SpaceX inks deal to launch SES satellite
More competition! SpaceX has inked a deal to launch its first geosynchronous communications satellite.
Category: Behind The Black
Soyuz TMA-M ballistic return possible
The return of a crew from ISS on Wednesday via a new upgraded Soyuz capsule might have problems.
The newest budget continuing resolution and the funding of Obamacare
The newest budget continuing resolution and the continuing funding of Obamacare. Key quote:
But Speaker John Boehner, interviewed by The Washington Times, couldn’t even coherently explain why House leaders didn’t remove Obamacare spending just as they did with the 123 other programs.
A detailed explanation of what has happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plant
Check out this detailed engineering explanation of what has happened, is happening, and will happen at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Key quote:
The point is that the nuclear fuel has now been cooled down. Because the chain reaction has been stopped a long time ago, there is only very little residual heat being produced now. The large amount of cooling water that has been used is sufficient to take up that heat. Because it is a lot of water, the core does not produce sufficient heat any more to produce any significant pressure. Also, boric acid has been added to the seawater. Boric acid is “liquid control rod”. Whatever decay is still going on, the Boron will capture the neutrons and further speed up the cooling down of the core.
Richard Feynman: “Take the world from another point of view”
An evening pause: Part one of a four part documentary about Richard Feynman.
“To know when you know and when you don’t know, and what is it you know, and what is it you don’t know.”
ABC, CBS, MSNBC, NBC and NPR Ignore Death Threats to Wisconsin Republicans
And they call themselves journalists? ABC, CBS, MSNBC, NBC and NPR all ignore the death threats made to Wisconsin Republicans.
Sergei Korolev: the rocket genius behind Yuri Gagarin
Sergei Korolev: the rocket genius behind Yuri Gagarin.
Is water flowing on Mars?
Protest to reinstate Pluto as a planet
Right on! A protest to reinstate Pluto as a planet.
Second nuclear meltdown likely under way in Japan, official says
More bad news: According to Japanese officials, a second nuclear meltdown is likely under way.
TSA to retest airport body scanners for radiation
Does this make you feel safer? The TSA is going to retest the radiation levels of all its airport body scanners after maintenance records on some showed levels 10 times higher than expected. Also this:
The TSA is responsible for the safety of its own X-ray devices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it does not routinely inspect airport X-ray machines because they are not considered medical devices. The TSA’s airport scanners are exempt from state radiation inspections because they belong to a federal agency.
3 year old Jonathan conducting to the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony
An evening pause: Stay till the end. It’s worth it.