The Turn of the Year
The end of a year is always a time to look back on its impact on the world. This year is ending with the immense tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean region.

The 2004 elections may be remembered as a 'tipping point' where citizens were engaged and energized to fight hard for both sides, but with President Bush winning re-election to the White House and conservative Republicans increasing their margins in Congress. While no person or party has a monopoly on virtue or ideas, we have hopefully moved a little closer to restoring authentic constitutional law and to protecting human life at all stages.

W began the year by announcing a new Vision for Space Exploration while NASA probes brought exciting new images and information from Mars, Saturn and elsewhere. But it was the exciting breakthrough in the private sector with the flights of SpaceShipOne and the winning of the Ansari X-Prize which will make the Vision more likely to succeed and live up to its full potential for humanity.

Finally, ABC News has made its choice for the 'People of the Year' who've influenced events: Bloggers.

On to 2005! Happy New Year!

Have a Holy and Merry Christmas!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:1-14

Christmas in the Heavens
The International Space Station crew eagerly awaits the arrival of much needed food and supplies. Meanwhile, the Huygens probe is set to separate from the Cassini spacecraft. Landfall on Titan is set for January 14.

Why This Election Mattered
W resumes the fight to put some good people on the federal courts. Only going to cause the pro-abortion lobby more conniptions, while they are already howling and shrieking over the potential of a prolife DNC chairman.

No Longer Partying like it's 1992?
There are signs that some Democratic Party leaders may be starting to come to their senses about their Party's obsessively pro-abortion position and its contribution to their continuing political setbacks. Check out the stories here and here.

Of course it remains to be seen whether any moderating of the Party's position will be substantive or mere window-dressing. Never-the-less, these hints are already stirring a pit in the stomachs of leading pro-abortion activists.

However, leading abortion advocates are chagrined by these events and blame Kerry, who refused to support even a modest ban on partial-birth abortion or not using tax dollars to pay for them, for not doing enough to tout his pro-abortion views during the campaign.

Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt told Newsweek that Kerry "did not help the cause."

.....................................

"If we try to be fake Republicans, that's not going to work," Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, co-chair of the House pro-abortion caucus, told Newsweek. "It would be a cynical political move."

Happy Feast Day!
Author Charlotte Allen discusses the meaning of today's Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

An image is a way of capturing the Incarnation -- God becoming man, in the flesh. God's image can be shown, and that image has power. Our Lady of Guadalupe is powerful because the Blessed Virgin Mary made her own image, her own incarnation.

Hanukkah and Our Attitude about the Future
(This is a post I originally made last year and feel is worth repeating, especially in light of developments this year that could lead to human expansion into space that would provide resources for future generations.)

Rabbi Daniel Lapin has a provocative column in WorldNetDaily on a message of Hanukkah that is relevant to people of all faiths. He shows examples, ancient and modern, of how a pessimistic Malthusian worldview have been repeatedly disproved by the Creator's providence of material resources and the ingenuity to utilize them to provide for the future. Rabbi Lapin says:

It only seemed that we lacked sufficient copper, whale oil or wood. In reality, our God-given ingenuity developed exciting new technology that eliminated our need for each commodity just as it was becoming scarce.

Hanukkah's miracle was that, day after day, the Temple's menorah just kept on burning in spite of an apparent shortage of fuel - a metaphor, surely, for all apparent shortages that can be overcome with faith. Hanukkah invites us all to express gratitude to the Creator whose beneficence is boundless. It stimulates discussions that can spur our spiritual growth. It reminds us that with His gift of creativity, challenges become optimistic opportunities to partner with God in creatively solving all material shortage.

Not so embryonic stem cells?
Two proposals to develop embryonic-like stem cells supposedly without destroying human embryos are receiving careful scrutiny by those working to protect human life. Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review describes and offers a cautious endorsement of the two procedures in his articles(Part 1 and Part 2) at Tech Central Station.

I do support the careful approach the researchers appear to be taking, working with animal cells until proving that there is no live embryo destruction. What I wonder is, even if the procedures pass the ethical test, whether the products avoid the uncontrollable factors currently plaguing embryonic stem cell research and match the gains being made in adult stem cell research.

Commercial Space Legislative Victory
After several near-death experiences, the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 (H.R. 5382)was passed by the Senate on Wednesday evening shortly before adjournment. Jeff Foust provides some more background on how close the fate of the bill was. The Space Frontier Foundation has issued a press release praising the bill's passage.

'Blog' is the Word.
Merriam-Webster has announced the list of top ten words looked up in their on-line dictionary, with the most often researched word for 2004 being 'blog'. Now, if only Blogger will add the word to be recognized by its spell-checker.

Advent Calendar & Info
Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, officially starting the season of spiritual preparation for Christmas. Go to this link for an Advent calendar and other related information.

Thanksgiving
A special day to give thanks to God for all His gifts to us. Have a good time with family and friends and don't eat any more than I would. ;-)

Space Happenings
It's been a busy week of space developments, including Europe's SMART-1 arriving in lunar orbit, the successful X43A scramjet test and the launch of the 'Swift' gamma ray burst observatory.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Congress has provided NASA with funding almost matching the President's request, affirming the long term exploration goals. Also, the House has passed a re-incarnated Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. Senate action is still required.

Finally, the Old Media sources sometimes do get it right, as with Time Magazine's plan to designate SpaceShipOne as 'Invention of the Year'.

The Specter Saga
Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee seem ready to support Senator Arlen Specter as Judiciary Committee Chairman, despite vigorous opposition from conservatives. I have been reminded, however, that the formal vote won't take place until January, which means it is possible a sustained grassroots campaign and/or another misstatement by Senator Specter could cause the current likely succession to unravel.

Senator Specter is a pro-abortion advocate who opposed President Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork for the Supreme Court, although he did support the Clarence Thomas nomination and opposed Democrat filibusters of President Bush's recent nominees.

