Bob Zimmerman debuts over at American Greatness with a cry to strike while the iron is hot.
Monthly Archives: October 2018
First Man
Eric Berger liked the movie.
[Afternoon update]
Thoughts from Marina Koren. Despite Gosling’s stupid statement, “it’s not an unpatriotic movie.”
[Late-afternoon update]
Here is Alan Boyle’s review.
[Saturday-morning update]
For those saying they’ll watch it at home, I rarely go to the theater, but this is the sort of film that deserves a big screen.
[Friday-afternoon update]
John Podhoretz hated it.
Soyuz Failure
Yes, I heard, but don’t know details. This should be a precipitating event to accelerate Commercial Crew.
[Update Friday morning]
It was an interesting coincidence that this event occurred in conjunction with the ISPCS, where it was discussed by both SpaceX and Boeing, in response to ASAP concerns.
Neither Mulholland nor Reed suggested that development of their commercial crew vehicle could be accelerated much from their current schedules in response to the Soyuz MS-10 failure, adding they would not cut testing needed to ensure their vehicles’ safety.
“We look at it in terms of, ‘Could I work extra shifts or put extra people on it?’” Mulholland said. “It never crossed our mind to think what could you not do, what scope can you reduce.”
“You have to do the same work. You have to do the right work,” Reed said. “The question is whether there’s a way you can compress that schedule. You don’t look at in terms of cutting out work.”
Silly me, I look at it in terms of are we serious about getting Americans into space on American rockets, or are we not?
The Ongoing SLS Programmatic Disaster
I wish this was unbelievable, but for Congress, overruns and slips are a feature, rather than a bug. Glad I’m not the Boeing press flack, though. Not enough money in the world to pay me to do that job.
The Battle Of Brett Kavanaugh
Was it the high-water mark of the new civil war for “the Resistance”? I’d like to think so, but I think they’re perfectly capable of getting more vicious.
Winston Churchill And Scott Kelly
We haven’t all gone insane, but a lot of us seem to be.
I have to say, though, that I’ve been pretty unimpressed with Kelly’s political acument and judgment. He should stick to astronautics. I would also note that the demands of the howling left that he do a struggle session is Maoist.
Rick Searfoss
Rest in peace, and ad astra.
Rick was one of the earliest NASA astronauts to recognize the value and potential of commercial human spaceflight. RIP to a great and literally inspiring guy. https://t.co/lEFeR4JfMD
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) October 9, 2018
Unfortunately, I’m still stuck in FL, and won’t be able to attend the service on Friday in Tehachapi.
1.5 Degrees C
Thoughts on the latest non-news from Judith Curry:
IMO, even with erroneous attribution of extreme weather/climate events and projections using climate models that are running too hot and not fit for purpose of projecting 21st century climate change, the IPCC still has not made a strong case for this massive investment to prevent 1.5C warming.
No kidding.
The New SCOTUS
Glenn Reynolds on what adding Kavanaugh will mean.
TL;DR: Less than both leftists fear, and conservatives hope. It will take at least one more, maybe two picks, to really change its direction in favor of the Constitution.
The Anti-SpaceX Smear Campaign
Eric Berger did some digging into it. Looks a lot like Boeing is behind it. Weird that Julian Epstein is involved.
[Update a while later]
In thinking about it, Epstein, with his history of smearing Clinton’s accusers, to the degree he’s involved, is a good person for this smear campaign as well. Meanwhile, Keith Cowing is less than impressed.
[Friday-evening update]
Dave Mosher dug deeper. I don’t have a problem with Hagar; he seems sincere, though I disagree with him, and I’m not sure he fully understands the issue. But it appears that Boeing took advantage of him.
[Bumped]