Potpourri LXXIV

A coworker suggested looking for a new factoid--how many Super Bowls would Ares V produce if its energy were converted directly to kilowatts. So how many kilowatts does it take to power all the lights, bells, whistles, and flourishes of a Super Bowl? See here.

NASAWatch took extra shots at Ares I this week. Oh, goody.

Why couldn't Neil Armstrong fall asleep on the Moon? See here. Also, Apollo conversations you haven't heard before.

One of the communications gurus I work with at Marshall is a part-time roller derby girl. Specifically, a "Dixie Derby Girl." I'm going to have to see this event at some point.

Want to understand ObamaCare? Check this out:

New from Hu: The Senate has confirmed Charles Bolden as NASA Administrator. That's probably a new record for appointing a NASA chief.

Another education opportunity for college students at NASA...

The Rocket that Rocked the World, courtesy of my buddy Dauna.

The Singularity moves along...more on brain/computer interfaces.

Another update on the monorail accident at Epcot.

Potpourri XLVII

Articles here and here on Ares I-X...

Here's a list of things that have to go right to get human beings to and from the Moon safely. All of them must take place at extreme velocities, temperatures, or environments and require our greatest efforts to correctly. How is it that people cannot be inspired by the space program? How is it possible for a nation to make space exploration boring?

From a friend of Hu: a company that ships wine to Alabama legally. Better read the fine print first.

Here's the official White House press release on the nominations of Charles Bolden and Lori Garver.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2009
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: General Charles Bolden, Administrator of NASA and Lori Garver, Deputy Administrator of NASA.

President Obama said, “These talented individuals will help put NASA on course to boldly push the boundaries of science, aeronautics and exploration in the 21st century and ensure the long-term vibrancy of America’s space program.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:

Gen. Charles Bolden, Nominee for Administrator of NASA
Charles Bolden retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2003 as the Commanding General of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing after serving more than 34 years, and is currently CEO of JackandPanther LLC, a privately-held military and aerospace consulting firm. Gen. Bolden began his service in U.S. Marine Corps in 1968. He flew more than 100 sorties in Vietnam from 1972-73. In 1980, he was selected as an astronaut by NASA, flying two space shuttle missions as pilot and two missions as commander. Following the Challenger accident in 1986, Gen. Bolden was named the Chief of the Safety Division at the Johnson Space Center with responsibilities for overseeing the safety efforts in the return-to-flight efforts. He was appointed Assistant Deputy Administrator of NASA headquarters in 1992. He was Senior Vice President at TechTrans International, Inc. from 2003 until 2005. Gen. Bolden holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis and a M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

Lori Garver, Nominee for Deputy Administrator of NASA
Lori Garver is the President of Capital Space, LLC, and has served as Senior Advisor for Space at the Avascent Group, a strategy and management consulting firm, based in Washington, D.C. She was the lead civil space policy advisor for Obama for America, and she helped lead the Agency Review Team for NASA during the Transition. She has intimate familiarity with the agency and knows well the challenges it faces. From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Garver served as NASA’s Associate Administrator of the Office of Policy and Plans. Reporting to the NASA Administrator, she oversaw the analysis, development, and integration of NASA policies and long-range plans, the NASA Strategic Management System, and the NASA Advisory Council. Ms. Garver also served as a primary spokesperson for NASA. Prior to this appointment, she served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Office of Policy and Plans, and Special Assistant to the Administrator. Ms. Garver earned an M.S. in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Colorado College.

*

A Space Review editorial compares NASA to the automobile industry.

This one from the corporate office: the Baltimore Sun is reporting that you're going to need to pony up with your middle name when it comes time to fly. I actually inquired how much it would cost to legally change my name from Bartholomew to Bart because I sign my checks Bart but my mother and the State of Alabama call me Bartholomew (and the former only when she's angry with me). Why? Because the TSA was getting p!$$y with me about my driver's license not matching my credit cards. Parents beware: I won't be the only one to contemplate this change to save myself the aggravation at the airport. Another lesson in the law of Unintended Consequences from our government: make the law more intrusive and yoiu can even cause people to change their names.