It is hard to say at this point whether Senator Specter will remain faithful to his pledge to bring the Preident's future nominees to the floor. However, it shows how much the ground has shifted on the abortion issue that Specter, at least publicly, now refers to 'prolife' nominees. Back in the Nineties, Specter used inflammatory language such as 'anti-choice' and 'intolerant right' in his 1996 announcement of an unsuccessful presidential bid. The fact that a pro-abortion advocate feels compelled to make this shift in language is encouraging indeed.

"...a new and more creative future"
Michael Novak describes the US Election outcome's impact far from home.

What I conclude after this visit, more powerfully than ever, is that important new currents so visible in the victory of George W. Bush are also beginning to affect very distant places, and that great spiritual changes are beginning to display their first sprouts: a profoundly new vision of our own secular history, more open to religion than formerly; a new attention to the family and to the traditional morality on which its health depends; and a rethinking of fundamental economic principles concerning taxation, state power, and welfare programs. The notion is also gaining traction that the ideas of the Left belong to the 1950s, if not earlier, while those of Bush and others like him point to a new and more creative future.

The Real Loser
Not only did the Democratic Party lose big in this election, but in her always eloquent way, Peggy Noonan points out the self-inflicted loss suffered by the Old Media:

Every time the big networks and big broadsheet national newspapers tried to pull off a bit of pro-liberal mischief--CBS and the fabricated Bush National Guard documents, the New York Times and bombgate, CBS's "60 Minutes" attempting to coordinate the breaking of bombgate on the Sunday before the election--the yeomen of the blogosphere and AM radio and the Internet took them down. It was to me a great historical development in the history of politics in America. It was Agincourt. It was the yeomen of King Harry taking down the French aristocracy with new technology and rough guts. God bless the pajama-clad yeomen of America.

Glenn Reynolds also weighs in on the declining influence of the Old Media:

What the Big Media have lost is the ability to make people dismiss out of hand ideas that haven't been vetted by the Powers That Be. They've lost the ability to set the agenda in both a positive and a negative sense, to decide which ideas, and which stories, are on the table, and which are not.

Haunting Specter
Conservatives concerned about the role Senator Arlen Specter would play as Judiciary Committee Chairman on judicial nominations are campaigning on the Internet to urge the Republican Senators to select another choice. See continuing updates on this effort also at The Corner.

Catching Up on Life after Politics
Time to clean house and get other things done. Also time to catch up on what else has been going on in the Solar System, for instance the exploration by the Mars Rovers and the Cassini-Huygens craft orbiting Saturn.

On to the Future
With a gracious concession speech by John Kerry, a magnanimous victory speech by George W. Bush and significant changes in Congress, the hard fought 2004 election campaign is over. A few quick thoughts:

-Many citizens on both sides became active and poured their hearts into this campaign and a record number of voters turned out. If this energy is sustained and channeled constructively, the nation will benefit immensely.

-The immense amount of vitriol directed toward President Bush by some in the Democratic Party and other interest groups (MoveOn.org, entertainment celebreties, etc.) was not rewarded with success, but with rejection. This outcome is also healthy for the nation.

-Terrorists and tyrants around the world are dealing with the prospect of facing W's courageous leadership in the world for the coming years.

-The ascendancy of 'Lifestyle Choice uber alles' is over. The prominence of life issues, the status of marriage and other social issues should cause the Democratic Party to rethink its blind obedience to Planned Parenthood's and NARAL's hardline pro-abortion agenda. The party could start by being open to a significant part of its own members who have been excluded from leadership in the Party.

-The blatant bias and manipulation of information by parts of the Old Media (NY Times, CBS, etc.), and the resulting role played by the New/Alt Media (bloggers, talk radio, Fox News etc.) will be a continuing story well beyond this election year.

-W's re-election and the Republican gains in Congress open the door to significant economic initiatives including fundamental reform of the tax system, litigation reform, etc.

-The Vision for Space Exploration will go forward. This doesn't mean the Administration and Congress will give NASA a blank check. The need to control federal spending will spur an emphasis on innovation and commercial solutions where-ever practical which will only enhance the opening of the frontier.

Decision Time
I've been busy the last few days with my discretionary time, with precinct calling, county campaign activities and a little volunteer time in DC with National Right to Life and the RNC to help influence the swing states. Tonight I'll be working some final details and resting up for a busy day tomorrow at my precinct polling place, so I'll keep my endorsement (which should already be obvious) short and sweet.

I'm supporting the re-election of George W. Bush because of his positive record and proposals on the interconnecting themes of a Culture of Life, National Security and the War on Terrorism, economic opportunity, the Vision for Space Exploration, etc. His opponent, Senator John Kerry offers vague and contradictory statements ('Flip-Flop') and a Senate record of bad choices on a range of issues.

Beyond the issues, defying the irrational vitriol and outright hatred against the President for his persistence in making and sticking with courageous decisions that often defy the conventional 'wisdom' is a significant reason in itself to vote for his re-election. The fact that some people despise George W. Bush for his strong Faith in God is shows that they fear the power he gains from it.

So get out there and vote for W and encourage others to do likewise. And pray that God take care of our nation, its leaders and its people.

Closing on the Finish, and things only get stranger...
...(and perhaps more ominous). Recent days have been filled with reports and clashing statements about voter fraud and/or intimidation and the when-and-whereabouts of explosives in Iraq. Now, the one person most hostile to our country and the civilized world weighs in (from Drudge archive snapshot).

Celestial Happenings


False color ultraviolet and infrared image of Titan NASA

With my obvious focus on politics right now, it's sometimes difficult to keep up on all the space news. But I don't want to overlook Cassini's close approach to Saturn's moon Titan. Also, don't forget tonight's total lunar eclipse.

Election Intensity
Blogging's been more sporadic as I've been working at the precinct level and in other ways for W's re-election and the election of other good people.

Meanwhile, surprise , surprise, the Washington Post has endorsed John Kerry.While the Post does attempt to list strengths and weaknesses of both candidates, the endorsement seems to be based on an overly expansive assessment of President Bush's shortcomings and wishful thinking on Senator Kerry's promises. Interestingly, the Post also published today, an article by Bob Woodward on 22 questions he'd like to ask John Kerry on Iraq (but which the Senator has not gotten around to answering).

