To read this post please scroll down.

 

Readers!

 

My July fund-raising campaign to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary since I began Behind the Black is now over. I want to thank all those who so generously donated or subscribed, especially those who have become regular supporters. I can't do this without your help. I also find it increasingly hard to express how much your support means to me. God bless you all!

 

The donations during this year's campaign were sadly less than previous years, but for this I blame myself. I am tired of begging for money, and so I put up the campaign announcement at the start of the month but had no desire to update it weekly to encourage more donations, as I have done in past years. This lack of begging likely contributed to the drop in donations.

 

No matter. I am here, and here I intend to stay. If you like what I do and have not yet donated or subscribed, 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 four 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 or subscription:

 

4. 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.


Off caving

Because I am off on a caving project this weekend in the mountains where there is no internet service, I will not be able to approve comments or post anything until I return on Sunday.

The next few days should be most interesting, as there are SpaceX and ULA launches scheduled. The SpaceX launch tonight will place a secret government satellite in orbit while trying to land its first stage. The ULA launch on Saturday will be the last launch for its Delta 2 rocket, which the company is retiring because it costs too much to operate.

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 or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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

5 comments

  • LocalFluff

    I know virtually nothing about spelunking. Do you drill in dynamite to blow up free passages of access to blocked parts of the caves?

  • LocalFluff

    When you return from radio silence, this is what you have missed (Trump drank water):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnE0Q6yFtqg

    I feel like going down in that cave I happen to have nearby where I live. And stay there for contemplation about the world above.

  • Kirk

    Regarding the Delta-II launch, this JPSS-1 mission is its penultimate launch. The final Delta-II mission will be to loft NASA’s ICESat-2, currently scheduled for September 2018.

    Here is the NSF thread for that mission: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=31179.0

  • wayne

    LocalFluff–

    Wile E. Coyote:
    80 explosions in 11 minutes
    https://youtu.be/0R66Fvhx0vQ
    (10:59)

  • Lee S

    Localfluff….
    My Father was a world class caver back in the 60’s and 70’s , and he took me on a few light trips when I was a lad…
    The procedure back then was digging and light explosives were fine when gaining entry to a cave from the surface, and digging was ok inside the cave as long as you didn’t mess up natural formations too much. I presume etiquette has not changed too much in the intervening years..
    Back in those days there was no rope strong, light and non-stretchy enough for long decents, so they dragged 30′ sections of wire rope ladder with them and hooked them together, and no good battery tech, so lighting was provided by carbide lamps..
    As the club photographer my father also had to carry his camera gear with him in ammo tins!
    Apparently the club motto was “If you ain’t hard… you shouldn’t have come” ?
    Good luck on your mission Bob!

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 *