Potpourri CXXX

I have a LOT of junk in the blog file, so let's just see how far I get before I grow tired of the exercise. Ya just never know what mood is going to strike me sometimes.

From Kate Down Under:

• A roundtable site on the Battle of Midway, one of the major turning points of World War II.

From Jerry Pournelle:

• A posting on surviving the future/survivalism (which isn't exactly the same thing).
• Some comments on the state of education in the U.S....and it's not pretty.
• Three essays on what should be done about space/ NASA: http://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/gettospace.html, http://www.jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2mail/mail242.html#prizes, and http://www.jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2mail/mail242.html#prizes.
• Some thoughts on reforming Wall Street and fund rating agencies.

From D2:

• Seven species of robot
• A truly fantastic TED.com lecture on why we should go to Mars.

It's been awhile, but these are still (mostly) worth reading...some of my thoughts on using targeted marketing to appeal to specific audiences in space advocacy.

• http://www.thespacereview.com/article/795/1
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/03/more-on-gen-y-and-space-friend-sent-me.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/07/apollo-11-39-ares-i-x-etc.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/07/should-disney-get-retired-space-shuttle.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/03/selling-space-to-science-fiction-fans.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/03/marketing-space-to-baby-boomers-ive-put.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/03/marketing-space-to-gen-x-okay-enough.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2008/02/useful-travel-links-and-marketing-to.html
• http://bartacus.blogspot.com/2007/10/targeted-marketing-vs.html).

A cautionary tale for any Gen Y tech genius looking to get ahead in the world: Apple traditionally has kept a tight hold on keeping new products from being seen by the public until they were good and ready. That is, until this kid brought a new "4G" iPhone with him to a bar, got ripped, and left it behind, allowing Gizmodo.com to pick it up and reveal some of its secrets to an interested world. Wonder where this kid's next job is going to be and whether he'll be asking "You want fries with that?"

National Geographic has some cool pictures of the lightning generated by the Iceland volcano. Speaking of that volcano, it's affecting domestic commercial aviation revenues, not just transatlantic.

Note to scientists interested in hunting for meteorite fragments: try to do it expeditiously during planting season.

Interesting letter to the editor in the Huntsville Times on being yourself.

A report in the Houston Chronicle says that depression is more common in springtime than winter. Doesn't sound right to me, but I've always been cold-intolerant/-depressed.

Some mild Mars humor from Fox News viewers.

Speeding isn't just monitored by cameras on the ground anymore...

Did you know vacationing was a basic human right? Depends on whom you ask.

An opinion poll by the Everett Group on space exploration.

Markings on Pluto look like molasses?

More details revealed on the X-37, which launched last week.

From the Chronicle of Higher Education: a good article on bad writing. Trust me, folks: there is NO need for academic writing to be bad or dull.

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has an editorial on the failings of Constellation, getting a few things wrong and missing a few critical points, alas. Like the Shuttle, I have a feeling Constellation won't be missed until it's gone.

Some more good pictures of Ares I-X.

Speaking of Ares I-X, I have two articles in the latest edition of Ad Astra: a summary of Ares I-X and a review of Les Johnson's latest book.

I keep getting asked what I think of the Obama administration's NASA policy. Best I can do is refer you to the first paragraph of the National Space Society's original response to the 2011 budget. After all, I wrote that one. :-)

Speaking of Obama's space policy the New York Daily News has an editorial by Robert Zubrin on Obama's "failure to launch." There's also this.

The subtitle on this article made me laugh long and loudly: "Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in an interview Sunday, when asked about the Tea Party protests, that the Obama administration is paying more attention to the deficit than the Bush administration did." BWAH ha ha ha ha ha! Want to visualize what "budget cuts" mean to the current administration? Check this out, and this.

A climate scientist in Australia was quick to "announce" that the eruption of the Iceland volcano would have no effect on temperatures in Europe. And if temperatures DO drop, as they did after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo? Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

A really excellent and uplifting (if a tad utopian) talk by my buddy Loretta Whitesides on the future of space and what we can do with it.

Did you know there was a "man-cession" on?

Amazing what some folks will pay good money for...for instance, movie props from the latest Iron Man movie.

Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin will speak at the Mars Society Convention this coming August. Speaking of Griffin, he was one of the VIP guests at Yuri's Night Huntsville this year.

Sometimes it's all about modernizing the Benjamins...

I just liked these images...some of the world's most unusual buildings.

Why are some guys single? This article suggests a few answers...I've pled guilty to most or all of these at one time or another.

Twenty years of Hubble Space Telescope photos. Saaaaa-lute!

I still want to include this artist's work as part of ISDC 2011. Anyone have any idea how one goes about arranging that?

From one of my random morning internet surfing adventures:

• A Guide to the World’s Healthiest Booze
• Best Star Wars memorabilia ever (some of these are arguable)

Speaking of booze, I got this link from Tina, indicating that stronger wine might be available for sale in Alabama soon. I don't want stronger wine here, I just want Wine.com to be able to ship good stuff here.

Rock your Christmas hard:

• With Twisted Sister
• And Billy Idol (what's with that turtleneck, dude?)

From my old stomping grounds of Illinois...Blago (former Governor Rod Blagioevich) wants to subpoena President Obama in a corruption trial. This could prove interesting.

This is kinda cool: a 360-degree view of Atlantis on the launch pad at Complex 39A.

The makers of Marmite are taking the British National Party to court for using their product in an ad without their permission.

Because traveling through Dulles International Airport doesn't bite enough...

From Nick Skytland, an interesting article on how management is done at Pixar Studios.

From Joanne Manaster:

• The world's tiniest world map.
• Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking advises against attracting E.T.'s attention.

Random: William Shatner and some Chinese guy I've never heard of doing a cover of "Total Eclipse of the Heart." No, really.

This is pretty cool: a father developed an app to help his autistic son communicate.

Wow! Cleared 'em all out. Might as well reward myself with (almost) 8 hours of sleep. Stranger things have happened.