Finally, if your stomach and your blood pressure will allow you to continue to follow the seemingly wild gyrations in polls and prognostications, a few good sources include RealClearPolitics, National Review Online's Battlegrounders and NewsMax.

Terri Schindler-Schiavo still in danger
Rulings by the Florida State Supreme Court and a local judge go against the fight for Terri's life. Furthers actions to save her life could include an appeal by Florida Governor Jeb Bush to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The times, they are a changin'.
Time magazine poll gives W slight edge, and reports that a majority of Americans are prolife.

Dems advocate pre-emptive war...
..., not against terrorists and tyrants, but against their political opponents at home, according to the Drudge Report on Thursday.

ISS crew handover is underway...
...following some tense moments during the docking sequence of the Soyuz spacecraft carrying the new crew to the station.

The Great Space Debate
Thursday, the morning after the final presidential debate between President Bush and Senator Kerry, I attended a forum where two prominent members of the space community in DC spoke for their respective candidates on the topic of space policy (which, not surprisingly, was not discussed during any of the candidates' debates). More details from Jeff Foust and Keith Cowing.

Space Frontier Conference Trip
Returned Sunday evening from Space Frontier Conference 13 in Long Beach, CA. The conference covered activities and plans in cutting edge entrepreneurial space ventures. Philosophical and spiritual aspects of the space settlement vision were also discussed.

Noteworthy topics include the volatile status of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, designed to smooth the regulatory environment for the suborbital spaceflight industry. Congress has just recessed until after the November elections, but is expected to return for a 'lameduck' session. Stay tuned to space news sources such as HobbySpace RLV News for developments and citizen action items.

The now historic Ansari X-Prize is planned to be followed up by an exciting X-Prize Cup tournament to be held yearly in New Mexico, according to Bill Gaubatz, representing New Mexico's state space business efforts.

The highlight of the conference at Saturday night's banquet was Scaled Composite's Burt Rutan, famed designer of SpaceShipOne which claimed the X-Prize last Monday. Mr. Rutan received the Space Frontier Foundation's coveted Vision to Reality award on behalf of the SpaceShipOne team, and generously spent nearly 2 hours explaining the project, showing videos and answering questions.

The conference venue was the majestic Queen Mary. The ship which now serves as a hotel, conference center and tourist attraction has a proud history both as a civilian luxury liner and as a troop transport on which many thousands of Allied troops, including my father, sailed on during their service in World War II.

The Prize is Won!
Forty seven years to the day after Sputnik 1 signaled the dawn of the Space Age, a new kind of space age is underway. SpaceShipOne, with test pilot, now astronaut Brian Binnie at the controls, soared past the 100 km (~62 mi) required altitude for the second time in five days and claimed the $10 million Ansari X-Prize.


Ansari X-Prize, via Space.com
SpaceShipOne rockets into space...


Ansari X-Prize, via Space.com
...and returns safely to Earth (accompanied by chase plane) to claim the X-Prize.

The prize-winning flights are seen as heralding a new age of commercial space travel opening space to many beyond the traditional government astronauts and opening the resources of space to the benefit of present and future generations of people. Read more detail in additional articles from New Scientist and SpaceflightNow.

While the prize will be formally provided to the SpaceShipOne team in early November, designer Burt Rutan will accept an award on the team's behalf this coming Saturday evening at the annual conference of the Space Frontier Foundation on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.

One of the Original Seven
Mercury & Gemini Astronaut Gordon Cooper died today at the age of 77.

Why This Election Matters II
So you thought the 'lack of' WMDs or Saddam Hussein's relation to terrorists is a settled issue? Take a look at this article.

The senior government official and source of the Iraqi intelligence memos, explained that the reason the documents had not been made public before now was that the government has "thousands and thousands of documents waiting to be translated.

"It is unlikely they even know this exists," the source added.

Why This Election Matters I
U.S. Supreme Court turns down an appeal of an outrageous California State Supreme Court ruling infringing on religious liberty and conscientious objection. The President nominates candidates for Supreme Court and Federal judicial seats and your U.S. Senators vote them up or down. Remember on November 2.

Don't believe it.
Much of the Old Media has been trumpeting a Newsweek poll showing John Kerry gaining a narrow lead over W since Thursday night's debate as if it were the revelation of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. However, a Power Line Blog article describes how the sampling changed between the previous Newsweek poll and this one.

UPDATE: Reader Meg Kreikemeier points out that according to RealClearPolitics, Newsweek's most recent poll included 345 Republicans, 364 Democrats and 278 independents. This compares to Newsweek's published data for their most recent prior poll, which showed President Bush with a comfortable lead: 391 Republicans, 300 Democrats and 270 independents. Yes, if you drop 46 Republicans and add 64 Democrats, you will get considerably better results for the Democratic nominee. This is a good reminder of why poll data always need to be taken with a grain of salt, especially until you see the underlying data.

Now I don't know what ratio of Republicans to Democrats is a most accurate sample of the nation. However, it is obvious that if you change the ratio by as much as was done between these two polls, you are going to show an apparent Kerry 'surge' regardless of the debate outcome or any other circumstance in the real world.

UPDATE: Also, check out the intriguing clip of video linked from this Drudge article on John Kerry's actions during the debate.

Saint Therese of Lisieux
Today I saw the beautiful and compelling movie about Saint Therese. The movie about this special saint describes how she grew up in a loving family and grew in her love of Jesus. It is for everyone from the most pious believer to the most curious skeptic.

I saw the movie in Columbia at the only theater showing it in the Baltimore/Washington area. It is being shown in a very limited number of theaters nationwide. If you want to see a really great film and encourage the making of more like it, check out where it is playing in your area by clicking on the above link, enter the site and click on the 'Showing the Miracle' link and scroll down to the nearest metropolitan area to you.

