… but this seems really funny to me.
Dec 242017
Dec 232017
For about three weeks the world has been uncertain whether Elon Musk was serious or not with his claim that the first launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy would send a Tesla Roadser to Mars (well, onto a solar orbit that would zip past Mars). Turns out he wasn’t kidding:
Elon Musk Reveals Photos of Tesla Roadster Launching on Falcon Heavy Rocket
This… makes sense. It is standard for a new launch vehicle to not launch a paying payload, because the first launch of a new vehicle stands a fair chance of not working right. So they launch inert mass simulators. So… why not launch a car? It’s attention-getting, it builds on corporate branding, it’s newsworthy. But mostly…
Sure, it would be better to send a practical payload… space probes and the like. But the fact is that there isn’t a Space probes R Us superstore; these things are extremely rare and extremely expensive. You lose one of those things, and there’ll be a whole lot of financial trouble. But Tesla Roadsters? Bunch of ’em.
Dec 232017
It’s well known that movie trailers can often make a crap movie look good, a good movie look crap, or make a movie look like it’s going to give the exact opposite message that it actually delivers. But sometimes they are faithful to the actual product. So it should be interesting to see what the actual product is with “Chappaquiddick,” a movie about how Ted Kennedy, one of the most damaging politicians in American history, got away with the drunk driving homicide of Mary Jo Kopechne.
It *looks* like it will actually take a critical view of Teddy Kennedy, but who can say. The likelihood that Hollywood would make a movie that casts a shadow over the “Lion Of The Senate” seems low, but sometimes facts slip through.
So, who wants to predict? Will this be “critical?” Will this be “balanced?” Or will it be a hagiography, with the trailer using the few seemingly-critical scenes – quite possibly not actually included in the final cut of the movie – to get butts into seats?
Dec 222017
The early development of the Space Shuttle was filled with bizarre designs, attempts to jam capabilities into existing technologies. One such unconventional concept came from McDonnell-Douglas: a low-cross-range orbiter atop a flyback booster. The orbiter, unlike the Shuttle Orbiter actually built, contained considerable internal propellant; the booster would get it up to high altitude and velocity, but the bulk of the actual delta V would come from the Orbiters own propulsion. The vehicle had small, straight wings that would fold up against the side of the fuselage for launch and for re-entry… but they would have to deploy on-orbit to allow the payload bay doors to open, and they’d deploy again once the craft had entered the atmosphere.
I’ve uploaded the high-rez version of this artwork (8 megabyte 5598×4529 pixel JPG) to the APR Extras Dropbox folder for 2017-12, available to all APR Patrons at the $4 level and above. If you are interested in accessing this and other aerospace historical goodies, consider signing up for the APR Patreon.
Dec 222017
Basically all that’s left is the shuttlebay and surroundings.
So who here would be interested in a set of plans once it’s all done? Going from a 3D model to 2D diagrams is, from one point of view, as simple as typing in one command. But making a *good* set of plans from that is a bucket of work, since a lot of lines vanish and a lot of excess lines are thrown in, so I’d be interested in the level of interest.
There was a reason why they hanged horse thieves
AARRRGH, blather, Crazy, dumbassery, Gah., news, Utah, ಠ_ಠ
16 Responses »
Dec 212017
It is (or at least was) a common trope in Westerns for someone to be accused of being a horse thief, and to face a hangin’ as a result. These days, lots of people react in horror to the concept of a death sentence for theft… “property isn’t worth a human life” and similar tired bromides are often trotted out. But horse thieving was seen as worth a hanging for the simple fact that the horse – a piece of property – WAS very often the owners lifeline. Without a horse, the owner could be stranded, not only putting his life at risk, but those who depended on him. Take a mans horse and chances are you’ve just killed someone.
These days the closest analogy to a horse is a car. And if you take someones car… well, they get on the phone, call a taxi or get an Uber, get where they need to then contact the insurance company and get the car replaced. It’s a hassle and a financial hit and a pain, but it’s not the clear threat that a stolen horse was in earlier times. So does that mean that theft is not longer the heinous villainy it once was? Hmmm…
Porch pirate steals Utah boy’s life-saving medication
Someone thought they had the right to steal a random package and as a result they’ve put a small child’s life at risk. Go on, tell me why that should not be at least considered assault. Or child abuse or attempted manslaughter or depraved indifference or some such.
There have been a number or proposed and implemented “solutions” to the problem of “porch pirates” stealing stuff in broad daylight. Such as this one:
Porch pirates beware, this package shoots back
It’s a “bait box” that when picked up fires off a blank shotgun shell. It makes a loud noise, and that’s about it; the idea is that it scares off the thief, causing them to run away and rethink their thieving ways. There are those who question the legality of it, since they erroneously believe that:
1: It’s an explosive device (it’s not… gunpowder isn’t an explosive)
2: It’s a firearm (it’s not, as there is no barrel and no projectiles)
It just makes a loud bang. The chances of it actually injuring the thief are minimal.