Painting With a Broad Brush

Perhaps I haven't made my disgust with the racist commentary on the right side of the political fence clear enough. But really, people: knock it off. I don't want to get snarky emails about the "First Bro" or Photoshopped pictures of watermelons growing on the White House lawn. You are doing NO ONE a service by spreading this crap. I will start emailing you one at a time if you keep sending me anything relating to Obama's race and might get snippy and self-righteous with you. That sort of thing IS racist, and it isn't funny or productive. ENOUGH already. We're supposed to be better than this, yes?!??

That said, the image above has several glaring things wrong with it. Let's start with the various political parties at large at the end of the Civil War. Jefferson Davis: Democrat. Abraham Lincoln: Republican. The Republican Party, in fact, was formed in reaction against slavery, and African Americans became a reliably Republican voting bloc (those who weren't prevented from voting in the south by their mostly Democrat white neighbors) until the 1930s. History matters, and some of us conservatives still read it.

And having vented about that, I'm not finished. I have been very careful NOT to mention the President's race in this blog, partly because it's irrelevant to me, and partly because even mentioning it in passing gives some critics the assumed right to disregard my opinion because I am obviously a racist. The President's policy decisions are bad enough without any vitriol and nastiness. If racist commentary is the best the right has to offer, they deserve to lose in 2010. Populism has a price, and one of them is a tendency to appeal to the lowest common denominators, including racial hatreds. So, again: knock it off.

But to those of you who think the image above is terribly clever, I would ask you to put away your broad brush and listen more thoughtfully to those of us who do NOT discuss the President's race and STILL oppose his policies. Disagreeing with the President is not racist.

End of rant.

Potpourri CXXVII

Been awhile...I've been out of town and tending to various personal matters. Let the madness resume.

Virgin Galactic announced the first captive flight of SpaceShipTwo, "Enterprise." Wired magazine also covered the story. Progress!

I wanted to attend this event, but I will be otherwise occupied by Yuri's Night: the National MS (multiple sclerosis) Society Walk April 10 in Huntsville. I have two good friends with MS, and the stuff they have to go through is painful and heartbreaking to hear (or see). Donations go toward MS medical research. I don't know any of the teams, so I donated to the American Legion's team.

From Hu:

• A Wall Street Journal story on the NASA leadership's attempt to back away from the rather drastic February 1 budget proposal. The games continue.
• A Florida Today story indicating that Sen. Nelson is pushing Obama to continue building the Ares V heavy-lift rocket to keep jobs going at Kennedy Space Center. Great in theory, but it'll be awhile before anything launchable would be sent to KSC

From Martin:

• "The world's smallest starship by the world's biggest geeks." Hard to argue with that.
• Michael Okuda, former designer for Star Trek: The Next Generation and also designer of the Constellation Program's vehicle and mission logos, has some smart things to say in defense of the program he has helped come to life.

From Twila: An interesting graphic on how the U.S. federal budget breaks out.

From my AIAA news feed: a Jupiter-size planet has been found in a "temperate" orbit, meaning I suppose that if there were an Earthlike world in that orbit, life might be possible there. The universe gets more and more interesting the more we learn about it.

From Kate Down Under:

• Newt Gingrich gets things almost exactly wrong on the Obama space policy. There are things that the policy does right, but Gingrich, as a historian, should appreciate the historical role the U.S. government has played in developing frontiers--physical and technological.
• The Mars Spirit Rover is chillin' out on Mars, but still operational.
• NASA is in the process of shuffling around the last few Space Shuttles.
• A little late for me to post this, but NASA's Goddard Space Flight  posted some excellent pictures of Ireland on St. Patrick's Day.

Also from the other side of the globe, the Down Under Defense Expert (DUDE) sends these:

• Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan, and Jim Lovell, three of the most influential and powerful speakers from the Apollo Program, are speaking out against the Obama policy to end the Constellation Program. Who better?
• A look at a New Zealand agricultural show.

From Karl: A YouTube video featuring a variety of quotations (and some rather dramatic music) related to freedom.

From D2: A really cool video on how video games could be used to fix real-world problems. In that video the speaker refers to the Institute for the Future, which is worth a look.

A teenager wins a $100,000 prize from Intel for developing a spacecraft software navigation system. Now THAT'S cool!

A NASA fan site comparing the Space Shuttle to commercial space.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is going to investigate whether NASA's internal plans to shut down Constellation violate federal law. Wonder who takes the rap for that if they say yes.

Found this while doing some random surfing: an open-source site on aerogels.

Who knew? My grad school alma mater, University of Central Florida (UCF) has a Spaceport Research & Technology Institute. Hmmmm...

Lurking under the radar, the U.S. Air Force is still planning to launch a former NASA vehicle, the X-37, on April 10.

If the world was to get smacked by asteroids or comets, would we have a space program capable of handling the situation? The dinosaurs already know the answer to that question.

And just in case you're REALLY interested, the details of the proposed 2011 NASA budget can be found here.

What Should Be Done With NASA?

The National Space Society issued a press release yesterday on the Obama administration's 2011 budget. The whole thing is worth reading, but the first paragraph crystallizes the argument:

The National Space Society (NSS) commends NASA and the Executive Branch for proposing to increase spending for science, technology, and sustainable economic development in space; however, we believe the President’s 2011 budget request would leave the job only partly done. NSS calls for the President and Congress to restore funding for human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit. NASA’s goal should be to make it possible to incorporate energy and resources from space into our economy and to extend human presence throughout the solar system.

If you are interested in changing the future of the space program and continuing to send Americans beyond low-Earth orbit, register now for NSS Legislative Blitz. We are organizing citizen lobbyists to visit Congressional and Senate offices February 21-23 to tell our elected officials why it's important to do so. You don't need a lot of fancy training (one day should do it); just dress nicely and be prepared to speak clearly with whatever passion you can bring to bear. Space exploration needs all the help it can get.

The NASA Budget, Part III

As usual, the following opinions are mine alone, and do not reflect the positions of NASA, my employer, or the National Space Society. They are the reactions of a private citizen (and NASA contractor) who cares deeply about space exploration.

