tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22955047947660773452023-06-20T06:33:12.795-07:00InSpaceTodayWe aggregate some of the news, keep the pressure on to end government space programs, and focus on human settlement of space.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-12936732888808214102009-08-22T20:24:00.000-07:002009-08-22T20:26:14.073-07:00Divesting from DeathNot all space contractors are death contractors, but many NASA contractors are.<br /><br />My focus when not working on deals and my book has been to create the blog at <a href="http://divestfromdeath.wordpress.com/">Divest from Death</a> to promote Antiwar.com. The divestment project arose from a conversation with Angela Keaton that caused me to reconsider some of Rick Maybury's ideas from his newsletter (to which I used to subscribe). You can read more about it at the above captioned blog.<br /><br />The basic idea is simple. Why invest in companies that do business with the government, especially the ones that do business with the military or the CIA? Why not invest in companies that don't do business with the government as contractors of any sort?<br /><br />When I posted the idea on my Facebook profile as a note, Eric Pavao showed up with some comments. He has already implemented this policy for his own investments. And he listed some stocks that he has researched which don't do business with the government.<br /><br />Can this work? I don't know. I do know that it can work for an individual investor, to make you feel better. If you are profiting from death, consider the mangled bodies of those killed in the current wars.<br /><br />It might work. Divestment was proposed for companies that supported Jim Crow in the South back in the 1950s and 1960s. Eventually, we got rid of Jim Crow and segregated facilities in most companies in America.<br /><br />Divestment also worked in the 1980s as a way of focusing opposition toward the apartheid policies of the government of South Africa. Again, it worked. It might not be the only thing that brought down apartheid, but it was one thing in the "arsenal" for liberty. (I am not saying that I like the socialist gov't of South Africa of today. But I like apartheid not at all.)<br /><br />So, give it a look see. Feel free to comment on what is questionable. We just started this project in June, and the site a few days ago. It is the first WordPress site I've run, and I can only imagine how many things could be done better. Please feel free to make suggestions.<br /><br />Thanks for all your work on freedom. The world is a better place because you work on freedom.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-67039166800378352412009-07-15T23:30:00.001-07:002009-07-15T23:31:11.288-07:00Quick updateJust a quick update. We found some funding for our documentary film project. Meg is on her way to Newspace 2009. She'll be doing interviews and other work for the project all weekend. Anyone who is going to be coming in from the SF airport and wants to share a ride should contact her. "Destination Resorts in Orbit" meets another milestone!PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-72675995341433469622009-05-26T02:35:00.000-07:002009-05-26T02:39:21.915-07:00Charles Bolden appointed NASA adminThough his confirmation by the Senate is yet to come, here are some thoughts on a NASA administered by Charles Bolden (and prospective deputy admin Lori Garver).<br /><br /><a href="http://shadowcabinet.us/?p=158">Shadowcabinet.us/?p=158</a><br /><br />"Which policy path should we anticipate would be chosen by Bolden? I believe the clues to his preferences are found in his job history. He has not been involved in private commercial space companies. His military and astronaut careers argue for a government-oriented outlook. His post-NASA career as a lobbyist for rocket contractor Alliant Techsystems and his position on the board of directors of Constellation contractor (and conglomerate) GenCorp suggest he’ll prefer a government dominated space policy approach."PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-22695896490526022892009-05-20T15:54:00.000-07:002009-05-20T15:56:23.189-07:00GPS System to Fail - find your own wayWell, it looks like it is back to maps for the lot of you.<br />http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520636,00.html<br /><br />Fox News reports that the government, which thwarted Gerard O'Neill's efforts to create a private positioning service using hardware launched (and in space in several instances) on geosynchronous satellites, is as incompetent as ever. This time they plan to let the installed base of GPS receivers become useless as they fail to replenish the failing Global Positioning System satellites. Jerks.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Geostar was forced out of business over a decade ago, as I recall. Kinda sad.