It’s no surprise, but they finally admitted that they want the BE-4, because they don’t want to continue Atlas. But at least AJR got hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in cost-plus contracts to develop an engine that no one wants to buy.
Category Archives: Business
Luxembourg
This looks like a potential interesting conference, but the “Agenda” gives one no idea about who will actually be on the program, or what they’d be talking about. You’d think they’d have some speakers confirmed two months before the event. Another issue is that the “Accommodations” section says to grab a room early, because there is a conflicting event and rooms may be in short supply. That may just be to get people to pay $500 a night for a conference that only costs $350.
Japan To The Moon
…privately. Yes, it’s ambitious, but I don’t think this is the problem:
The longer-term goals are laudable, but the company seems to seriously underestimate the difficulty of reaching lunar ice, harvesting it under extremely cold conditions, and producing propellant from ice. These are all significant engineering challenges in unprecedented conditions. Moreover, even under optimistic circumstances, NASA’s plans to return to the Moon wouldn’t put a handful of humans—let alone hundreds—on the lunar surface before the late 2020s, and China doesn’t intend for such landings until the early 2030s.
I don’t think that NASA’s or China’s plans are relevant to private lunar plans.
The Latest Russian Malware
…embeds itself in the BIOS. It seems to be a Windows issue, though, which is another reason I use Linux.
Government Nutritional Advice
Maybe it should just stop giving it.
To paraphrase Inigo Montoya: It killed my father. It should prepare to die.
Hospital Food
There’s no doubt it could use a lot of improvement, but I think this is bogus:
Dr. Eisenberg says the jury is no longer out on the benefits of eating a more plant-based diet with less refined foods, sugar and red meat. A study published last year in JAMA estimated that nearly half of the deaths from heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes are caused by poor diet.
They are, but there’s zero evidence that red meant causes any of them. Patricia had to spend a night in the hospital for a procedure a few weeks ago, and her breakfast was terrible, nutritionally.
[Update a few minutes later]
Related: Incorrect diagnoses kill 80,000 people per year.
The medical profession gets far too much respect.
Gmail
I have an account, but I only use it as an emergency back up. This is why.
SpaceX’s Near-Death Experience
Eric Berger has an interesting story, that I remember. It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade.
Oops
This is such a weird story.
Why would one have to “remember” to “flip a switch” to provide cabin pressure? Why didn’t the crew “flip the switch” when they realized what was happening to the passengers?
Informed Consent
Laura Montgomery explains the legal situation with the lunar voyage. It’s a reminder that the regulatory moratorium expires in 2023. I continue to believe that it should have no expiration date, and should remain in place indefinitely, at least until there is a political consensus that regulation is required.