Bloggers Defending Terri
Earl Appleby at Times Against Humanity has posted comments and links from a number of bloggers, including this one, in response to the Florida Supreme Court decision that once again puts Terri Schindler-Schiavo's life in danger.

Debate Fallout
A theme running through many thoughtful commentaries on last night's debate is that John Kerry was probably quicker on style, while W held his own and prevailed on substance. John Kerry had the most to gain from the debate and was more coherent than in other recent appearances. He managed to avoid debating himself, at least until he expressed support for pre-emptive action to defend the country with the condition of meeting an unspecified 'global test', a phrase that will come back to haunt him.

For a variety of opinions on the debate and ongoing political developments and poll results, check out RealClearPolitics.

SpaceShipOne Up, One to Go


NASA TV, link via Spaceflight Now

Test Pilot Mike Melvill flew Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne to a qualifying altitude for the Ansari X-Prize and returned safely to Earth. (Links to Space.com article and New Scientist article) A repeat performance required to win the prize is tentatively scheduled for Monday. A firm date may be announced tomorrow after further analysis of the unplanned roll during the craft's engine burn.

Pre-Election Bash
Went to a fun event in DC tonight to benefit a timely and critical cause, the Susan B. Anthony List, which is working to elect more prolife members of the House and Senate.

The Revolution Gains Momentum
Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne is set for it's Wednesday first qualifying flight for the Ansari X-Prize, while the Canadian da Vinci Project has delayed its launch attempt.

Meanwhile, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has struck a deal to use SpaceShipOne technology to begin commercial suborbital flights in 2007. Not to be outdone, Bigelow Aerospace, developer of inflatable space habitats, is offering a $50 million prize for a transportation system to serve its orbital assets.

Yet another hurricane...
...approaches Florida. This time it's Hurricane Jeanne.


NOAA

Florida Supreme Court rules against Terri's Law
The Florida Supreme Court ruled that the law violated the Florida Constitution's separation of powers. While the basis for the ruling may be technically correct, the pronouncement leaves Terri Schindler-Schiavo vulnerable to an unjust and cruel death. We need to pray as Governor Bush and Terri's family and lawyers consider alternative actions available.

More on the Blogosphere and the Old Media
Jonathan Last has published a timeline of the role of bloggers and other web sites in uncovering the CBS fiasco at The Weekly Standard.

Meanwhile, Frederick Turner ponders the larger meaning of these developments at Tech Central Station.

For as the story developed, something remarkable began to happen. The new community became aware of itself as a community -- the group mind, so to speak, had awakened, yawned, and seen itself in the mirror. As the various blogs, comment threads, and link systems cohered and came together, they started to recognize, exult in, and reflect upon their own power and speed, and a new tone entered the discussion. The power that the blogosphere recognized in itself was a veridical power, the power to discover the truth. Although much of the discourse was still in the jeering partisan spirit of the last weeks of an American general election, where the scoring of rhetorical points easily trumps the boring presentation of fact and logic, a new spirit of responsibility had emerged.

CBS 'fesses up.
Dan Rather and CBS News have admitted that they can no longer vouch for the documents alleging deficiencies in President Bush's National Guard service in the early 1970's. Of course, the other shoe has yet to drop. Who was the ultimate source of the forged documents and who all were involved in their dissemination?

Having a day job and slow typing fingers, I am what would probably be called a 'casual blogger'. I haven't been a part of the groundbreaking investigation of the CBS fiasco, but I'm proud of the large and growing community called the 'Blogosphere', itself a part of the New Media(or Alt Media) which played such a crucial role in this whole affair.

While this whole affair has brought unprecedented attention to the Alt Media, it's not the first time the non-traditional media have influenced the outcome of public events. For example, it was nearly a year ago that the Alt Media played a key role in saving the life of the disbled woman Terri Schindler-Schiavo (whose case is now being contested at the Florida Supreme Court). Rapid communication by thousands via e-mail, blogs, talk radio, etc. overcame Old Media bias and spurred Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature to take action to save Terri's life.

A Really Nice Day
After Friday & Saturday's nasty weather caused by the remains of Ivan, today was a real nice fall-like day, which I spent at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, enjoying plentiful food, drink and entertainment. The Celtic style music performances were particularly appealing to me.

For links to Renaissance Festivals around the country, click here.

Hurricane Ivan


NOAA

The ferocious Hurricane Ivan is approaching the Gulf Coast tonight. Pray for all those in its path. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Jeanne is lurking in the Caribbean.

Empire strikes back, but Jedi bloggers carry on.
Dan Rather tonight presented an updated defense of the CBS story on supposed National Guard documents damaging to President Bush. Note that the story cites two new experts, Bill Glennon, described as a 'document expert', and Richard Katz, a 'software designer'. No backgrounds or affiliations are cited. I quickly Googled those names, but the results are inconclusive since they are common names and I seemed to get hits on multiple people. It will be interesting to see what more persistent researchers come up with.

Meanwhile, Roderick Boyd of the New York Sun describes how a number of bloggers examined and challenged the suspicious documents presented by CBS.

Finally, Father George Rutler has a humorous perspective on this whole spectacle.

With Remembrance and Resolve


September11News.com/Yahoo

September 11, 2001

Old Media Unraveling
The case of the apparently forged National Guard documents related to President Bush's service continues to unravel. Here is yesterday's post (with updates) on Powerline Blog, the response to the controversy by CBS and comments on the role of the New Media by Glenn Reynolds.

Hard Landing
The re-entry capsule from the Genesis probe, designed to collect solar wind samples, crashed into the Utah desert today when its parachute systems failed. While severely damaged, the capsule lodged into the desert sand pretty much in one piece. Project scientists are trying to determine if any of the solar wind samples survived for study.

Here are reports from NASA, Space.com and Spaceflight Now.

Meanwhile,...


NOAA

...other events in the world call for attention and prayer, including the latest terrorist atrocity in Russia, Hurricane Frances and Former President Bill Clinton's heart condition.