Let me be positive first. The NASA budget proposed for 2011 increases funding for environmental monitoring, technology research for long-term exploration needs, basic science, and commercial launches to the International Space Station. All of these activities are worthwhile, and I have no problem with any of that.


However, by closing down the Constellation Program and ramping down the Space Shuttle, the administration is killing long-range human exploration beyond Earth orbit in this country.


I did not come to work at NASA to write about satellites or robots or some orbital taxi service to a space station that, quite frankly, bores me. I want to see people on the Moon. On asteroids. On Mars. On the moons of Jupiter. Boldly going where we've never gone before. That's the inspirational part of space for me. That's the mission I signed up for. And yes, I'd like to go to one of those places myself one day.


A lot of other people are like that, too. I love the Mars rovers, and I've been impressed by their longevity. But they're not people. The emotional connection isn't there. Most people my age (40) or older can name the first men to walk on the Moon. Can anyone name a designer of the rovers? That's part of the point: everyone can at least imagine what it would be like to ride a rocket or set foot on another world. Only a select few could imagine or care about building a robot.


The program proposed by this new budget lacks that inspiration. NASA will be reduced to inspiring people who want to build robots or composite widgets, or whatever. It will kill jobs in numerous states (including, obviously, mine), and it will deprive Obama, who claims to support science and engineering education, of one of the most powerful motivators out there: "Study real hard, Judy, and one day you, too, can be an astronaut!"


And from a space settlement perspective, it's a step backward from getting people closer to living and working in settlements off of Earth. So we still need Constellation or something like it for space to reallly inspire people. I just don't know if we can make the sale in the current political or budget climate, which is most unfortunate, because NASA is one of the few federal programs I can name off the top of my head that actually give the taxpayer a productive, useful, and inspirational return on their tax dollars.

Much as I dislike political wrangling, I hope the Congress will fight this budget--NOT to stop what IS being spent, but to PRESERVE what has been cut. Imagine a space program that increases funding for environmental monitoring, technology research for long-term exploration needs, basic science, commercial launches to the International Space Station, AND human missions into the great beyond. How inspirational THAT would be!

The NASA Budget, Continued

This is a follow-up to my blog from yesterday on President Obama's budget. I've finally gotten caught up on my news reading, and assuming the reports are correct, here is my take on things. Please refer to the disclaimer above as far as the relationship of my opinions to NASA, my employer, or any other space-related organization...this is Bart, Private Citizen, writing.

• Killing Constellation: The President has proposed a budget that would drastically scale back or delay the schedule of the Constellation Program, which was tasked with going to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Constellation has several major components, including launch vehicles (Ares), a crew exploration vehicle (Orion), a lunar lander (Altair), surface systems (hardware like power and habitat systems needed for living and working on the Moon), extra-vehicular activity (EVA--spacesuits), and ground systems. It takes a lot of money, in normal-person terms--not Department of Defense terms--to design, build, test, and field all this stuff. It also takes time. The less money you give these activities, the longer they take or the less likely it is that they will be done at all. Having not seen the budget, I can only guess that Constellation has either received a total cut or enough of a cut that any NASA-run return to the Moon would not happen until my five-year-old niece is old enough to start complaining about her kids' taste in music.
• Increasing Funding for Commercial Launches to the International Space Station (ISS): This is actually a smart idea and could/should have been done by the Bush Administration. Right now the only way to get human beings and the stuff they need to live and work on ISS is by the Space Shuttle, which will be retired after ISS is completed; crew/cargo launches by the Russians; or cargo launches by the Europeans' Automated Transfer Vehicle or, soon, Japan's cargo vehicle. But really, once Shuttle is retired, the only nation capable of flying people to and from the space station after 2011 will be Russia. This reality is just now occurring to normal (i.e. non-space) people. So what are the options?
  --Build a new rocket to replace the Space Shuttle. NASA has been doing this since 2005, in the form of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. Ares I, on its current development schedule, will not be ready to send astronauts to ISS until 2015 according to NASA plans. A presidential review panel thought that it would be more like 2016-2017. That would mean depending on Russia, et al., for at least five years, but at the end of that time NASA would again be able to send people up there.
  --Rely only on international partners until the ISS retires.
  --Encourage/pay for American private-sector aerospace companies to build launch vehicles (rockets) and spacecraft (crew capsules) to get astronauts and cargo to ISS. Some of this is already being done under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which was designed to help new companies--outside of the usual big players like Boeing and Lockheed Martin--develop these capabilities. Two companies are getting money under COTS, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences. SpaceX is the only company of the two developing both a launch vehicle, Falcon 9, and a spacecraft, Dragon.
  
  If the Obama administration is proposing more money for COTS, which seems like an easy funding vehicle since it already exists, that money could go a couple different directions:
  --Accelerating SpaceX and Orbital's work.
  --Paying to modify Boeing/Lockheed rockets (now built under a joint operation called United Launch Alliance) to launch a Dragon or Orion capsule to ISS. This money, reportedly $6 billion, could go toward "human rating" the Atlas or Delta launch vehicles, essentially adding some more bells and whistles to them to make them safe and reliable enough to put humans on top of them.
• Extending ISS Operations: This, too, makes sense. Under current plans, ISS would be completed in 2010 and then only enjoy four or five years of full-scale science and engineering operations before being closed down and deorbited (dropped into the Pacific). This presents several problems, including the difficulty of safely deorbiting a 400,000-pound space station and violating the international agreements the U.S. signed, which said that we would keep ISS operational for ten years after full assembly, which would be 2020.

Now a more ambitious person might ask, "Why don't we fund Constellation, COTS, and ISS?" A more pragmatic person--say, a politician--will stick his or her finger in the air, try guess which way the political winds are blowing, and guess (correctly) that the public isn't interested in government spending on a Moon mission "when there are so many more important things to be done here on Earth," like creating jobs. Let's pause for a moment, and savor the tragic irony of that position. Contrary to the public perception that money spent on NASA is wasted on "space," money spent on space hardware is spent mostly on salaries for people, products, and services on EARTH: high-education, high-paying jobs that would result in industrial and consumer spending now and technology advancement and spinoffs in the future.

