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.


SpaceX to try another launch on Sunday

Capitalism in space: SpaceX is aiming for another launch on July 2 in Florida, only 9 days after their last launch there.

That will make three launches in nine days.

Meanwhile, in an interview on The Space Show with David Livingston, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell revealed that, after this year’s planned demo launch of the Falcon Heavy, they plan two commercial launches of the rocket in 2018.

That means the Falcon Heavy will have flown at least three times before SLS even comes close to its first test flight.

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

9 comments

  • Willi, picker of nits

    CEO’s name is Gwynne…

  • wayne

    That is an informative podcast. I had never heard her speak at length and was impressed.

    Willi–
    “emergent order” — go for it!

  • Anthony Domanico

    Yeah I enjoyed the interview as well. Did anybody catch the phone interview with Tom Mueller? It’s easy to find on YouTube if anyone is interested. Tom Mueller is VP of propulsion at SpaceX for those that don’t know.

  • Willi, picker of nits: Thank you for being a nit picker. If you typed as many words as I do you would also leave some out once in a while. I need people to spot those missing letters for me.

  • wodun

    Nice suggestion Anthony Domanico. Here are the links:

    Reddit thread
    Transcript
    Youtube

  • mkent

    Well, if we’re going to pick nits…

    “CEO’s name is Gwynne…”

    Actually, the CEO’s name is Elon. Gwynne is the President and COO.

  • mkent: You are right of course. I have corrected the post, again. I am especially frustrated by this error because I distinctly remember checking the story to make sure I had her title right. I might have then misread it, or it is also possible that they had it wrong at the time and have since corrected it as well. Either way, thanks for the nit-picking. I like to get things right.

  • LocalFluff

    Does anyone sense any parallel between Gwynne Shotwell and the fictional Dagny Taggart 60 years ago? The COO of a train company in a society of global financial crises due to socialism? Fighting against the government (and family and any and all obstacles to keep going). And fighting/competing crazy Elon Musk too, or Hank Rearden as his character was named in the novel. Making things happen. Discovering the engine of the world. Actually literally the engine of the worldS in Gwynne’s case.

    Boys would never get anything right in the long run if girls didn’t put things straight.

  • Edward

    Robert wrote: “I like to get things right.

    Quality work is always appreciated.

    LocalFluff asked: “Does anyone sense any parallel between Gwynne Shotwell and the fictional Dagny Taggart 60 years ago?

    Outside of both being powerful women in charge of important transportation companies, no. Their situations are rather different. Ayn Rand’s character, in “Atlas Shrugged,” has ownership of the company (along with her brother), but SpaceX is largely owned by Musk, not Shotwell.

    Also, going Gault is not yet popular, so I doubt that Shotwell ever will.

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 *