He finally faces the Galactic Code of Military Justice.
Category Archives: Space
Molly Macauley
This is terrible; I’m in shock. She was murdered last night, walking her dogs in her upscale Baltimore neighborhood.
I’ve known her for decades. I just saw her in March, at a NASA-sponsored workshop on space safety that she had put together at RFF. The report is due out any day.
In addition to being a wonderful woman, this is a huge loss to the space community; she was one of the few economists really focusing on the economics of space development. My condolences to her other friends, and family.
Back To The Moon
I agree with Eliot Pulham, it shouldn’t be about destinations (though SLS/Orion aren’t much more useful for going back than they are for Mars).
[Update a while later]
Sort of related: John Holdren rewrites history, and Eric Berger sets him straight.
[Update mid-morning]
Here’s a nice editorial from the Orlando Sentinel about the hopeful future in space due to competition between billionaires.
Gingrich
As I just noted on Twitter, if Trump picks him, I’d seriously consider voting for him, not least because he would be a vice president more visionary about space than any in history. More anon.
[Update a while later]
Related non-space thoughts on a Gingrich pick from Jonah Goldberg.
The Apollo Cargo Cult Incarnate
Reading comments on Donald Robertson’s excellent disquisition on SLS in Space News, I don’t think anyone so encapsulates the insanity as Gary Church.
I should note that I found this link via the space-policy section of Reddit, which I’ve added to the blog roll.
Oh, and speaking of insanity on human spaceflight policy, I’d like to fisk this nonsense, but it’s long, and I just don’t have the gumption for it right now. I doubt if many have even read the stupid thing.
Space And Time
Louise Riofrio has a new Kickstarter project to highlight her cosmological theory.
SLS/Orion
Donald Robertson has an op-ed at Space News that reflects many of the themes of my monograph (which, by the way, I have updated with feedback from the past couple days).
Asteroid Day
Thoughts from Instapundit.
I should note that all of the technologies needed to get to Mars would also help a lot in improving our ability to herd asteroids.
[Update a few minutes later]
Thoughts from Oliver Morton from a year ago: Taking the hit.
ULA
I’d been aware of their plans for large-scale activity in cislunar space (and even talk about it in the monograph), but this is the first I’d heard that they are offering to purchase water in space, with a price for various locations.
[Thursday-morning update]
Sort of related: Seeing on Twitter that they’re laying people off today. Not sure what that means.
[Afternoon update]
Here’s the story at the Denver Post. Looks like about 10% company wide. A literal decimation.
The Future Of Rockets
Thoughts from Eric Berger, which I missed last week due to the funeral and the conference.
From my monograph:
NASA gave up on reusability a decade ago, when Mike Griffin selected Constellation, with its expendable launch systems, capsule, insertion stages and landers. It could in fact be argued that Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) gave up on it after it was given responsibility for it in the 1990s, which it turned into the failed X-33 program, which failure the center then used as an excuse to illogically claim that reusability didn’t work.
One tech I didn't recommend that NASA develop for Mars: Low-cost access to space. Private sector is already taking care of that.
— Apostle To Morons (@Rand_Simberg) June 29, 2016