So where does this leave us? If the President gets his way--and don't count on that--the extensive launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center would be converted to support Falcon 9, Atlas V, or Delta IV launches to ISS. The rocket-designing workforce in Huntsville, which is eager to build Ares I and the much larger Ares V for exploration missions, would be looking for jobs at ULA in Decatur. A bunch of people in Houston currently supporting Space Shuttle missions would lose their jobs, but those helping build Orion would keep theirs, and eventually NASA would again need mission control operations to support Orion missions to ISS. But for now, a lot of jobs in Florida and Alabama and Texas would be shifted to other duties or cut outright. In an economy with 10 percent unemployment, such a decision, on top of killing America's long-range ambitions for space exploration, would not be particularly popular with some segments of the electorate.

Others, like my friends at the Space Frontier Foundation (SFF), are thrilled that the government is finally getting out of the "space operations" business. I've had my moments of doubt on that issue myself. In an economy that is healthy and with a workforce that's aging, retiring the Shuttle made sense--the older folks could retire and make room for the young punks eager to prove their stuff in the marketplace. And yes, there are things the private sector can do better, like keep their eyes on the ball programmatically. They don't argue every year as to whether their goal is to make money or not. Even if management and employees change regularly, everyone knows the business is there to make money.

The government, meanwhile, has an argument about the budget every year. Some years, they want to focus on increasing employment in Florida; other years they want to spend more on environmental monitoring; in more forward-thinking years, they want to spend money on fundamental research into aerospace, space science, planetary science, and other forms of astronomy; and sometimes they think it's a good idea to send people into space. It's a chaotic way to run a business, which is why governments are not the natural mechanism for exploiting space as a long-term concern. However, exploration is an iffy proposition for businesses. Payoffs are hard to determine. Obtaining funding for purely speculative ventures is difficult or impossible without a guaranteed return on investment. Governments are also now the only organizations willing or able to fund blue-sky engineering projects like single-stage-to-orbit rockets, in-space nuclear propulsion, or large-scale outposts in orbit or on the Moon.

The previous two paragraphs explain why I have no problem with a "mixed fleet" or "mixed economy" in space. There are things government does very well, like fund basic research and development, which offer no payoff or incentives to the private sector to accomplish. This would include things like building new exploration launch vehicles or launch vehicle technologies. Government also can fund basic infrastructure, like the first outpost in low-Earth orbit, on the Moon, or at the bottom of the sea. It is also responsible for maintaining the peace, collecting taxes, and regulating things like civil law and consumer protection. The building of ISS, Constellation, space telescopes, and NASA research centers, along with setting up the Office of Commercial Space Transportation fit these functions quite well. However, there are things that private enterprise can do much better, like improving efficiency in routine, known services, such as launching cargo and (eventually) crews to ISS. The private sector can better design, build, test, and field smaller products and services for known applications, like spare parts, accounting services, or employee cafeterias. Private businesses are also best at improving upon and mass-producing new technologies once the basic principles are known.

The sticking point for the SFF is Ares I, which they see as competing with Atlas, Delta, etc. And on a purely apples-to-apples comparison of capabilities, they might have a point: Ares I and human-rated commercial rockets would both be able to launch human beings to ISS. However, while the private sector sees that capability as redundant (true), government sees that as a strategic (national security) capability, which exists outside of questions of profit or loss. Let's say, for example, that Russia and the U.S. start a diplomatic tussle, and the U.S. government no longer considers American crew members on ISS "safe." Uncle Sam would want the on-call ability to launch a rocket to ISS to retrieve those crew members. Would a private-sector comapany, its investors, or its insurers allow a private rocket and spacecraft to head into a situation that likely spelled a danger to, and loss of, company property? Possibly--but only if government was the insurer--at which point we've got a nationalized space prgoram, which was exactly what the private sector guys are trying to avoid. So: there are reasons to have a government-built and -operated rocket that can go to ISS.

But SFF overlooks the primary purpose of Ares I, which is to support missions, in tandem with Ares V, to the Moon, asteroids, Mars, or wherever. If Congress can get access to ISS more cheaply via Delta IV, they will take it...but others will still want Uncle Sam to be able to do it, just in case.

And lastly, the big point I hear the rocket guys in Huntsville argue all the time is that no private company has launched a crew or cargo ship to ISS, leaving out the important word: yet. Until that "yet" happens, the private sector needs to cool its jets, so to speak, on making claims of superiority over NASA; meanwhile, NASA needs to accept that eventually they will lose their monopoly on human access to Earth orbit. Assuming the 2011 Obama budget passes as written, the private sector will have to, as my friend Tom Olson put it today, "put up or shut up." And in the meantime, a bunch of aerospace workers in Florida, Alabama, and Texas could be facing a very tough 2011.

This ain't over.

NASA Budget

I've gotten a variety of requests/questions over the last couple of days wanting to know what I thought was going to happen with the NASA budget and whether I have any special insights or perspectives. Insights? No. I get my information from the internet or (worse) NASAWatch, like the rest of the agency. As far as my perspective, it boils down to this: until NASA gets told to cease and desist on Constellation and do something else, I will continue to do my job as well as I am able. I think Steve Cook, former Ares Projects Manager, has this one exactly right: the President's budget submission is the beginning, not the end of the debate. Those of us fortunate and crazy enough to work for NASA directly are in for another 6 months of suspense...or more. How do you keep a space geek in suspense? I'll tell you after the budget passes.

Potpourri CXVI

The week's pile has gotten thick again, so 'twould best if it were done, that it be done quickly...

Another good find from Tracy on outreach. This article suggests that the problem with outreach isn't with audiences connected to the internet, but with the technologically and educationally underserved. Meanwhile, people who already have access to the web or decent education are likely to already be familiar with the state of space exploration, nanotechnology, or other developments. As Darlene the Science Cheerleader puts it, "the rich get richer." The trick seems to be to reach underserved audiences through nontraditional means.

