Augustine Committee Members, First Public Meeting

The membership of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee was announced today. The committee is described as an "independent review of U.S. human space flight plans", though the announcement came through NASA, so it's a little unclear exactly who selected the members. In any case, it does appear to be a well qualified group coming from diverse interests in the space community. The members are:

- Norman Augustine (chair), retired chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp., and former member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush

- Dr. Wanda Austin, president and CEO, The Aerospace Corp.

- Bohdan Bejmuk, chair, Constellation program Standing Review Board, and former manager of the Boeing Space Shuttle and Sea Launch programs

- Dr. Leroy Chiao, former astronaut, former International Space Station commander and engineering consultant

- Dr. Christopher Chyba, professor of Astrophysical Sciences and International Affairs, Princeton University, and member, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

- Dr. Edward Crawley, Ford Professor of Engineering at MIT and co-chair, NASA Exploration Technology Development Program Review Committee

- Jeffrey Greason, co-founder and CEO, XCOR Aerospace, and vice-chair, Personal Spaceflight Federation

- Dr. Charles Kennel, chair, National Academies Space Studies Board, and director and professor emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego

- Retired Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles, chair, National Academies Committee on the Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program, former Air Force vice chief of staff and former commander of the Air Force Materiel Command

- Dr. Sally Ride, former astronaut, first American woman in space, CEO of Sally Ride Science and professor emerita at the University of California, San Diego

The details for first public event for the panel were also included in the announcement:

The committee will hold several public meetings at different U.S. locations. The first public meeting will take place June 17 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. EDT at the Carnegie Institution, located at 1530 P Street NW in Washington. Topics on the agenda for the meeting include previous studies about U.S. human space flight; national space policy; international cooperation; evolved expendable launch vehicles; commercial human space flight capabilities; and exploration technology planning.

Murder of Abortion Doctor Appalling to True Prolife People

Today's murder of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller in Kansas is an act abhorred by me and the 99.99999...% of people actively working through peaceful means to protect human life at every stage and condition. (As of this time, a suspect has been apprehended but the motive is still unclear.) Professor Robert George of Princeton University says it best in this statement:

Whoever murdered George Tiller has done a gravely wicked thing. The evil of this action is in no way diminished by the blood George Tiller had on his own hands. No private individual had the right to execute judgment against him. We are a nation of laws. Lawless violence breeds only more lawless violence. Rightly or wrongly, George Tilller was acquitted by a jury of his peers. "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord." For the sake of justice and right, the perpetrator of this evil deed must be prosecuted, convicted, and punished. By word and deed, let us teach that violence against abortionists is not the answer to the violence of abortion. Every human life is precious. George Tiller's life was precious. We do not teach the wrongness of taking human life by wrongfully taking a human life. Let our "weapons" in the fight to defend the lives of abortion's tiny victims, be chaste weapons of the spirit.

Prolife organizations have consistently condemned this killing, so in case you don't hear it elsewhere here are statements from some of the major organizations: National Right to Life Committee, Priests for Life, Susan B. Anthony List, American Life League and the Family Research Council

May God have mercy on George Tiller's soul and provide comfort to his family.

Paul Haney, "Voice of Mission Control", RIP

Paul Haney, the most familiar "Voice of Mission Control" during the early space program (one of those voices that helped inspire my passion for space travel), has passed away at age 80.

And Then There Were Six

Soyuz TMA-15 launches Wednesday morning toward the International Space Station.
NASA

The International Space Station finally achieved its full complement of six crew members this morning when the Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft and its crew of three (Expedition 20) arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) to join the Expedition 19 crew already there. With a full size crew and a full set of solar arrays for power, the ISS will finally begin to realize its full potential for scientific and technological research and development.

The World This Week

A lot of news this week. Here's a 'drive-by' look:

-North Korea Monday morning set off a nuclear weapon test, an uproar of world reaction and a new challenge for the Obama Administration. While we only have limited power to try to prevent another nation from acquiring such weapons, we should continue to vigorously develop missile defense as part of our overall national security strategy.

-The President's Supreme Court nominee (unlike his nominee for NASA Administrator) is definitely an ideological choice, in this case in favor of an activist and subjective judiciary. The role of the Supreme Court should be to judge cases based on the Constitution. Applying a criteria of 'empathy' (in President Obama's words), among other flaws, can lead to injustice because it is a subjective criteria. One party's side of a case may appear more deserving of empathy, but it would be unjust to the other party for the case to be decided on that basis.

-California's state Supreme Court upheld the law enacted by the state's voters through Proposition 8 last November confirming the long standing definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

I don't believe that position represents bigotry against those with a same sex orientation. Society can respect the dignity of each individual and address legitimate concerns (benefits, health care, etc.) through other means without undermining the function that marriage has played in every society in human history.

Further, regardless of which side one takes on the definition of marriage, a judicial override of a popular vote on a constitutional amendment like this (barring discovery of an obvious legal flaw in the process) would have aroused strong public resentment and lack of confidence in the democratic process.

ISDC in Orlando

Given the timing with planning for supporting the STS-125 Hubble servicing mission, this will be the first year since 1987 that I haven't gone to the International Space Development Conference (ISDC).

With all the developments and undercurrents going on right now in NASA, commercial space and other areas of the space community, look for news coming out of the conference from several sources: NSS Blog, Rand Simberg, Doug Messier, Clark Lindsey (remotely) and Jeff Foust, who is tweeting. Also, SpaceVidcast is posting video clips of at least some of the sessions.

One news highlight to look forward to: the advocates of the 'Direct' launch architecture will be presenting 'v.3.0' of their proposal at 4PM EDT Friday (though they probably won't have it posted at their site 'til after the conference).

Home at Last!

We can finally put a wrap on the STS-125 Hubble servicing mission with this morning's safe return of the Shuttle Atlantis and her crew in California, deterred from landing in Florida for three days straight by persistent bad weather.

I've been home for a few days but now the entire mission team can stand down and celebrate this most memorable mission. For all of us on the large team of people from government, industry, academia and international partners who worked on this mission, it is a time of celebration and gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this endeavour, with anticipation of the great scientific information and inspiring pictures to come from Hubble.

