The guy ejected from that Somali aircraft was the suicide bomber.
Somewhere, an engineer who built this plane is having a good laugh: https://t.co/iu8KH32q84
— Rene F. Najera, MPH (@EpiRen) February 4, 2016
Category Archives: Technology and Society
SpaceX Plans
Jeff Foust has the highlights of what Gwynne said at the conference yesterday (I flew back last night, got in about midnight).
Not covered: I asked her the status on crossfeeding Falcon Heavy. She said definitely not first flight — they want to get the thing flying first (which makes perfect sense), but want to get there, maybe in the next two years. She also said that they had no current customer for a “sixty-ton(ne) payload.” Parenthesis because I don’t know if she meant English or metric, but either way, that’s the first time I’ve heard that number. The original stated payload (with crossfeed) was fifty-three tonnes (I think, have to double check, might have been tons), but that was also in expendable mode. I can imagine with the improved performance of the new larger densified Falcon cores, it would go up, but it’s not clear what the flyback penalty is. I may follow up with her in email.
[Update a few minutes later]
30th Space Wing is planning for a Falcon landing at Vandenberg this year.
#ProTip To Climate Scientists
When you say “the science is settled,” you are arguing for an end to your research funding.
Oops.
This is all part of the Democrats’ war on science:
Looking forward to a new U.S. President next year, whether the Democrats or the Republicans are in power, I don’t expect a continuation of the status quo on climate science funding. The Democrats are moving away from science towards policy – who needs to spend all that funding on basic climate science research? Global climate modeling might be ‘saved’ if they think these climate models can support local impact assessments (in spite of widespread acknowledgement that they cannot). If the Republicans are elected, Ted Cruz has stated he will stop all funding support for the IPCC and UNFCCC initiatives. That said, he seems to like data and basic scientific research.
Heh.
[Update a few minutes later]
“It’s a bit complicated.”
You don’t say.
Today’s Congressional Hearing On #JourneyToMars
Loren Grush has a good summary. Everyone recognizes that this is going nowhere, but the monster rocket people don’t care.
Life Extension
A 25% increase in healthy lifespan in mice, by genetic surgery. It’s unclear, though, if this can be done to existing phenotypes.
[Update a while later]
Here’s a more interesting take from Ed Yong.
[Update a few minutes later]
OK, they do actually seem to be clearing senescent cells from normal mice. This is pretty exciting stuff.
Luxembourg In Spaaaaaace
Rick Tumlinson told me about this in the hall yesterday, but the official press release is out.
[Afternoon update]
Doug Messier discusses the significance of this. It’s not just about investment.
Space Resource Distribution
This article at The Space Review seems profoundly ignorant of economics and history, including the history of the Moon Treaty, because that basically seems to be what he’s proposing.
Why Settle Space?
Dale Skran critiques a strawmannish article from a few days ago, so I don’t have to.
Violating The Norms And Ethos Of Science
A roundup of links and discussion of the latest in scientific “transparency.”
In my opinion, science that has any policy implications (I’m looking at you, climate and nutrition) has gone completely off the rails.
Off To DC
I got up at 3 AM to catch a 5 AM flight from LAX to DCA via ORD. Heading there for the FAA-AST Space Transportation Conference tomorrow. Earliest flight I’ve ever taken from there, I think. I had TSA pre-check, but the line wasn’t open yet, so I had to do the whole drill. The American terminal is pretty dead at 4 AM. Anyway, I’m in a flying chair somewhere over the plains with Internet. It almost feels like the 21st century.
Warning to denizens of the Beltway: I am on my way. Hide the women and liquor.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 31, 2016