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• Commented on COTS Faces Reality

  Stan, start using your namesake brain. The are under performing according to their own plans and schedules. SpaceX launched 2 Falcon 9s in 2010. 0 in 2011 even though there were at least 3 planned. SpaceX could have not bothered...

• Commented on COTS Faces Reality

  First, let me state I am a supporter of COTS. But the under performing of SpaceX and Orbital does concern me. I believe that the schedule was to launch demos 2 and 3 in 2011. Where are they? Oh, SpaceX...

• Commented on There is Something Amiss with MSL's Drill After All

  What are you talking about? The purpose of Curiosity is to determine if there is an life as we know it, or chemicals that would support it exist. Contamination is a big deal. Elon Musk would like to see humans...

• Commented on NASA's Inconsistent Policy Regarding The Sale Of Apollo Era Items

  I don't mind astronauts taking personal items on space missions as they always have and selling them if they want. But I do have a problem with NASA giving them hardware and mission documents which can then be sold. These...

• Commented on What Would Wernher Do? What DID He Do?

  Question? Why does Wayne have a picture of John Candy sitting at a mission control station on his blog?...

• Commented on Boeing Signs Deal To Use OPF 3 at KSC (Update)

  That was my thought. Did Boeing create a new corporation for CST development and production? If so and there is any issue, they declare bankruptcy and then NASA and the taxpayers are stuck with the demolition and cleanup. The are...

• Commented on Commercial Crew Hearing This Morning

  I posed this question some time ago. The answer is that the passive CBM used on the Dragon, Cygnus, and HTV doesn't allow for disconnect from the capsule side. So there is no way to detach from the Harmony node....

• Commented on NASA Evacuates NEEMO - JSC Deliberately Withholds Information

  Why not do the same experiments in the NASA Neutral buoyancy pool back at Houston?...

• Commented on NASA Evacuates NEEMO - JSC Deliberately Withholds Information

  I have to wonder about the evacuation though. Rina isn't anywhere close to Florida. It's 500 miles away. And the projections on the National Hurricane center web site show that up through next Tuesday are that it stays near the...

• Commented on iPads in Space?

  Gee, hope it isn't an iPad. At $0.99 per download it will end up costing more than the James Webb Telescope... ;-) Let me know though, I'll buy some more stock in Apple....

• Commented on Understanding House Science Committee Republican Deficit Recommendations

  Why doesn't the NOAA cover the cost of OCO-2? I really can't understand this. NASA isn't building the satellite. A contractor is. So why can't the funding come from the NOAA budget line. NASA is in the business of space...

• Commented on GAO Report on DoD EELV Acquisition (Update)

  I think an appropriate contract with ULA would have been for 16 launch vehicles over 2 years with an option to buy 24 more over the remaining 3 years for the same price. By then, according to there own schedule,...

• Commented on Let's Fund "The Astronaut's Secret"

  Did he ever think to approach the Discovery channel or even PBS (NOVA)? Seems like something that either would fund....

• Commented on Video: China Uses "America The Beautiful" on Their Space Station Propaganda

  I just hope for the sake of the guy who decided on the music that it was a political statement from higher up. Otherwise, what is Chinese for gulag? Or worse, what is the cost in yuan for a 9mm...

• Commented on SpaceX Unveils Fully Reusable Falcon 9 Plans

  Not to be negative but doesn't this contradict other claims by Musk and Shotwell that SpaceX is going to be the largest manufacturer of rockets and rocket engines in the world? If you are going to be reusing the rockets...

• Commented on Soyuz Launch Dates Announced

  I would like to know what evidence the Russians have for this manufacturing/assembly defect as they haven't recovered any part of the vehicle? Has anyone asked NASA to produce this. We are paying customers after all....

• Commented on NASA and ATK Announcement

  Another couple points. The article in the NY Times said that 20-24 NASA employees would be working full time on this. Another article said that ATK only had 40 employees working on this. Why doesn't NASA furlough the employees and...

• Commented on NASA and ATK Announcement

  I wonder if they are going to provide the cost per launch. I don't see how this could be less than a Delta IV, Atlas V or Falcon 9. So why is NASA going to waste our tax dollars on...

• Commented on NRC Report on NASA's Astronaut Corps Released

  Are these committee members serious? NASA is only going to be flying 4 astronauts per year and a roster of 61 isn't sufficient? How many astronauts did we have when we were flying 3 or 4 Gemini missions per year?...

• Commented on James Hansen Arrested For Yelling

  Hey, Daryl Hanna got arrested too. Can't you post a picture of her instead of Hansen......

• Commented on Progress Failure Prompts Call To Increase Commercial Space Spending

  From SpaceFlight Now: "Given the safety record of the Soyuz-U rocket -- 745 successful launches and just 21 failures over nearly four decades -- NASA managers are optimistic the Russians will resolve the problem..." Is it me or is the...

• Commented on Max Launch Abort System Is Alive And Well

  I'm a big space fan. Always have been as I grew up in the 60's watching Mercury, Gemini, Apollo. Stories like this drive me crazy. Just like all the money wasted on Constellation contracts after it was cancelled. And building...

• Commented on MRO News Conference: Water Flowing on Mars

  Interesting that they said the color change is a result of the soil being wet. Wonder if this could be something biological, akin to the red tide that we see in oceans on earth? When there is moisture and summer...

• Commented on Prox Ops at Vesta

  I agree Dennis. If this is the same plan for the JWST I say cancel it. These scientist have to realize that their "toys" are owned by the US taxpayers and they are obligated to publish all data, including photos,...

• Commented on Three Letters NASA Users Complain About

  Marc, You are obviously forgetting the 29 studies by each NASA site involving 438 scientists and engineers to accomplish this. And the publishing of all of these reports. Oh, and don't forget the Inspector Generals review of all of these...

• Commented on SpaceX Responds To Forbes

  From the Wall Street Journal "Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, Md., has about 2,200 employees working on the project, primarily in Colorado and Texas. In a statement, the company said it "will continue to work closely with NASA" to cut...

• Commented on Frank Wolf Doesn't Like China

  I for one would prefer working with India, a democracy in Asia, instead of the the Chinese. The Chinese, with their record of ignoring intellectual property rights, known (and unknown) military technology espionage and dismal human rights records doesn't deserve...

• Commented on Blue Origin's Crew Transportation System

  Are you sure that isn't an old picture of the Russian (I believe Energia?)Klipper??? Looks a lot like it to me....

• Commented on Waiting Forever For Webb

  I really wish they would post the program schedule and milestones on the NASA websites. I just went to the http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/about.html and it only says the that the launch is "no earlier than 2014". It goes on to state "All...

• Commented on Wallops Flight Facility Opens "New Era" - But Not On Its Webpage

  Interesting picture. The MD senator is doing the ribbon cutting at a VA site. I know Mikulski is a supporter of NASA, as long as its spending money in MD anyway. You would think one of the VA senators or...