The question is whether or not they’ll insist on another uncrewed test flight before putting in crew. Given the cost of an Atlas V, I’d be inclined to say no, given that this failure wouldn’t have resulted in loss of crew. Worst case for a crewed flight would be failure to dock, which would just mean a mission abort back to White Sands. But as we all know, SAFETY IS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY.
Telling my boss I'm late to work because of my Boeing alarm clock.
A nice Christmas present from them to those of us who have to analyze this stuff. Not sure when I’ll actually get around to reading it, but it can’t be pretty.
Skywalker is a frantic, disjointed mess—not a movie with good ideas poorly executed, not even a movie with bad ideas, but a movie with no ideas at all, save for saccharine paeans to fandom and nostalgia. As a story, it is empty and unengaging to the point of boredom. As a cinematic product, it is surprisingly lackluster, with shoddy effects and muddy visuals. And as an entry in the Star Wars franchise, an ostensibly major part of the pop-culture canon, it is a wasted opportunity: a total failure of both creative imagination and corporate brand management.
This is not great news. I don’t understand why Ross hasn’t gone to Congress, but I also don’t understand how he thought he was going to get the funding without doing so.
I’m encouraged that he wants to emphasize science and technology. This could create some useful Anglospheric alliances in space, particularly if he sets up a Royal Space Force.
[Update a few minutes later]
He’s going after the Beeb. That would be amazing if he could get rid of that pack of leftist hacks.
An interesting article on General Kwast (who reportedly has people read my book), but isn’t it obvious that he’s talking about things like Starship? Nothing magical or secret here.
Coming in on chutes is such a 20th-century concept. At some point we will land rockets just as we do airplanes. And if Elon has his way, that point will be within half a decade, at which point, Crew Dragon capsules may come back inside a Starship.
We’re thinking of getting out, too. I’ve loved this state since I first visited it on a family vacation over half a century ago, but the inmates are running the asylum in Sacramento.