Scroll down to read this post.

 

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News


China heads for the Moon and Mars.

The competition heats up: In several different news stories today China touted its future plans in space.

The landing test described in the first story above will also be the first test flight of China’s new heavy lift rocket, Long March 5.

That China is both politically and culturally serious about this effort can be seen by the nationalistic enthusiasm for this space effort that permeates these stories. They also can’t help comparing their plans to U.S. efforts.

In contrast to China’s ambitious space plans, NASA is trapped due to a limited budget and unclear strategy despite the US-based National Academy of Sciences announcing its schedule for a manned mission to Mars as early as 2037 to 2050 at the cost of hundreds of billions of US dollars. Under current circumstances, US analysts doubt whether this promise is achievable at all, the paper said.

Meanwhile, Ouyang said China will engage in a series of deep space explorations to Mars and further afield. The goals of the Mars mission, Ouyang said, are to search for signs of life on the red planet and analyze whether it could potentially sustain life.

And there’s this description of their Lunar Palace:

[T]he capsule inhabitants also raised and ate yellow mealworms, their main source of protein. The debut of these worms at the IAA Humans in Space Symposium in 2011 shocked peers from the U.S., but some said they tasted like French fries after they trying them.

Lunar Palace 1 is different from Biosphere 2, an Earth systems science research facility in the U.S., says chief designer and lead scientist Liu Hong, a professor with the Beihang University. “Biosphere 2 is a duplication of the living environment on Earth, which is a failure we did not want to repeat,” says Liu. “The system we made was directed towards the needs of humans. We carefully chose what plants, animals, and micro-organisms would be best included in the ecosystem.”

Though their knowledge and understanding of U.S. space policy as well as Biosphere is not quite accurate, there is no doubt that China’s present government is very committed to this long range space program. Whether that program can be sustained across future governments remains to be seen.

The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.

 

Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.

 

In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.

 

Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.

 

Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.

 

You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:

 

1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.

 

2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
 

3. A Paypal Donation:

4. A Paypal subscription:


5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
 
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652

 

You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.

3 comments

  • Orion314

    I remember, a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away , when the USA had a space program….since NASA exists in name only, maybe this is what had to happen for space travel to get privatized.. if that pans out, then so be it….

  • joe

    America could have had a station on the moon and already reached Mars but instead, they build weapons of mass destruction and play silly domination game around the world. The $600 billion+ dollars wasted each year on “defence” is as clever as they could have been. What’s more clever than that is: not waking up for their own stupidity but blame the Chinse for stealing their technology lol

  • Mikell-Sidney

    China’s gonna claim the moon in there expansionist movement. Mining minerals and extablishing a military base. No sought are once great space program has fallen way behind Russia also. Can’t give n∅Bombay all the credit for this.

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

No registration is required. I welcome all opinions, even those that strongly criticize my commentary.

 

However, name-calling and obscenities will not be tolerated. First time offenders who are new to the site will be warned. Second time offenders or first time offenders who have been here awhile will be suspended for a week. After that, I will ban you. Period.

 

Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *