While I want this, there are two things I want more:
1: Enough money to actually *run* one of these things
2: A change in the ridiculous laws that prevent me from owning one of these things.
Jan 182020
Jan 182020
German MEP Gunnar Beck sounds German neither through his accent nor through accepted current ideology…
Jan 182020
An update: the contract has been signed. I now have until July to turn in my book. Until the publisher starts advertising it, I’ll shut the frak up about the details except to say that it’s along the lines of USXP, but on a tighter than usual focus… and a hell of a lot bigger. Currently have just shy of 70 diagrams finished for it (which explains the dry spell of aerospace on the blogs… I’ve been up to my eyeballs in aerospace, I just haven’t been sharing), and the spreadsheet lists just short of *200* diagrams.
Jan 182020
A little while back I was contacted by someone who had an old display model of a Boeing Controlled Configured Vehicle bomber and wondered if I was interested in buying it. Interested? Yes. Able? No. But I was able to put the seller in contact with someone else who was able to procure it, so this Boeing CCV-100-2 wound up in a good home. More on the CCV-100-2 is HERE. Still no confirmation of the scale of the vehicle, sadly.
Jan 172020
It’s a mystery.
Jan 172020
SpaceX is doing an abort test of their Dragon 2 capsule tomorrow. All goes according to schedule, the Falcon 9 will launch normally at 8 AM eastern time tomorrow and 84 seconds later the capsules abort motors will fire. The Falcon 9 first and second stages will be destroyed, but the capsule will – hopefully – be successfully recovered. With that success and a few more tests, SpaceX could be ready to send astronauts to the ISS in March.
Pending test outcomes, NASA says SpaceX could launch astronauts in early March
The US hasn’t launched a human into space since 2011. A good argument can be made that the US ceased to be a superpower at the point, since it was now dependent upon another nation for vital functions. Falcon and Dragon sending crews to the ISS would be a good *start* at returning the US to superpower status, though to really deserve that title the US will need to resume the project of advancement into space. And that means doing something better than simply going in circles.
Jan 172020
A local animal shelter will sell you an adult cat for five whole dollars. A lot of these critters are *really* hard to pass up. But I already have four, and that’s enough.
The feller below had a bit of an issue, with the result you can see if you look closely enough.
And this last one: I tried several times to get a good photo of it but it was pretty mobile. It looked a *lot* like Raedthinn reborn.
Jan 172020
Here’s how it’s done…
Jan 172020
In 1985, Rockwell International contemplated the idea of the Space Station turning a profit for the company. At this point the Space Station seemed a reasonably certain program, though it would take another decade, the fall of the USSR and several complete revamps before assembly would really begin .
Next: advanced manned military spacecraft.
Jan 162020
It’s a ridiculously tired trope now, trotted out by those shilling for badly-written movies like “Terminator: Dark Fate” and “Ghostbusters 2016” and “Charlies Angels” and Disney Star Wars, that those who don’t like those movies are man-babies who simply can’t stand Strong Women or Strong Female Characters. And yet, you don’t see too many of the people who dislike Mary Rey Sue dumping on the women of The Expanse, do ya…
Of course, the Expanse does not skimp on good characters and good acting. The most recent season ended with one of the most GLORIOUSLY PSYCHOTIC looks of utter bloodthirsty glee ever the grace the TV.
From the feller what brung us “I am that guy.”