Category Archives: Political Commentary

Obama’s Next Solyndra

Here comes Smith Electric:

The company has very limited customer base of only eight companies, and “the loss of any of these customers could materially harm our business.”

The SEC filing contained other damaging revelations. The firm said that its truck’s lithium-ion battery cells “have been observed to catch fire or vent smoke and flames,” and their warranty reserves may be insufficient to cover future warranty claims.

The company’s top management has limited or no experience in the automobile or truck business. Hansel previously led Evo Medical Solutions, which sold portable oxygen concentrators.

But other than that, it was a great bet, Secretary Chu.

Home, Home On Lagrange

Hey, put me down as all in favor of a Lagrange-point base — I’ve advocated it for years. But I’d like to see the trade study that says EML-2 versus EML-1. My preference is for the latter, but NASA seems focused on the former. I haven’t seen any explanation as to why. To my mind it’s a time versus delta-vee tradeoff. I’d prefer quicker trips, and better views of earth.

I also agree with Charles Lurio (quoted in the piece) that this isn’t the mission that SLS is looking for. It would be ludicrously expensive compared to using existing vehicles. There is no mission for which the Senate Launch System is cost effective.

But Trent Waddington says that Charles and I should hush our mouves.