Another delay at Virgin Galactic
Week Three: Ninth Anniversary Fund-Raising Drive for Behind the Black
It is now the third week in my annual anniversary fund-raising campaign for Behind the Black.
Please consider donating. I am trying to avoid advertising on this website, but will be forced to add it if I do not get enough support from my readers. You can give a one-time contribution, from $5 to $100, or a regular subscription for as little as $2 per month. Your support will be deeply appreciated, and will allow me to continue to report on science and culture freely.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via paypal:
If Paypal doesn't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
In an interview with David Letterman this week, Richard Branson admitted that his first flight on SpaceShipTwo will not be in December 2014 but early next year.
Watch the interview at the link. It is very clear that Branson is getting uncomfortable with the situation. He has made these claims too many times without showing any results. Also note the incredible ignorance exhibited by Letterman. A good interviewer has to ask some basic questions, but a good interviewer also needs to have a basic understanding of the subject. Letterman shows us here that he doesn’t know squat.
It is now the third week in my annual anniversary fund-raising campaign for Behind the Black.
Please consider donating. I am trying to avoid advertising on this website, but will be forced to add it if I do not get enough support from my readers. You can give a one-time contribution, from $5 to $100, or a regular subscription for as little as $2 per month. Your support will be deeply appreciated, and will allow me to continue to report on science and culture freely.
Regular readers can support Behind The Black with a contribution via paypal:
If Paypal doesn't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
In an interview with David Letterman this week, Richard Branson admitted that his first flight on SpaceShipTwo will not be in December 2014 but early next year.
Watch the interview at the link. It is very clear that Branson is getting uncomfortable with the situation. He has made these claims too many times without showing any results. Also note the incredible ignorance exhibited by Letterman. A good interviewer has to ask some basic questions, but a good interviewer also needs to have a basic understanding of the subject. Letterman shows us here that he doesn’t know squat.
He a few months to go and has yet to flight test the engines yet.
I can see this happening. Not!
Do we really think his board of directors is going to let him have his fun ride while he is still in charge of the company?
Riding a balloon is one thing. balloon flights happen thousands of times a year. But under tested rockets to space?
And will his passengers have any safety equipment? Such as a space suit in case of a cabin leak. Its not like this craft is built to make a powered entry/return in order to get below 20 thousand feet in time to save them.
Uhmm.. have you ever watched letterman? I guess you haven’t otherwise you wouldn’t say a thing like “Letterman shows us here that he doesn’t know squat”…
Letterman isn’t a scientific program, it isn’t a serious interview program, it’s a fun and light entertainment program without any serious subjects.. He’s a comedian, not an interviewer.. And most people who watch letterman don’t care about the details, it’s all about the fun and laughter and interaction between letterman and his guests… And it has been a succesfull concept for a few decades, and will be for the next few (letterman will retire soon and will be superseded by another comedian)..
I’ve watched Letterman, and I also watched Johnny Carson for years. If Carson had someone on talking about a scientific subject, such as Carl Sagan, he made sure that he was reasonably educated about the subject so that other knowledgeable people could see that. He made an effort to be informed, and to ask informed questions.
Letterman made no effort. He waved his ignorance like a flag.
The audiences in both time periods wanted to be entertained. In Carson’s time however the audience was often entertained by some intelligent and educational conversation. In Letterman’s time it seems to me, based on your comment, today’s audience no longer thinks being intelligent or educated is entertaining. How sad.
please, it’s the letterman show. it’s comedy. it’s not meant to ask serious questions about space tourism or dwell on any failures. the audience doesn’t want that. he has a particular style, i’m sure he is a well rounded good interviewer. not the right place to expect that.