Potpourri CVI

I have been accused of neglecting this blog of late, to which I can only plead guilty. I have been rearranging my priorities--partially to make room for someone else in my life besides me and my oversized glass writer's ego and partially because I've experienced a corresponding lack of interest in the hot issues of the day. Those who make talk radio or other political hot topics the center of your day should probably take note...there is a life outside of politics, and it is very good.

From Father Dan, a link to something called the Social Security Death Index, which lists (as near as I can tell) the deaths of all U.S. persons since 1962.

From the Sapporo beer label, a specialty item: beer made from space barley (i.e., barley that has been in space).

Interested in learning how to learn your fancy new Apple hardware? Check out this site. Apple provides seminars, which you can search by zip code.

My favorite rocket scientist, Les Johnson, has a new book coming out soon called Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Planet Earth. It looks intriguing--using space resources as a way to reduce the strain on Earth's environment by accessing space resources. If it is like Les's other books, it will be highly informed and clearly explained for even the English majors in the reading audience. Looking forward to reading it!

From Lin:

• An article from the U.S. Geological Survey on a potential 3 to 4.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil lurking beneath North Dakota and Montana...one wonders if the folks advocating for energy independence in the Obama administration are listening/reading.
• An article from Commentary Magazine, which I have but haven't read yet, on why Obama is wrong in his approach to missile defense.
• Lin had a question about this article regarding the release of environment/climate data from NASA and one person's effort to extract it from the agency. It sounds like a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request got ignored, and the complainant is using the occasion of the climate data fracas at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to press his case.

On another personal note, I have been worn down by the sheer complexity of 21st century reality, and will soon be purchasing a smart phone of some kind. The folks responding to my request for inputs on Facebook have mostly recommended the iPhone, which I've rejected out of a knee-jerk anti-Apple attitude more than anything else. However, if it does what I want, I might relent. That doesn't mean I'll go out and buy a Mac next (as Father Dan might say, "Get a grip!"). Another hot item on the market right now is the Droid, which is Motorola's answer to the iPhone and features a hard-key popout keyboard that I lilke, being less than savvy with touch screens. Most of my friends and family members who have these toys use something out of the BlackBerry. What interests me is that they all use different models, and all seem equally happy with them, so I guess I might end up taking one friend's advice and just going with what looks cool. :-)

How do you keep a space geek in suspense? Tell you you'll get back to him after the next NASA program study. The Obama administration wants to emphasize international cooperation. Great. Can they at least allow Constellation/Ares/Orion to continue building hardware in the meantime?

This was a pretty good interview on NPR regarding current goings-on in space.

From Martin...an opportunity to market your own blog via t-shirt/sweatshirt. Might have to look into that. Not that I don't love the 15 of you who check in on a daily basis, but eventually I might need to pay bills with this site, ya know?

A Business Week article on the Singularity University giving lectures to CEOs about the future. Sounds cool. Anyone got 25 grand they care to loan me?

From Gwen: An Arizona public school teacher lost his job for running the SETI @ Home application from his work computer.

From D2:

• On a slow day, I was wondering aloud what I could do to make myself more useful or marketable in my current line of work. Dede suggested looking at the IRS tax credit available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, a.k.a., the stimulus) for lifetime learning expenses. I'm far from a pure libertarian on such things--I got through my M.A. with a federal loan--but a) I'm not sure how long ARRA money will be available, and b) I can probably find better ways to spend my time and other people's money.
• Xerox is offering the opportunity to send "thanks to the troops" postcards. Worth checking out.

A good editorial by Patti Grace Smith (former FAA person in charge of Commercial Space Transportation and now an aerospace consultant on why commercial rockets to the International Space Station are not inherently unsafer than government-built vehicles. I go around and around with my coworkers on this issue. The usually concede that commercial entities could do the job, but they haven't done it yet; ergo government must continue to do it. Yeah, I contend, but for how long? At which point the conversation peters out, as I hear vague terms like "human rating" and "flight rate." The federal budget is not endless, and NASA will not get much past the Moon until it is set free from low-Earth orbit and ISS operations. Just sayin'.

That's about it for now. Be good to yourselves and each other. There's a lot of weirdos out there.

Potpourri LXXXIV

What's next? How about a bill to investigate behavioral modifcation to change the way your kids consume energy?