It is also a time of wondering what comes next, as this is the last servicing mission planned for the Hubble. Even from within, there is debate about the course NASA is taking. With new leadership nominated for NASA and a new commission undertaking a review of the human spaceflight program and its architecture, it can be hoped that the outcome will be a program robust enough to carry out our exploration goals, engage the commercial sector and retain the capabilities, including in-space servicing, that have been developed over the last few decades

New NASA Leadership

While Shuttle Atlantis was waved off for a second day, now set to land Sunday in Florida or California, the White House announced the selections of former astronaut Charles Bolden to be the new NASA Administrator and Lori Garver as Deputy Administrator. (Here's an additional informative article from SpaceflightNow.com) They will go through the usual congressional confirmation process before taking office.

Bolden flew on several shuttle missions, including as commander of the STS-31 mission in April 1990 to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope and has extensive military and NASA leadership experience. I know Lori from her days as Executive Director of the National Space Society and she has since served at NASA HQ and in private sector space consulting positions. This is one set of Obama Administration nominations I can applaud and I hope they will have the support of the Administration and Congress in carrying on and revitalizing our national space efforts.

Catching Up At Home

I arrived home Wednesday. Taking time off to catch up on things here. Also finally had time to go see the new Star Trek movie on Thursday, attend a breakfast Friday morning on Capitol Hill featuring Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX), whose district includes the Johnson Space Center and have lunch/dinner (whatever a meal at ~3 PM is called) in Annapolis (missing the hoopla/congestion there earlier in the day with President Obama addressing Naval Academy commencement).

Meanwhile, the Atlantis crew had their landing in Florida postponed from Friday to Saturday because of weather.

Improved Hubble On Its Own Again

Atlantis astronaut Megan McArthur unberthed and released the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit this morning after five spectacular days of repairs and upgrades by the shuttle crew, supported by a large team on the ground.

Now that Hubble is released, many of us have now been released from mission support. Tonight was the first night we could enjoy dinner here. I've moved my flight home ahead to tomorrow. There will be plenty of Hubble people on that flight back to Maryland.

This was a day for congratulations, reminiscences, good byes and speculation about the future. This last week and a half in Florida and Houston has been quite a ride. I'll probably have more to say after I get settled back home. And, of course, the mission isn't really over until the astronauts safely return (scheduled for Friday).

Meanwhile, back in the Mid-Atlantic region, another space success with this evening's launch from the spaceport at Wallops Island.

Wrapping Up Five Spectacular Productive Days

John Grunsfeld an Andrew Feustel have now entered the airlock after finishing today's final EVA tasks (summary and more links here) finishing the repairs and upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope that are likely to yield fantastic new images and discoveries in the years to come.

More Fix-It Work Today

Today's 4th day of work on the Hubble is primarily focused on repair of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).

A little more background on my role in the mission. I am part of a group of people from the Hubble project (NASA & contractors) who are supporting the mission at Johnson Space Center in Houston. (There are many others back at Goddard in Maryland.) I sit at a console in a large control room down the hall from the main Shuttle control room, keeping track of mission logs and other information. While there is a view of our room on one of the internal TV channels, I don't expect we'll be on NASA TV.

Meanwhile, here's a prediction on how energy from space might soon play a key role in our future.

New and Restored Science Instruments

Today's third day of work on Hubble included installation of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and repair of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

Our shifts on the ground have shifted an hour later to accommodate a revised crew sleep cycle. My shift is now 4:30 PM to 5:30 AM. While working this planning shift turns the body's sleep cycle upside down, there is an advantage in that there are more quiet moments.

During a quiet time, I can go upstairs in Building 30 to the 3rd floor and visit the old Apollo control room, where Apollo 11 videos run continuously day and night as sort of an 'eternal flame'. This allows a few moments to reflect on and celebrate the accomplishments of those pioneers (in space and on ground support) who went before us in opening this frontier.

Obama, Notre Dame and a Seminal Moment

The storm surrounding President Obama's role at Notre Dame's Sunday commencement ceremony may be a seminal moment in the history of the nation, the prolife movement and the Catholic Church. I won't have much time to follow or provide updates, but stay tuned to PewSitter.com and ProLife Blogs for developments and commentary.

Hubble Upgrades Day 2

Today's work on upgrading the Hubble is underway as three pairs of gyros are being replaced.

FYI: NASA formally labels a spacewalk as an EVA. EVA stands for Extra-Vehicular ("outside the vehicle") Activity.

Meanwhile, the rumor mill indicates there is likely to be a new head of NASA named next week.

Hubble Improvements Begin as Two New 'Scopes Enter Space

The new Wide Field Planetary Camera 3 has already been installed onto Hubble as part of the first EVA (spacewalk).

Meanwhile, Europe has launched two new powerful instruments to join Hubble in Space. What wondrous scientific discoveries await us?

Atlantis and Hubble Together

Worked my first full shift overnight. I'm on what's called the "planning shift" where activities are replanned if necessary for the next day. The astronauts are sleeping during most of this period. My shift goes from ~3:30 PM to ~4 to 4:30 AM.

The Atlantis crew spent yesterday closing in on Hubble while performing Orbiter tile inspections. Just watched the crew capture and berth Hubble on NASA TV here in the hotel room.

FYI: Background information on the various repairs and upgrades being made to Hubble during this mission can be found at this NASA link.

Atlantis Soars to a Date with Hubble!

I'm settling in in Houston now. The launch was quite an experience. Along with the visual show, the most memorable sensation was the rumbling and deep crackling sound in the air which reached our viewing site ~20 seconds after launch (given the time for the sound to travel). Here are a few of my raw pics.















Here are some links to reports on the launch. (Standing hat tip to Jeff Foust for saving me the time to search for relevant links.)

The Night Before

The prelaunch parties have wound down. People are settling into sleep awaiting Monday afternoon's launch. Above is a (highly telephotod) picture of Atlantis on Pad 39A I took while returning from the IMAX presentation at the KSC Visitors Center earlier this evening. Look closely just to the left of the white spherical tank and you can see the tip of the tank of the Endeavour stack waiting on Pad 39B in case of a rescue mission which hopefully will not be needed.