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-51014043923749440332009-04-22T13:03:00.000-07:002009-04-22T13:04:51.112-07:00Night is falling - light many candlesSee <a href="http://bostontea.us/node/665">my blog on Bostontea.us</a><br /><br />"Alongside Night is a whole new day. The civilisation which reached its peak in 1969, which put men on the Moon and sent passengers faster than the speed of sound to their destinations, no longer does those things. It is falling into decay, it has become corrupt, and the miserable little men and women who seek only power for themselves have screwed things up, badly."PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-51436813571145163832009-03-03T11:54:00.000-08:002009-03-03T11:58:21.272-08:00China hits MoonOn Sunday, China's first lunar probe struck the surface of the Moon according to a story in <a href="http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090302-china-change1-crash.html">Space.com</a>.<br /><br />The spacecraft, Chang'e 1, was crashed into a southern region on the lunar surface. No word yet whether it intersects the USA territory claimed in the series of landings on the lunar surface in the 1960s and early 1970s. (See <a href="http://indomitus.net/space/moon.html">map</a> for details.)<br /><br />Follow-up missions are planned for 2011 and 2013.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-39860895234085710792009-02-26T04:37:00.000-08:002009-02-26T04:41:28.676-08:00XCOR offers free flight to Tuskegee airmanAccording to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123526306172441241.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">Andy Pasztor of the Wall Street Journal</a> the start-up space tourism and rocket industry company XCOR is offering a free rocketplane ride to Tuskegee airman Le Roy Gillead. The company announced the free flight recently as part of its bid to promote its private space tourism ventures. Early flights of the XCOR rocket plane Lynx are planned for 2012. The company is also looking to raise additional capital.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-43877582118366471342009-02-26T04:02:00.000-08:002009-02-26T04:15:37.848-08:00NASA buys $480K house, 2 carsAccording to a <a href="www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500453,00.html">Fox news story</a> NASA has bought a $480,000 house in Gainesville, Florida and some other stuff for two low level scammers. Here's the low down:<br /><p><br />Fox News reporter Mike Levine writes, "Authorities say Sousan Anghaie persuaded NASA to award her company 'several fully funded contracts,' including nearly $600,000 to develop and study a uranium-related technology. But, according to an affidavit unsealed today in federal court, the couple allegedly used most of that money to buy personal luxuries — including their $480,000 home in Gainesville, a 2007 BMW and a 2005 Toyota Sienna sports van."<br /><p><br />Hurray! NASA and the FBI are cracking down hard on these low level scum. No word yet on any investigation of the billions of dollars stolen by NASA and defense contractor companies.<br /><p><br />Americans can rest easy knowing, as Levine concludes, "The affidavit said there is <br />probable cause' to believe that Sousan and Samim Anghaie stole federal funds, laundered money, and conspired to commit money laundering, all in violation of federal laws." No word on the many other failed NASA contracts to explore the universe, research new technologies, or build expensive boondoggles.<br /><p><br />On the plus side, maybe NASA's entire budget could be used to buy houses and restart the housing bubble. Whee!<br /><p><br />NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-83653500308479176752009-02-24T09:58:00.000-08:002009-02-26T04:10:06.756-08:00NASA drops satellite in oceanPerhaps the difficulties maintaining the charade of global warming have finally gotten to them. Anyway, NASA dropped a satellite in the Antarctic Ocean today. Here's a link to <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090224-nasa-satellite-crash.html">Nationalist Geographic</a> on the topic, but beware of popup windows and links to lies about globalist warming. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is down, and unlikely to rise from the sea. Early indications are that the fairing covering the satellite failed to separate. NASA has had trouble in the past (e.g., Skylab launch) by failing to perform aerodynamic tests on fairings. Bit again, it seems.