This is a good change, particularly if it lights fires under other contenders than Vast. But NASA should never have been in the business of “certifying” commercial space facilities. The industry does need to develop some building codes, though.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
A Rare Event
Neil de Grasse Tyson says something smart.
I’m so glad we have smart science man to warn us against the dangers of conquering the moon people and taking their cheese https://t.co/ZrFGE6otC8
— Spencer A. Klavan (@SpencerKlavan) August 7, 2025
The Harvard Undergrads
Arnold Kling says to pity them, in the age of AI.
Not sure I can work up that much pity for them, to be honest.
Trump’s Second-Term Space Policy
Yes, it’s an ongoing mess.
[Wednesday-morning update]
Yes, putting a nuclear reactor (in fact, several of them) on the Moon is a great idea, but it’s out of context with the policy mess. If we want to put reactors on the Moon, we have to come up with a scalable, affordable transportation infrastructure to get not only them, but lots of things there. We don’t currently have one, and no one in the administration seems to be concerned about it.
Why And How To End SLS Now
My long awaited (at least by me) study for the Reason Foundation is now online.
[Friday-morning update]
The best word to describe NASA’s lunar program is “delusional.”
[Bumped]
[Update Saturday morning]
A nice summary of the policy paper.
Tom Lehrer
Remembering “my mischievous friend.”
My parents had the “An Evening Wasted With…” album.
The Climate Movement
The bad science and bad policy at the heart of it.
[Afternoon update]
Climate science is baaaaack.
This is one of the biggest (and most needed) regulatory rollbacks in history.
More from Ed Morrissey and Stephen Green.
The Beginning Of The End
I suspect that the end will come when my generation is gone, if not sooner. Younger people don’t have the fidelity to it that the Boomers do. When I’m traveling, I realize how spoiled I am by DVR. “You mean I have to actually be in my room at 7 PM to watch Gutfeld?”
Starship’s Fate
Well, it’s next weekend, and we’re back from Vegas. Here‘s a good article on the state of play for the beast. I suspect that the hed wasn’t written by the author.
[Update early afternoon]
This seems related, somehow. Sarah Hoyt’s thoughts on The Man Who Sold The Moon.
[Sunday-morning update]
Happy Moon Day
I’ll be on The Space Show at noon PDT to talk about the 56th anniversary.