This will be my last post from Florida. If I get good launch photos I'll post a few after I'm settled in Houston. Otherwise my posts from Houston will be short and intermittent, with links to NASA or media sources for mission details. I'll be on 13 hour shifts as my real work gets underway.

Blogging from Cocoa Beach

Arrived last night. Stayed at the Super 8 over in Cocoa for one night. Did the tourist things today: a nature cruise on the Banana River, shopping at Ron Jon Surf Shop, eating seafood for lunch and dinner. Also attended the Saturday vigil mass at the local parish.

Anticipation is building for Monday's launch. (Here's a NasaSpaceflight.com report on launch preparations.) Tomorrow, I may hit the beach in the late morning. Later mid-afternoon will be helping register people for causeway buses. (I'll be a bus captain on Monday.) Then there's a special IMAX event at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Visitors Center and the the big Hubble-Huggers prelaunch party back here at the Holiday Inn.

It's Show Time!

The Shuttle mission to Hubble I’ve been working on the past few years is almost here.

I’ll be flying to Florida Friday evening, staying in Cocoa Beach over the weekend relaxing and participating in events (including the big prelaunch party) leading up to the launch of Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-125 scheduled for Monday, 2:01 PM. I’ll be part of a group on a causeway ~5 miles from the launch pad. (This will be the second Shuttle launch I see in person. The other was the first night launch in 1983.) Then it’s on to Houston where I’ll be part of a Hubble team supporting the mission down the hall from the main Shuttle control room.

This is a challenging mission that if successful, will leave HST more capable than ever and will yield more knock-your-socks-off science. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the mission and our team and especially the safety of our seven astronauts. Thanks.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft.
One day to the next conveys that message; one night to the next imparts that knowledge.
Psalm 19:2-3


Hubble Ultra Deep Field
Photo credit: NASA/ESA/S. Beckwith (STScI) and The HUDF Team

NASA Budget and Human Spaceflight Review

The Obama Administration yesterday provided more details on its Fiscal Year 2010 $18.69 billion budget request for NASA and directed an independent review of the current human spaceflight program.

The review panel will assess a number of architecture options, taking into account such objectives as: 1) expediting a new U.S. capability to support use of the International Space Station; 2) supporting missions to the Moon and other destinations beyond low Earth orbit; 3)stimulating commercial space flight capabilities; and 4) fitting within the current budget profile for NASA exploration activities.

A particular focus is likely to be whether the current Constellation architecture under development of Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles should be retained for NASA's human spaceflight or whether a proposal for a more "Direct" Shuttle derived architecture or use of existing or upgraded Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs) like those currently used for military and commercial unmanned launches (or some combination of the later two) would be more sustainable.

This is an interesting development. I am of course wary given some of President Obama's disastrous policy and personnel choices in other areas. However, space policy doesn't always divide along ideological lines and, given the choice of the highly respected Norm Augustine to head the panel, I will remain cautiously hopeful that the result may yield some needed improvements to our space efforts.

Voice Support for Ethical and Effective Stem Cell Research

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has a web page with information and links to send a message to your senators and US representative plus the National Institutes of Health on the proposed embryonic stem cell research policy.

Following President Obama’s March 9 executive order, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed guidelines for federally funded embryonic stem cell research. The guidelines would - for the first time - use taxpayer funds to encourage the killing of embryonic human beings for their stem cells.

This marks a new chapter in divorcing biomedical research from its necessary ethical foundation, respect for human life at all stages

Jack Kemp RIP

Jack Kemp, one-time NFL QB and leading conservative political leader, has died at age 73.

Two Weeks and Counting

The launch of the STS-125 Hubble servicing mission has been moved ahead by one day to Monday, May 11 to accommodate other range activities in May.

STS-125 crew member Mike Massimino is "tweeting" about his preparations for flight and has gained an growing following.


Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Meanwhile, the 19th anniversary of Hubble's launch was marked with the release of another spectacular image of galaxies interacting.

“A Notre Dame Witness for Life”

That's the title of a stirring talk by William McGurn, a Wall Street Journal columnist and Notre Dame alumnus (from the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture and also the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life).

So tonight our hearts carry a great sadness. But we do not come here this evening to rally against a speaker. We come to affirm the sacredness of life. And we come with a great hope: That a university founded under the patronage of Our Lady might be as consistent in the defense of her principles as the President of the United States has been for advancing his. In a nation wounded by Roe ... in a society that sets mothers against the children they carry in their wombs ... we come here tonight because however much our hearts ache, they tell us this: Our church, our country, and our culture long for the life witness of Notre Dame.

UPDATE: 4/27/09: Former Vatican ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, respected pro-life advocate and Harvard law professor, has declined the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal because of the concurrent honors being given to President Obama despite his extreme anti-life policies. Here's commentary from Hugh McNichol at Pewsitter.com.

While the Laetare Medal is indeed a great honor to receive, Glendon appropriately holds Catholic teachings on the sanctity of human life as more important. Her refusal of the award illustrates, very strongly and clearly, the larger problem, which is the secular infiltration of our Catholic educational facilities. Mary Ann Glendon should receive a papal honor from Benedict XVI for her upholding of Catholic moral and ethical principles.

Additionally, the declination of this award by Ambassador Glendon should send a message to all members of the Catholic educational establishment, namely: Catholics are no longer going to tolerate secular interpretations of our most sacred Catholic principles. Either you are Catholic in your beliefs, or you are not. There can be no middle ground.

The American Bishops should also applaud Mrs. Glendon’s refusal of the Laetare Medal. Perhaps her courageous initiative in refusing this award will inspire more American Bishops to speak out and condemn Notre Dame’s invite to President Obama.

It's time to stop trying so hard to be "reasonable" by the standards of society's conventional wisdom and stand up and fight for the most reasonable proposition of all, that all human lives at every stage and condition are deserving of protection. This issue is much bigger than Note Dame and will only become more intense in the near future.

