Space

Misleading Concerns

Michael Belfiore is concerned about Rocketplane’s business plan and technical approach:

These guys say they’ll fly paying passengers–and not just any paying passengers, but ones able to blow almost a quarter of a million dollars on a what amounts to a fabulously expensive roller coaster ride–in an experimental spacecraft built around a used business jet. Because its cheaper.

Well, there’s actually nothing wrong with that. It’s certainly an airframe with which we have a lot of experience (though not necessarily for this application). It’s not at all obvious to me that it’s better to use a new design from scratch. And the fact that it’s used doesn’t bother me, either. Many airliners are flying safely with aging airframes (and we now have B-52s flying some of whose current flight crews may have grandfathers who flew them). What matters is not age (or even cycles), but inspections.

And there’s more, unfortunately. Turns out the rocket engine is going to be preowned as well, of the highly explosive liquid fuel variety. That’s because the built-from-scratch engine they were going to use blew up on the test stand.

Without knowing more about this, I can’t really comment, but liquid engines are not intrinsically dangerous, marketing hype from SpaceDev aside. It depends on the design, and the margins.

And something for me to follow up on: a tipster tells me that Rocketplane hasn’t approached the FAA about certifying their hot-rodded Learjet–surely a requirement for following through with their business plan.

If they haven’t talked to the FAA at all, I’d be concerned (and surprised, if not astonished). But if the “tipster” is saying literally that they haven’t applied for “certification,” I wouldn’t expect them to, now or later. “Certification” has a very precise meaning in this context. The whole purpose of the new launch legislation last year was to allow passengers to fly without having to go through certification of a spaceplane (something that the FAA-AST doesn’t know how to do at all, and that FAA-AVR, the part that certifies aircraft, doesn’t know how to do it for spacecraft).

All that is needed is a launch license. Virgin Galactic may attempt to get their spacecraft certified (because that seems to be Burt’s druthers), but if they do, I suspect they’ll find out that it will throw a wrench into their business plans, cost them a lot more than they expect, and delay their entry into the market for years.

[Update on Sunday night]

Robin Snelson makes a good point in comments–Belfiore is comparing apples and orange. Virgin Galactic is a spaceline, whereas Rocketplane is a manufacturer. Better to compare the latter to the SpaceShip Company.

Media Criticism

In The Limelight

Glenn Reynolds just mentioned this post of mine on CNN’s Reliable Sources. Roger Simon (the journalist, not the smart blogger), whined in response (and completely missed the point) that WW II was nothing like Iraq.

[Update in the afternoon]

Here’s the rush transcript (in which they manage to misspell my name in a new and unusual way):

KURTZ: Glenn Reynolds, is this 2,000 deaths just a bloody milestone that naturally was going to get some media attention, or is there an anti-war tinge to the sudden focus on 2,000 deaths, the press’s way of saying, see, this just isn’t working out?

GLENN REYNOLDS, INSTAPUNDIT.COM: Well, it’s more than that. It’s a manufactured event by a press that has largely been anti-war from the beginning, and I think is dogpiling on the Bush administration for as many opportunities as it can find.

Ran Siemberg (ph), who is a blogger, had an amusing parody from World War II of the media making a big deal out of another milestone, the 250,000th death. And I think that provides all kind of perspective, on the difference between the two wars, and the difference between the press’ treatment of the two wars.

Too often, war coverage now is just another opportunity to try to go after Bush, who the press has disliked from day one. And I think that’s very, very unfortunate.

KURTZ: Roger Simon, you are shaking your head.

SIMON: I just don’t find much comparison between World War II, in which we were fighting predatory fascism that was trying to take over the globe, and invading Iraq for reasons that the administration now admits were false.

“…predatory fascism that was trying to take over the globe…”

I guess he’s never bothered to read any statements of intent from Al Qaeda.

Which part does he think is untrue of the enemy? That they aren’t fascists? Well, admittedly, the term has lost much of its currency from overuse by much of the left to be applied to everyone who disagrees with them on almost any conceivable subject, so let’s call it totalitarianism instead (a term that I would hope that Mr. Simon would agree also applies to our enemies in the second world war). If that word can’t be applied to people who want to run every aspect of everyone’s daily existence, will brook no dissent, and have no apparent value for human life, as the Jihadis objectively do, then to whom does it apply? And even if you want to imagine that the “secular” Saddam didn’t support the “terrorists” (one would have to disregard the Salman Pak training camp and the bounties offered for attacks on the Israelis to buy that one), he was as totalitarian (and fascist) as they come.

And part of the totalitarian ideology of Al Qaeda is that there shall be no ideology before theirs–ultimately, all the infidels must convert or die. That we aren’t first on the list is a matter of political and military necessity, not an indication of any solicitude toward our ultimate fate. Does he really believe that it isn’t their goal to “take over the globe”? From the standpoint of the threat, if they (and Saddam) are not the Hitler of the MSM mind, it’s because they’re Hitler in 1935, instead of Hitler in 1941. But while he made many strategic mistakes (which were his ultimate undoing, as hopefully will be the case for our new totalitarian adversaries), he didn’t make the strategic mistake of attacking New York in 1935, as Osama did in 2001.

