Scroll down to read this post.

 

Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. I keep the website clean from pop-ups and annoying demands. Instead, I depend entirely on my readers to support me. Though this means I am sacrificing some income, it also means that I remain entirely independent from outside pressure. By depending solely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, no one can threaten me with censorship. You don't like what I write, you can simply go elsewhere.

 

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.


FAA grounds Virgin Galactic pending investigationn

Probably in response to the revelation of the flight issue, not an actual safety issue, the FAA has grounded Virgin Galactic from any further flights pending the resolution of the investigation of the July flight, which drifted out of its planned flight path due to high winds.

This will likely delay their planned next manned flight, which had been tentatively scheduled for September-October.

Posted on the way to Nevada.

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 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

6 comments

  • Kyle

    Mark Sticky who was with virgin for around a decade as pilot and chief of flight safety is the main source outing them on this. He was relieved of all duties after the book came out this summer, but was allowed to be present during Branson’s flight. According to his tweets, the spacecraft was not in a steep enough climb and should have aborted according to their own safety procedures. He also stated that there was a serious risk of not being able to make it back to the airfield for landing. https://mobile.twitter.com/Stuck4ger?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

  • Kyle c foley

    Sorry autospell misspelled last name.

  • Chris Lopes

    Nothing would destroy the space tourism business faster than losing a ship/crew/passengers in an accident caused by people trying to look good in front of the boss.

  • pzatchok

    I wonder if those vertical wing sections experience side to side flutter during launch and landing?

  • Chris Lopes observed: “Nothing would destroy the space tourism business faster than losing a ship/crew/passengers in an accident caused by people trying to look good in front of the boss.”

    Fair dues, in this case, the boss was on the vehicle. Still, a needless risk. Discretion and valor.

  • Edward

    Chris Lopes wrote: “Nothing would destroy the space tourism business faster than losing a ship/crew/passengers in an accident caused by people trying to look good in front of the boss.

    I think we can rest assured that at some point there will be a loss of passengers in a spacecraft accident. It happened in aviation, and loss of crew has happened in Spacecraft. We do not yet possess the knowledge to guarantee that it will not happen again in either domain.

    How the public and government react after this happens to a paying passenger will certainly determine the future of commercial space.

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 *