<br /><p><br />NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-80082946683030618552009-02-23T04:58:00.000-08:002009-02-23T05:05:21.378-08:00NASA Goddard LiesCaught by Steve McIntyre and reported by Vin Suprynowicz in a <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/40057642.html">recent editorial</a> it appears that NASA Goddard has fudged its figures. It seems that they are determined to show global warming in spite of widespread evidence of global cooling. This time, the lying liars at NASA used September 2008 figures for every reporting station in Russia again in October 2008. <br /><p><br />Mind you the lying liars at NASA have done this stuff before. McIntyre has also shown they added 0.15 degrees (Celsius scale) to every temperature reading in the USA from 2000 to at least 2007 for no reason at all. Subsequently, NASA Goddard pulled the data and blamed NOAA (the nationalist socialist oceanic and atmospheric administration) for the error. Then claimed an unusual hotspot in the Arctic, in spite of 30% heavier sea ice than last year.<br /><p><br />Why lie? Because these scum get more money from government if you buy into their lies about global warming. <i>NASA delenda est</i>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-56155816428514314722009-02-12T02:34:00.001-08:002009-02-12T02:36:06.755-08:00Top Story: Space Crash!<B><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Flash News! Space crash!</FONT></B> <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aj_qIXHekghg&refer=home">An Iridium satellite has collided in orbit with a Russian satellite.</a> This appears to be the first such collision in Earth orbit. Both the Russian Cosmos 2251 satellite and the Iridium satellite were destroyed. Debris may slightly increase risk to the space station, though NASA spokes-creature Beth Dickey says the increased risk is within whatever NASA deems acceptable limits. <a href="http://www.google.com/finance?q=OTC%3AIRIDQ">Iridium Satellite LLC</a> is a publicly traded stock company. This event seems unlikely to be good for earnings, though the company has a spare satellite on orbit which can be put in service within 30 days. (Earnings for Iridium have not been at all impressive.) NASA <i>delenda est</i>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-24059424105999614542009-02-12T02:31:00.001-08:002009-02-12T02:31:28.309-08:00More water ice on Mars<a href="http://www.dailytech.com/More+Evidence+of+Water+and+Ice+on+Mars/article14215.htm">More evidence of water and ice on Mars</a> makes Mars direct enthusiasts eager. Planetary Science Institute scientists studied Mars Odyssey, Viking Orbiter, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Orbiter images to find the ice and evidence of water in the Arabia Terra region in the northern hemisphere, and the Hellas Basin in the southern hemisphere. NASA <i>delenda est</i>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-3110840885541077532009-02-12T02:30:00.000-08:002009-02-12T02:31:02.907-08:00Washington Post critiques Mars Lab<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/10/AR2009021004009.html?hpid=topnews">JPL wants to send</a> nearly a ton of rover to Mars. The nuclear powered Mars Science Laboratory would be huge compared to all other roving platforms to date sent to Mars. Plus, NASA is using a whole new landing technology, and generally not building on the <I>Spirit</I>type rover technology. Sad. <br /><p><br /><I>Washington Post</I> staff writer Joel Achenbach describes the new landing sequence as a spacecraft dropped by parachute followed by: "At 65 feet above the surface -- the descent slowed almost to a hover by retrorockets -- the spacecraft will lower the rover from its belly using cables. When the rover touches down, explosive charges will cut the cables, and the spacecraft will fly off and crash about 200 meters away. And the rover will send a signal to Earth saying it has landed safely. If history repeats itself, the JPL engineers will have turned purple by that point. Adam Steltzner, one of the inventors of the sky crane system, remembers being unable to breathe during one of the earlier rover landings." NASA <i>delenda est</i>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-4746790168195243452009-02-12T02:29:00.000-08:002009-02-12T02:30:07.384-08:00Magellan telescope project<a href="http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Nine_Partners_Officially_Join_Giant_Magellan_Telescope_Project_999.html">Big telescope project</a> with lots of internationalist socialist partners. The telescope, to be built in Chile, will be composed of seven large mirrors. Six of these will be positioned around the edges of a seventh mirror using technology developed at University of Arizona. The effective size of the structure would be 80 feet (25 meters) across. Arguably, from its site in Chile the new scope would provide images ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope does from orbit. Now that NASA has gotten some astronomical observing mileage out of the Keyhole spy satellite technology, some actual innovation might be needed for a future scope. Perhaps the same techniques developed for the Magellan scope (to be complete 2019) might be used on the far side of the Moon at some future date. Of course, that would require an economically sustainable (that is, profitable) lunar exploration and settlement activity. Clearly not something NASA is