Over here. I have to say, I’m not encouraged by either the people he’s interviewed, or the intended thrust. Or his level of knowledge. I really don’t care what Dr. Tyson thinks.
The Chinese are not about to surpass us, and space isn’t about science. Looks like it will be just more of the same. Space is really important, NASA needs more money, it will save STEM, blah blah blah.
I’ve been thinking about putting together a Kickstarter for a space documentary, or a series of web videos, with Bill Whittle. Tentative title: Everything You Know About Space Is Wrong. I wonder how much support I could get?
A well-produced segment on propellant depots would seem like it would get support here. And possibly from inside NASA if the DIRECT people weren’t all canned.
Not the eventual eventual Lagrange point ones, but what -exactly- is needed in Low-to-Medium Earth Orbit to get -started- with beyond-earth-orbit missions.
Bash the strawmen (Docking! OMG! Run!) and cover an example or two. Like what’s the ‘range’ or plausible missions of “just” a Falcon9 with a refueled second stage. (Or whatever).
What are the power requirements andor heat-shedding requirements for “one F9” of LOX. Etc.
I have to say, I’m not encouraged by either the people he’s interviewed, or the intended thrust. Or his level of knowledge.
Was he receptive to your offer to provide another viewpoint, with a list of other people he should interview?
Jim, if there is a point to your complex question, why not just make it, instead of playing rhetorical games?
Would it have killed you to reach out to the guy before trashing him? Build up some goodwill? I know nothing about the guy beyond what I read in his write up but nothing I read suggests he’s not amenable to other viewpoints.
I didn’t “trash” him. I provided a link to his project, and expressed my opinion about it. Others may have different opinions, and are welcome to contribute.
“I’m not encouraged by either the people he’s interviewed, or the intended thrust. Or his level of knowledge.” That doesn’t sound like a whole lot of love to me. Besides, one of the interviews in the can is that of Dana Rohrabacher, that well known commercial space advocate. The filmmaker suggests that there will be more material from and about the commercial space world if and when he gets extra funding. Of course, Rand did not trouble himself to find that out before he screamed and leaped.
The mention of commercial space came after I first saw it. And while it’s useful to interview Dana, that doesn’t change what I read as the thrust of the documentary.
Finally, I never “scream” or “leap.” That you imagine that I do would seem to indicate that you suffer from some sort of autism that makes you unable to accurately gauge the emotions of others.
Trashing? Scream and leap?
Trashing? You’re writing about Rand is your ‘opinion’ and thus valid, in your opinion naturally, his opinion elsewhere is ‘trashing’, in your ‘opinion’? All Hail Jim!! For his opinion is supreme!
Mark W,
‘I’ve read Rand Simberg here, when he reported himself as being livid about some topic or other, even THEN the man did not scream, nor leap in his writings. And your writing on Rand’s site, so you address him in the third person, as if he won’t see what you wrote? How long have you and Jim been dating?
What the hell is wrong with people in this country that (supposedly) educated people can’t take the time to be civil, make their point and then, perhaps, wait for a rebuttal, without all but a character assassination?
I’ve been thinking about putting together a Kickstarter for a space documentary, or a series of web videos, with Bill Whittle. Tentative title: Everything You Know About Space Is Wrong. I wonder how much support I could get?
Sounds good to me. Count me in.
me too
Especially if there is a level that returns a copy of the documentary.
They say they have Jim Muncy on their list of people to interview.. maybe they’ll get one voice in the wilderness.
isn’t dyson an astronomer not an engineer?
He’s smarter than me, but other than hopes and dreams, what can his leadership in the field offer other than hopes and dreams? Seems to me Accomplishments were the big motivators.
Like Mr. Tyson, I (once) similarly earn(ed) my living as a Planetarium Director.
Not in (Mecca; New York).
I’ve been self-employed 18 years.
Not he.
“Elon Musk”doesn’t exist in his own (rent-seeking–you love me, you really love me) employee-of-another frame of reference.
“The Government sent the wagon trains westwards, don’t you know; idiots.”
There’s a small issue that perhaps needs to be made more public. IIRC most of the Shuttle missions could have been reconfigured in such a way as to take the fuel tank into orbit and leave it there. For some reason (IMHO because many people in the US government didn’t and don’t want space expansion to happen at all) this was never done; a waste of a potentially valuable resource in the form of a very large, hollow structure.
The Shuttle is history now, but perhaps in some cases launches could be designed to leave upper stages in orbit?
The foam is so crap that it flakes off and causes orbital debris. If you’re wondering why they never fixed the foam, so are the families of 7 dead astronauts.
You have my support, Rand.
Its doing rather well for its goals. Way to propagate the wrong message.
I would rather chip in for Rand – and please, no interviews with scientists.