We’re still learning them. A lot of this applies to NASA and its “safety culture” as well.
Category Archives: Space
The North Korean Satellite
A first-hand report from Jim Oberg, who just got back.
[Late-morning update]
Here’s more at Gizmodo. The satellite can be sun synchronous, or launch on the claimed trajectory, but not both.
Dyson Shells
Iranian Billionaires And Lunar Dictators
I just did a radio interview with Thom Hartmann, in which he postulated that if the proposed homesteading legislation passed, it would result in an Iranian billionaire setting up a military base on the moon from which to bombard us. Or alternately, that I would become a dictator of my own lunar colony. He also didn’t seem to understand the difference between libertarianism and anarchism.
Hokay…
The Science Is Unsettled
A lot of NASA personnel are unhappy with the agency’s perceived politicized stance on AGW (Hansen isn’t mentioned by name, but one can read between the lines). I’m glad to see former Rockwell colleague Anita Gale on the list.
[Early afternoon update]
More from Anthony Watts, with a bonus shot of a headless Hansen being handcuffed.
Vital Research On The ISS
The space station finally earns its keep:
Compounds of unmatured malt were sent to the station in an unmanned cargo spacecraft in October last year, along with particles of charred oak.
Scientists want to understand how they interact at close to zero gravity.
NanoRacks LLC, the US company behind the research, has said understanding the influence of gravity could help a number of industries, including the whisky industry, to develop new products in the future.
And those silly people say that space research is a waste of money.
Karl Hallowell
…was injured recently in a aerospace testing accident (though not the sort of aerospace testing accident one would expect). Sounds like he’ll fully recover, though.
Lunar Land Grants
More thoughts over at IPInSpace.
Space Property Rights At The Space Review
Jeff Foust has a roundup of the story so far.
[Tuesday-morning update]
Alan Boyle has picked up the story, including an interview with me.
The First NASA Astronauts
We met them fifty-three years ago today. It was slightly over two years since Gagarin’s first flight, whose fifty-first anniversary is on Thursday.