ever going to be competent to provide. NASA <i>delenda est</i>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-14576513545710197942009-02-12T02:27:00.000-08:002009-02-12T02:33:30.002-08:00Space station re-supply "Progress" of a sort<a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-10-voa22.cfm">Russians re-supply</a> the internationalist socialist space station. Meanwhile NASA has opted not to kill another batch of seven astronauts by delaying the launch of the space shuttle at least until 20 February, possibly as late as 22 February based on <A HREF="http://www.dailytech.com/international+space+updates+february+2009/article14199c.htm">current info</A>. Assuming they ever get it to fly all the way to orbit, NASA's next shuttle mission would "complete" the space station which Reagan announced in 1984 and asked for within a decade. Hmmm. So, a 2009 completion date minus a 1994 requested completion gives 15 years late. And as I recall the original $8 billion budget (in 1994 dollars) for a 12-crew station has become $150 billion plus (I really have to review the methodology, probably very low) in 2009 dollars for a six-person station. Whee! And NASA stands to eat $1.3 billion more from the "stimuli" package. NASA <i>delenda est</i>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-83098730081712321602009-02-09T23:08:00.001-08:002009-02-09T23:08:38.266-08:00NASA: To massacre or not to massacre?The bums at NASA are <A HREF="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2009/02/nasa-still-wrestling-with-space-shuttle-valve-issues-more-delays.html">trying to decide</A> when to launch the shuttle, with or without massacring another batch of astronauts. According to Robert Block of the Orlando Sentinel, cited above, work on flow control valves may force a longer delay in the shuttle launch anticipated for later this month. Our view? Delay the flight, or cancel the shuttle program entirely. NASA <I>delenda est</I>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-4329941402462830392009-02-09T23:07:00.001-08:002009-02-09T23:07:52.229-08:00Foust on Virgin GalacticJeff Foust of the <A HREF="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1304/1">Space Review says</A> that Virgin Galactic has presented information on its strategic business plans. Feedback from customers paying up to $200K per flight indicated that a larger spaceship would be needed to meet market expectations of a fun suborbital space trip. As a result, Virgin Galactic is looking at the suborbital scientific market as well. They have also evaluated a booster which could deploy from the White Knight 2 and launch small satellites into orbit. Possible per satellite launch cost? $2 million. NASA <I>delenda est</I>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-48788436697355472672009-02-09T23:04:00.000-08:002009-02-09T23:07:06.057-08:00NASA joins choir of global warming alarmistsNASA is planning to launch its <A HREF="http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/aw020909p1.xml&headline=first%20nasa%20co2%20satellite%20set%20for%20launch&channel=awst">Orbiting Carbon Observatory</A> presumably to lie more about climate change than ever before. Contractor Orbital Sciences got the money to build the thing. Curiously, they also got the money to launch the thing, from Vandenburg AFB, so, presumably into a Sun-synchronous orbit. Assuming their solid-fuel Taurus rocket works, the satellite's single point of failure instrument is to measure global atmospheric carbon dioxide. We're reminded that it was NASA data which had a <a href="http://www.blogrunner.com/snapshot/D/6/2/46BBF5C701BDB62A/">Y2K bug exaggerating global warming</a>. (So 1934 was the warmest on record.) NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-19480495105681911562009-02-09T23:03:00.002-08:002009-02-09T23:04:23.880-08:00Mars axial tilt changedScientists at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29101160/">say that their studies of water on Mars</a> indicate a higher axial tilt within the last few million years, possibly as much as 60 degrees from its current tilt. NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-77891286138769853732009-02-09T23:03:00.001-08:002009-02-09T23:03:38.551-08:00JPL drives Mars lander Spirit 12 inchesJet Propulsion Lab scientists got Mars rover <i>Spirit</i> <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203093226.htm">rolling again</a> last week. Science Daily reports, from a JPL press release, "Spirit drove about 1 foot Saturday, during the 1,806th Martian day, or sol, of what was originally planned as a 90-day mission." NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-67475144972815990822009-02-09T23:02:00.001-08:002009-02-09T23:02:52.378-08:00NASA budgets return to MoonStewart Powell over at <A HREF="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/6250998.html">Chron.com says</A> NASA has a budget of $17.3 billion per year, which