Very brief descriptions, with appropriate links, of current or recent news items.
The hot fire test of the first stage of the Antares rocket has been rescheduled to tonight.
No reason has been given for the one day delay.
Among cavers there is a saying: “The most dangerous part of any cave trip is the drive to and from the cave.” Well, that might just apply to trips to Israel. On my last flight home on Thursday there was a woman sitting behind me wearing a face mask, the kind used to protect the wearer from other people’s germs. In her case, however, it was to protect everyone else. During the whole flight to Phoenix she coughed continually.
On Friday night my throat felt scratchy. By Sunday it was clear that I had caught a bad cold. Today is day five, which is usually the worst. I had intended to write up my last report about my trip to Israel but I just don’t have the energy. The best I can do today is post some news items, do some easy reading for another Astronomy article I’m writing, and tape an appearance tonight on the John Batchelor Show. The longer essay will have to wait until tomorrow.
Update: Just for your added pleasure, the image below the fold shows the view of Bethlehem from the main highway south out of Jerusalem. The tunnel and high security fence were installed after the most recent intifada. Before then you had to drive through town, which was slow, but also dangerous as Bethlehem is controlled by the Palestinian Authority. During the intifada the danger became acute as commuters would have rocks thrown at them, and some were even shot at. The security fence, condemned by all the world, was an attempt to protect commuters from this threat.
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Some details have been released about that deal between Russia and Kazakhstan over the Baikonur spaceport.
It seems the conflict does revolve around Russia’s new spaceport under construction in Vostochny, and how it might compete with Baikonur. Kazakhstan feels threatened, and is trying to forestall a loss in business.
Pushback: A boycott by firearms companies against states that pass gun control laws appears to be growing.
Russian investigators, having pinpointed the cause of a December 2012 launch failure, have cleared the Proton rocket to resume commercial launches in March.
It is interesting that this failure of the Proton’s Briz-M upper stage was not related to two previous failures of that same upper stage. It is also interesting that the article does not describe what actions have been taken to correct the problem.
If I was a future Proton launch customer I would be very concerned. Three launch failures all related to the Briz-M upper stage, and all from different causes. This appears to suggest some fundamental problems with the stage itself, or with the company that manufactures it.
On a Tuesday drop test engineers successfully demonstrated that the Orion capsule could land safely if one of its three parachutes failed.
I wonder why: The newly released “ObamaCare Survival Guide” has rocketed to the No. 2 spot on The New York Times’ bestseller list for advice-giving paperbacks.
It is also No. 1 on many amazon.com lists. This quick demand only indicates once again how bad this law is, requiring people to desperately search for ways to deal with it. Sadly, its negative impact on business and healthcare in the coming years is going to continue.
Update: And in related news, Virginia’s state liquor organization is limiting the hours of all part-time workers to avoid the costs of Obamacare.
We’ve only just begun: “The bishops have made it very clear that the institutions for which we’re responsible will simply not cooperate.”
The day of reckoning looms: North Korea successfully set off an underground nuclear explosion today.
But don’t worry. The U.N. is going to talk about it later today. So will Obama.
A Russian Progress freighter successfully docked with ISS yesterday only six hours after launch.
Comparing the price of the Falcon 9 with the Atlas 4.
Today’s launch was conducted aboard the “plain Jane” version of the Atlas V, the 401, which has no strap on boosters, a single upper stage engine and a 4 meter fairing. It was originally awarded to Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services in 2007 for a $124 million fixed fee contract. By contrast the first NASA science launch awarded to the SpaceX Falcon 9, that of the Jason -3 satellite for 2014, was for $82 million. With current pricing for similarly equipped Atlas V 401 vehicles for NASA launches at roughly $150 million, based on awards from 2011, the difference is hardly trivial.
In other words, Falcon 9 is almost half the price. No wonder satellite companies are flocking to buy a launch on it.
Help name two of Pluto’s five moons!
A glimpse into the past: Kodak’s early test footage for full color Kodachrome film, shot in 1922.
The competition heats up: The hotfire engine test of the first stage of Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket has now been scheduled for February 12.
Curiosity has obtained its first drill sample.
The founder of the green movement sees the light.
I am an environmentalist and founder member of the Greens but I bow my head in shame at the thought that our original good intentions should have been so misunderstood. We never intended a fundamentalist Green movement that rejected all energy sources other than renewable, nor did we expect the Greens to cast aside our priceless ecological heritage because of their failure to understand that the needs of the Earth are not separable from human needs. … Although well-intentioned it is an erosion of our freedom and draws near to what I see as fascism.
The leaders of Russia and Kazakhstan have announced that an agreement has been reached regarding Russia’s lease for the Baikonur spaceport.
No details were released but I suspect that Kazakhstan has probably backed down from some of its demands, fearful of losing the Russians when the new Russian spaceport in Vostochny opens in 2015.
An American team who grabbed a sample from buried Lake Whillans in Antarctica last month now claim their work obtained the first evidence of microbial life from below the icecap.
Push back: 270 sheriffs and 8 state sheriff associations have now said they will not enforce any unconstitutional gun bans passed by the Obama administration.
Transparency: Obama today walked out on a room of journalists, refusing to answer questions about his new kill policy.
The picture of Obama walking out, back to the camera, tells us a great deal.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, seven million people — twice the number previously predicted — will lose their health insurance under Obamacare.
Push back: New York gun owners have now sued the state over its new gun law.
The day of reckoning looms: Iran could have the bomb within six months.
The Constitution is such an inconvenient thing: “The first detailed look at the criteria the Obama administration uses to judge if it can legally kill American citizens traveling abroad without the benefit of due process.”
Curiosity has drilled its first hole.
More bad news for Sea Launch: Boeing has sued the Russian company for $350 million.
This is a separate issue than Sea Launch’s failed launch earlier this week, which makes it even worse for the company.
Chicken Little report: An asteroid will miss the Earth by only 15,000 miles on Friday.
An image mismatch raises questions about Iran’s monkey in space.
An engine shutdown shortly after the lift off of a Sea Launch rocket destroyed an Intelsat satellite on Friday.
This is very bad news for Sea Launch and its Russian Zenit rocket.
The competition heats up: Sierra Nevada has hired Lockheed Martin to help man-rate its Dream Chaser manned space shuttle.
In related news, drop tests of Dream Chaser are now expected to begin within the next six to eight weeks.
