Category: Points of Information

Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.

A team of explorers and scientists have today completed the first there-and-back crossing of Antarctica in wheeled vehicles.

10:47 am

A 10-man team of explorers and scientists today completed the first there-and-back crossing of the continent of Antarctica using wheeled vehicles. From the expedition blog:

We quickly took ourselves to the mess tent for some hot coffee and something which we had been craving for a while – Coca Cola. The feeling among the team was satisfaction and elation at what we had achieved and relief that the belt drive had held out! The first Expedition ever to travel coast to coast and back again, with the privilege of visiting the South Pole twice. We joked in the mess tent before deciding that we were not going to sleep and headed over to the Mechanic Area and back to the vehicles.

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A Few Words In Praise of Fear

9:47 pm

A few words in praise of fear. Key quote:

In Washington and in statehouses around the country, the reality of the pending Fiscal Armageddon is starting to seep into the thick skulls of the elected class. Jerry Brown pronounced himself “shocked” once he got a good peek at California’s balance sheet. Off the record, politicians of both parties are starting to concede that a lot of the old ideological disputes at now moot, because there simply isn’t any money. It’s not a question of whether there are going to be deep cuts and fundamental restructuring, but when and how much. [emphasis mine]

The lack of money affects NASA’s future as much as anything. The future of space does not lie in government funding, no matter what people tell you.

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Republicans showing more earmark restraint than Democrats

12:49 pm

Giving credit where credit is due: Ed Morrissey notes that the Republicans have shown significant progress in reducing the number of earmarks requested by their members, while the Democrats have not.

Not only do the Republicans have to continue to improve their numbers, now is the time for Democrats to see the writing on the wall and get with the program. Cut spending!

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Federal examiners Force Oklahoma Bank To Remove Crosses and Bible Verse

12:21 pm

Freedom of speech alert: Federal bank examiners have forced an Oklahoma bank to remove all Christian symbols. Key quote:

The examiners . . . deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say “Merry Christmas, God With Us.” [as] inappropriate. The Bible verse of the day on the bank’s Internet site also had to be taken down.

What these things have to do with auditing the financial practices of a bank I really don’t know.

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‘Human-rating’ document hits the Web with new name

10:17 pm

O joy! NASA, in releasing its preliminary regulations for “human-rating” a manned spacecraft., has also given the regulations a new name. They should not be called “human-rated.” This should solve everything! Also:

The five 1100-series documents outline mandatory crew transportation certification requirements, technical, safety and crew health specifications, the roles of NASA and industry and how to achieve government certification, design reference missions and goals for a space station human transportation system, and ground and flight operations processes. While the broad certification document released Dec. 10 only runs 39 pages, the 1100-series specifications reportedly run hundreds of pages each.

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