Ridley Scott is going to direct a prequel to his visceral (literally) movie Alien. Can someone explain what consumer need this meets?

Here's a summary of recommendations made to the Augustine Panel by Robert Lightfoot, Acting Director of Marshall Space Flight Center:

First, we need to extend the ISS. We continue to use this magnificent platform to learn how to live and work in space. Whether it is studying the effects of long-term exposure on the human body or whether it is simply learning how to do maintenance of critical systems that have issues, we are building a ton of “scar tissue” which will help us make those next steps in longer duration and longer distance space travel.
Second, we need to get out of low earth orbit. I believe the Constellation architecture is one of the possibilities to do this, and we’re making progress every day but – however you frame it – we need a heavy lift capability. However, no matter what recommendations you provide, I would hope you set an expectation that there will be bumps along the way and that should not distract us from our goal.
Third, as has been stated in just about every one of these Commissions and reports, I would hope you would state again that any policy has to come with the resources.
Fourth, I believe there is more room for collaboration with the international partners, commercial operators, and other government agencies. I think if we can get past the tyranny of “or” – “commercial or NASA” – and recognize the power of “and” – "commercial and NASA” – we will go a long way toward taking advantage of the space economy.
Finally, I would hope each of you would think about what got you interested in human spaceflight and for a brief moment move away from the architectures, the scenarios and budget and ask yourselves “Why human spaceflight?” I believe a section in your report dedicated to “Why human spaceflight?” and presented to the President from such a highly respected group would be a powerful message indeed. A lot of us “grounded” explorers lived the experience of human spaceflight through those that got to travel like Dr. Chiao and Dr. Ride, and while we cannot share the same feelings, we can share the sense of accomplishment of turning the impossible into the possible. It will inspire the next generation, as you heard from our students. It provides us a place of leadership as a country – something we have given away in so many areas – and it will provide technical and economic benefits that we can’t even begin to predict.

Speaking of the Augustine Panel (yet again), the Space Frontier Foundation put out a press release hailing the Panel's belief that "the underlying reason why we do human spaceflight is the extension of human civilization beyond Earth." Great! That's more or less the vision and mission statements of the National Space Society. One wonders what shape our human spaceflight program will take to achieve that end.

NASA and the CAFE standards people announced an efficiency contest today to spur development of fuel-efficient aircraft. This program might actually work.

From Frank at MarsDrive, a pretty good blog on some of the ugly facts facing the government-run space program. Ugly fact #1: THE PUBLIC AREN’T INTERESTED IN SENDING PEOPLE TO MARS.

And that'll do for now. Happy Friday.

Letter to My Senators on the Energy Bill

I just submitted the following letter to Senators Sessions and Shelby (R-AL). My reasons are my own, but I encourage you to find your own words to stop the energy bill from going any further.

Senator Shelby:

I am appalled, but alas, not surprised that the House has passed the cap-and-trade bill. I sincerely encourage you to fight this bill and not allow it to be passed into law. The reasons for doing so are many, and all worthy of repeating:

--It is an unprecedented and unnecessary intrusion of government into the private sector.
--It raises the cost of energy, which will increase the cost of EVERYTHING ELSE in our economy, from transportation to manufacturing to farming. This is the worst possible thing government could do in an already-ailing economy.
--There are NO “green” technologies currently available that provide the amount of energy this nation needs to maintain a high level of technology or standard of living. Therefore, the only result will be a direct curtailing of future prosperity for all Americans.
--Global warming is still a subject very much in dispute, given a leveling off or cooling of temperatures in the last eight years.
--A “consensus” by activist scientists does not constitute scientific proof. Theories are proven by data and verifiable experiment, not incomplete computer models.

I strongly encourage you, Senator Sessions, and the other Republicans in the Senate to stop this legislation. There are things that can and should be done to meet the nation’s growing energy needs, including drilling for more oil on American lands, like off the coasts and in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge; investing in basic energy research, including space solar power and helium-3 derived fusion; and reducing regulations on new nuclear power plants.

Senator, stopping this bill does not represent “fear of the future,” as President Obama asserts. It is a principled stand against making the future more fearful. I look forward to supporting you in this vital battle for our nation’s future.

Sincerely,

Bart Leahy