An actual boobytrap would be illegal. Even something that simply traps the thief would be illegal… gates that slam down, a trapdoor that dumps the thief into a holding cell, a box covered in cartoony instant glue, or a taser, all would be illegal under the current set of laws. But… should they be?
The reasons for banning boobytraps are not without merit. While I would not go up to a neighbors door and mess with a package in front of it, another package delivery guy might; a Girl Scout hawking Thin Mints might; or any of a number of other random, innocent people or even critters might nudge a box or even pick it up intending to be helpful.
But: if someone winds up getting injured or dead while in the process of stealing other peoples stuff, should we *really* feel too bad about it? At the same time, should we perhaps consider people who do stuff like this, willingly putting random peoples lives potentially at risk in order to steal a box of stuff they don’t even know what it is, to be unworthy of remaining in society? Executing porch pirates might be a tad excessive… but deportations to penal colonies (I understand a lot of space has recently opened up in Syria) seems like it might be worth considering. Granted, deportations are an unlikely and joking suggestion, but how about:
1: *Hard* labor
2: A *permanent* additional tax on all their future income and a lifetime ban on all public assistance
3: A return to corporal punishment: public floggings, perhaps
4: Drafted into some sort of military or public service (similar to #1)
These are not poor desperate people stealing a sammich cuz they’re starving. They are not even idjits who have poor impulse control. They are scumbags who go out of their way to harm regular folks, and are indifferent not only to the cost, but to the *risk* they impose on others.
Dec 212017
It wasn’t that many months ago when we were told that due to Donald Trumps incompetence, the Unitest State had lost its place as “leader of the free world,” and now Angela Merkel of Germany was going to show us all how it’s done. But… in order to be a leader, you have to have *power.* And one of the most important ways for a nation to project power is with a navy. Whenever there’s a major hurricane or a tsunami, sooner or later a US Navy carrier battle group will show up to provide humanitarian and logistics support. Whenever Iran or China or the Somalis gets sporty with their naval piracy, the US Navy shows up to put a stop to it (or at least to *tell* them to stop). So… Germany. There was only ever one German aircraft carrier, and it was never completed nor did it see service; it was mostly built, but was ultimately used by the Soviets as target practice. Germany did have a number of battleships and battlecruisers, but by far Germanys biggest impact on naval power was with submarines. Seems like it might be a little challenging to rule the waves with little more than subs, but I suppose it can be done. So, how is the German submarine fleet doing these days?
Germany’s Entire Submarine Fleet Is Out of Commission
Das boot ist kaputt: German navy has zero working subs
Germany a whopping *SIX* submarines, none of which are functional. None of which even are nuclear powered or carry ballistic missiles.
Germany’s decrease in spending has had broad consequences across its entire military. Of the country’s 244 Leopard II tanks, only 95 are ready for action. In 2014, only 42 out of 109 Typhoon fighter jets were fully operational. Of the country’s 14 new A-400M Grizzly transport aircraft, sometimes none are available. And in 2015, when Germany debated sending Tornado strike jets to Syria, it was revealed that only 29 out 66 Tornados were airworthy. Given such low readiness rates, it’s not surprising the submarine force is also in a bind.
Good luck using that fleet of clunkers to control the ongoing invasion of Europe, Ms. Merkel. Good luck using them to convince Putin to not invade, conquer and annex Eastern Europe. I look forward to seeing how that military powerhouse is used to broker peace in the middle east or to foster contentment in the South China Sea, or keep things going smoothly as Russia and Norway and Canada fight over Arctic resources.
Dec 212017
Very, very unlikely. But still just barely possible:
Astronomers Are Intrigued by This Weird ‘String’ at The Centre of Our Galaxy
It seems to be attached to, or at least associated with, Sagittarius A*, the 4-million-solar-mass black hole at the center of the galaxy. Sadly, the scale of the thing isn’t presented, but given the distance to the center of the galaxy it’s safe to assume that this structure is several light years in length.
Dec 212017
I didn’t hate The Last Jedi. I didn’t love it. It just sorta… exists, I guess. But as time goes on and I think about it more, I can see the political “programming” that went into making it… and how that politics overshadowed any effort at quality storytelling in favor of propaganda, strawmen in favor of characters.
This spoiler and profanity-filled video lays it out succinctly:
Dec 202017
Mobile energy depot feasibility study: summary report
Description:
Declassified 28 Aug 1973. Various methods of producing and using nuclear power for military land vehicles and other military equipment were investigated and evaluated. A nuclear-powered mobile energy depot (MED) would move with advancing armies and produce vehicle fuels from materials readily available in the field. This would make mechanized units independent of external fuel supplies for extended periods, and permit them to move quickly and easily to areas impossible for units that depend on the customary fuel supply lines. Many possible MED systems were evaluated on the basis of energy sources, fuel manufacturing (by both conventional and chemonuclear processes), fuel storage and transportation, and fuel utilization in both present-day internal-combustion engines and power units of the future (i.e., fuel cells). The applications of more than a dozen MED systems to vehicular propulsion were studied.
The report can be downloaded directly from HERE.
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