Ikaros takes a picture of Venus
Ikaros takes a picture of Venus.
Author: Robert Zimmerman
ObamaCare Waivers Jump from 222 to 729 Covering 2.2 Million Employees
Repeal the damn bill! The number of companies who have received waivers from ObamaCare has jumped from 222 to 729, and now exempts over two million employees.
If the bill was so great, why are more and more companies trying to get out of participating?
Nora the piano cat
An evening pause:
I’m back
As you can see, I am finally back at the computer.
I want to thank everyone who made encouraging comments or sent me private emails. The situation was a simple one: For a variety of reasons, we needed to move my 93-year-old mother to a new residence. I therefore spent the last five days packing and unpacking boxes, and guiding the movers as they transported her stuff either to her new home or storage.
Moving for anyone is always a pain in the neck. Doing it for someone else can be harder, as you have to make decisions about someone else’s possessions, about what can go and what must be discarded. Fortunately, everything worked out far better than I could have expected and she is now safely settled in a far better place.
So, back we go to space, history, science, and politics!
NYC Lawmaker Proposes Ban On Talking And Walking
More government foolishness: A New York city lawmaker wants to ban the use of cell phones or any electronic devices while walking on the street.
Congressional Budget office says Social Security Now Officially Broke
And you still think NASA (or any other federal program) is going to get a lot of money? The Congressional Budget office (CBO) admitted today that Social Security is now officially broke. Key quote:
The CBO’s revenue/expenditure estimates now place the program in permanent deficit. There had been some hope that payroll taxes would recover sufficiently post-recession to put the program back into the black (the theoretical black) for at least a few more years, putting off the day of reckoning for an election cycle or more. No more: The new CBO estimates put Social Security in the red for as far as the eye can see. [emphasis mine]
Hubble detects what may be oldest, most distant object ever seen
Hubble detects what may be oldest, most distant object ever seen.
International Space Station Could Get Private Inflatable Room
Private space marches on! NASA is in negotiations with Bigelow Aerospace to buy one of their inflatable space station modules and attach it to ISS.
Japan’s IKAROS Solar Sail Mission Extended for a Year
More solar sail news: Japan’s solar sail mission, IKAROS, has been extended for a year. Key quote:
With the extended lease on life, the team will try new navigational tricks, such as varying the sail’s angle toward the sun and changing the craft’s trajectory. Mori called these “risky” maneuvers because they are not sure if the sail will remain fully extended. They intend to model the sail’s behavior and the craft’s response to plan future solar sail missions.
How Giants Conquered the Earth
How giants conquered the Earth.
NASA TV to Show Russian Space Station Cargo Ship Arrival
How’s this for your evening television entertainment: Beginning 8 pm on Saturday, NASA TV will show the docking of the next Russian Progress freighter to ISS.
US removes Indian firms from Entity List
The federal government has lifted the import security restrictions that existed against India, which will give that country better access to America’s most sophisticated technologies, and thus be a boon for its space industry.