Grand Finale
W wrapped up the convention with a convincing, if a little lengthy, acceptance speech.

In this world of change, some things do not change: the values we try to live by, the institutions that give our lives meaning and purpose. Our society rests on a foundation of responsibility and character and family commitment.

... Because a caring society will value its weakest members, we must make a place for the unborn child. ...

Here's a little gem regarding Old Media opinion:

In 1946, 18 months after the fall of Berlin to allied forces, a journalist wrote in the New York Times, "Germany is a land in an acute stage of economic, political and moral crisis. [European] capitals are frightened. In every [military] headquarters, one meets alarmed officials doing their utmost to deal with the consequences of the occupation policy that they admit has failed." Maybe that same person's still around, writing editorials.

And on the ordeal the nation has endured:

The world saw that spirit three miles from here, when the people of this city faced peril together, and lifted a flag over the ruins, and defied the enemy with their courage. My fellow Americans, for as long as our country stands, people will look to the resurrection of New York City and they will say: Here buildings fell, and here a nation rose.

Give 'em Hell, Zell!
Georgia's retiring Democratic Senator Zell Miller is speaking now, saying that his family is more important than his party, and that W is the one he trusts to protect our country. He denounces Democratic 'manic obsession' to bring down W, unlike past history of bipartisanship in times of crisis. Praises our soldiers as liberators.

He's listing many of the U.S. armaments that John Kerry opposed. "US forces armed with what? Spitballs!" Contrasts Kerry's votes with campaign rhetoric.

John Kerry "more wrong, more weak and more wobbly" than any other leader. W committed to 'kind of forces to root out terrorists'. Now praising W's values.
"This Democrat is proud to stand with him!"

As background, here is an article on Zell's conversion from pro-abortion to prolife.

UPDATE (~10:30 PM) VP Dick Cheney is speaking to the convention now. He says he's 'glad Zell Miller is on our side'. Praising administration's record on education and the economy. "The Bush tax cuts are working."

Never lose sight of 'preserving the freedom and security of this nation'. Crowd chanting 'Four More Years'! "We're in a war we did not start, and have no choice to win." Terrorists 'did not know America, and did not know George W. Bush'. Listing positive outcomes in the world due to policy on terror. Now citing 'mighty debt to the US armed forces'.

VP says 2004 election one of most important in history. Cites differences between W & Kerry on national security. W 'will never seek a permission slip (from foreign leaders) to defend the American people'. We can count on W 'to get it right'.

Citing Kerry's changing positions spurs audience chants of 'Flip Flop!'. VP says W has 'a heart for the weak, the vulnerable and the afflicted' and 'calls evil by its name'. Signs are good for campaign 'even in Massachusetts'.

Post speech music: "Ain't No Stopping Us Now".

RNC Night 2
Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele spoke a few minutes ago and challenged stale conventional wisdom by stating how giving people more freedom helps to lift people up:

You can't help the poor by destroying the rich.

Now Governor Arnie is giving a rousing speech advocating freedom and optimism, urging critics not to be 'economic girlie-men'.

Coming up soon, W's daughters, then First Lady Laura.

BTW, transcripts & videos of Monday night's major speeches are linked here. Presumably, each day's speeches will be added.

More on the Old Media Meltdown
Glenn Reynolds has an article at TechCentralStation.

That decline is partly technological in origin. Monopolistic or oligopolistic newspapers and broadcast outlets were the result of technology: economies of scale and scope that rewarded consolidation and led to virtually no competition among newspapers and very little among broadcasters. Now that's changing, as alternative outlets like talk radio, cable television, and, especially, the Internet, have almost completely removed the traditional barriers to entry and allowed competition.

But the loss of those barriers isn't the biggest problem faced by the mainstream media. The biggest problem is that, like most monopolists, they've spent so many years enjoying their position and not worrying about quality that they're left floundering now that competition is exposing their faults. Like the folks at GM who couldn't understand why people were buying Toyotas all of a sudden back in the 1970s, today's Big Media folks are shocked to see ratings and circulation numbers falling while readership for Internet sites skyrockets. And, like the auto executives, they're even starting to mumble about the need for protection.

Old Media Meltdown
Beyond the specifics regarding John Kerry and Viet Nam, the Swift Boat Vets episode signifies the shift in influence from the Old Media to the Alt Media, according to John Podoretz in the NY Post.

Meanwhile, a Reuters editor became unhinged in his response to a prolife group's press release.

RNC on a Roll
With a narrow but increasingly consistent trend in the polls favoring W, the Republican Convention is off to a buoyant start. John McCain is currently speaking with a strong defense of W's leadership in defending America.

UPDATE (~10:45 PM) A moving Sept. 11 commemoration included three widows of heroes from that terrible day and a rendition of Amazing Grace. Rudy Giuliani coming on now.

Apocalypse Now
I haven't covered much on politics or anything else recently, but the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth seem to have evoked a desperate anti-free speech legal action by the Kerry campaign and some hysterical responses from the Old Media, such as Chris Matthew's implosion last night. Once again, the power of the Alt Media, including the blogosphere, to end-run the Old Media control and slant of information is contributing to the vitality of our democracy.

I've been reluctant to go full throttle on this whole thing since I appreciate the service of anyone who has served in combat. However, Mr. Kerry opened himself to this controversy by playing up his Viet Nam experience so prominently at the Dem Convention. Maybe he should get back to advocating for his Iraq policy of the week.

Robot on the Way
I'm behind in my blogging, and I know it's old news, but NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe's recent announcement on Hubble robotic servicing could mean some exciting and challenging work for me and my coworkers over the next few years.

Charley Hits Florida


NOAA

While Bonny fizzled out, Charley has done 'significant damage' in Florida and will likely be near here in the Middle Atlantic region tomorrow evening.

A Bold Agenda on Taxes
House Speaker Denny Hastert says its time to end the cumbersome tax system we all know and hate. This could become a centerpiece of W's second term domestic agenda.

