Category Archives: Political Commentary

The New Space Race

Paul Spudis continues to mourn the Vision for Space Exploration. I don’t think it’s lost yet — what was really cancelled was ESAS and Apollo on Geritol. There is not currently a specific goal, but I think that it’s still possible to reform (in the literal sense of that word) the VSE over the coming months, refocused on the original intent of lunar utilization. With regard to the Chinese, I am completely unconcerned about whether or not they plant a flag. If they show signs of doing resource utilization, though, I’ll be more concerned, and I suspect that the political establishment will as well, kicking off a true new race. But we won’t know that for years, at their current snail’s pace.

[Update a few minutes later]

Speaking of going back to the moon, Jon Goff has more thoughts on one-way-to-stay trips, which are probably the only way we’ll get back in the next decade. I’m wondering if it’s possible to do a “stone soup” project, and get commercial entities (e.g., Caterpillar) to donate components for the mission for PR purposes.

The End Of The Apollo Cargo Cult?

I have a longish rebuttal to Tom Jones up at Popular Mechanics.

[Update a few minutes later]

In case you’re confused, there are a couple problems with the piece that I’m trying to get fixed. First of all, obviously, that was supposed to be two billion dollars per launch not two bucks per launch (if only…). And I’ve quoted Tom Jones in the first paragraph on the second page, and farther down the page, Charlie Bolden, but there are no quote marks right now, so it makes it look as though their words are mine.

[Late afternoon update]

Jeff Greason weighs in on fairing-size issues in comments, and Jon Goff has some thoughts on heavy-lift technologies.

[Update a few minutes later]

The quotes on page two have been fixed, but we still have dollar-store prices for Ares I flights.

[Early evening update]

Ken Murphy says it’s the dawn of a new space enterprise.

John Murtha

RIP.

As I was taught, if you don’t have anything good to say…

[Update a few minutes later]

I assume that there will be a special election. I’ll bet that a Republican will have a good shot at taking the seat.

[Update a couple minutes l later]

Yup, a special election on primary day, May 18th, and it’s the only district in the country that voted for both John Kerry and John McCain. The only thing, really, that kept getting him reelected was the pork. Looks like a likely Republican pickup to me.

[Late afternoon update]

An obit from Rick Moran. With the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Human Rights Facade

…is beginning to crumble.

There is a vital role for groups like HRW and Amnesty to play in the world. Properly understood, their mission is to use their moral authority to shame and condemn tyranny and those who wish to make the world a hospitable place for tyrants and terrorists. But moral authority requires moral clarity. HRW and Amnesty have been overtaken by activists who use their position to wage easy campaigns against open societies instead of taking on the more difficult, thankless, and sometimes dangerous struggle against closed ones.

Kind of like the global warming scam. Amnesty International should be ashamed, but it’s apparently incapable of it.

Best Ad

I missed the first half (after giving up on our Costco trip yesterday, being unable to find a parking space and having forgotten that everyone would be stocking up for the game today, we went about game time. Lightest traffic ever…), but my favorite ad in the second half was Audi’s. Selling us green cars by showing us our ecofascist future…

[Update a few minutes later]

I agree:

I can’t wait for the video showing Hitler’s reaction to Peyton Manning’s fourth-quarter interception.

I think that it says something about the culture that, sixty-five years later, Adolf Hitler has become a pop-culture joke. Unfortunately, I think that the ideology of radical Islam and Allah will be much more resistant. Partly because when we make fun of Hitler, there aren’t riots in the streets, with threats of decapitation.

[Update a few minutes later]

Did the Colts get the kiss of death?

He also thought the Olympics were a shoe-in for Chicago because of his involvement (epic fail), that Corzyn would win in New Jersey, Deeds in Virginia, Coakley in Massachusetts, and that he would by himself succeed in Copenhagen. That’s 0-5 there tough guy! From NFL.com: President Obama predicts Colts victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

I’m guessing that there are a lot of donkeys who will be begging The One to stay the hell away from their campaigns this fall.