reminds us to ask what do we get for our money? Also, NASA plans to continue wasting money on another "men to the Moon" project to pretend they can get there by 2020 until the new president offers further direction. NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-14020701126152094942009-02-09T23:01:00.001-08:002009-02-09T23:01:44.536-08:00Alan Bean do the Moon for MarsAlan Bean, one of the astronauts who had the privilege to visit the Moon about 40 years ago, <a href="http://www.dailytexanonline.com/1.1315067-1.1315067">says going back to the Moon</a> should be about going on to Mars. Which does make one wonder, why not just go to <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Direct">Mars Direct</A>? NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-83358095821384566012009-02-09T22:59:00.000-08:002009-02-09T23:00:34.566-08:00Conceptual lunar landerMeanwhile, NASA has <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123318635600226445.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">issued a request for proposals</a> for a conceptual lunar lander. Maybe it can fly to a conceptual Moon. NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-49318358048610437432009-02-09T22:37:00.000-08:002009-02-09T22:59:53.258-08:00Russia's own space stationIn a move sure to inspire myocardial infarction in Baker Institute jerk George Abbey, Russia has <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Russias_space_agency_plans_to_build_own_orbital_station/articleshow/4056246.cms">announced plans</a> to build a separate orbital station for its future lunar and Mars exploration projects. NASA <i>delenda est</i>.PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295504794766077345.post-66357890984248616552009-02-06T00:18:00.001-08:002009-02-06T00:18:43.702-08:006 February 2009Today is <b>6 February 2009</b><br /><br /><p><br />Several news sites have been brought to our attention, and in our continuing effort to offer the best space news blogging resources to our readers, we are linking to them here.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.space-travel.com/">Space-travel.com purports to carry stories on exploration and tourism.</A> Don't be surprised if there are plenty of NASA cheerleading articles.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.marsdaily.com/">Mars Daily</A> has not quite a new article on Mars every day. Some nice coverage here.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.moondaily.com/">Moon Daily</A> as you might expect has a few articles on the Moon each week.<br /><br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090205/cb01/902050303">Yes, a MidAtlantic spaceport</A>, formerly the Wallops Flight Facility of NASA. Used to launch the occasional <I>Scout</I> rocket for Ling Tempco Vought (LTV) Aerospace. Briefly the site of the hopes and dreams of Space Services Incorporated of America and its <I>Conestoga</I> launch vehicle with a reusable payload until October 1995 or so when it blew up about 46 seconds after liftoff. Now Orbital Sciences is planning to use the facility as one location for their cargo missions to the Internationalist Socialist Space Station under a huge contract for NASA.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/one-virgin-galactic-trip-25-million-air-miles-516660">Got 25 million frequent flyer miles</A>? Maybe you should trade them in on a trip into space. Virgin Galactic is offering one of its trips, and Virgin Blue's Velocity frequent flyer program is even giving away 25 million points to a lucky flyer on one of its terrestrial aircraft. No Virgin Blue miles? (Do they show blue films in flight on this airline?) No problem. Simply pay the $200,000 ticket price. Giving away a trip into space isn't what it was like in 1990, I can tell you that.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.origin.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4302539.html">Iran made headlines, but no worries</A> with the launch of a 60 pound satellite using their Safir multi-stage rocket. Look for <A HREF="http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30568">terror-scary politicians</A> to use the occasion to push for nuclear first strikes on and invasion of Iran. Meanwhile, space enthusiasts everywhere welcome Iran to the growing list of space satellite launching nations. If India can put a man on the Moon by 2025, Iran can put an Iranian in orbit by 2020. And maybe take some honeymooners to a space hotel.