The World According to Obama ...

...according to Mark Steyn.

Since January, President Obama and his team have schmoozed, ineffectively, American enemies over allies in almost every corner of the globe. If you’re, say, India, following Obama’s apology tour even as you watch the Taliban advancing on those Pakistani nukes, would you want to bet the future on American resolve? In Delhi, in Tokyo, in Prague, in Tel Aviv, in Bogota, they’ve looked at these first 100 days and drawn their own conclusions.

Tea Parties Mobilize American Citizens

I attended the DC Tea Party held today in a cold rain at Lafayette Park, across the street from Barack Obama's White House. There was a surge of energy there, as there has been at the at least 700 such events held across the nation today, the annual income tax filing deadline. In the spirit of the original Boston Tea Party of 1773, citizens turned out to protest huge federal spending and prospective tax increases. Look for expansive coverage of Tea Party events around the nation at Pajamas Media, Instapundit and Michelle Malkin.

Glenn Reynolds writes on how this movement has erupted from the grassroots, despite claims to the contrary by some Media and establishment types.

The protests began with bloggers in Seattle, Wash., who organized a demonstration on Feb. 16. As word of this spread, rallies in Denver and Mesa, Ariz., were quickly organized for the next day. Then came CNBC talker Rick Santelli's Feb. 19 "rant heard round the world" in which he called for a "Chicago tea party" on July Fourth. The tea-party moniker stuck, but angry taxpayers weren't willing to wait until July. Soon, tea-party protests were appearing in one city after another, drawing at first hundreds, and then thousands, to marches in cities from Orlando to Kansas City to Cincinnati.

As word spread, people got interested in picking a common date for nationwide protests, and decided on today, Tax Day, as the date. As I write this, various Web sites tracking tea parties are predicting anywhere between 300 and 500 protests at cities around the world. A Google Map tracking planned events, maintained at the FreedomWorks.org Web site, shows the United States covered by red circles, with new events being added every day.

Beyond the issues of taxing and spending, today's tea parties (and more to come) are an opportunity for citizens to assert their constitutional right to free expression to engage in debate on the great issues. That debate is alive and well today, and political officeholders in both parties better pay attention.

Space Solar Power Market Breakthrough?

An intriguing announcement was made this week that Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the utility that serves northern California including the SF Bay Area, has made a deal with an emerging energy company, Solaren, for providing solar energy transmitted from a satellite. An interview with Solaren CEO Gary Spirnak (who was a spacecraft project engineer in the U.S. Air Force and director of advanced digital applications at Boeing Satellite Systems) is also posted at PG&E's Next100 site. PG&E has wisely structured the deal so that they pay no money until power is delivered to their grid.

As this WSJ article points out, space solar power, which has been studied for several decades is a challenging prospect. Based on even the most optimistic previous studies, commercially produced space solar power by 2016 doesn't seem likely. However, Solaren's patent (which I've not had time to review in detail) indicates an innovative design based on inflatable components flying in formation, so it would be presumptuous to rule out their achieving this ambitious goal with existing launch technology.

Only time will tell how real this potential development is, but if it does pan out, it could be a major breakthrough for a new clean energy source and for development of spacefaring capabilities.

Circus on the Severn Folds Its Tent for 2009

The Maryland General Assembly adjourned its 2009 session last night. Here are summaries of the good, the bad and the ugly by the Baltimore Sun and by the Maryland Catholic Conference.

Have a Blessed and Happy Easter!

At daybreak on the first day of the week
the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus
took the spices they had prepared
and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were puzzling over this, behold,
two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.
They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground.
They said to them,
"Why do you seek the living one among the dead?
He is not here, but he has been raised.
Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be crucified, and rise on the third day."
And they remembered his words.
Then they returned from the tomb
and announced all these things to the eleven
and to all the others.
The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James;
the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles,
but their story seemed like nonsense
and they did not believe them.
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,
bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone;
then he went home amazed at what had happened.

Lk 24:1-12

Holy Week 2009

This week is the one considered Holy by many with a strong Faith in God. For Christians, it is the observance of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Easter Triduum as observed in the Catholic Church is described here. Today, Pope Benedict XVI described the meaning of the observance.

In the general audience, held this morning in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope dedicated his remarks to Holy Week. "For us as Christians", he said, "this is the most important week of the year, offering us the chance to immerse ourselves in the central events of Redemption, to relive the Easter Mystery, the great Mystery of the faith".

The Holy Father explained how Jesus "did not wish to use the fact of His being God, His glorious dignity and His power, as an instrument of triumph and a sign of distance" between Him and us.

"For love", the Pope continued, "He wished to ‘empty Himself’ and become our brother. For love He shared our condition, the condition of all men and women".

This year, it also happens that tonight is the start of the Jewish observance of Passover, the celebration of the Jews' passing over to freedom from the bondage of slavery they suffered in Egypt. This event was a historical manifestation of God's power recognized by Jews and Christians alike.

May this week of Holy Days bring blessings and peace to all.

Blogging on the Road

This post and my post below on the NK launch are my first blog posts made on my new HP 1116NR netbook, one of the new breed of 'mini-laptop' type devices that are particularly convenient for portable communication/internet capability. I'm blogging from my hotel room in Houston. I'm here to support one of the final Joint Integrated Simulations in preparation for the STS-125 Hubble servicing mission.

NK Rocket Launch

North Korea launched a rocket which they claimed was an attempt to orbit a satellite, though it apparently failed. The launch did instigate a storm of reaction around the world over concern about NK's military intentions.

Yuri's Night

It's that time of year for Yuri's Night, marking the April 12 anniversaries of Yuri Gagarin's pioneering spaceflight (1961) and the first US Space Shuttle flight (1981). With Easter and Passover celebrations falling next week, many of the Yuri's Night events are being held this weekend. I will be attending the event at Goddard Space Flight Center tomorrow evening.

