An interesting history, including a bonus discussion of space tourism.
The Warbird
Tara Copp has written a book that’s been getting good reviews from the defense media. Here’s an excerpt.
So the wonderful @TaraCopp gave me a copy of her new book, The Warbird, I am ENGROSSED.
GO BUY IT.https://t.co/oE75lBl8mz
— Valerie Insinna (@ValerieInsinna) March 14, 2017
The Southern Poverty Law Center
It’s been doing so for decades. No one should take it seriously any more.
Classic Cars
My step-brother had a TR-4, but I’m surprised that you can pick up a TR-6 for that little money. Seems like a great deal. It may soon be the only way you can get a real stick shift.
Michelle’s School Lunch Program
The reign of terror is almost over. What’s not mentioned, though, is that even if the kids were eating the food, it’s not healthy for them. Low grains are only a little less terrible than refined ones, and low fat constitutes physical child abuse, because they need fat to grow their brains.
If You Lose Your Health Insurance
Are you really worse off?
The word “insurance” has lost all meaning when it comes to health care, and the continual confusion and conflation of the two lies at the root of much of the problem. Crazy idea: I want a health savings account to deal with normal medical expenses, and insurance for catastrophes. You know, the way insurance used to be until it got screwed up by wage controls during the war and union negotiators.
The Planetary Society
Entirely not unexpectedly, they have some terrible suggestions for Trump and NASA:
- Maintain the exploration of Mars as the organizing principle for NASA’s human spaceflight program
- Direct NASA to plan an executable, affordable path for sending humans to Mars orbit by 2033
- Expand NASA’s highly successful science portfolio
- Continue to grow and support the commercial space industry
- Initiate annual five percent increases to NASA’s budget for five years
The only good one is the fourth. Here are mine:
- Make the continuous reduction of the cost of space activities the organizing principle for NASA’s human spaceflight program
- Direct NASA to end development of its own launch systems and to start to procure propellant in LEO to enable trips beyond
- Expand NASA’s science portfolio with data purchases
- Continue to grow and support the commercial space industry
- Direct funding from SLS/Orion to support 1-4
Commercial Space Activities
Should they be “permissionless”? Marcia Smith reports on an interesting hearing on the Hill last week, which I attended.
Wasteful Spending
Trump is going to order a government-wide review of it.
If Trump really wants to review wasteful government spending, at NASA he can start with SLS/Orion: https://t.co/eR8yiprfgO
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) March 13, 2017
[Update a while later]
Congratulations to Altius Space Machines for their NASA SBIR Phase II win for cryo propellant transfer technology development. If we canceled SLS/Orion, we could found several thousand efforts like this.
Health Insurance
Its screwed-up history. Yes, it’s long past time to end the differential tax treatment for corporations and individuals.