Here's a slight way to participate in your space program...you can go to this site and select the design for a patch to commemorate the final Space Shuttle launch.

None of us is as dumb as all of us: One of my graphics buddies at NASA pointed out some artwork developed by guys who gathered surveys in several different countries, asking what types of art people liked, what subject matters, what colors, etc...and then also what types of art they didn't like. This is as close as one can get to art by polling data.

From my NASA PAO feed, a notice from Glenn Research Center that there's a competition for high school students to put an experiment on a "BalloonSat."

I got on this mailing list awhile back, and occasionally it comes up with useful stuff. Here's a blog on the effective use of Twitter as a communication/outreach/sales tool. Bottom-line question any organization should answer before jumping into this social networking technology is: "What are you trying to accomplish?" If you can't answer the question coherently, you're just following trends without analysis, and that's a Bad Thing.

I saw this posted by one of my technophile English major buddies, Rudy: it's called SIKULI, and it appears to be a graphic user interface (GUI) of sorts. There's a YouTube attached that speaks ins Programmerese, which is completely unintelligible to me. If it makes sense to you, congratulations. It's supposed to make YOUR life easier. For those of us struggling to remember what we named and how we filed a document, it's a little advanced.

From Douglas Mallette: an article on using carbon nanotubes to make batteries from fabrics. Cool!

The internet is now in space--the International Space Station, that is. What's next?

From Regina, an interesting do-it-yourself experiment in tea bag rocketry (political pundits, keep your nasty comments to yourselves).

From the Down Under Defense Expert (DUDE):

• An interesting article from Der Spiegel entitled "The World Bids Farewell to Obama." It's a summary of German perspectives on the Obama administration's future reaction to the Republican taking of the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts. I wouldn't count out Mr. Obama just yet. It's not that I'm rooting for him, it's just that anyone who can take down the Clinton machine is not someone to be taken lightly.
• A Financial Times article on the United Nations waiving the first deadline for meeting carbon emissions.
• The Times of London is reporting that a U.N. official is apologizing for saying Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035.

The Senate of New York is increasing the amount of legislative information available to the public on the internet.

The OpenNASA folks have a blog about "how little information is available via our agency-wide employee directory." The types of information that interest the writer (Jessy Cowan-Sharp) include "who you are, what you're working on, trades or skills, and side projects." Well, good luck getting anyone over 40 or so to fill in that type of information, my friend. Sometimes it's sensitive/classified, and sometimes the over-55 crowd at NASA doesn't take all that tag cloud stuff seriously, nor do they necessarily want to share the information.

NASA data suggests that the first decade of the 21st century was the warmest on record.

I have some other stuff in my inbox, but I think I'll punt for now. Have a pleasant evening.

Potpourri CIX

I've got about a week's worth of random links to clear out, so I might as well get cracking.

Might as well start with this email I got from myself courtesy of FutureMe.org:

Dear FutureMe,

You've been to Europe and--hopefully--seen the Ares I-X flight go up by now. You had three weeks to yourself; what did you learn? What did you do for others? What did you come back with (hopefully nothing contagious)? What contacts/friends did you make? What did you learn from the launch?

Now get writing!

/b

If you're interested in sending messages to your future self, FutureMe is kind of fun.

From Cliff, a unique take on how to compare Obama's deficit spending with George W. Bush's deficit spending.

From Father Dan, a 1948 cartoon on freedom and what it means to have it taken away. Ten minutes long, but worth the watch.

From Dom, a flow chart of "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. No, really.

From Lin: an indication that the Obama administration might've exaggerated a little on the number of jobs created by the stimulus. I'm shocked, shocked...

From me, a list of the Ares I-X blogs posted up to and during launch:

• Following Ares I-X on Launch Day (summary of all the different ways/sites people can use to get information on I-X) http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256637046961.html
• One on One and Another on the Other (discussing the significance of Ares and Atlantis on the launch pads) http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256642619884.html
• The Pulse of the Public (videos of spectator reactions at KSC)http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256645425971.html
• Pulse of the People, Part II (more spectator reactions—a hoot!)http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256648140578.html
• Flight Rules and Triboelectrification (What the heck is that?)http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256648398611.html
• The Pointy End of the Rocket (discussion of the five-hole probe)http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256648957643.html
• When is a Rocket Launch Like a Soap Opera? (summary of our various challenges during the day) http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256653671613.html
• Not Today (brief comment on the scrub) http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256657433409.html
• Whatever Happened to the Five-Hole Probe?
  http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256733950658.html
• Why a Four-Hour Launch Window?
  http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256735155402.html
• Triboelectrification Questions? Try This.
  http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256743468990.html
• Liftoff!
  http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Ares%20I-X.blog/posts/post_1256749357624.html

NASA has an iPhone application.

From work, a series of 3D images of the Ares I-X rocket. Yowza! (Note: Java required to run.)

• Ares I-X on 39B 10/23.2009 at 10am from MLP side 3 (North side)
  http://nasatech.net/Ares1-XPadBMLPNE091023/
• Ares I-X on 39B 10/23/2009 at 10am from MLP side 1 (South side)
  http://nasatech.net/Ares1-XPadBMLPSo091023/
• Ares I-X on 39B 10/23/2009 at 10am on 295 foot level
  http://nasatech.net/Ares1-XPadBlvl300_091023/
• Ares I-X in VAB High Bay 3 as viewed from Mobile Launch Platform
  http://nasatech.net/Arex1-XStack090823/
• Ares I-X in VAB High Bay 3 as viewed from High Bay 4 16th level crossover
  http://nasatech.net/Ares1X-hb4lvl16Stacked090823/
• Ares I-X in VAB High Bay 3 as viewed from F Tower C Platform Catwalk
  http://nasatech.net/Ares1-Xupper091015/
• Ares I-X in VAB High Bay 3 as viewed from E Roof South
  http://nasatech.net/Ares1-Xmid091015/
• 39B ready for Ares I-X ---- modified to accommodate Ares I-X
  http://nasatech.net/PadBmod300_091014/
• 39B ready for Ares I-X ---- modified to accommodate Ares I-X (235 foot level)
  http://nasatech.net/PadBmod235_091014/

Antarctic ice loss might have been overestimated.