Atlantis on the Pad (Again) for Hubble

Image credit: NASA TV

Space Shuttle Atlantis, stacked with its external tank and solid rocket boosters, was rolled out to Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning for a scheduled May 12 launch to perform the final scheduled servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

Atlantis was on the pad last fall set for an October launch for the HST servicing mission but had to be rolled back for a replacement Science Instrument Command & Data Handling unit to be prepared for flight after an anomaly on-orbit. Hopefully, this time Atlantis will be able to leave the pad vertically.

Terri's Day 2009

Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the court-imposed death by dehydration and starvation of Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

Fighting (for Life) Irish

The uproar over the University of Notre Dame's decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak and receive an honorary law degree at its May 17 commencement ceremony continues to mushroom. The action has generated protest and petition activities within the Notre Dame community and among the larger Catholic community and general public, given Obama's extreme anti-life record just two months into his administration. (If this fuss seems strange to you, just imagine a prestigious Catholic university inviting a prominent political leader whose policies promote discrimination based on race, gender, religion, etc.)

National Review Online posts an extensive symposium on the ND situation while Wall Street Journal columnist (and ND alumnus) William McGurn delivers an articulate critique of the university's invitation to Obama.

"We hope for this to be the basis of an engagement with him." So explains Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John Jenkins, as he discusses the university's choice of Barack Obama as this year's commencement speaker. In yesterday's student newspaper "The Observer," where the quotation appears, the thought is introduced with another helpful bromide: The honor accorded President Obama, it is reported, will be a "catalyst for dialogue."

Now, if the president were going to Notre Dame to engage in dialogue, that would be one thing. But Mr. Obama will not be going to Notre Dame to "dialogue." He will be going to help advance his agenda.

Given that Fr. Jenkins and others responsible are not inclined to rescind the invitation, they are likely to encounter more "engagement" and "dialogue" than they intended. An intriguing variable in this situation, according to the National Catholic Register, is another commencement participant, Mary Ann Glendon, a distinguished law professor who is receiving the university's Laetare Medal.

Few are so well equipped to teach the truths the Catholic Church proclaims about the sanctity of human life as Glendon. Among her long list of credentials are a Harvard law professorship, leadership of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Social Scientists and of the Vatican delegation to the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing, and a just-concluded stint as United States Ambassador to the Holy See.

This could provide a teaching moment comparable to the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast, where Mother Teresa boldly spoke for defending the dignity of human life in front of President Bill Clinton (and First Lady Hillary) and other powers that be.

Also in play is the growing reaction among many students, parents and alumni. It will be interesting to see what kind of peaceful and dignified but highly visible sign of "engagement" may be visible among many of the participants in the commencement exercise.

Discovery Safely Lands while Soyuz Arrives at ISS

Shuttle Discovery and its crew landed in Florida this afternoon after a successful STS-119 mission that brought full power capability to the International Space Station (ISS). Meanwhile, the Expedition 19 crew (plus paying passenger Charles Simonyi) arrived at the ISS this morning to relieve the Expedition 18 crew.

The International Space Station We've Been Expecting to See

NASA

As the crew of Shuttle Discovery mission STS-119 departed from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, they were able to view and image the fruits of their labor in adding the fourth and final truss segment and set of solar arrays. While there are still a few modules and other equipment to add, the ISS now really does resemble the illustrations we've seen over the years. The extra power provided by the new solar arrays will also enable expansion of the ISS crew size from three to six and enable much more scientific research to be conducted aboard the station.

Meanwhile, on Thursday the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft was launched with the Expedition 19 crew and "space tourist" Charles Simonyi, a billionaire taking his second ride to the ISS as a paying participant. He will be the last "tourist" to go to the ISS, at least for the foreseeable future, as the expansion to crew size of six leaves no room for extra passengers. However, these pioneering spaceflight participants, starting with Dennis Tito in 2001, have paved the way and given credibility to an emerging private spaceflight industry that will enable many more people too go into space.

Battle of the Hour Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow evening from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time wherever you live, is an hour that is caught up in one of the debates of our time.

Proponents of the view that human activities, particularly emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gasses", are causing a dangerous warming of the Earth's climate are promoting "Earth Hour", during which people are encouraged to turn out their lights and use as little energy as practical as a symbolic gesture of concern about global warming.

Meanwhile, as the global warming debate is far from being "settled", others are planning to participate in "Human Achievement Hour" to celebrate technological and economic progress by using more lights and energy than normal as an act of defiance against the "Earth Hour" event.

Now I believe some healthy skepticism is in order about "global warming" (I need to get around to posting more current information and comment on this topic.), but I also favor reasonable efforts to develop alternative energy sources and protect the environment, with a particular interest in curbing light pollution.

So I'm taking a pragmatic approach to this whole dispute. What I will do tomorrow night will be determined by the weather. If it turns out to be clear, I will turn out most of my lights and go out and take advantage at whatever dimming of the lights occurs to observe the night sky. If, as the current forecasts indicate, it will be cloudy and raining here, I will not sit in the dark (or candlelight) for an hour, nor will I waste extra energy to prove a point. I'll just go about my business, perhaps reading, surfing or blogging.

I believe we can have continued human achievement while protecting the environment. In particular, I believe that curbing light pollution and giving more people a view of the night sky may enable more appreciation of the space frontier that our achievement is opening up. While turning out lights for an hour is a nice gesture, more practical and effective ways of curbing light pollution without compromising public safety or personal comfort are advocated by the International Dark Sky Association, of which I am a member.

Tell HHS to Keep Conscience Protection!

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops have provided a link to make it easy to submit an opinion to the US Dept. of Health and Human Services on the proposal under serious consideration by the Obama Administration to rescind Bush Administration rules protecting medical personnel and institutions from being coerced into performing or cooperating with objectionable practices, including abortion.

This proposal is seriously un-American and definitely not "prochoice". Let's tell them to keep protection for people in the health profession who value human life. (Submission deadline for comments is April 9.)

I Can't Keep Up

The misadventures of the Obama Administration and the Congressional leadership have been coming too rapidly for this humble blog to keep up with. Mark Steyn summarizes (some of) this week's foibles here.

Larry Kudlow comments on the real lessons of the AIG scandal.