It would have been a lot easier to deal with Hitler in 1935, which is one reason why our casualties are counted only in the low thousands after over four years of war, instead of the large fractions of a million that it took to defeat our totalitarian enemies six decades ago, for all that the media would make of them.

War Commentary

What’s The Big Deal?

The Iranians can’t understand why everyone is getting bent out of shape about their threats to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. After all, it’s nothing new:

“Our respected president has not said anything new or unprecedented about Israel to justify such a huge political tumult,” wrote Hossein Shariatmadari, who was appointed to his post as editor of the Kayhan daily by Iran’s Supreme Leader.

“Iran’s nuclear case … could be a reason for the recent clamour,” he said.

Gee, ya think?

Actually, they’re right. For years, it’s been just fine with many in the west for Iran roust people out in the streets to chant “Death to America, Death to the Zionists, Death to the Great Satans,” as long as they couldn’t actually do anything about it.

[Update at 9 AM PDT]

The Iranian president has an innovative solution to stock market woes, too:

Iran

War Commentary

What’s The Big Deal?

The Iranians can’t understand why everyone is getting bent out of shape about their threats to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. After all, it’s nothing new:

“Our respected president has not said anything new or unprecedented about Israel to justify such a huge political tumult,” wrote Hossein Shariatmadari, who was appointed to his post as editor of the Kayhan daily by Iran’s Supreme Leader.

“Iran’s nuclear case … could be a reason for the recent clamour,” he said.

Gee, ya think?

Actually, they’re right. For years, it’s been just fine with many in the west for Iran roust people out in the streets to chant “Death to America, Death to the Zionists, Death to the Great Satans,” as long as they couldn’t actually do anything about it.

[Update at 9 AM PDT]

The Iranian president has an innovative solution to stock market woes, too:

Iran

War Commentary

What’s The Big Deal?

The Iranians can’t understand why everyone is getting bent out of shape about their threats to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. After all, it’s nothing new:

“Our respected president has not said anything new or unprecedented about Israel to justify such a huge political tumult,” wrote Hossein Shariatmadari, who was appointed to his post as editor of the Kayhan daily by Iran’s Supreme Leader.

“Iran’s nuclear case … could be a reason for the recent clamour,” he said.

Gee, ya think?

Actually, they’re right. For years, it’s been just fine with many in the west for Iran roust people out in the streets to chant “Death to America, Death to the Zionists, Death to the Great Satans,” as long as they couldn’t actually do anything about it.

[Update at 9 AM PDT]

The Iranian president has an innovative solution to stock market woes, too:

Iran

War Commentary

An Act Of War

That’s what this looks like to me:

Iran has promised a reward of $10,000 (5600 pounds) to Islamic Jihad if the militant group launches rockets from the West Bank towards Tel Aviv, a senior Palestinian intelligence official said last week.

After the threats to destroy them recently, how much more of this is Israel supposed to take? This is literally state-sponsored terrorism. If the rockets are launched, there’s a clear address at which Israel can respond.

Satire

Grim Milestone Approaches In Unending War

October 28th, 1944

WASHINGTON (Routers) As this bloody and futile war enters its fourth year, the casualties continue to rise, and while it’s hard to know how many American soldiers have been lost, due to a secretive Roosevelt administration, many analysts think that the number of deaths in brutal battle is now approaching a quarter of a million, with many more millions of civilian casualties in Europe and Asia. Even ignoring all of the innocent loss of life, the loss of American soldiers alone is now almost equivalent to that of the entire population of a medium-sized American city.

This mark is being reached amid growing doubts among the American public about the seemingly endless European and Pacific conflicts, hastily and, some say, thoughtlessly launched in December 1941 to avenge the attack on Pearl Harbor by radical Japanese Shintoists.

Here in the nation’s capital, many urged the U.S. Senate to observe a moment of silence in honor of the fallen 250,000.

“We owe them a deep debt of gratitude for their courage, for their valor, for their strength, for their commitment to our country,” said a prominent Democrat leader.

Critics of the war also acknowledged the sacrifice, even as they questioned the policies of those who lead it.

“Our armed forces are serving ably in Europe and the Pacific under enormously difficult circumstances, and the policy of our government must be worthy of their sacrifice. Unfortunately, it is not, and the American people know it,” said a well-known Republican Senator on background.

Another veteran Republican Senator said today that Americans should expect “many more losses to come.”

“Millions of U.S. troops remain overseas. They did not ask to be sent to war, but each day, they carry out their duty while risking their lives. It is only reasonable that the American people, and their elected representatives, ask more questions about what the future holds in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and how we got into this situation,” he said.

