The Continuing Space Policy Failure

John Logsdon is concerned about Congress’s seeming lack of urgency about Commercial Crew:

“We on the Columbia board in 2003 called the lack of a replacement for the shuttle a failure of national leadership, and that failure continues, as exemplified by the congressional unwillingness to adequately fund commercial crew,” he explained. “Congress seems to view it not as an urgent issue, which is very puzzling to me.”

Really? It’s “puzzling” to you? It puzzles me not at all. It just says that pork is more important than success in space, as has been the case for four decades.

Gerry O’Neill

Today would have been his eighty-fifth birthday. Many of his dreams may have been unrealistic, in retrospect (they were based on the assumption that the Shuttle really would reduce the cost of space access, among other things), but he inspired, and reinspired a generation jaded by the letdown of Apollo.

On a related note, Alexis Madrigal has an interesting bit of space (and California) history, over at the Atlantic.

A New Twist On Nigerian Spam

I just got this one: “I am Special Agent,Fred Jones and am in Nigeria as an FBI delegate that has been delegated to investigate this fraudsters who are in the business of swindling Foreigners that came for transaction in Nigeria . Please be informed that during my investigation I got to find out that there is a huge sum that has been assigned in your name.Regard FRED JONES”

This one is real for sure.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!