This whole AIG fiasco - where the entire political class is suddenly screaming over bonuses paid to derivative traders in AIG’s financial-products division - is just a complete farce. What it really shows is how the government has completely bungled the AIG takeover. Blame the Bush administration and the Obama administration. It also shows, once again, why the government shouldn’t run anything, because it cannot run anything.

He also points out a significant technical move by the government that probably will make a positive difference for the economy.

Nevertheless, behind the furor over AIG, there is some good news to report on the banking front. This week’s decision by the Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) to allow cash-flow accounting rather than distressed last-trade mark-to-market accounting will go a long way toward solving the banking and toxic-asset problem.

As President Obama has apologized for his clumsy remark regarding the Special Olympics, I won't dwell on the negative. Instead, here's a message on the topic from another political figure with more class and based on real life experience. (Hat tip to Just After Sunrise.)

ISS Now Up to Full Power

The International Space Station (ISS) and Shuttle Discovery astronauts unfurled the ISS's final set of large solar arrays today after installation of the S6 truss yesterday. This will enable the ISS crew size to soon be expanded from three to six and will also make the ISS an even brighter object as it passes through the night sky.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Artist unknown, Link by Saints.SQPN.com

Tuesday is March 17, St. Patrick's Day. Celebrations have started early over the weekend. So, be blessed, safe, and happy whenever you are celebrating Ireland's patron saint.

Catholic Forum provides links to descriptions of St. Patrick here and here.

Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

In the spirit of the holiday, check out LiveIreland.com for webcasts of Irish music and other media direct from Ireland.

Taking More Power to the Space Station

NASA photo credit: Photo courtesy of Scott Andrews

Space Shuttle Discovery began mission STS-119 with a spectacular launch this evening from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The primary mission objective is to deliver the final (of four) large solar array segment to power the International Space Station (ISS). There will also be a swap of a couple of ISS crew members.

Weird Science

President Obama's decision to support open-ended research exploiting human embryos raises all the issues about ethics, policy making and sound alternatives to a stark new level. Adam Keiper weighs in on how the President tries to downplay the serious ethical questions involved and minimize the real divide in public opinion.

First, the president claims that "the majority of Americans - from across the political spectrum, and of all backgrounds and beliefs - have come to a consensus that we should pursue" stem-cell research that involves the destruction of human embryos. This is a gross distortion. As Ramesh notes, the quality of polling in this area is terrible. The most comprehensive and balanced examination of public opinion was a poll commissioned by the Ethics and Public Policy Center and summarized by Yuval Levin here. That poll showed considerable public confusion about the stem-cell debate. Americans generally support scientific research, and so, unsurprisingly, when asked simply whether they support stem-cell research, a majority of the poll’s respondents said they did. But when the question was framed as an ethical matter, opinion shifted dramatically.

Bernadine Healy, the former head of the National institutes of Health and the American Red Cross points out the rapid pace of ethical alternatives that are more likely to yield the medical benefits promised for embryonic stem cell research.

"Even for strong backers of embryonic stem cell research, [Obama's decision] is no longer as self-evident as it was, because there is markedly diminished need for expanding these cell lines for either patient therapy or basic research," Healy explains.
"In fact, during the first six weeks of Obama's term, several events reinforced the notion that embryonic stem cells, once thought to hold the cure for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes, are obsolete," she adds.

One other thought came to me. Suppose they finally do manage to trick embryonic stem cells into working effectively without their dangerous side-effects. Under a health care rationing system that many suspect the Obama Administration to try to implement, how many patients would actually be allowed to benefit from such therapies?

Oh Deer!

A story here in my part of Silver Spring has received a little national and even international attention. On Thursday, a deer being pursued by two dogs crashed into a Greek restaurant that I've eaten at occasionally and then entered the Giant supermarket where I do most of my grocery shopping. (Local report and video.)

I went grocery shopping at the Giant earlier this afternoon. I didn't see any specials on venison in the meat department.

"A Mission for the Ages"

Image credit: NASA TV

That's how one NASA scientist described the Kepler mission launched tonight from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This spacecraft and mission is designed specifically to find Earth sized planets orbiting other stars in a zone that might allow them to be 'habitable' by life.

Space.com has posted an article describing how Kepler will search for other worlds and a descriptive video (~7-1/2 min) featuring some of the key people involved in the mission. Meanwhile, Jeff Foust describes the mission and its significance here.

Because multiple transit detections are needed to confirm an exoplanet discovery, it will take essentially the entire 3.5-year mission to detect planets in Earth-like orbits. (Closer in planets with shorter periods will be found more quickly; Kepler should be able to find any planets in Mercury-like orbits in its first year of observations.) "In about three or four years from now there will be a press conference at NASA Headquarters," predicted Alan Boss, a Carnegie Institution of Washington astronomer who studies extrasolar planets and recently published a book on the topic (see "Review: The Crowded Universe", The Space Review, February 16, 2009), where Kepler project officials "will stand up and tell us just how frequently Earths occur."

It is significant that even in perilous times, humans continue to explore and seek out knowledge of the universe around us. Kepler may show us worlds that may turn out to be inhabited by life, or else could in the distant future could be inhabited by humans (pending travel technology far beyond any capability we have today).

Rush to Judgement

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been in the news often since his rousing speech to the CPAC conference last week. Here is the Politico article on how the White House and Democratic operatives are trying to make Rush the new Republican bogeyman even as the economy crashes and burns on their watch.

While no one speaks for all Republicans or all conservatives, Rush does speak for many frustrated Americans with a lively and often humorous delivery. So if you feel you don't like Rush Limbaugh, my question to you is have you ever listened, not just to what someone else says about him or to brief and out-of-context soundbites, but to his program for at least a half hour? (Here is his web site where you can find out which station near you carries his program.)

So Much for "Pro-Choice"

When he is not busy pushing disastrous economic policies, President Obama is obstinately pushing the Culture-of-Death agenda:

-The nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who is more radical than your run-of-the-mill pro-abortion Democratic (or sometimes Republican) politician. Sebelius has a cozy relationship with notorious late term abortionist George Tiller. George Weigel explores a range of disturbing issues related to Sebelius.