"If you own property, stock, or, say, one hundred acres of farmland and tax time is approaching, you don't want to make a mistake, so you're almost obliged to go to a certified public accountant, tax preparer, or tax attorney to help you file a correct return. That costs a lot of money," writes Hastert. "Now multiply the amount you have to pay by the total number of people who are in the same boat. You can't. No one can because precise numbers don't exist. But we can stipulate that we're talking about a huge amount. Now consider that a flat tax, national sales tax, or VAT would not only eliminate the need to do this, it could also eliminate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) itself and make the process of paying taxes much easier."

One promising alternative is proposed by Americans for Fair Taxation.

On to Mercury

NASA

The Messenger spacecraft is on its way.

Give Me a Break!!
Dems unhinged, accuse NASA of 'leaked photo' of Kerry in 'bunny suit'.

Blowin' in the Wind
Peter, Paul & Mary serenaded the Democratic Convention earlier this evening with their famous rendition of Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind. The lyrics include these words:

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?

Well, yes, too many people have died, because of the policies of the Democratic Party and the powerful interests that control it.

Prize Update
The Ansari X-Prize announcements were made today as expected, according to this SPACE.com article.

Rutan and his team have given its official 60-day notice, with the first X Prize attempt set for September 29 from the inland Mojave Spaceport in California. To win the $10 million, SpaceShipOne will need to make a second flight within two weeks, by October 13.

Hot on Rutan’s heels is Brian Feeney, leader of the Canadian da Vinci Project. Feeney also reported today that his team is rolling out on August 5 their completed X Prize vehicle -- the balloon-lofted Wild Fire rocket. The public unveiling will take place at the team’s Downsview Airport hanger in Toronto.

Ground Control to John Kerry?


NASA, link by Blogs for Bush

While the Democratic Convention would open later today in Boston, John Kerry visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He addressed a number of issues, including the pushing of embryonic stem cell research, but did not propose a vision for the space frontier.

Kerry's record and statements on space are, on the whole, rather negative. On the other hand, President Bush will fight for the vision of our future in space.

BTW, check out Free Republic's 'caption contest' for the above photo.

A Space Race with ... Canada?
The Ansari-X-Prize has announced a press event for this coming Tuesday featuring several announcements about the competition, according to Space.com.

According to the X Prize Foundation press statement today, “representatives from major teams including Burt Rutan from the American Scaled Composites team and Brian Feeney from the Canadian da Vinci Project team will be present”.

9/11 Commission
I haven't had time to read the report myself, but by most accounts, the Commission report provided a sobering warning on our vulnerability to future attacks and serious recommendations to the country, while avoiding a partisan slant in either direction.

Two Anniversaries
Tuesday July 20, marks the 35th anniversary of when humans first made landfall on another world.
 

NASA
 
The day when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle on the lunar surface and then Armstrong took that famous "Giant Leap" was one of the great moments in history. Here is the Apollo 11 page of the National Air and Space Museum, plus some interesting commentary by Rand Simberg and Mark Whittington. This anniversary comes with a renewed Vision for Space Exploration.
 
The other anniversary is not quite so momentous for humanity. Last year on the 34th Apollo 11 anniversary, I launched this humble blog. While a busy life and slow typing fingers keep me from covering every event or topic I'd like, this past year has been quite a ride.
 
September brought, among other things, Hurricane Isabel. October include the first Chinese astronaut and the critical point in the ongoing grassroots fight for the life of Terri-Schindler-Schiavo, (perhaps the Internet's finest hour). January was a particularly busy month, with probes exploring Mars & a comet while President George W. Bush heralded a new initiative for exploring space. Meanwhile, also check the January archive for my essay on Why we March for Life each year.
 
It's getting late and my memory is blurring on more recent events I've covered, but look forward for another exciting year of Faith, Life, Liberty & the Final Frontier.

Keeping Busy
Participated Monday in the first day of the Moon-Mars Blitz on Capitol Hill. (A number of additional organizations joined the Space Exploration Alliance after this press release was published.)

Later this week, I'm off to Vegas for Return to the Moon V.

Marriage Debate
For background info on this week's Senate debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment, see MarriageDebate.com.

John Kerry's Illogic on Abortion
Everyone's probably heard by now that John Kerry has picked John Edwards as his running mate. But we shouldn't overlook Mr. Kerry's latest contortion over the status of the unborn.

John Kerry stated "I believe life does begin at conception." But then he drags out that old fallacy that protecting those unborn lives would be imposing Catholic beliefs on people who subscribe to other religions. In reality, this is not some issue of abstract theological doctrine. The Catholic Church and its faithful followers (along with many Protestants, Jews, Muslims, atheists, etc.) are simply recognizing an objective natural reality.

The real question is, is our society inclusive enough to protect every human life at any stage or in any condition?

Cassini Snaps the Rings



After safely entering orbit around Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft sent back it's first images of the planet's rings.

Convening for Life
I've already attended the first day of this year's National Right to Life Convention here in the DC area, which included a video greeting from President Bush.

Meeting the Lord of the Rings
The Cassini spacecraft is in the middle of it's Saturn Orbit Insertion Burn. Spaceflight Now is providing a continually updated mission status.

Still Trying to Party Like It's 1992
But the Democrats will have trouble keeping the party going since they have been lethally eliminating so many future partiers.

End Run Around the Forces of Darkness
The US and Iraq completed the power handover two days early.

Bush Blogroll Feature
I've just added a feature from the Blogs for Bush site, which links to the 25 most recently updated sites from the Bush Blogroll. Check it out immediately below my permanent blog list on the right.

Gone Home to the Lord
My Mom passed away early Monday morning after a period of declining health. My brother and sisters and I were with her at her hospital bed as late as Sunday afternoon. In this time of sadness we are comforted by the support of family and friends, many happy memories and the promise of life beyond death.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away."
Rev 21:4

A New Space Age Begins


Scaled Composites, LLC

On Monday June 21, Mike Melvill became the first pilot to fly a privately developed craft into space. The craft, SpaceShipOne, was developed by Scaled Composites of Mojave, California.

