Well, after all this time and expense, it had *better* work. Currently scheduled to launch August 29, 8:33 AM eastern time.
As @NASA’s first launch attempt for #Artemis I approaches, teams are completing final checks and closeouts of the @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion spacecraft.
NASA is targeting launch on Aug.29 during a two-hour launch window beginning at 8:33am EDT:https://t.co/oCyPZEWgzI pic.twitter.com/MVbBZYbRSX
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) August 8, 2022
End of July a weird story hit about a small cargo plane that had a rough landing. Nothing terribly new with that, except that the co-pilot was found not in the plane, but some thirty miles away. He had fallen from the plane and crashed into someone’s yard. “Why/how the hell did that happen” has been the question; finally some new information has come to light to fill in the “how,” but it doesn’t help with the “why.”
P: “No, the dude literally jumped out the back of the plane without a parachute.”
*Seven seconds of total silence*
RA: “Shady 02, did you need to do something else, circle or something, or-“
P: “No, I need to land. I’m just making you aware you’re gonna have a dead body out where I just called you at. He just jumped out the back of the plane.”
Ok, yeah, that’s pretty fricken’ weird. I would guess he panicked? It’s a strange glitch in the human OS that someone would be in a dangerous situation and decide that the best approach is *certain* death. This would seem to be the “Better to Die Than be Killed” trope. It happened at the World Trade Center, where people threw themselves out of high windows rather than burn to death… but in this case, it just doesn’t make sense. The plane was damaged – missing one-third of its landing gear – but it was by no means certain that the crew would be killed or necessarily even injured in the forthcoming landing. I wonder if maybe the co-pilot had been responsible for the initial hard landing that broke the gear, and was freaking out? Or perhaps he was on something… or the stress just drove him buggo.
This is… ummmm…yeah.
Driver taken into custody. I bet he’d just had a *really* bad day and went all “Falling Down.”
Ebay has recently suggested to me a few Apollo era knickknacks it thinks I need… chunks of Apollo capsule heat shield cast in Lucite. I guess they’re cool and all, and of historical interest, but somewhat outside of my wheelhouse (and finances). Still, looking at them got me thinking.
The Lucite seems to have yellowed with age. Some of this might be cigarette smoke, thus able to be cleaned off. Some might be UV damage to the outer surface, possibly fixable via “retro-bright” process or some similar. But it kinda looks like the Lucite has yellowed or darkened all the way through. If so, if there any possible way to clear that up? Blast it with UV? Gamma rays? Lasers? Boil it? Some sort of solvent to melt the Lucite away, then cast it again in a more modern transparent material that will hold up to time better? Given the prices being asked for these things, the correct answer is doubtless “leave it the frak alone,” but I wonder nonetheless.
Some current examples:
There are *lots* of people working on their version of the “Dicken Drill.” This one seems reasonable:
Substantially slowed due to illness, I’m finally done writing Book 3. I need to edit it and do a few other things, but at least if I get run over by a Mack truck, the book could still be released as a complete book. Woo.
… or not.
In this case, an ATF agent goes to someone’s door and demands to see such-and-such firearm; the homeowner does the smart thing and calls the cops and tells them some sketchy weirdo is going for her guns. Police show up, tell the ATF agent to comply… and he doesn’t, getting tased for his troubles. This happened a few years ago, and *of* *course* he’s suing the police for excessive force. It’s interesting to see how this Federal agent believes that his status sets him above the law. And politicians want to empower these types even *more.* It’s worth noting that this “lawman” was arrested for shoplifting back in 2015. He seems well acquainted with the practice of taking stuff that’s not his.
An ATF agent showed up at a citizen's home to question him about a shotgun he was not "permitted" to have.
The citizen called 911 and told them someone was at his door trying to take his guns.
Police end up ARRESTING the ATF agent.pic.twitter.com/D7kMW0kkIl
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) August 4, 2022
Police officer starts giving you lawful orders… you say “yes sir” and *obey.* Even if you think you’re in the right, you’re not going to win by resisting a guy with a taser, a sidearm and backup.
Yo, I didn’t see part deux.
It’s 🔥 😀 pic.twitter.com/4L05KpKPJ3— Rangermonk (@rangermonk1) August 5, 2022
Full bodycam vids:
He seems like the kind of kid who’ll grow up to be a scientist who’ll figure out how to grow corn on the Moon or in the Sahara. Turns corn into a *good* biofuel, or develops a breed of corn with edible kernels, but the cobb can be melted down into a mix of polyethylene and polystyrene making plastics a carbon *negative* industry. Corn that can be hooked directly into the power grid, because it’s a 50% efficient PV array now.
Or, as sadly seems more likely these days, he’ll be ruthlessly mocked until he becomes a corn-themed supervillain.
Kinda hoping for the former.
I get kind of an Aspie vibe from him. Let’s hope that, assuming this is his basic ongoing nature, that he has a loving and understanding family.
If you live in a city that has been run sufficiently poorly, it’s quite possible that you *do* see robberies of stores on a daily basis. But the store employee/owner shanking the hell out of one of the robbers? Kinda innovative.
A robber in black bloc was stabbed & subdued by an Asian-American shop keeper wearing flip flops in Las Vegas this week. The robber’s accomplice leaves his friend behind. Police are investigating the robbery & stabbing. pic.twitter.com/EJrF6syO1d
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 5, 2022
People dressed like Antifa getting what’s coming to people who act like Antifa? I’m not remotely upset about it.
UPDATE: video enlongered:
The store owners response to “Please don’t let me die, this wasn’t my idea” is comedy GOLD.
The same seller trying to sell the Martin X-23 lithograph is also selling a lithograph of an orbital HL-10.
Turns out that these two lithographs are, at least based on stains on the X-23 matting, the same two lithographs sold just a few months ago. I’m dubious of turning around two lithographs that sold for $384 together for a grand or more each. The seller has a *lot* of high-value items… celebrity autographs and such, so he’s presumably doing well, but normally a lithograph like this would sell for well under $100.
Shrug.
Anyway, the art depicts an HL-10 coming in for a landing. The configuration includes a raised cockpit and reaction control thrusters at the tail; the white paint seems burned off along the underside. This would indicate an orbital craft after re-entry. Given the lack of an apparent hatch in the rear, this would not seem to be an operational orbital HL-10 (depicted hereabouts many times in the past) but instead a slightly smaller test vehicle, probably with a single pilot, possible lobbed on a once-around flight.