Category Archives: Social Commentary

Charles Pooley Of Microlaunchers

He was supposed to give a presentation at Space Access. He didn’t show up.

Over at Arocket, Ed LeBouthillier (his collaborator on his book) has a report:

I just got a call from the Las Vegas coroner’s office.

Apparently Charles has passed on and is no longer with us.

May the rocket gods look kindly on his soul. May he join his family, friends and ancestors in the family hall with honor.

Sorry to hear that. I didn’t know him well, but I’d talked to him a few times. RIP.

Personhood For Non-Humans

Elizabeth Price Foley is appalled at some recent court decisions, and the trend.

I’ve got mixed feelings on this. I agree that they shouldn’t be given full human rights, but I do think we should make distinctions as a function of intelligence, and perhaps even recognize some degree of moral agency (e.g., dolphins). It also raises the issue of how we would treat extraterrestrials as a function of those things.