I really don’t see how NGL is going to be competitive with SpaceX and Blue Origin (or even Vulcan, if it happens), unless the USAF decides to keep Orbital ATK alive for national-security reasons. I hope that NASA isn’t compelled to purchase launches. Solids are fine for missiles, but other than strap ons, they never belonged in launch systems.
Category Archives: Business
End Of An Era
I didn’t mention this at the time he announced it was happening to his staff, but George Nield has retired from the FAA. Not clear what the future holds for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, or who the next head of it will be, but it’s unlikely to remain within the FAA, given the mood on the Hill. It never should have been there. The entire federal regulatory apparatus needs to be restructured for the coming era in commercial spaceflight, both launch and for on-orbit activities.
Lockheed Martin’s Fusion Reactor
I sure hope this pans out, and works in space as well.
Junk Nutrition
A mix of good and bad dietary advice.
Lot of junk nutritional science in this (e.g., seed oils, including canola good, saturated fat bad). https://t.co/pRSKIsogcm
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) March 31, 2018
"Since the world’s best diets consistently derive 10 percent or less of their calories from saturated fat, raising the average amount of saturated fat in your diet makes no sense."
Anyone see the logical fallacy here? It's begging the question of what's "best." https://t.co/pRSKIsogcm
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) March 31, 2018
Space Regulation
With the Legal Subcommittee meeting of COPUOUS in Vienna a little over a week away (I’ll be attending this year), Laura Montgomery has a new paper out, and Christopher Johnson has some thoughts, too.
Thai Cuisine
The surprising reason there are so many Thai restaurants in America. Does any other country do this?
JWST And The Media
Thoughts from Bob Zimmerman on the latest overrun and schedule slip, and the shoddy reporting of it.
King Versus Burwell
SCOTUS has essentially repudiated itself. Many of the decisions from the left side of it have been nakedly political.
The JWST
It’s delayed again, and over budget. Again.
I would have canceled it years ago. It was a mistaken concept from the get go. For what we’ve spent on this program, we could have had orbital servicing capability, obviating the need for the origami, and even allowing servicing in situ.
The New National Space Strategy
Thoughts on it from Laura Montgomery, with its implications for Outer Space Treaty interpretation.