Space.Com provides an archive of stories and photos about the effort. Comments on the meaning of this accomplishment are provided by the Space Frontier Foundation and the National Space Society.

Reliving that horrific Morning
The 9-11 Commission today reviewed the details of the hijackings and attacks of September 11, 2001, including replays of voice transmissions.

The Space Commission Report


The Commission appointed by President Bush to study implementation of the Vision for Space Exploration delivered its final report today. The full report can be downloaded (2.17 MB, Adobe PDF) from the Commission web site.

Spaceflight Now provides a comprehensive report. The article describes the Commission's numerous recommendations, some of which are:

The panel recommended establishment of a permanent Space Exploration Council, chaired by the vice president or some other high-ranking official, that would include representatives of all appropriate federal agencies. Reporting directly to the president, the council would be empowered "to develop policies and coordinate work by its agencies to share technologies, facilities and talent with NASA to support the national space exploration vision."

At the same time, NASA's Apollo-era management structure "must be decisively transformed," the commission said, recommending that:

NASA should turn over many functions to private industry with the ultimate goal being to allow "private industry to assume the primary role of providing services to NASA, and most immediately in accessing low-Earth orbit. In NASA decisions, the preferred choice for operational activities must be competitively awarded contracts with private and non-profit organizations." NASA's role, the panel concluded, should be limited to those areas "where there is irrefutable demonstration that only government can perform the proposed activity."


NASA should define clear lines of authority and accountability as part of a more focused and integrated agency.


NASA field centers should be restructured as Federally Funded Research and Development Centers in which a contractor operates the facility for the government. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which is operated for NASA by the California Institute of Technology, is an example of a working FFRDC. Putting other NASA centers on a similar footing would "enable innovation" and "stimulate economic development," the panel said. Some functions, however, would remain under direct government control.


Three new NASA organizations be created: A technical advisory board that would provide an independent assessment of technical feasibility and risk mitigation; an independent panel to verify cost estimates; a research organization to sponsor development of high-risk technology.


NASA should adopt personnel and management reforms in line with accepted policies and practices in place across cutting edge government and industry organizations.
The panel recommended that NASA establish teams to identify critical enabling technologies and "aggressively use its contractual authority to reach broadly into the commercial and non-profit communities to bring the best ideas, technologies and management tools into the accomplishment of exploration goals."
Congress should provide financial incentives, the commission said, to attract entrepreneurs to the high frontier. And Congress should re-examine existing treaties to resolve open questions about property rights in space to encourage development of space infrastructure.

Later in the article, these recommendations are included:

The commission also recommended that NASA:

Seek input from the scientific community to "ensure that maximum use is made of existing assets and emerging capabilities."


Ask the National Academy of Sciences to consider "how machines and humans, used separately and in combination, can maximize scientific returns."


Use a "discovery-based criterion" for selecting destinations beyond the moon and Mars "that also considers affordability, technical maturity, scientific important and emerging capabilities including access to in situ space resources."

Peeking at Phoebe


NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

NASA's Cassini probe is arriving at the Saturnian system and has imaged this outer moon as it passed by on Friday. I've added the NASA Cassini-Huygens page to my links list

Sometimes the Supreme Court gets it right...
...like today, when it left 'under God' in the pledge.

By the setting California sun...
...and the sound of a lone bagpiper playing Amazing Grace, Ronald Reagan is laid to rest.


Link by Nellis AFB

God bless Ronald Reagan with eternal rest and comfort Nancy and the family.

Reagan's Legacy
Ronald Reagan was not only the 'Great Communicator', he communicated great ideas. One that hasn't gotten enough recognition is his 1983 essay Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation.

Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide. My Administration is dedicated to the preservation of America as a free land, and there is no cause more important for preserving that freedom than affirming the transcendent right to life of all human beings, the right without which no other rights have any meaning.

A culture that values human life will strive to provide for future generations. Rand Simberg describes President Reagan's role in enabling the commercial space industry that is now awakening.

As history continues to play out off the planet, the late president will indeed be remembered as a visionary pioneer in space - but not for any decisions he made with respect to new NASA programs. Rather, it will be for his much-less-publicized but more far-ranging space-policy decisions - those that affected the neglected private sector.

Meanwhile, as I've been writing this, I've been watching the motorcade approach the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, as citizens on Highway 101 and on overpasses have paused to watch and say goodbye.

Witness to History
Living near Washington, DC allows for some convenient opportunities to witness historic events. This is certainly true this week so Wednesday afternoon I went downtown to witness the events surrounding the funeral of President Reagan.

First, I witnessed the procession along Constitution Avenue. The precision of the military units was impressive and the cadence of the drums was especially stirring. The flag draped coffin on the caisson was followed by the riderless horse which carried what I later learned were Mr. Reagan's own boots. After the procession passed my location and I started moving toward the Capitol, the formation flyover of 21 F15E fighter jets was awe-inspiring.

I made my way to the 'overflow' area, where the line was forming to pay respects in the Capitol Rotunda. Despite a four-and-a-half hour wait in line and a twenty five dollar cab fare back to Greenbelt to pick up my car (the Metro subway system having turned into a pumpkin at midnight), it was a powerful moment to pray and pay my respects as I passed through the Rotunda a few miutes before midnight. It was a rewarding and inspiring experience that I'm glad I did not miss. The mood among the people seemed to be one of deep respect yet celebration of Ronald Reagan's life.

Venus Transit
Clear (though hazy) skies Tuesday morning allowed me to observe the rare transit of Venus across the Sun. I set up my old 2.4 inch refractor with jury-rigged projection on to white cardboard at 60x magnification from ~6:30 'til transit end outside the building where I work in Greenbelt. Image of Venus' disc was a small but sharp dot. I enjoyed showing the transit to several people as they arrived for work.

