamacare.
I realize I am a racist and a terrorist for repeatedly demanding that Obamacare get repealed, but unlike the Democrats and President Obama — who are willing to defend this law under all conditions — I don’t like it when innocent people die because of some stupid regulations imposed on them by self-righteous elites who really don’t know what they are doing.
A Kentucky state legislator has introduced a bill to have the state pull out of the Common Core federal education standards program.
The coming battle: A Kentucky state legislator has introduced a bill to have the state pull out of the Common Core federal education standards program.
The European Space Agency has now released its first cost estimates for upgrading and replacing its Ariane 5 rocket.
The European Space Agency has now released its first cost estimates for upgrading and replacing its Ariane 5 rocket.
Europe needs to find about 1 billion euros ($1.35 billion) to complete development of an upgrade to its current Ariane 5 heavy-lift rocket, which would fly in 2018 and be capable of lifting satellites weighing 11,000 kilograms into geostationary transfer orbit, European Space Agency Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said Jan. 17. The Ariane 5 upgrade, called Ariane 5 ME, will be on the table for ESA governments to decide, alongside the new Ariane 6 rocket, at a meeting scheduled for December in Luxembourg.
In a press briefing in Paris, Dordain said it is too early to say how much Ariane 6 will cost to develop. Government and industry estimates have ranged between 3 billion and 4 billion euros, with an inaugural flight in 2021.
As Doug Messier notes in his worthwhile analysis of these numbers, “Europe is in deep trouble.” From a customer’s perspective, these new rockets won’t fly (pun intended). The cost is too high and the development time too long. By the time they get both Ariane 5 and Ariane 6 ready for launch they will be obsolete and overpriced, when compared to the rocket’s that will already be available from their competitors.
Opportunity begins its second decade roving the Martian surface.
Opportunity begins its second decade roving the Martian surface.
The rover’s surface mission was originally scheduled to last only 90 days.
SpaceX successfully tested the parachute system on its Dragon capsule on Friday.
SpaceX successfully tested the parachute system on its Dragon capsule on Friday.
And in a competing test, NASA successfully tested Orion’s parachute system the day before.
Both systems plan test flights later this year to prove the safety of the spacecraft.
On Friday SpaceShipTwo completed another test flight, this time a glide test to for pilot training.
On Friday SpaceShipTwo completed another test flight, this time a glide test to for pilot training.
An interview with Scott Walker.
An interview with Scott Walker.
Lots of interesting information about the Wisconsin governor, who so far looks to me to be the best candidate, from either party, for President in 2016. The key paragraphs, however, are those that describe the violent threats made against himself, his wife, and his children by his Democratic and union opponents.
The protestors would shout me down; they would shout down lawmakers at events. They would not allow people to speak. It eventually got to the point where I and even some of our Senate Republicans in particular got death threats. I got threats against me probably a stack high from the ground. As I point out in my book “Unintimidated,” we had one of the most egregious ones, one that I got right before I went into a press conference. It was directed actually at my wife, pointing out that a governor had never been assassinated before in Wisconsin, but that she should start paying attention and that they not only were going to target me, but maybe they’d start thinking about my kids. It talked about where my kids went to school at the time, it talked about where my wife works, where my father-in-law lives, and where my parents were at. There was another one that talked about threatening to gut my wife like a deer. My kids were targeted on Facebook. There were just all sorts of horrible things.
Ain’t it nice how Obama came out so strongly to condemn this ugliness in Wisconsin when it occurred? You say he didn’t? I am shocked, shocked!
Finally, an aggressive TSA groping at an airport checkpoint has led to a sexual assault investigation by police.
Finally, an aggressive TSA groping at an airport checkpoint has led to a sexual assault investigation by police.
In this case I am not very confident charges will be filed, but that there even is an investigation is progress.
Obama’s two children were listed as “Senior Staff” for a Michelle Obama trip to Africa that cost at least $424K.
Nice work if you can get it: Obama’s two children were listed as “Senior Staff” for a Michelle Obama trip to Africa that cost at least $424K.
Michelle’s mother and her niece and nephew were also on this nice little vacation, paid for by the taxpayer.
Higher premiums, less generous coverage, and more paperwork!
Obamacare for small businesses: Higher premiums, less generous coverage, and more paperwork!
As the writer at the link adds, “What’s not to like?”
Aren’t you glad the Democrats have stood firm for this law, through thick and thin, even forcing a government shutdown to prevent even a minor change to it? And doesn’t it warm your heart that there are rumors that the Republican leadership is considering backing off its push to have the law repealed?
“If guns cause more violence, where’s the exploding crime rate?”
“If guns cause more violence, where’s the exploding crime rate?”
The gun control lobby has been claiming for years that the more guns in private hands, the more gun violence we’ll see; the perennial hyperventilation is given to fears of a kind of Wild West America of lawless anarchy, wherein every gun owner is prepared to shoot from the hip at the first sign of danger.
Well. Last year the Department of Justice released a report revealing that firearm homicides declined nearly 40% between 1993 and 2011, and nonfatal firearm injuries declined nearly 70% within the same time period. Every year since 2002 has seen a rise in the number of NICS background checks performed, yet in 2011 the firearm homicide rate was lower than it was in 2002; in fact, all firearm violence, both fatal and nonfatal, was lower the former year than the latter.
You cannot negotiate the facts. They are what they are.
The man who was forced by police to undergo multiple invasive surgeries after a traffic stop — and billed for the abuse after nothing illegal was found – has won a $1.6 million legal settlement with New Mexico local authorities.
Pushback: The man who was forced by police to undergo multiple invasive surgeries after a traffic stop — and billed for the abuse after nothing illegal was found –- has won a $1.6 million legal settlement with New Mexico local authorities.
He is also suing the hospital involved. I hope he wins millions more.