An article on NERVA, among other things.

Even if the U.S. government has a hard time explaining why it needs a space program, the European Space Agency does not.

From Dea, a little graphic that amused me because it occasionally hits close to home. The scary part is that meetings in this job can go 4-8 hours...WAY off the scale for this chart.

Oh yeah, speaking of Ares I-X, Fox News posted a slide show from the mission.

I think I've found my next tax haven: a floating city!

And I guess that will do for now. Thanks for reading...or not.

Potpourri CVII

Ares I-X is currently scheduled to roll out to Launch Complex 39B Tuesday, October 20, at 12:01 a.m. I will be driving down to work on October 22 and will stay as long as needed. Huzzah! The rollout was delayed by 24 hours due to challenges with a hydraulic accumulator. However, from what I've heard on my end, that work is going well, so we'll just have to see what effect, if any, this has on the October 27 launch date. Looking forward to it! I plan to at least take pictures during the event. Not sure beyond that. Going to have a lot of writing to do, I suspect.

Looking to buy myself a small wine refrigerator. I've heard good things about Sears' Kenmore model. Other suggestions welcome...keep in mind, again, the limited space in my apartment and desire not to go crazy on spending here.

Here are a couple more editorials about the Limbaugh/St. Louis Rams fracas, one by Limbaugh himself, one by someone on the Wall Street Journal editorial board.

Here's an editorial on the Augustine Panel by a group of very smart people.

From Doc, an article on finding and selling old wines in Paris.

From Lin: the Social Security Administration is withholding a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the first time since 1975. I guess I fibbed to my mom back in 2004. I told her then that I didn't think Social Security would cut off in her lifetime, but most likely wouldn't exist in mine. At the rate our government is spending money, it might get cut off in a decade!

NASA is hosting a lunar excavation robotics competition as part of its Centennial Challenges program. This is a very cool thing because it engages young people in practical work and helps NASA get people outside the agency to help them develop hardware that will be needed for future exploration.

Apparently technical writers have among the least stressful jobs in the country. Who knew?

NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has a new map showing our solar system's location in the Milky Way.

An article from The Space Review on the "why" of space exploration. I've been writing a long rant on the dismal state of space advocacy, but I don't think I'll publish it. Why add to the despair?

Potpourri CV

This has been in my inbox for awhile. Veronique Koken and her partner Howard Chipman, a doctor with his own Czech L-39 jet fighter, have opened an astronaut training center called Aurora Aerospace in the Tampa Bay (Oldsmar) area. The training, a la carte or all together, is not cheap ($8,000 for the whole thing), but sounds like quite an adventure. The full package includes, per the brochure:

• L-39 flight
• Zero-G flight
• Spacecraft/L-39 simulator
• "MAD" machine
• High altitude hypoxia training
• Ground school
• Flight suit, leather jacket, L-39 model, t-shirt, cap, and more

This is a two-day experience that operates out of a local airport in Oldsmar, and it includes a medical screening to ensure that your body can handle all this stuff. I was just flipping through the brochure and noted that the L-39 has ejection seats if needed. Well, jump in as you see fit. I've already made my choice: Earth is my home. For those of you so inclined, I'll add the link to my permanent rotation.

*

Yesterday's Lunar Crater Reconnaissance and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a little disappointing from a visual point of view. To be blunt, I saw nothing--no flash, no plume of stuff thrown into the air--nada. I admit to having a little fun with this. I posted Marvin the Martian as my user image on Facebook and asked, "Where's the kaboom? There's supposed to be a moon-shattering kaboom!" Part of that was to express my shared disappointment that the NASA simulation graphics were more dramatic than the actual event; part of it was to poke fun at the people I griped about on Thursday who thought the mission was going to somehow damage the Moon. Now, of course, the mission is being pummeled in the press. If there weren't any fireworks, the press assumed, the mission was a failure. The truth is, until they sort through the data, we won't know what they've got. But the only real reason that LCROSS matters is, if we find water ice on the Moon, we can build long-term bases and permanent settlements there. NASA can't say that because the administration isn't talking about it. However, in my off-duty hours as a National Space Society person, I think that's exactly what they should be talking about. If you agree, join NSS today, and start the campaign to get that started. I want my hotel (not home) with a view of the Earth!

Oh yeah: our president--the guy who was elected nine months ago--has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Let's consider what some previous winners have done:

• Mediated between countries at war (Theodore Roosevelt, Ralph Bunche)
• Ministered to the needs of the poor and suffering (Mother Teresa, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross)
• Negotiated a peace treaty (Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat, Henry Kissinger)
• Fought for the rights of prisoners (Amnesty International)
• Fought for freedom of conscience (Andrei Sakharov)
• Fought for equality under the law (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
• Designed a plan to help rebuild countries destroyed by war (George C. Marshall)

President Obama has done none of these things. Now I commend Obama and his speech writers for acknowledging that he's done nothing (yet?) to earn the award, but jeez, if you know you've done nothing, why accept it? So what has Obama done? The Nobel organization notes on its web site that the nomination process ends in February. I leave it to the reader to review WhiteHouse.gov to look for themselves:

• Presidential actions and proclamations
• Speeches given
• Weekly addresses given
• Nominations and appointments made
• Statments and releases made
• Press briefings given

I still think someone in the international community is setting this guy up. He's very sensitive to public and press opinion, here and abroad. If he's turned down for the Olympics, it affects his attitude toward the press, as does his surprise award for the Nobel Peace Prize. I believe he's also very susceptible to flattery. Why would the Nobel Foundation give such a prize to someone who, 12 days into his presidency, had yet to make any substantial contribution to world peace? As Obama saw it,

I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

Again, I appreciate his humility and candor. But you've got to wonder, don't you, why you're being given an (arguably) important award before you've done anything? Could it be a message that "We're awarding you up front so you do things in a way that will make us happy in the future"? Is this some sort of message that "We want you to remain a man of peace, and by a man of peace, we mean undoing everything George W. Bush has done"? (Sure, give Iraq back to the Baathists and Afghanistan back to the Taliban--that'll make everyone happy and safe!)

