Heinrich

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• Commented on Video: History of Two Worlds on Orbit

  "And I encountered a people - Sherpas - with an other-worldly and serene approach to life, teaching one of them to look up at the night sky to track satellites while I watched others treat the moon rock I carried...

• Commented on NASA TV - Time For an Upgrade?

  Fred Brown's response is an excellent one. They're doing what they were asked to do, and LA Times aside, they're doing it very well. So the question is, is it time for the mandate for NASA TV to get an...

• Commented on Obama Backs New Launcher and Bigger NASA Budget

  One might assume that the HLV they're talking about is the Ares V-Lite suggested by the Augustine committee. That would be a capable vehicle, and was suggested by them specifically to obviate any need for an Ares I. Because it...

• Commented on NASA Cracks "Stimulus Checkup" Top Ten

  This was a top-100 list. Not a top-ten list. JWST was #95. This document is worth perusing. Evidently McCain and Coburn are trying to channel Senator Proxmire and his simplistic "Golden Fleece" awards. Like those, many of these have silly...

• Commented on How Quickly We Forget

  Keith, you're exactly right on this. While shuttle and ISS were not well aimed at going anyplace in particular, the technologies and skills as well as refinement of strategies for international collaboration we developed with them are hugely important in...

• Commented on New Ways to Use Constellation Stuff

  "The current planned architecture for Constellation, Ares 1 in particular, has no use. It is expensive, unsafe, and no more capable than existing launchers." Who's talking about Ares I? They're talking about deep space crew vehicles and heavy-lift. Those are...

• Commented on New Ways to Use Constellation Stuff

  "Just a guess, but what else can he do but ask for a modest budget increase to pay for such studies?" He doesn't have to do anything. This study effort is already paid for by an FY09 earmark. $20M, I...

• Commented on More Mars Meteorite ALH84001 Discoveries Published (Update)

  "What are all of you stove pipe polishers going to do when all of the pending new White House-driven educational projects are launched at NASA? Are you going to be hindered by these self-imposed semantic and budgetary sandboxes when you...

• Commented on Buzz Writes: Washington, we don't have liftoff!

  "I know Buzz's thinking about this and his observations about landing on runways was for logistical vehicles that ferry back and forth to the ISS." That may well be, and makes at least some sense with regard to downmass. But...

• Commented on Buzz Writes: Washington, we don't have liftoff!

  "It makes a difference. Picking them out of the water is more expensive that two small wings!" Yeah, I guess even with $5000/kg ascent costs, having wings and a landing gear is a lot cheaper than having a parachute. That...

• Commented on Buzz Writes: Washington, we don't have liftoff!

  "But, for now, think of spacecraft worthy of following our Shuttles. We don't need any stinkin' capsules!" C'mon Buzz. What we really don't need are stinkin' reasons for putting people in space. Once we have those good reasons, I don't...

• Commented on Video: Avatar, Augmented Reality, and NASA

  "You clearly decided to be negative before you typed a single word. If you are this outraged then you should have been screaming about ..." Very astute. I decided to be negative before I typed a single word. I won't...

• Commented on Sinking Expectations at SaveSpace.us

  Sort of like Our Goal: $3B/year by FY11" metamorphosing into Our Goal: $3B" It's the law of reduced expectations. Actually, the lesson here for SaveSpace is that when you overcommit, it comes back to bite you. The only thing that...

• Commented on Space & Astronomy Live From The White House Lawn

  Actually, I understand they did turn the lights out. The White House is usually floodlit brightly, but that evening all those floodlights were turned off. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about the rest of DC....

• Commented on A Real Spinoff

  Just to echo the comment above, and with all due respect to the technological achievements of the Hubble telescope program, this is just bogus. The work reported on here, while novel and remarkable, has no more to do with Hubble...