This one from Nickomundo: Anderson Cooper believes the current generation is going to be shafted by the recession. Jeez, spare me. Every generation is screwed by a recession, usually temporarily, as the ability to make more choices and obtain more opportunities is reduced by slowed economic activity. Recession means your mom buys from the discount rack or sews your clothes when you rip them. Recession means you don't go to the Chuck-E-Cheese once a week or don't get high-end snacks with your lunch. Or that you don't buy your lunch. Or vacation gets put off a year. You're sad, you're disappointed. A couple of more fortunate, more shallow peers might laugh at your cheap, off-the-rack clothes. You're hurt. You move on.

Is NASA "over the hill" if the average age there is 49? All depends. People keep telling me that "40 is the new 30." Which means what for Gen Y? It means you'll be waiting another 10 years before you get promoted. (Just a little snark/humor to offer insight into how your elders might be thinking.)

Leonard David, whose brain I'd like to borrow for a week, has a blog on a new approach to searching for Earthlike planets.

The International Space Development Conference officially gets under way tomorrow. The Space Investment Symposium (SIS), which has become attached to ISDC since 2006, happened today. That's an event where they put wannabe space entrepreneurs and venture capitalists into a room and try to educate the space people on the right way to write a business plan to get investment money from the VCs. I first wrote about the SIS in 2007 and have been trying to keep up with it when I can. Lately I haven't been able to afford the leave time--or the ticket price. I don't complain about that--I got in gratis as a journalist in '06 and '07.

I see the SIS as a positive sign in the space advocacy movement because it shows that space businesses are becoming routine, part of the regular investment and business environment, like utilities or drug companies. However, I've heard complaints that this emphasis on business also raises ticket prices for space-related events and eliminates that "grass roots" touch/feel to the activity. I look at it this way, speaking purely for myself and from a strictly appearance-based point of view: more suits means more people taking space seriously. It's the difference between space advocates showing up in t-shirts or Star Trek outfits to lobby Congress and those same advocates showing up with suits, professional attire, and briefcases. Which one would you take more seriously? Apperances matter. And if that means that the space movement loses the "common touch" but gains credibility among the non-space-minded public, then I'm willing to make the sacrifice. If you want to wear t-shirts and Star Trek outfits, there's probably a science fiction convention out there waiting for you. If you want to make a serious effort to get civilization into space, leave the t-shirts at home and get ready to do business.

Potpourri XLV

Speculation continues on the if-and-when of nominating Charles Bolden as the next NASA Administrator.

There might be hope for reporters in the mainstream media (that's a conservative term for the "Big Three" networks plus the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and other related liberal-leaning media outlets). If they can't stay employed or hawk their wares in paper-based products, they can always get a job being the official reporters for the Obama White House. They're already in the tank for/with him anyway. Of course, if the newspaper business continues to head down the drain, Obama might bail them out, in which case they'll be nationalized regardless.

Scott had some more sites for buying gold:

• http://www.cmi-gold-silver.com/specials.aspx
• www.golddealer.com

Scott is also insisting that I go see a DC-3 and some other older planes at the Moontown Airport east of Huntsville tomorrow. I just might. It's been a draining week, and I could use the break.

Marshall Space Flight Center has centralized all of their social media sites on one page.

Congressman Parker Griffin is saying that Iran's latest missile test is proof that we need to maintain a missile defense capability. Well, duhhhhh.

A fellow writer and NSS Policy Committee person, Marianne Dyson, has a hopeful blog regarding Obama's space policy.

Want to live in an airplane? I must confess, I had some designs around those lines when I was in high school. Anyhow, there's a site for those of us who dare to dream.

Bjorn Lomborg writes about how some companies are using the "green" movement as a way to merely cash in. Again, duhhhhh.