I'm very much a merit-minded person. If I've earned something specific, I take that as a matter of course. If I'm rewarded for extra effort, I'm appreciative. If I'm awarded for doing little to nothing (as I see it), I feel uneasy and try to deflect attention elsewhere. But no, our president is going to accept the award as an incentive to go forth and do things. Interesting take on things, but a little disingenuous. And if someone gave me a big prize without me having done anything, I'd wonder what game was afoot. I'm probably overly suspicious that way, but really...

*

I got this item from Lin: the Democrats are looking at a "second stimulus," as the economy shows little sign of improving (unemployment now at 9.8 percent--is it still Bush's fault?).

There are two approaches to governing in the U.S. One side tries to do what it can for the individual citizens to make it on their own with as little government charity as possible. The other side says that government needs to make sure that the goods of society are distributed as equally as possible, usually through taxation and wealth transfers. Conservatives overlook the fact that everyone isn't equipped to do things on their own; liberals overlook the fact that if you make people dependent on someone else, they'll never learn to do things for themselves. The conservative approach to governance empowers more individuals, but results in inequality of outcomes among those individuals due to differences in ability, willingness to work, and starting position. The liberal approach empowers government by giving the political class the power and (assumed) right to decide who gets what--ostensibly to raise up the poor, but more often to punish the rich.

It's been 30 years since the nation went through one of these exercises. Perhaps it will take another "Carter presidency" to hammer the lesson home. Alas, we must await the next swing of the pendulum.

*

Got this from my company yesterday: an FBI press release on a Jordanian who was looking to bomb a building in Dallas, Texas. This wasn't an old release from just after 9/11, but a fresh one, from September of this year. Our peace-loving president would do well to remember that he's supposed to maintain peace and security in his own back yard, not just in the court of world opinion. Safe bet: if he takes actions that protect Americans--you know, the folks who voted for him--he'll be regarded as an outlaw and a cowboy, just like Bush. That might do him some good and earn him a second term. As it stands right now, I don't see that happening.

That's about it for now.

Back to Normal

All sorts of interesting links out there, space-wise and otherwise, so let's roll...

October 4-11 is World Space Week. Back in 2003, I ran the NSS campaign to get letters about WSW in the top 100 newspaper markets in the U.S. WSW is a worldwide, U.N.-sponsored event to get students to learn about and celebrate benefits gained from space exploration.

Interesting blog on organizational culture at NASA and what reactions people can get when they ask questions in a meeting where senior officials ask if there are any questions. If you find yourself getting fired or just "in trouble" because you take management at their word about asking questions, then you should pull the ripcord and bail out.

A few items from the Down Under Defense Expert (DUDE):

• Interested in calculating "great circle" routes for airliners? Give this site a shot.
• YouTube video on "God-fearing" (general) vs. "non-God-fearing" (military) aviation.
• What a 737 looks like when its engine interacts with a flock of starlings (the Flock of Seagulls was on tour).
• Want to buy silver? Try this site.

Did you know that we were all doomed? Since the "Y2K" fracas didn't materialize, the latest doomsday year is 2012, when the Mayan calendar supposedly ends or heralds the end of the world. A trailer for a movie along this theme is now in theaters. Fortunately, even reviewers can see how over-the-top and nuts this is. I plan on having a party on January 1, 2013. The sane are welcome to attend.

From Jeff Foust: The Augustine Panel is due to have another public meeting, this one by telecon. The fact that they're having this meeting is a sign, sayeth Foust, that the final Augustine report will be delayed further.

From Lin: An article from FoxNews on how Obama's new "pay czar" is looking to curb or cut executive pay. My feeling is still this: it's none of government's business. This is a corporate governance issue. If you're an employee of a large multinational and you don't like how much money your CEO is making, buy one share of stock. This gives you the right to speak at a stockholder's meeting and speak your piece. Or, if you're not an employee, buy stock anyway. Make your voice heard. Build coalitions of other stockholders. Raise polite, legal, and rational heck. Show how corporate compensation practices are draining profitability and irrationally rewarding poor performance. Get the guidelines rewritten--with an eye to remembering that good compensation attracts the best and brightest, stupid compensation will result in a government takeover. There are ways to fix things that do not require Barack the Merciful to enter the fray and buy your company.

From my AIAA news feed, a couple of articles/editorials reflecting on the five-year anniversary of SpaceShipOne winning the X Prize Cup, one doubting, one more optimistic.

Oh yeah: I've got a short piece on ScienceCheerleader.com re: NASA's internet outreach efforts. Just enough to whet the whistle, more or less.

Also, I haven't done an update on my little e-niece Morgan lately. Her mom, Ame, is now reporting that she's working on home-schooling Morgan. I recommended that Ame take a look at a post on my site re: science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) resources for home schoolers. Morgan, bless her heart (sheesh! I've been in the South too long), has been going through a lot of medical madness, and those long periods of downtime keep her out of step with her peers and their learning. I commend Ame for doing what Morgan needs help doing. She's welcome to ping me anytime if she has questions. If I don't know, I'm willing to put in the time and research it.

Obama and the Chicago Olympic Bid

While I feel slightly bad for Chicago in not winning the 2016 bid, I really think they should look at the bright side of this issue. I recall the chaos that the Olympics caused in Atlanta and in Utah, and I don't think Chicago--which has problems enough, the first one being its mayor--needs the aggravation.

