Category Archives: Business

Business, Space, Technology and Society

Whoa!

21 Comments

This, on a static fire, is a major setback for commercial space in general, and Blue Origin in particular. More anon.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Eric Berger has the latest.

It strikes me a that this may have been a demonstration of the recently discovered explosive potential of LOX/methane, which Dugway tests showed was equivalent to TNT.

[Friday-morning update]

Stephen Green has the latest at PJMedia.

We’ll see how fast they can recover, but it certainly puts more pressure on SpaceX to get through their mishap investigation and get back to testing.

[Update a while later]

I knew Krafft when I was at Rockwell, because we had him on retainer as a consultant.

[Early-afternoon update]

Eric Berger: Why last night’s event was so catastrophic.

It’s sure a headache for Jared. At this point, Gwynne Shotwell is more important to American space activities than either the NASA administrator or General Saltzman.

[Update a few minutes later]

An aerial survey of the damage:

Business, Law, Political Commentary, Space

How Did Version 3 Do?

2 Comments

An interesting video:

Unsurprisingly, the FAA is going to require a mishap investigation before the next flight, but SpaceX is certainly already engaged in it.

Business, Education, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Social Commentary

The Church Of TDS

6 Comments

The Colbert show, explained:

Business, Economics, History, Law, Political Commentary, Social Commentary, War Commentary

Cuba

11 Comments

Is it finally, after over six decades, on the verge of freedom?

I guess that the question is what the basis of its economy will be. It could certainly do pineapples, coffee, and (if we were to end our own domestic restrictions) sugar, rum and cigars. But it could also become another tropical tourism mecca, with all its beaches. But they’d have to figure out how to avoid the tyranny of another Batista.