tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post5191315236220587795..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: Pie in the Sky ScienceJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47381822334951787192018-02-07T11:20:05.618-06:002018-02-07T11:20:05.618-06:00Re-reading some of your old blog posts, and dude, ...Re-reading some of your old blog posts, and dude, that was friggin' eloquent.Eric Hammernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-59987457195805353162008-01-04T14:39:00.000-06:002008-01-04T14:39:00.000-06:00John, no I haven't read it. Somebody recommended i...John, no I haven't read it. Somebody recommended it to me a while back, but I've got at least two dozen non-fiction books on my 'to read' list that I hadn't gotten to yet. I'll bump it up a notch or two.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81099539094620032252008-01-04T14:27:00.000-06:002008-01-04T14:27:00.000-06:00Jim - have you read "Riding Rockets"? Well worth a...Jim - have you read "Riding Rockets"? Well worth a read on exactly how NASA went to the dogs. The "I" part of the ISS was supposed to save us money, but the Russkies build such crap that it cost us more in kludges than if we'd gone it alone.John the Scientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03467337009577733553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-75095232465430166812008-01-03T12:30:00.000-06:002008-01-03T12:30:00.000-06:00My work here is done.::Saunters off, swinging my w...My work here is done.<BR/><BR/>::Saunters off, swinging my walking stick::Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-46013305818028583652008-01-03T10:41:00.000-06:002008-01-03T10:41:00.000-06:00Hey! All the snow just melted! Thanks, Hairy Eyeb...Hey! All the snow just melted! Thanks, Hairy Eyeball!Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-72661043375401456842008-01-03T10:39:00.000-06:002008-01-03T10:39:00.000-06:00Becky may be at least as mean as me, but her ire i...Becky may be at least as mean as me, but her ire is mitigated by her affection for the father of her son. <BR/><BR/>I'm under no such constraints, you see. Bwahahahaha!<BR/><BR/>::Slowly swings Hairy Eyeball™ from Brookly™ to Palmer::Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34042433591205687812008-01-03T10:13:00.000-06:002008-01-03T10:13:00.000-06:00I've been married for 16 years to a women at least...I've been married for 16 years to a women at <I>least</I> as mean as you - I'm immune. <BR/><BR/>(whoa! what <I>was</I> that cold chill I just felt?)Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-31624223656715147802008-01-03T09:32:00.000-06:002008-01-03T09:32:00.000-06:00Don't get too smug or I'll train the Hairy Eyeball...Don't get too smug or I'll train the Hairy Eyeball northward.Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-42165464540030089002008-01-02T23:11:00.000-06:002008-01-02T23:11:00.000-06:00Nathan, yeah, I spent a couple hours digging throu...Nathan, yeah, I spent a couple hours digging through the tables, wondering if I could import them into an Access Database and thereby reconnect the information - no. The rows and columns have been randomized, in fact NASA clearly states that the data structure has been scrambled so no one can extract usable information. <BR/><BR/>Janiece - I <I>knew</I> you'd see things my way :)Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-22524691494911620202008-01-02T22:03:00.000-06:002008-01-02T22:03:00.000-06:00Yeah, okay, I'm still your bug-eating bitch-girl. ...Yeah, okay, I'm still your bug-eating bitch-girl. <BR/><BR/>Humph.Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-8408563474870136472008-01-02T21:38:00.000-06:002008-01-02T21:38:00.000-06:00I hit you link that says "here". I couldn't even ...I hit you link that says "here". I couldn't even figure out which part I might want to look at, so I just went back to reading your post.<BR/><BR/>When I got to the part telling me they were pdf's with thousands of pages, I was right happy I hadn't bothered.<BR/>-------------------------------<BR/>From Dr. Strangelove-<BR/>President Merkin Muffley: Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-9772707972920045382008-01-02T18:22:00.000-06:002008-01-02T18:22:00.000-06:00Oh I like the probes themselves, and by extension ...Oh I like the probes themselves, and by extension the scientists and the engineers who built them. I admire quality workmanship, and I'd say that we've gotten real science from those machines. And I follow the pictures and the incoming data religiously (or as close to religion as I ever get).<BR/><BR/>HOWEVER - I hate the <I>idea</I>. I hate the idea that we send machines to do our job. I hate the fact that we've given our dreams over to machines. I hate the idea that we can't touch another world with our own hands. I hate that we're doing it for the science, and only the science, and not for the shear grandeur of human exploration. I hate the idea that there are no footprints on Mars, or the moons of Jupiter. I hate the fact that I can't see the light of cities gleaming like jewels in the dark crescent of the moon. I hate the idea that our children believe that the fate of the human race is to experience the universe through a computer screens and remote imaging like some idiot video game. I hate the idea that our children are being taught to believe that exploration should be safe and sanitary and to look closer to home. <BR/><BR/>I want, and have wanted, my whole life, to <I>go</I> out there - whatever the risk. I wanted to have my children on Mars, or the Moon at the very least. I <I>hate</I> the idea that my son will have have to spend his whole life on this little blue ball. There's a whole fucking universe out there - <I>that's</I> his birthright, out there.