Category: Points of Information
Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
More details on Ares/Ariane hybrid rocket
More details on Liberty, the Ares/Ariane hybrid rocket proposed by ATK and Alliant to provide crew/cargo capabilities to ISS. Key quote:
[Liberty] would be able to lift 44,500 lb. of payload to the International Space Station, enough for any of the commercial crew capsules under development as potential space shuttle replacements.
Trees from space
We need to find them! Trees from space, planted here on Earth. You can see the known list here.
NASA Checks Shuttle Discovery for Damage From Dropped Tool
Oy. A metal tool came apart last night and its scattered pieces fell on the shuttle Discovery. Fortunately, careful inspection of the orbiter has found no damage.
A budgetary haircut ahead for NASA?
Cutting the military budget
Now for some squeals from the right: Why we must never, ever cut the military budget!
Concealed carry grows as critics’ fears of ‘bloodbath’ proven wrong
More proof that guns make society safer: The “bloodbath” feared by gun-ban advocates due to the increase in concealed carry permits never happened.
Low-income groups challenge California climate law
The law of unintended consequences: Low-income groups are challenging California’s cap-and-trade climate law.
An Anomalous SETI Signal
Biden Vows to Jump Canyon by Amtrak
Iowahawk: Biden Vows to Jump Canyon by Amtrak. Key quote:
Biden said the jump was only the first phase in a comprehensive multi-decade federal plan to cement US global leadership in light rail, subways, high speed land trains, airborne trains, undersea trains, and intergalactic trains.
Read the whole thing.
Great Moments In Government “Investment”
Great moments in government “investment”. Key quote:
To turn wood chips into ethanol fuel, George W. Bush’s Department of Energy in February 2007 announced a $76 million grant to Range Fuels for a cutting-edge refinery. A few months later, the refinery opened in the piney woods of Treutlen County, Ga., as the taxpayers of Georgia piled on another $6 million. In 2008, the ethanol plant was the first beneficiary of the Biorefinery Assistance Program, pocketing a loan for $80 million guaranteed by the U.S. taxpayers.
Last month, the refinery closed down, having failed to squeeze even a drop of ethanol out of its pine chips.
That’s $164 million of tax dollars to a company that produced nothing.
Susan Rice warns GOP against U.N. cuts
The diplomats are squealing! The UN ambassador warns Republicans against cutting funds to the U.N.
Giant Ring of Black Holes
House Spending Plan cuts billions from federal research agencies
Stand by for oinks! The House spending plan would cut billions from federal research agencies such as NIH, NSF, NOAA, NASA, and a host of Department of Energy programs. Specifics at the link.
Ten Pro-ObamaCare Senators in trouble In 2012
They should have repealed the damn bill! Ten Democratic Senators who voted for Obamacare face serious election challenges in 2012.
What Is Asteroid Apophis?
A fresh perspective from the new chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Commerce
Mo Brooks (R-Alabama), the new chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Commerce, gives his perspective on science and the budget. Two quotes of interest:
Q: Do you believe that federal research should be exempt from a rollback in federal spending to 2008 levels?
Brooks: I would love for that to happen. But we just don’t have the money. … We have no choice but to look at everything. If we don’t balance our budget over a short period of time, the federal government is going to collapse and there won’t be money for any of these things. So if we’re going to save money for research and advancement in science, we’re going to have to get our house in order now.Q: Do you think the government should increase funding on research once things turn around?
Brooks: Do you mean if the budgetary situation turns around? I don’t see that happening in the next 4 to 5 years. We’ve got a $1.5 trillion budget deficit, and Admiral Mullen, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has declared it the number one security threat to the country. And if our creditors would cut us off, there would be zero money for national defense or NSF or anything else.
Note how the interviewer, from Science, can’t seem to get his head around the idea of budget cuts.
Q: Is human activity causing global warming?
Brooks: That’s a difficult question to answer because I’ve talked to scientists on both sides of the fence, especially at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Some say yes, and some say no. I’m also old enough to remember when the same left-wing part of our society was creating a global cooling scare in order to generate funds for their pet projects. So 30-some years ago, the big scare was global cooling, and once they drained the government, they shifted to global warming. So I’m approaching the issue with a healthy degree of skepticism. If the evidence is there to prove it, then so be it.
Obama’s “tough budget cuts” in pictures
Obama’s “tough budget cuts” in pictures.
House to vote next week to block health funds
Repeal the damn bill! The House will vote next week to block all funds to Obamacare.
Republicans in House want to shift NASA’S climate funds back to Manned Spaceflight
The space war over NASA continues: A group of House Republicans want to cut NASA’s climate research budget — increased significantly by Obama — and put it back into manned spaceflight.