Sorry for the light posting, I had to replace the graphics card in my computer, and it turned out to be a more onerous ordeal than I expected. Hopefully the desktop will be back on the air today. Carry on in comments.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
Business As Usual
After overnight data showed an interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage, teams are troubleshooting and preparing for a likely rollback of Artemis II to the VAB at @NASAKennedy. This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window. @NASA will…
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 21, 2026
Looks like April now (at best). Also looks like Starship 3 before Artemis II.
[Update a few minutes later]
— Petr Kraus (@PetrKraus42) February 21, 2026
[Afternoon update]
Sorry, second X post fixed now.
[Sunday-morning update]
Mark Whittington (!) says commercial space to the rescue.
Brutal
The new NASA administrator’s assessment of both NASA and Boeing’s performance on Commercial Crew:
Below is the note that I sent to the NASA workforce today as we release the report on the Starliner Crew Flight Test Investigation.
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 19, 2026
We will achieve success through extreme ownership, immense competence, and decisive action. pic.twitter.com/UoXI25PFOQ
[Late-afternoon update]
I don’t think that “Yikes!” really covers the waterfront here:
A sort of summary page I found in the Starliner PDF. Highlights are my own on things I find the most interesting. pic.twitter.com/rlzEn3J8tx
— Ken Kirtland IV (@KenKirtland17) February 19, 2026
Here‘s Eric Berger’s story.
[Evening update]
Thoughts from Bob Zimmerman.
Making Space Important
A thought experiment, to which I’ve gotten little response so far.
So, there's an argument going on in Space X (as opposed to SpaceX) about why we have to continue to waste money on SLS/Orion if we want to beat the Chinese back to the Moon. When I propose alternatives, I get objections like "Dragon can't come back from the Moon," "Nothing else…
— Not-So-OK Boomer (@Rand_Simberg) February 18, 2026
How Long Can This Go On?
Russian casualties soar as SpaceX cuts off their Starlink terminals.
About That Wet Dress Rehearsal
Jared responds to Eric Berger:
I will just say we are leaning forward with transparency, sharing the blemishes and the successes, because for a program as costly and important to national security as Artemis, the public is entitled to the facts.
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 14, 2026
– The confidence test related to the seals we repaired and…
He remains hostage to the politics, until Starship has shown its mettle. Also…
Elon’s Mars To Moon Pivot
Thoughts from Peter Hague.
As someone who has never cared much about Mars, I’m very happy to see this.
[Title fixed, sorry!]
America’s Industrial Infrastructure
We have a dangerous resilience gap.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
Who knew that liquid hydrogen could have leak issues?
Notice the subtle shade from Jared: ““With more than three years between SLS [Space Launch System] launches, we fully anticipated encountering challenges.”
[Update a few minutes later]
[Late-morning update]
The Artemis vision began with President Trump, but the SLS architecture and its components long predate his administration, with much of the heritage clearly traced back to the Shuttle era. As I stated during my hearings, and will say again, this is the fastest path to return… https://t.co/bu0SvThwS9
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 3, 2026
It’s not even the fastest path, but it is probably the one with lowest risk. We could get back to the Moon faster and at lower cost, but we’d have to accept more risk than NASA and Congress have demonstrated the ability to do.
40 Years On
I’ve been busy with the conference, compounded by the fact that I brought the wrong mouse with me for the laptop, so light posting. But it’s worth noting the anniversary of the loss of Challenger. Which is also (as always) my birthday.