Nature is terrible.
Apr 212021
Apr 192021
Cutaway diagram of the Aerojet Surface Effect Ship SES-100A:
Apr 192021
Better than before, still a little “meh” as far as quality. But the real test will be imagery from the helicopter itself. With luck, it’ll fly many times and see many things.
Take that, “other ways of knowing.”
Apr 192021
There have been numerous ideas for aircraft to fly in the thin air of Mars ever since at least as far back as the early 1970’s. But somewhat to my surprise, the first aircraft to actually succeed at is was a helicopter, not a long-span sailplane-like aircraft:
The actual video is unimpressive, but I imagine better footage will come in.
Apr 192021
KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
Corinthian leather. Them was the days.
Apr 192021
‘This could explode’ Boris urged to take a stand as Putin invasion sparks panic in Europe
Ukraine’s defence minister Andrii Taran yesterday claiming 110,000 Russian troops were currently deployed at the borders. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry subsequently claimed Russia’s FSB security service briefly detained a Ukrainian diplomat in St Petersburg yesterday. … Mr Taran also suggested Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was poised to move nuclear weapons into Crimea
Well, at least we have a strong, virile and determined leader who is sharp as a tack to deal with these difficult challenges.
Apr 182021
FedEx shooter Brandon Hole was obsessed with ‘My Little Pony’: report
“I hope that I can be with Applejack in the afterlife, my life has no meaning without her,” Hole wrote on his Facebook page at 10:19 p.m. Thursday, less than an hour before his rampage began
That’s… huh.
I got nuthin’.
Apr 182021
Guy tries to drive down his own street to his own home, but is blocked by racist/Marxist “protestors.” Cops then arrest *him.* If they can keep you from getting to your house, it’s a small step before they can simply *occupy* you house and steal all your stuff.
BLM group has assaulted someone in his own neighborhood trying to get home. Police come and detain the man who was just trying to get home. #Stillwater Minnesota pic.twitter.com/LIdwP0nh8J
— Cat Hyde Кот Хайд (I'm just here for my ban)🖤🧡 (@KBoomhauer) April 18, 2021
On one hand, I gotta wonder what these “protestors” think they’re going to accomplish by alienating regular folks just trying to live their lives in their own homes (and restaurants, shopping malls, wherever else the Antifa/Burn-Loot-Murder terrorists decide to show up). After all, it’s clear that they are not winning hearts and minds with these tactics. On the other hand, they are successfully demonstrating both to themselves and to potential new recruits that they have power: the power to intimidate the citizenry, and the power to get the local government – and often enough, as here, the cops – to do their bidding. This will only embolden the terrorists, the *actual* insurrectionists who pose a real threat to the continued existence of the country. That’s why these kind of laws are important.
Apr 182021
Apr 172021
NASA selects SpaceX as its sole provider for a lunar lander
No moon for you, Bezos.
NASA said it will award SpaceX $2.89 billion for development of the Starship vehicle and two flights. One of these missions will be an uncrewed flight test of Starship down to the lunar surface and back. The second mission will be a crewed flight—the first one of the Artemis program—down to the Moon.
Artemis is the NASA program that has been reliant upon the SLS. But by going with a Starship derivative… will SLS still be relevant? The plan apparently is to launch the Starship to lunar orbit unmanned, there to rendezvous with an SLS-launched Orion capsule to transfer crew over. But… if SpaceX has the ability to get a Starship to the moon, seems like they’ll have the ability to get at least a Dragon capsule there and back. I wonder what the payload capability would be for an Earth-to-lunar-orbit-to-Earth Starship might be given LEO refueling. Perhaps such a vehicle could send a couple dozen people to lunar orbit there to meet up with the Starship lunar lander; transfer four or five tot he lander and the rest stay in the transfer Starship, there to play tourist and pay for the trip.