I’ll be on today, from 9:30 to 11 AM PST.
[Update a few minutes later]
The call-in number is 1-866-687-7223.
Why So Strangely Yoda Speaks
Someone had too much time on his hands.
We Are All Overconfident Idiots
Some useful thoughts on epistemology and psychology, in the context of climate science.
[Update a while later]
Related: Climate change in the land of Gruber/Obama, and Gaia as the opiate of the masses.
Scott Walker
I had a beer with Stephen Fleming a few months ago, and we were discussing potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates. We both agreed that the Wisconsin governor should be a leading contender. Rich Cromwell agrees:
Does Walker sizzle? Not exactly. Is he a particularly charismatic speaker? No, he isn’t. But does he sit upon a throne made of the skulls of his enemies? Yes, yes he does.
Heh.
Commercial Spaceflight’s Terrible Last Week Of October
My thoughts on what it all means, over at PJMedia, with some bonus @ISPCS coverage and history.
The RD-180 Replacement
Congress won’t like this. Insufficient opportunities for graft.
Note the implicit acknowledgement that they’re going to be using Falcons.
Siebold’s Testimony
Sounds like he didn’t have any new information for the NTSB, but I’d still like to hear his description of the engine burn and vibration environment. Note, it doesn’t say he doesn’t remember the feathers being unlocked, but that he was unaware of it (i.e., cognizant of his experience right up until breakup).
[Update a few minutes later]
Andy Pasztor has the problematic history of the program. I haven’t read it yet.
[Update a while later]
OK, the WSJ piece seems to line up pretty well with my own understanding of the history. I talked to Jon Ostrower last week to give him some background, and he seems to have incorporated some of what I told him, though he didn’t quote me. Which is fine.
The Next Apology
In light of his previous speech, I expect that Obama will attempt to appease the comet for this morning’s attack on our European allies’ spacecraft.
Congratulations To ESA
My twitter feed’s been exploding with tweets about the comet landing. Unfortunately, the harpoons apparently didn’t automatically deploy, so they don’t yet have a sure grab to the surface, which could make sampling operations difficult. The surface seems to be softer than expected. But they’re still working the problem.
This is good news for asteroid miners, though.
.@martinselvis2 @ESA_Rosetta Philae has returned volumes and many papers can already be written! This mission is GREAT for asteroid mining.
— Chris Lewicki (@interplanetary) November 12, 2014
[Update a few minutes later]
OK, hearing that they managed to anchor with the ice screws, so maybe harpoons are redundant now.
Sat Fat Resistance Continues To Crumble
This is a pretty significant paper, considering the author.