<BR/><BR/>Those probes, while they bring an alien world into our homes, do little more than the Scifi channel to <I>inspire</I> a lust for exploration, the burning desire in our children to go, to push the edge of human exploration, or human endurance, of humanity itself. It's not sex, it's little more than porn. It's something we can point at and say, "well, see, we do exploration" without risk, without passion, with real commitment, without <I>life</I>.<BR/><BR/>We're smothering under the weight of those that are afraid, afraid of themselves, afraid of the vast universe, afraid of what we'll find, afraid of passion, afraid of destiny, afraid of the unknown.<BR/><BR/>Spirit and Opportunity? We could have built <I>Orion</I> by now and <I>owned</I> our solar system (and not that stupid step backward Aries/Orion POS that NASA jerking off over right now - the <I>real</I> Orion, old bang bang herself. Robot Probes? We could be living on Mars by now, we could be mining the asteroids and building O'Neil habs. We could be beaming limitless power down from the sky - and <I>that</I> alone would have done more to end war, poverty, famine, economic hardship, and global warming than the trillions we've spent on Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the current fiasco. <BR/><BR/>So, yeah, while I admire the engineering and the tickle of science and the bright shiny pictures - I hate the limited future those probes represent. To me those probes represent everything we could have done, and didn't.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-28407147181947064252008-01-02T17:15:00.000-06:002008-01-02T17:15:00.000-06:00Yay! No more bug-eating bitch-girl!You hate Spiri...Yay! No more bug-eating bitch-girl!<BR/><BR/>You <EM>hate</EM> Spirit and Opportunity? Are you <EM>high?</EM> <BR/><BR/>Leaving aside for the moment the idea that we should have manned exploration of Mars by now, I have to say the teams that designed and build those toasters have my complete respect and admiration. The challenges they faced, and the fact that those little guys lasted so long speak to <EM>real</EM> American innovation and can-do spirit. <BR/><BR/>You can say what you want about NASA and the beurocratic asstards that run it, but the teams that built those little robots are the <EM>shit.</EM><BR/><BR/>Check this out, if you're interested:<BR/><BR/>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mars/program.html<BR/><BR/>/end rant.Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-318808269961131302008-01-02T16:44:00.000-06:002008-01-02T16:44:00.000-06:00Yeah, I've long since lost any and all admiration ...Yeah, I've long since lost any and all admiration I once held for NASA. <BR/><BR/>Most people don't realize that the first "A" in the acronym stands for Aeronautics - and that they are deeply involved in national transportation safety and administration - most think they only build crappy spaceships and exploding mars probes. The problem is that the very contractors that build the probes and ships are the same dipshits NASA is supposed to be regulating. Seriously, talk about putting cylons in charge of guarding the defense mainframe.<BR/><BR/>NASA has long since given up control of the organization to the bean counters, lawyers, and professional bureaucrats. Astronauts and engineers are looked upon with disdain. And worse, in my not so humble opinion, is the fact that there isn't a professional dreamer in the lot - not a single soul with any kind of vision. If it was up to me, I'd fire the whole damned bunch and put Bob Zubrin in charge - then we'd have a fucking space program.<BR/><BR/>The shuttle program and, worse, the ISS are nothing more than money pits. The ISS is a joke, nothing more than a giant sucking chest wound. We've spent in the neighborhood of 60 billion for what? So 3 rocket jocks can live in LEO for a couple of months? For fuck's sake, we did <I>that</I> with Skylab 30 years ago - for one hell of a lot less money. We should have been on Mars twenty years ago, hell we should be on our way to Saturn's moons by now. Instead we can't even keep a pitiful fleet of shitty-ass shuttles flying. We're completely risk adverse. I absolutely <I>hate</I> the spirit and opportunity probes. Hate them. It should be <I>us</I> up there, not some fucking toaster.<BR/><BR/>Arrggh! I don't want to think about it.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-65635406337397243002008-01-02T14:59:00.000-06:002008-01-02T14:59:00.000-06:00NASA has evidently decided to take a leaf from the...NASA has evidently decided to take a leaf from the Bush's EPA strategy. <BR/><BR/>This <EM>really</EM> makes me sad. I remember a time (not so very long ago) when I thought NASA was the Cat's Pyjamas. Now I look at them through the same cynical lenses that see FEMA, the CIA and the EPA. <BR/><BR/>Sigh.Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190655869710465713noreply@blogger.com