Alka-Seltzer City, dude! A town in Ohio is about to have carbon dioxide introduced into the briny water below their fair city, turning that water essentially into seltzer water in an effort to sequester carbon. Certainly there are more effective, less ridiculous ways to do this...? Jerry Pournelle also offers a link to some individuals who are fighting the practice. My buddy Scott calls environmentalists "watermelons: green [environmentalists] on the outside, red [communist] on the inside." Gotta wonder sometimes, don't you?

Science fiction writers are continuing to help in the War on Terrorism. Someone's got to, right?

Potpourri XXXVIII

No word from Dar yet on how my little friend is doing with her leukemia treatments. Out of respect for her family's privacy, I wasn't using her name, but Dar just posted it, so if you'd like to focus your caring, attention, and prayers, her name is Morgan, and her web site can be found here. In my ongoing efforts to "keep things in perspective," I'll try to keep the snark to a minimum this evening.

New from Hu:

• One of my previous customers over at Marshall, Dan Dumbacher, is heading to Washington to be NASA Associate Administrator. Dan has been the manager (director?) of the Engineering Directorate at the center. Smart guy, and a great advocate for space.
• NBC News is reporting that Marine Corps General (Ret.) and astronaut Charles Bolden is going to be meeting with President Obama tomorrow in a prelude to being selected as Obama's choice as the next NASA Administrator.

A link from Scott: Oprah says "It's great to have a private jet." Great. Does that mean it's socially acceptable for CEOs and companies to use them again?

From the Office of Strategic Analysis and Communication's "Communicators' Corner," a link to an article on why marketing strategies fail.

The Futures Channel has a new movie posted on the Ares Projects, based here at Marshall.

A guy I've never heard of got a chance to give a talk on his book at Lucasfilm Ltd. Guess I'll have to write a book myself...that's one way to get to the Skywalker Ranch!

Mary Lynn Dittmar is reporting on how Web 2.0 is opening up public dialogues within NASA.

Tim Bailey, one of my fellow space advocates (though a bit younger) posted this link in Facebook about how law firm partners don't understand what motivates or how to motivate Generation Y. Basically, the up-and-coming generation expects concessions to "balance" in their personal lives and that they aren't as interested in base concerns like money or regular business hours. Well, good luck, if they manage it. I belong to, and was raised by parents who went to, the School of Hard Knocks. This is this school that believes in putting in long hours, occasionally missing your kids, but doing whatever it took to get the job done right and well. That was just the expectation, for the Silent Generation, the Greatest Generation, and I'm willing to bet a lot of American generations before that. It's only with the Baby Boomers and their offspring that ideas like personal fulfillment became vogue in the workplace. This is of a piece with that quarter-life crisis thing I was ranting about the other day. If you expect to do it all and have it all (great career, great personal life, loving family, etc.), you'll either lose focus or get burned out trying to fulfill unrealistic expectations). As it happens, I'm a workaholic, but I also have passions in life--space advocacy, science and technical writing, blogging, helping friends with their resumes and career plans--that fill a great deal of my time, and quite happily so. I also manage to stay in touch with my out-of-state family and my church. Something had to give, so I'm not married. So what? Anyhow, if Gen Y wants to go easier on their work lives to spend more time at home, that's great. I'll be in my office when they get back...the boss's office, that is.

The Hubble repair mission is proceeding nicely. Good!

And just on a personal note, I got some nice comments about the proposal I wrote (with help from my HAL5 partners in crime) to bid on the 2011 ISDC. The reward for work is more hard work. Now I get to give a formal presentation at the 2009 ISDC in Orlando in two weeks. No sweat. Need one dog, one pony, and a couple of Vannas.

Potpourri XXVII

The usual mishmash of stuff from the worlds of space, philosophy, politics, management, and sheer oddness. Enjoy.

We've got Web 2.0, so what would Space 2.0 look like? This editorial in The Space Review offers some insight.

Another one from The Space Review, this one on space solar power. I get differing reactions to SSP in the space community, everything from "It'll save humanity!" to "That's an utter crock!" However, no one is saying don't try it.