On the political side of things, I'm not one to gloat. It's a loss for the U.S., not just Obama. That said, it is primarily a political loss for the president. Didn't someone tell him what his chances really were? Or did he think that his personal charisma was so grand that his mere presence would be enough to woo the judges of the International Olympic Committee? One reason presidents don't usually get in the middle of these types of activities is precisely because they are not a sure thing. Given the domestic and world situations right now, it was a gamble, not a calculated risk, for Obama to join the bid pitch. Not a good call at all. Rather like betting the farm on a horse race because you got a "sure thing." And now the President has to live with the consequences of that loss. Whups.

Potpourri CIV

Another mixed bag this evening. Two days until vacation. Thank goodness. The blathersphere is starting to wear me down (as, no doubt, the pack-mentality piling on is intended to do).

If you read this piece from the L.A. Times, it becomes quickly apparent from the writer's tone that you are just too stupid to realize that government-run health care is good for you. It's that tone alone that puts off people--something to consider when going out to sell the superiority of your ideas to "the rubes"--why should people listen if you act as if you're an idiot?

Speaking of L.A., I've been watching the news of the L.A. fires sporadically--more specifically, about the fires' proximity to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Mt. Wilson Observatory, two organizations close to my heart. The good news is that it appears both facilities are out of danger for the moment. One thing that has fascinated me about the firefighting effort has been the size of the aircraft doing the work now. It used to be small transports like C-130s; now they're using DC-10s and 747s. Wow! That's a lot of water or flame retardant!

This one came from my "foodie" friend Michelle, and it's just too good to pass up: a blow-by-blow email chain from a company attempting to get its first Twitter posting approved. Too funny!

Some gratuitous pictures of aircraft. Before the space geekitude kicked in, I loved airplanes. Still do, obviously.

New from Hu: an interesting video splicing together some of the discussions of the Augustine Panel.

Does President Obama want to politically pre-program your kids? Perish the thought.

Need a Science Cheerleader t-shirt? Sure you do! And now you can buy one--at a $4 discount, if you do well on Dar's science literacy test. And speaking of Dar, she's made another interview appearance, this time on TheScientist.com. Gooooo Dar!

The AFL-CIO is suggesting that the government put a tax on every single stock sale/transaction. No doubt they hope to stir up populist resentment against "Wall Street fat cats" and other capitalists, hoping that the angry public won't recall that half of the populace owns stocks via pensions or 401(k) plans. For gosh sakes...will someone please put a BRAKE on these guys? They passed the point of overreach several months ago.

From Rhonda at Learn to Read: a site with adult literacy resources.

From Stephanie at work: a do-it-yourself podcast program for students to create their own space-related podcast. Cool!

You know, with all these old TV shows being brought back in one form or another, I would love to see Night Court on DVD...NOT remade into a sequel or "reboot" or whatever. I just want to savor some of the zaniness. The example here will suffice; this one stars the usual cast plus Brent Spiner, later known as Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

And a last little bit of silliness for your day: the wife of the new Japanese prime minister claims to have been abducted by aliens.

Potpourri CII

Working on clearing my inbox while I do laundry and pack for Europe. One week to go. HOO-wah!

This is important and disturbing, so it's moving to the top of the pile: aides to Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) are drafting legislation that would give the president power to disconnect private-sector computers from the internet during a "cybersecurity emergency," whatever the heck that is. An amazing amount of commerce is performed via internet. If this bill passed, a large segment of the population and the private sector might find itself unable to conduct busines or communicate electronically. How's that hope and change working out for ya?

The first image of a complete molecule has been captured. Amazing!

Don't try this at home or on safari!

More from the animal kingdom...painting elephants. I can't help wondering if these elephant artists have started smoking and complaining about how the bourgeois tourists don't understand how they suffer...

Mahmoud Ahmadenijad wants to prosecute his political opponents in the recent Iranian election for stirring up trouble (e.g. daring to question him)...you know: kinda like prosecuting Bush administration officials after the last election.

From @skytland, a panel summary from "South by Southwest" (a.k.a. SXSW), one of the largest new media events in the country. The panel topic? "Moon 2.0," which is to say, participatory space exploration of the moon. My buddy Doc might be going to this event. I'll get my media fixes vicariously through him.

Someone else is looking to build a space hotel. I've got to confess: the more I think about the effects of weightlessness, the more I think staying the heck here sounds like a great idea. Is it heresy for a space advocate to say that? Probably, but there ya go. Happy to have the opportunity to go, but really, I've got laundry to do. Or something.

CNN is reporting that some sectors of the economy are reviving themselves without government assistance. You know: that whole "invisible hand" thing that some of my liberal friends don't trust or don't believe exists. My question is: if that's the case, can we stop with the bailouts already and not spend the rest of that trillion-dollar "stimulus?" As Father Dan puts it to me when I ask silly rhetorical questions, "Get a grip!" The stimulus isn't about stimulating the economy. We already had proof when Bush did it that government stimulus spending does not work, and that was $700 billion worth. Then Obama doubled down with over a trillion. So the answer to my question is, yes, we can stop with the bailouts, but we won't because President Obama has a different agenda in mind. So here's the game plan:

1. Jack up government spending to show that he's "doing something."
2. Admit after the fact that the deficit is too high.
3. Raise taxes to pay down the deficit, which is what Obama wanted to do in the first place because he's a strict redistributionist.

As usual with government-centered attempts to redistribute wealth in an economy, this plan will fail because rich people will either move out of the country, stop working, or eventually run out of money. Once that happens, he goes after the middle class and raises their taxes so that their money can be used to "make things more fair." And when there are no more rich people or middle class (except, of course, the government officials dispensing this "social justice"), well then we'll all be equal...in our misery. How's that hope and change working out for ya?

Michael Vick played his first game in Philadelphia and got a standing ovation from the fans. Which more or less proves what I was grousing about when he first got his gig with the Eagles: social stigma and bad publicity don't have any force anymore. Shame on them and shame on us when all that matters is victory without considering the character of those achieving it. If the fans in Philly don't have any shame about hiring this thug, will the fans of the teams playing against the Eagles reject Vick and not show up for the games? To repeat Father Dan's comment, "Get a grip!"

Laundry is still in progress, but I'm done clearing out the inbox. Never mind my grumpiness, have a great day!