FAA issues license to SpaceX to allow it to land its Dragon capsule
Better late than never: The FAA today issued a license to SpaceX, allowing it to bring its Dragon capsule back to Earth after launch.
Category: Behind The Black
On the road
Sorry about the late posting, as I spent the day on the road, driving halfway across the country (rather than fly and get treated like a criminal).
Office shooting range
An evening pause: It seems to me that building an office shooting range seems exactly the right thing to encourage every red-blooded American to do.
Gettysburg Address recited by Jeff Daniels
An evening pause: I should have run this two days ago, November 19, on the anniversary of its first presentation. No matter, the words are always worthwhile to hear.
TSA Confiscates Camera of Woman filming man stripped to underwear
More airport insanity. The TSA confiscated the camera of a woman filming the arrest of a man who decided to strip down to his underwear rather than go through the pat down. Note that man got arrested, not for taking off his clothes, but for refusing to put them back on so the TSA security guards could then give him the pat down.
Update: link fixed. Sorry about that!
TSA pat-down leaves traveler covered in urine
TSA pat-down leaves traveler covered in urine. Key quote:
“Every time I tried to tell them about my medical condition, they said they didn’t need to know about that.”
Update on trapped New Zealand mine rescue
An update on the efforts to rescue 29 trapped New Zealand miners.
Winter overnight hike
An evening pause: With the approach of winter, let’s do an overnight trip in the snow!
TSA management loves the pat downs
Meanwhile, TSA management has its head up our ass, insisting that everyone who enters the security area submit to its abuse or face heavy fines.
TSA agents hate pat downs
Even the TSA agents know how stupid and ugly the new security procedures are. That they hate the more aggressive pat downs means everyone should insist on them, if only to increase the chances they will finally decide it ain’t worth doing them.
X-34s moved from storage
Via Clark Lindsey, it appears that NASA has taken from storage its two X-34 suborbital spaceships and is considering returning the ships to flight status.
Simon’s cat, lunch break
An evening pause:
Virgin and KLM – the new space race?
The new space race: Virgin Galactic and KLM Airlines.
Another TSA stupidity of the day
While sexually abusing the rest of America, Homeland Security head Napolitano is considering allowing Muslim women to pat themselves down at airports.
TSA stupidity of the day
TSA stupidity of the day: Nail clipper bad! Assault rifle good!
Pluto a planet?
Scientists are once again debating whether Pluto really is a planet.
Future tests of SpaceShipTwo will be even more challenging
Hooray for private space! Future tests of SpaceShipTwo will be even more challenging.
A glimpse at the universe before the Big Bang?
A glimpse at the universe before the Big Bang?
Former Shuttle Manager Decries NASA’s Commercial Crew Safety Regs
A deal with the devil: Former shuttle manager decries NASA’s commercial crew safety regulations. Key quote:
The U.S. government did not always rely on voluminous specifications to safeguard pilots or astronauts, Hale said, citing requirements for the first U.S. military aircraft which covered only 2.5 pages and those of NASA’s Gemini capsule which were about 12 pages long.
Wind and solar energy bankrupt
Maybe these businesses are simply not economically viable? Faced with the end of federal grants, the wind and solar power industries are pushing for more federal money or legal mandates to prop up their business.