-The intent to push for funding of embryonic stem cell research on Monday, even though it is ineffective and risky compared to ethical stem cell sources.

-Perhaps most onerous is the intent to reverse the conscience rule protecting individuals and organizations in the medical field from adverse consequences in adhering to their conscientious objection to abortion or other procedures. The move could result in Catholic hospitals defying pressure to participate in abortion or having to close, greatly impacting the communities they serve. This makes clear that the claim of abortion advocates of being 'pro-choice' is simply a gimmick to mask their fanatically pro-abortion agenda.

March Storm

No, not the ProSpace citizen space lobbying campaign, but an actual winter storm moving up the east coast as March comes in like a lion. The back-end is approaching DC as the storm proceeds to the northeast.

BTW, Mark Hemingway points out that fellow NRO blogger Greg Pollowitz actually called this storm for this date on December 18, as "global warming" protests seem to have an uncanny ability to attract severe winter weather.

Save the Date [Greg Pollowitz]

Anyone want to bet on a snowstorm hitting D.C. on March 2, 2009?

Make Climate Justice History - Mass civil disobedience March 2nd, 2009 in DC

Dear Friends and Allies-

We’re in the process of organizing a mass non-violent civil disobedience to coincide with Power Shift 2009. In late February 2009, the Energy Action Coalition will host over 10,000 climate activists focusing generally on making climate change, clean energy, and green jobs a priority for the new administration. Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, the Ruckus Society, Chesapeake Climate Action Network and a host of others are planning a mass non-violent civil disobedience, with a goal of organizing over 1,000 people, to cross the line and sit-in at the Capital Coal Plant.

Budgeting for Space

When you throw $3.6 trillion at the wall, some of it will inevitably stick to useful places. It appears that science, technology and education are treated fairly well in the FY2010 budget request. NASA receives an increase to $18.7 billion.

The NASA section of the White House budget document indicates that the Obama Administration is endorsing the Bush Administration policy of ending Space Shuttle operations in 2010 to concentrate on "development of systems to deliver people and cargo to the International Space Station and the Moon". (interestingly, the controversial Ares launch vehicle architecture currently under development is not specifically mentioned.) The budget statement also indicates an intention to "stimulate private-sector development and demonstration of vehicles that may support the Agency’s human crew and cargo space flight requirements".

There are two concerns with the NASA plans. For one, the Summary Tables (see p. 18) in the budget request indicate that, beyond this year's increase, the NASA budget is projected to be effectively flat for several years.

More immediately, there has been no appointment of a NASA administrator and senior leadership yet. The latest rumors point to Steve Isakowitz, an experienced and innovative individual in the space community. (I met him as part of a ProSpace delegation which met with him about ten years ago when he was Branch Chief of Science and Space Programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).) But until he or someone else is appointed to lead NASA, important decisions regarding the exploration architecture will be delayed, possibly resulting in wasted tax payer dollars and delay in reaching our space exploration goals.

One additional note on NASA: Charles Miller, a long time friend, space entrepreneur and Advocate for the Space Frontier Foundation, has been appointed as "Senior Advisor for Commercial Space" in the Innovative Partnership Programs office. This is a hopeful sign that NASA may be ready to move toward more innovative, commercial friendly policies.

Yes, We Can Tax & Spend!

Public Domain Pictures.net

The Fiscal Year 2010 budget request was released on Thursday as President Obama continues to make his mark on economic policy. The $3.6 trillion budget requests includes major tax increases and a projected budget deficit of $1.75 trillion.

Just a reminder of what a trillion "with a 't' "is.

One trillion is 1,000,000,000,000 - 10 to the 12th power, or a thousand, thousand, thousand, thousand. To put things in perspective, current estimates put the number of stars in the Milky Way at somewhere between 100 and 400 billion. The U.S. population is slightly over 303 million, and the world population is around 6.6 billion.

$1 trillion would be enough money to buy about a 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for every person in the United States. A trillion barrels of oil would - at current consumption levels - fuel the world for about 33 years.

Maybe they should just send each of us those 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. All that sugar should stimulate some economic activity.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday and here is Catholic Online's Lent/Easter page. Here's a report on Pope Benedict's comments today and the US Catholic Bishops' Lenten web site.

"In the homily, the pope focused especially on a phrase from the second Letter to the Corinthians: "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (5:20). " Paul," he commented, "experienced in an extraordinary manner the power of God's grace, the grace of the Paschal mystery that is the vital force of Lent itself. He presents himself to us as an 'ambassador' of the Lord. Who better than him, then, to help us travel in a fruitful way this path of interior conversion?"

Pope Benedict XVI

Here is a symposium on Lent at NRO Online.

Space Blitz

I'm participating in today and tomorrow's Space Exploration Alliance Legislative Blitz on the Hill. This year's agenda items include continuing the Moon, Mars, Asteroids & Beyond vision, closing the post Shuttle 'gap', Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, space solar power & continuing a healthy science program.

My sense is a lot of general interest and support (including very enthusiastic interest from a certain woman on Rep. Mike Doyle's (D-PA) staff), but much uncertainty about budgets and policy from the Obama Administration. Some staffers (particularly, but not exclusively GOP) were asking what our sense of the situation is, though as volunteers on the Hill for a couple of days, we don't know any more than they do.

Note that the annual ProSpace March Storm will not be held this year due to resource and time limitations.

Something Stirring?

President Obama's announcement of a plan to deal with failed mortgages produced a predictable reaction along party lines in Congress, while the President's push for the 'stimulus' and the mortgage proposal seem to have hit Wall Street with a resounding THUD! This has an ominous impact on all of us.

What is going to turn this beast around, and what should the president do? First of all, let’s dispense with the antiquated notion that only rich people own stocks, and that the market’s ups and downs are unimportant. Almost everyone has a stake in our financial markets, either through owning stocks and bonds directly or through pension plans. Even the neediest Americans who are fed or clothed by charities are hurt when those organizations’ endowments crater or donations dry up.

What is most striking is what seems a growing popular movement reacting against an aggressive expansion of government with the mortgage proposal on top of the enormous 'stimulus' on top of the financial bailouts with more spending and regulatory initiatives expected.