I wonder what the Southern word for "chutzpah" is. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) has been rejecting suggestion after suggestion for the next NASA administrator; now he's complaining that the Obama administration is taking too long to nominate one. Dude, make up your mind.

The Ares Projects and Ares I-X flight test are both on Twitter now. So is the National Space Society. If you're not transmitting over multiple channels, you might be missing your audience, it seems.

Tip o' the fedor to Daphne for this one: What your boss uses to decorate the office might say a lot about him (or her).

H/T to Melissa for this: Ron Paul has a bold suggestion for clearing the pirates off the Horn of Africa: reinstitute letters of marque to anyone willing to bring 'em in dead or alive. That'll never happen, of course. Obama believes the government must do all things--subcontracting out offends him, I think. Jerry Pournelle suggests enforcing the Somalis' fishing rights off their coastal waters. Apparently the Chinese have been overfishing the area, leaving the local fishermen little to do but turn to piracy. The question, as Pournelle rightly points out, is: how far will we go to defend Somalia's fishing rights?

Could Universal Studios and Sea World team up in Orlando? Stranger things have happened, I guess.

Apparently it's getting harder and harder to screw up so badly that teachers or school administrators will fail students. An "F" was always treated as a warning shot across the bow in my family--get one on a test or some homework, and it was a sign that you needed to sit up, pay attention, and do the frickin' work! Apparently that's too traumatic. Pity.

Space.com has a story about Ares I-X. I'm always pleased to see when people get their facts right.

New from Hu: Swine flu is now a health emergency. Let's be careful out there--wash your frickin' hands, for gosh sakes! And then there was this warning that hit my inbox at work today.

NASA Occupational Health Alert - April 27, 2009

Within the past week human cases of a potentially new strain of the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the U.S. and Mexico. As of April 27, there are now confirmed cases in five states (California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, New York). Internationally, human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in Mexico andSpain, with testing of ill travelers from Mexico being conducted in New Zealand. The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling this "a public health emergency of international concern." The current phase of the WHO Global Influenza Preparedness is Level 3 Pandemic alert: a new influenza virus subtype is causing disease in humans, but is not yet spreading efficiently and sustainably among humans. The WHO Emergency Committee isreportedly scheduled to meet later today to consider raising the pandemic alert level.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), WHO, state, and local health authorities are working closely together, increasing surveillance and assessing the potential threat to public health. Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and whether additional people have been infected with similar swine influenza viruses. The CDC has determined that the virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human but how easily the virus spreads between people is not known at this time.

We are in the very early stages of learning about this potential emerging health threat. At this time we know that this illness is the Influenza A virus and can spread from human to human through coughing or sneezing ofinfected people. It is not known how easily it spreads between people.

Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of the swine flu are similar to the symptoms ofregular human flu. The symptoms of swine flu can vary in severity from mildto severe. Symptoms include fever, body aches, sore throats, headaches, chills and coughing. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Like human influenza, swine flu can lead to pneumonia and respiratory failure and can worsen underlying chronic medical conditions.

Spread of Infection
The main way influenza viruses are thought to spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. Influenza viruses may also be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets onanother person or an object and then touches their own mouth or nose (orsomeone else's mouth or nose) before washing their hands. The swine flu can spread in two ways:
- Through contact with infected pigs or environments contaminated with swine flu viruses.
- Through contact with a person with swine flu.

People ill with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and up to 7 days following the onset of illness.

Seek Medical Treatment
If you become ill with influenza-like symptoms, you may want to contact yourhealth care provider. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed. The swine flu can be treated with antiviral medicals. IF YOU ARE SICK, YOU SHOULD STAY HOME AND AVOID CONTACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP FROM SPREADING YOUR ILLNESS TO OTHERS.

Emergency warning signs that require urgent medical attended include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
- Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen.
- Sudden dizziness.
- Confusion.
- Severe or persistent vomiting.

