When he told me he was doing this a few weeks ago, I was tempted to think that Tim Sandefur had too much time on his hands, but it’s actually an interesting essay.
[Saturday-morning update]
Megan Geuss binge watched the whole series in order for the first time. It’s an interesting take.
[Bumped]
David Livingston, Leonard David, and I interviewed Kathy Lueders, the program manager, on Monday. The podcast of it is now up. We basically ignored the talking points put out by PAO, and just asked her questions, some of them philosophical. I suspect it’s probably one of the most in-depth interviews she’s ever had. I gave her a copy of the book afterward.
BTW, I’ll be on The Space Show myself next Friday, to discuss the Kickstarter project.
[Update a while later]
I didn’t post this when it came out, because I was busy with conference stuff and other things over the weekend, but the latest Space Access Society update posits a theory that the commercial crew fight is a heating up of the never-ending war between Huntsville and Houston.
I’m at the AIAA Space 2015 Conference in Pasadena through tomorrow. A lot going on, and not a lot of time to blog. A lot of useful inputs to the Kickstarter project here. Probably back to normal on Thursday.
It’s not the Puppies, it’s the monoculture.
Though I think another big problem is that it has one too many “F”s.
Dave Brody interviews Jim Green, who regurgitates the standard NASA BS about the need for SLS.
Lessons learned. A long essay from Doug Messier.
Modumetal uses nanotechnology — manipulation of matter at the molecular level — to micromanage at a very small scale to better control the conditions and substances through which electroplating occurs. Basically, the company grows metal on a surface in a way that makes it easier to shape and tinker with the material’s characteristics. Lomasney says it’s similar to how nature controls the environment related to a tree’s growth— sunlight, soil, location, temperature—and then creates a tree that is a product those conditions.
This is the sort of thing that Eric talked about in Engines of Creation almost thirty years ago. It’s one of the reasons that any plans NASA has for Mars missions decades from now are already obsolete.
The sea surface temperatures are higher than they were for Andrew. If that track shifts just a little the north, the Cape would be in the crosshairs.
The launch pads can probably handle a serious storm, but the VAB can’t handle more than a Category 2 or 3. It’s been dodging bullets for decades. A Category 5 storm would probably level it. No VAB, no SLS.
If that were to happen, it would almost be like a divine intervention to end the Apollo cargo cult, by destroying its temple.
[Update a while later]
I’d note that if it stays on that track, our house in Boca is currently in the crosshairs.
[Thursday-morning update]
Latest track shows it heading up the coast as a Cat 1. Of course, they’re not as good (or at least didn’t used to be) at predicting intensity as they are on tracks.
This post is a few days old, but I didn’t link it at the time. I think that Keith is right. It’s largely been a failure, and will probably continue to be. We have to make it profitable.
I haven’t read it yet, but they’ve posted it.
[Update a few minutes later]
OK, I read it. It seems like a reasonable approach to me, but of course, the initial inquiry from Congress was completely disingenuous.