Michelle Malkin reports on some citizen protests dogging the President and some members of Congress. But what really seems to have caught fire was the outrage expressed by Rick Santelli on CNBC from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, calling for a "Chicago Tea Party". His emotional words gained audible support from those on the floor around him and are reported to have generated a tidal wave of emails to pundits and talk show hosts and become a hot topic for blogs.



This could signal a rising tide of anger over over fairness and liberty. Let's pray and work that it be channeled constructively toward corrective action.

A Teaching Moment With No Photo-Op

Pope Benedict XVI had a private meeting with a delegation headed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. According to the Vatican statement issued after the meeting, the Pope made a point of stressing the Church's strong position on protecting human life, including the unborn. Nancy Pelosi futilely attempted to re-interpret that position last year.

His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists, and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of development.

Pelosi's office later issued a statement on the meeting that avoided the points the Pope made regarding human life. George Weigel asks if they are talking about the same meeting.

Two things worth noting. First, the meeting was closed to reporters and photographers. This denied Pelosi and the other Democratic Congress members in the group a photo-op that could be used to imply papal toleration of their pro-abortion positions.

Finally, the Pope made it clear that the Church is simply observing the natural law concerning the dignity of human life. While Church doctrine cannot be imposed on those that are not Catholic or on the whole society, the natural law is knowable by and binding on every human being, including those in positions of power, even those who are not Catholic. (Are you listening, President Obama?)

The Anchoress has some good points and links to others' comments on this story.

Space Pioneers and Visionaries, RIP

The past couple of days have brought reports of three pioneers in advancing the frontier in space who have passed away.

Tom Rogers was an older gentleman, a curmudgeon in the positive sense of the word, who persistently advocated for greater human access to space, including space tourism, for decades with often innovative approaches. I enjoyed meeting and talking with Tom at a number of space conferences over the years, though I'd not seen him in the last few years.

Konrad Dannenberg, a leading member of Wernher von Braun's team of rocket scientists who developed the Saturn rockets that propelled the first humans to the Moon, passed away at age 96.

Finally, Charles Gehrke was a leading lunar scientist who studied the lunar rock and soil samples who returned by the Apollo astronauts. He was chartered by NASA to identify if any life forms existed in the samples (They don't).

Signed into Law

Public Domain Pictures.net

President Obama signed the enormous 'stimulus package' into law today in Denver. This experiment no doubt does include some beneficial measures, most of which would have been more appropriately handled in the regular appropriations process.

The downside is the huge addition to the debt in the coming years, plus the potentially dramatic policy changes involving health care, welfare, ACORN, and other areas that most people don't expect to find in an economic 'stimulus' package.

As for the overall impact, only time will tell. Sooner or later, the economy will improve, though the huge spending can have both positive and potentially serious negative impacts. (We probably have not seen the last of the pig.) Politically, the impact will depend on the timing of the effects of this huge spending measure and whether the Republicans can effectively communicate an alternative economic vision to the American people (over the heads of the Old Media).

NASA Direction Needed Soon

The inclusion of additional NASA funding ($1 billion, with $400 million for 'exploration')in the huge 'stimulus' package raises some intriguing issues (aside from the obvious one about the mix of useful and dubious measures in the enormous package that was just rushed through Congress). A NASA Spaceflight.com article discusses possible options to close the 'gap' between Shuttle operations and future US human spaceflight activity.

While acceleration studies have been taking place for Constellation’s Ares and Orion vehicles, the alternative options of utilizing EELV vehicles - such as the Delta IV Heavy or the Atlas V Heavy - have been touted, along with the "Direct" proposal of using their Shuttle Derived Jupiter launch vehicles - which has gained increased interest and publicity over the last couple of years - to, as they claim, save money, shorten the gap, and avoid the shedding of Orion’s capabilities, as is currently required by Ares I’s performance shortcomings.

However, any major decision on altering the architecture for future human spaceflight will depend on the Obama administration choosing new NASA leadership, which hasn't happened yet, to review the situation and make the decisions within the framework of Obama administration policy, which is still not clear. Thus, any benefit of the additional NASA money in the 'stimulus' package may be diminished by delay in decisions on new leadership and how to best proceed with the future human spaceflight program.

Satellite Collision Creates New Debris Problem

This week's collision of a US Iridium satellite with an apparently defunct Russian satellite raises concerns about why it was not predicted and the impact the resulting debris will have on other spacecraft.

Final House and Senate Passage

Public Domain Pictures.net

The enormous 'stimulus' package passed the Senate tonight after final House passage earlier today. President Obama is expected to sign it Monday.

Representative Tom Price (R-Ga) publicizes the haphazard process that produced this dubious legislation in this video.



In a sidelight to these developments, it was reported by Drudge that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was eager to get the bill passed quickly so that she could leave for Rome as part of a delegation that will meet with Pope Benedict XVI and with Italian legislators next week. Given her attempts to reinterpret Catholic teaching on human life, there is speculation on what kind of papal reception Pelosi will receive. More on this here.

Judd Gregg's Withdrawal Highlights Census Power Grab

Senator Judd Gregg announced yesterday that he was withdrawing his name from nomination to be Secretary of Commerce because of fundamental differences with President Obama over the 'stimulus' package and the decision to pull the 2010 census under direct White House control. While it can be argued that he should have seen the difference over economic policy before originally agreeing to be nominated, the census decision announcement came after his nomination was announced.

Given the potent political implications of next year's census, hopefully Gregg's withdrawal will attract the needed public scrutiny of the White House census plan.

Astronaut's video Lampoons NASA Bureaucracy

Astronaut Andrew Thomas has produced a video (with NASA's blessing) that depicts the frustrations of a young engineer working for a NASA contractor as she tries to introduce an innovative idea to a NASA project. The video is hilarious but sad, in that it is based on some real-life situations.

Working in the industry, I have seen some of this frustration myself, though I must also say that there are many dedicated people in management positions in the industry and at NASA who are open to innovation, and do their best in a sometimes difficult system.