Why the return trip seems shorter.
[Update a few minutes later]
Speaking of deep-space missions (not that it’s likely to ever fly any, or fly at all), Chris Bergin has a pretty extensive write-up on the Senate Launch System.
Category Archives: Space
The Monster Rocket
…will eat NASA’s space program. The Space Frontier Foundation speaks out.
My SLS Thoughts
…over at Popular Mechanics.
“Strategic Misrepresentation”
I have some thoughts on cost overruns on federal transportation projects, including space transportation, over at Open Market.
Is FAA Belt Tightening Good For Commercial Spaceflight?
Another CEI colleague, Luke Pelican, has a blog post at Open Market about the current House proposal to halve FAA-AST’s budget request:
Given the current quagmire facing NASA, the rapid development seen in the private space sector, and the uncertainty regarding the FAA-AST’s future regulatory plans, this budgetary restriction may help narrow the agency’s focus to ensuring a streamlined licensing process for commercial operators, rather than placing greater emphasis on regulatory efforts that could hamper future commercial space developments.
If they are going to cut the office’s budget, that’s at least a strong argument for pulling back their regulatory reach. They need to include the moratorium in whatever comes out of conference.
Oh, Goody
There’s going to be a hearing in the House Science Committee next Monday, and guess who is on the witless list?
Scheduled witnesses are Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Mike Griffin, so you can kind of guess the hearing’s theme already.
Why oh why couldn’t Rohrabacher have gotten that chairmanship?
[Update a few minutes later]
I just got an update from Jeff Foust; the hearing is actually scheduled for next Thursday, the 22nd. Not that it makes it any better.
“US Control Of Cis-Lunar Space”
Say what?
Decades ago, when I was an AIAA Congressional Science Fellow, a group of AIAA industry representatives met with my then-boss, Sen. Adlai Stevenson, III, and asked what real influence I had exercised while doing staff work in Congress. Sen. Stevenson smiled and replied, “This is Washington. Not even the President has any influence.” It was meant as a joke, but the experiences of three presidents who proposed human space initiatives prove that it was no joke. George H. W. Bush’s Space Exploration Initiative was killed by NASA coming up with an unaffordable plan. George W. Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration was hijacked by ideologues who wanted to create US control of cislunar space with a permanent lunar base.
Emphasis mine. That’s sure not what happened on my planet. On my planet, the VSE always contained a lunar base, but Mike Griffin and Scott Horowitz came up with an awful plan to implement it that never had a chance of succeeding in any affordable way. Not sure what planet Lou posted that from.
The SpaceX Engine “Anomaly”
Space News has the story. Some have said that this proves that Fragola was right, but that’s nonsense. He tried to create a rumor that the stage blew up. SpaceX had never denied that there was an engine problem, and they apparently provided the information quickly to everyone that needed to know (i.e., NASA and the FAA). They aren’t under any obligation to air all their laundry publicly.
More On Apollo Nostalgia
I have a post over at Open Market on my interviews yesterday, and the continuing porkfest.
My Talk With Alan Boyle
For those people who foolishly thought that the Republican debate was more important than my conversation with Alan Boyle tonight, the podcast is up now.
[Update]
It’s all ME, ME, ME, over at Cosmic Log tonight.
So if you’ve had enough of me, don’t go there.
[Thursday morning update]
Related thoughts from Rick Tumlinson.
[Update a few minutes later]
Man, many of the comments over at Cosmic Log are typical, in their rampant ignorance and straw men.