A display at the Utah Museum of Ancient Life:
Mar 082011
Mar 082011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030704890.html
… where we learn two things:
1: Obama signed an executive order formalizing a system of indefinite detention for Gitmo prisoners
2: Obama promises to shut down Gitmo.
Mar 082011
Numerous purchasers of the D188A book have pointed out to me that there is an annoying “trimming” flaw with it… the text extends to close to the ouside edge , and got sliced off by a letter or two. This was a problem that was obvious very early on, and was *supposed* to have been fixed… but clearly wasn’t. So until I’ve got this damned issue nailed down, the D188A has been pulled from availability.
Mar 082011
Sunday night, sunset over the hills with both low and high clouds.
Mar 082011
Not the best quality image (coming from microfilm), but this shows a NASA-Lewis concept for a gas core nuclear rocket engine, circa 1960. Specific impulse was to be 2200 seconds, thrust 98,000 pounds, T/W 0.68, reactor diameter 16.6 feet, overall reactor length, 16.6 feet. The fuel would reach 20,000 degrees R, while the Hydrogen would get to 10,000 degrees R.
Mar 072011
Two more.
Pan Am stewardess outfit. Too bad about the water damage.
Aries Ib lunar transport. Too bad about the suck quality of the original image.
Mar 072011
Even if, like me, you’re not a dog person… this *WILL* mess you up.
[vimeo 8191217]
Mar 062011
This is distressingly accurate:
[youtube n2HeHfVSybo]
When you’ve watched this a dozen or times and have absorbed and understood it (and the implications), keep this in mind: the same politicians who have so thoroughly screwed up the American space program are the same politicians who would be in charge of the American health care system under Obamacare.
Mar 062011
A year or so ago McDonalds came out with a commercial featuring a little ditty about “Spaceman Stu” and illustrated it with an animated kid wearing a very 1950’s space helmet. I always figured it was just a little short jingle written for McDonalds. But as it turns out, it’s actually a full song (written for McDonalds):
[youtube 5yH66G0BEgA]
Reason why I’m blathering about it: partially because it’s a fairly entertaining song, but mostly because it’s a song about a child fantasizing about space… and it’s POSITIVE! Let’s face it, how many songs about space penetrate even this far into popular culture, and aren’t negative or outright depressing as hell? Both versions of “Major Tom,” “Rocket Man,” “Silent Satellite” and others tend to either paint manned spaceflight as disease and danger wrapped in darkness and screaming… or some horrible waste of resources. I’ve not heard too many that celebrate even a childlike fascination with the wonders of space.
Mar 062011
Some poorly reproduced NASA artwork dating from 1959 showing a concept for a space station launched by a Saturn. Note that the artist was a little fuzzy on what the Saturn would look like (vehicle III). Vehicle IV shows a crude Nova design, while vehicle II shows a two-man Atlas-based space station launcher.