Self Care
- Check with your health care provider about any special care you might need if you are pregnant or have a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema.
- Check with your health care provider about whether you should take antiviral medications.
- If influenza is confirmed by your health care provider, or if you develop signs and symptoms consistent with influenza that resolve without medical care, stay home for 7 days after the start of illness and fever are gone.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks) to keep from being dehydrated.
- Be watchful for emergency warning signs (see above) that might indicate you need to seek medical attention immediately.

Prevention
There are many things you can to do to prevent getting and spreading influenza:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

For Updates and the Most Current Information Visit the Following Sites:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu
World Health Organization; http://www.who.int/en
NASA Occupational Health Web sit:e http://www.ohp.nasa.gov
NASA Occupational Medicine Pandemic Plan: http://www.ohp.nasa.gov/policies/index.html
Department of State International Travel Information Web Site: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html

Consider yourself warned. Now go wash your hands!

Also from Hu: This could come back to shoot you in the arse: a robotic sniper, named the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS). Sleep tight!

Potpourri XXVI

New from Hu, all sorts of articles about the lack of a NASA Administrator:

• [Florida Today] With leader unnamed, clouds shroud NASA
• [Discovery.com] Next Name on NASA Ballot [Lori Garver?]
• [Space Politics] Nelson: someone is _slow walking_ NASA administrator nomination
• [Aviation Week] NASA Budget Being Drafted Without a Top-Level Advocate

And another from Hu on the 1:10 scale Saturn V launch. That's a lot of rocket for a model!

Even Disney, a very PC company (for anyone who worked there), can be accused of not being politically correct enough.

North Korea is now considered a fully fledged nuclear power. So now what?

Happy Debt Day! Apparently it took only until Friday, April 24, for the government's expenditures to exceed its income. I wonder how long any citizen would stay solvent if we lived that way every year.

The bailout saga continues. The government has developed a so-called "stress test," which will use some as-yet-unknown criteria for determining if banks receiving bailout funds are solvent in the long term. If the banks don't pass this test--again, standards unknown--they might qualify for government takeover. If you read the Wall Street Journal, you'll discover that some banks are contesting the stress test and their classification according to said test, mostly because they don't want to be taken over by the government. The government released a white paper giving some rough outlines of what the stress test involves, but not the specific metrics or the banks tested. One would think, in a rational world, that both sets of facts would be revealed, and that said facts would help investors sort out which banks are what, and where to place or remove their money. However, the actual result of the stress test and the way its standards are being released actually increases uncertainty. Expect the Dow to drop or continue its high volatility until the first week in May, when the government releases the actual results and bank names.

YeeeOOWWWW!!! A guy was killed by having 30 nails driven into his skull. That's a lot of anger. And a lot of nails.

The Capitol was temporarily locked down after another private plane accidentally flew into restricted DC airspace.

Nancy Pelosi and a lot of other self-righteous folks in Congress were briefed about the interrogation techniques being used on the Gitmo prisoners as early as 2002. Of course this isn't news. This was public knowledge by at least 2004, but the press is hoping you'll forget. Don't.

Desperate to keep your state's employees in their jobs? Perhaps you should consider accepting some of the prisoners from Club Gitmo. A prison in Montana is open to the idea. No promises of federal help if they escape or convert some of your prisoners to "the cause," though.

My trip to Europe promises to be more and more interesting. Some power plant workers in France cut off the power at their plants in a protest against partial privatization. Guess I'd better bring along a battery-powered alarm clock. There have also been rumblings of civil unrest in Germany because the government is laying off workers to cut costs in the worldwide recession. Oh yeah, and then there's that massive earthquake in Italy. I might get writing ideas on my trip whether I want them or not.

Oh yes, and as a followup to my rant about the possible prosecution of CIA interrogators, the Obama administration plans to release photos of detainees allegedly abused in the interrogation process. It's all fun and enjoyable as long as it's Democrats bashing Bush people for doing this. It'll be more difficult when similar allegations are made against Obama people by Europe or the UN. I hope they have a good answer for that.

Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon, which served as the basis for the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon, now has his own blog. I'm guessing that whatever he says, it's likely to be smart and worth paying attention to. I have yet to see a better portrayal of humanity's first exploration of the Moon than that TV show.