“Anyone who examines the record can see that this president has lied his way into this war. Over the two years before December 7th, while he was telling the nation that we’d never send these boys into a foreign war, he was making backroom deals with the bellicose British government, holding secret talks with them without informing the Congress, supporting them with war material, which could be considered an act of war in itself, providing naval patrols in the north Atlantic and giving orders to fire on German submarines, occupying Iceland, freezing Japanese assets…the list goes on.”

“He knew that the Japanese extremists were going to attack us, and let it happen to get us into his illegal war. It’s time for us to ask why the world hates us, and why they continue to fight against us and kill hundreds of thousands of our soldiers.”

It should be noted that while he disagrees with the characterization of his actions prior to December 7th, President Roosevelt has also warned in one of his fireside chats last year that “…the war is going to last a lot longer than you think. The plans we made for the knocking out of Mussolini and his gang have largely succeeded. But we still have to knock out Hitler and his gang, and Tojo and his gang. No one of us pretends that this will be an easy matter.”

This past summer, he said that we “…shall have to push through a long period of greater effort and fiercer fighting before we get into Germany itself. The Germans have retreated thousands of miles, all the way from the gates of Cairo, through Libya and Tunisia and Sicily and Southern Italy. They have suffered heavy losses, but not great enough yet to cause collapse.”

Unfortunately, the message was lost in the understandable furor over his crude language, referring to the Japanese and German governments as “gangs” and, even more appalling, his unapologetic use of racist language in the same speech, in which he repeatedly referred to the Japanese people and troops as “Japs.”

In cities across the country, anti-war protesters and others concerned about the mounting death toll created tiny, glimmering cemeteries in public places. The anti-war group People for Peace And Justice organized many solemn candlelight ceremonies.

The anti-war movement has rallied around Etta Mae Hanberg, whose son was killed in Italy early this year. She gave a speech prior to the ceremony here last night:

“It is insane that there are so many people living and working in the White House that are responsible for war crimes, high crimes and misdemeanors and other crimes against humanity and they are wandering free to enjoy their lives and live fat off of their war profits. We will probably be arrested for exercising our rights to freedom of speech and freedom to peaceably assemble.”

“Besides asking him for What Noble Cause did he kill 250,000 of our wonderful and brave young people, I would also like to ask Franklin Delanodamngood Roosevelt what he is sacrificing. Is he even sacrificing a good night’s sleep? Is he sacrificing his future with his child? He is not sacrificing anything. He and his cabal of warmongering crooks are asking us Americans to give up our lives and our children’s lives for his lies and mistakes and I am sure the grim milestone is barely causing a blip in their souls. Franklin Delano Rosenfeld, the syphillitic Dutch Jew, and his wealthy buddies don’t even have to pay more taxes for the horror in Europe or to rebuild Houston and Galveston [referring to last year’s devastating hurricane, about which the White House and the War Department have suppressed almost all news], which is another Rosenfeld horror.”

Former military personnel are involved in the protests as well.

“We wanted to show people the immensity of the 250,000 people dead,” said Harvey Whitmeyer, a veteran of the first world war who has spent the past several months with a handful of other veterans making the quarter of a million candles that people have been arranging in a vast circle over the past few weeks on the mall, 200 rows deep. “The Roosevelt administration has done everything in its power not to connect this war with death,” Whitmeyer said. “We will rectify that with this peace display.”

Joe Ferguson, a wounded veteran of the military disaster at Kasserine Pass a couple years ago, told the small, quiet crowd he had trouble looking at the shining monument. “These are my people,” he said, shielding his eyes from the quarter of a million candlepower of intense light.

Anti-war activists, many of them wearing elaborate costumes and giant papier-mache heads fashioned in the likenesses of President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Stimson, danced around the peace inferno and chanted slogans such as, “Hey, hey, FDR, how many kids have you killed so far?”

Sadly, grief and mourning turned to tragedy anew as the radiance of the heat caused the wings of one of the giant Birds Of Peace to catch fire. Its wearer ran around in a panic, ablaze and screaming. The horror was increased as other protestors attempted to help by beating the fires out with cardboard plowshares, further spreading the flames and torment. The grim event seemed a living symbol, a flaming metaphor of what is apparent to many–the heartless callousness and indifference of this administration to human life and dignity.

In unrelated news in the past month, General MacArthur has retaken the Phillippines, many atolls continue to fall to American forces in the Pacific, and General Patton continues to roll through France on to Germany.

[Copyright 2005 by Rand Simberg]

Political Commentary

I Have To Confess

…a desire to see Bush name Ann Coulter to the Supreme Court, just to see the apoplexia that this would arouse among Democrats and liberals. The halls of Congress would be bloody with bursting veins and arteries. I wouldn’t expect (or even hope) that she’d be confirmed, but the entertainment value, particularly at the hearings, would be immense.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!