<br /><br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/02/03/1779128.aspx">Yawn, another extra-solar planet</A> has been found. This one is less than twice Earth's diameter, but about 11 times Earth's density. In this case the planet was detected as it transited its star, which it orbits very closely. Its distance to its primary is about one-sixtieth the distance of Earth to the Sun. So, yes it is likely a terrestrial class planet, akin to Mercury, although much closer and much denser. It is among the smallest planets found outside our Solar System, due to the limits of our abilities to detect either the gravitational influence on a star's path through the sky, or the light from a star, using technologies now available. What we do know for certain, though, is that a great many stars in the galaxy have planets. So far over 300 planets around other stars have been identified. There is reason to think that of the hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy, most have planets. Perhaps 100 billion stars or more have planets, and if the average number of bodies (dwarf planets, planets, large moons) in a given star system is around 20, something like two trillion planets would exist.<br /><p><br />If your interest, like mine, is in traveling to planets in the universe which we can make habitable, at least for tourist visits, then the odds of planets in other star systems being "Earth like" aren't especially relevant. Nevertheless, with two trillion to choose from, one would expect hundreds of thousands to millions of such planets are out there waiting to be found.<br /><br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a1glrubj3nfo&refer=us">Ground controllers screw up software, space station shakes like earthquake-prone Los Angeles</A>. The shaking came during a re-boost of the space station by Russian booster rockets. Another re-boost planned for this week was postponed while the software team scratches their collective backsides. Meanwhile, plans continue to put a "full crew" of six on the space station full time later this year. (Make it seven, the traditional number of astronauts to be massacred in a batch when NASA screws up? Nah.) Does anyone remember when Ronald Reagan announced the space station project in 1984?<br /><p><br />He said, "Tonight, I am directing NASA to develop a permanently manned space station and to do it within a decade." And NASA's initial design called for a space station within 8 years that would host 12 astronauts. Guess what? They didn't make the schedule. It wasn't until 1998 that the space station up there now began to be ready for crews. Nor did they meet their initial estimate of $8 billion - not by a very, very wide margin. Yet, to make sure it got funded by taxpayers, George Abbey and other evil, sinful NASA people attacked and destroyed, among other projects, the External Tanks company and the Industrial Space Facility. Best estimates by non-NASA sources put the cost at around $150 billion over 30 years, not counting the billions wasted on many false starts.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-02-03-space-station_n.htm">NASA scum delay another shuttle launch</A>.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/02/singularity-u-launches-vanishes-after-exceeding-web-quota.ars">Ars Technica scoffs</A> but Singularity University is launching.<br /><br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/search/showarticle.jhtml?articleid=213001850&subsection=all+stories">Google and NASA</A> team up to waste slightly less taxpayer money than if NASA did the virtual tours of Mars itself. We can count on NASA to let Google get all the ad revenues, though, so that's nice. It always feels nice when taxpayer data collected at great cost in lives and treasure is turned over to some group of yo-yos with an insider deal.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.space-travel.com/reports/ariane_5_ready_for_hot_bird_10_nss_9_and_spirale_satellites_launch_999.html">An Ariane 5 rocket</A> is scheduled to liftoff shortly before Valentine's Day.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_nshw.php?mwi=5488">Judging only by their graphics</A> this "space hotel" company may be some sort of scam. If they really have $3 billion of invested capital, they didn't spend any of it developing their logo, which looks like a child got loose with a blue crayon. They appear to be planning a whole new launch system, a training facility on a Caribbean island to be named, and a huge orbital facility built of various modules. While conceivably feasible within the price tag, it is interesting to wonder if construction on the space station modules actually began in October 2008 as scheduled. Their web site, meanwhile has bloated flash and dismal sound. The four-year time horizon seems aggressive, and we are not the only ones to <A HREF="http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/10/architects-of-galact.html">suppose it might be a hoax</A>.<br /><P><br /><A HREF="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=59290995902">Our old friend Jim Muncy</A> is the subject of this Facebook group, aimed at getting him to open an account. Log into your FB page to see the lame "closed" group description.<br /><br /><p><br /><hr><br /><p>PlanetaryJimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923609779857194493noreply@blogger.com0