Some links from Father Dan:

• A car run on compressed air? Maybe.
• A Cato Institute posting on the Supreme Court's decision to allow citizens to bear arms in the District of Columbia. I like Fred Thompson's definition of "strict scrutiny" on Law & Order: "Well, Your Honor, strict scrutiny is like regular scrutiny with a girdle on."
• An extreme approach to bicycling. This guy will probably get a job stunt-riding somewhere.

Looking for an entertaining guest speaker or part-time humorist? May I suggest Dalton Hooper, a former manager of mine from Disney. Dalton belongs to the Mark Twain school of storytelling. He doesn't come right out and tell you things, he sort of meanders into them. He's the sort of Southerner that puts people at ease because he's about as laid-back as they come. The country could use a few more like him.

Welcome to Alabama...7 fans injured at Talladega at the recent NASCAR race. I can't get NASA to go in for "extreme space travel," which is probably just as well.

Okay, Darlene the Science Cheerleader posted this a few days ago, and I wanted a chance to discuss it a little more fully here. The X Prize Foundation is holding an auction on eBay for people to bid on the right to have their entire genome sequenced for the benefit of science. I posted some comments on Dar's site, which as of this writing haven't been cleared yet, so I'll summarize them here. I confessed that this auction hit my decided sweet spot between technophilia and technophobia. Would it bring benefits? Undoubtedly. However, in the age of HIPAA and other major privacy issues, would an individual really want the entire Western World to know what makes him/her tick? What will be done with the information? Who will control it? What happens to the individual if that information is put into "non-scientific" hands? What risks are involved? Look, I am not anti-science. I am pro-caution. This is a huge deal, and the technophiles at X Prize and in the genetic engineering community are so gung-ho to think about what can be done with certain information that they don't stop to ask if it should be done. The Sorceror's Apprentice. Faust. Frankenstein. Jurassic Park. We've already had plenty of myths and warnings in our own culture to know that these questions exist. Are we just choosing to ignore them out of ignorance or hubris?

"Let us redefine progress to say that just because we can do a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we must do that thing."
--President of the United Federation of Planets, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Potpourri XVIII

Never mind space, Obama, or the economy: "V" is making a comeback!

NASA eClips has a very cool education-focused video about Ares I-X on YouTube.

Someone's made a graphic novel about Apollo 11 called "T-Minus." How'd I miss this??

NASA.gov has a copious collection of Great Moonbuggy Race pictures.

Interested in tracking your popularity or "reach" on Twitter? My wiki guru Nick passed on these links for future reference:

• http://TweetDeck.com
• http://hootsuite.com
• http://twittercounter.com
• http://www.twitalyzer.com
• http://hashtags.org

Back to politics for a moment: President Obama is going to start pushing a bill through Congress that would make illegal immigrants legal. Why not just open all the borders and be done with it? I'm all for legal immigration. My family wouldn't be here without it. But they played by the rules, became citizens, learned the language, and educated their kids and grandkids to become Americans, and we're all the better for it.

Boeing is looking to cut production of some of its airliners due to the economic slowdown. This isn't a good thing. Boeing's commercial airliners are one of the few things keeping America's trade deficit from falling deep into the sewer.

Some folks think that if Ares/Orion can't be completed on time that we should hitch a ride with the Chi-coms. Right, because they're MUCH more reliable partners than the Russkis. At least we know Soyuz can dock with ISS.

The "who's going to be the next NASA administrator?" game continues. Wouldn't it be better if Obama had a policy first? Of course he did throw $400 million more at Constellation as part of the stimulus bill, so it appears that he's sticking with the Bush policy for the moment. Fine by me. Leave Scolese in charge, and let NASA do its job!

The Ares Projects have been holding a TIM (technical interchange meeting--can't do anything without an acronym, ya know) this week on the thrust oscillation issue on Ares I. There's a pretty decent, though rather techie, blog on the Constellation site.