A Lasting Legacy


White House Portrait

The world lost one of the great leaders of recent history when Ronald Reagan passed away yesterday at the age of 93. Mr. Reagan's willingness to challenge politically-correct thought conformity was at the core of his role in winning the Cold War, stimulating economic growth and standing for cultural principles such as the dignity of every human life. A consistently optimistic attitude and demeanor enabled the 'Gipper' to advance his principles and policies.

Major speeches by the "Great Communicator" are linked in this CNN compilation. An excerpt from his first inaugural address is as timely today as it was then:

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.

On this 60th anniversary of D-Day, it is timely to remember this address from twenty years ago on Omaha Beach:

Today, in their memory, and for all who fought here, we celebrate the triumph of democracy. We reaffirm the unity of democratic people who fought a war and then joined with the vanquished in a firm resolve to keep the peace.

And who can forget those words of comfort when the President addressed the nation on the loss of Space Shuttle Challenger and her crew:

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to touch the face of God.

A Date With History


SpaceShipOne on previous test flight. Scaled Composites, LLC

Scaled Composites has announced that June 21 is set for the historic first attempt at private human spaceflight.

Based on the success of the June space flight attempt, SpaceShipOne will later compete for the Ansari X Prize, an international competition to create a reusable aircraft that can launch three passengers into sub-orbital space, return them safely home, then repeat the launch within two weeks with the same vehicle.

A Step Toward Robotic Rescue


HubbleSite.org, Space Telescope Science Institute

NASA yesterday released a Request For Proposals to industry to provide systems to service and/or de-orbit the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a significant though interim step toward committing to a robotic servicing mission to extend and enhance the performance of the orbiting observatory.

Why This Election Matters
George W. Bush and John Kerry have differing reactions to a federal judge's ruling that partial birth abortion is a constitutionally protected activity.

Cicada Uprising
Can't let this event go by without notice. They're all around here, with the eerie high pitched din when the males sing in huge numbers. The Cicada Mania website has good background info and links to other sites.

Just think of how much the world has changed since their parents emerged in 1987. And what kind of world will their offspring emerge into in 2021? A world with new manifestations of good and evil.

We should pray and work toward a world where we human beings have eradicated today's wave of terrorism and have established a culture of life that respects every member of society. And maybe we will be providing for our future generations by beginning to move outward into the Solar System, with the entrepreneurs and settlers ready and able to follow the explorers.

Deadly Faces


AP/FBI, Link by Fox News

U.S. Government officials urged Americans to be aware of these people and the serious terrorist threat "within the next few months".

A spike in global warming was observed today...
...when Al Gore opened his mouth in public.

Space Developments
The Space Vision is neither dead-on-arrival nor a done-deal. Frank Sietzen reports the situation in Congress is still very fluid.

Meanwhile, Bigelow Aerospace is revealing more details on its plan for developing inflatable space habitats.

These topics and more will make for a lively International Space Development Conference this weekend in Oklahoma City.

W Addresses the Nation.
President Bush laid out a five-point plan for Iraq to determine its own future. The President's speech emphasized the relationship of the Iraq situation to the continuing real threat of terrorism.

Let's put the blame for 9-11 where it belongs, on the terrorists!
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani brings a welcome perspective in light of all the finger-pointing and politicizing of the 9-11 investigation.

Giuliani said in his opening statement that the commission's priority should be preventing a new attack, not assigning blame.

"Our enemy is not each other, but the terrorists who attacked us," Giuliani said. The mayor acknowledged there were "terrible mistakes" made on Sept. 11, but attributed that to the unprecedented circumstances.

Beware the Conventional 'Wisdom'...
especially when it deals with the presence or absence of weapons of mass destruction.

A Commentary on Today's Court-Imposed Start of 'Gay Marriage' in Massachusetts
Colleen Carroll Campbell analyzes the long term trends in the culture's attitude toward marriage.

Two-Thirds of the Way There (in Altitude)

Scaled Composites, LLC

SpaceShipOne reached 212,000 feet during last Thursday's test. That's about two-thirds of the way to the 100 km (62.5 mi) threshold for the Ansari X-Prize for private human spaceflight.

Pope John Paul II Canonizes a Prolife Role Model

"May our era rediscover, by the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, the pure, chaste and fertile beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine calling," the Pope said, according to an AP report.

W will address the space vision again soon...
...according to this UPI article by Frank Sietzen.

The speech apparently will be timed to coincide with a report by the presidential commission appointed earlier this year to review the space plan and seek broad public comment. The commission, headed by former Pentagon executive Pete Aldridge and featuring leaders from industry, non-profit groups and the military, is expected to release its report in July.

Sources said Bush has been briefed on the hearings held by the commission and is awaiting its report to help frame his forthcoming remarks. Despite the approaching presidential election, the speech, which will reiterate Bush's call for advanced human exploration of space, will not necessarily be made "in a political context."

Mystery Page
What does this Nautilus page imply about the plans of Bigelow Aerospace?

Catholics and the Election
Keith Fournier of Your Catholic Voice has an interesting analysis on how Catholics may decide the outcome of this year's presidential election.

"Though I lived and worked "in the beltway", I no longer do. I am out in the "real world" and I discern an amazing phenomenon brewing in the Catholic community. It is not that most Catholics are necessarily "pro-Bush", though some are. It is the reverse of what some pundits maintain will be the deciding factor in this election. You have heard some refer to a growing "anyone but Bush" sentiment in some circles. I see the opposite among Catholics. There is a growing "anyone but Kerry" sentiment."

Catching up on Space Stuff


The President's Space Commission held its final public hearing in New York City on Monday and Tuesday. The Commission heard from panelists including leaders of space advocacy organizations and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and, in its member deliberations, hinted that it would recommend major changes in the way NASA and the space industry do business in its final report.

Contents of presentations from this latest hearing should be up on the Commission web site sometime soon. Just a reminder to click on the 'Contact Us' button to submit your comments to the Commission. Time to comment is growing short. The Commission is due to issue its report to the President in June.

Thirteen space advocacy, industry and policy associations have announced that they have formed an alliance to support the vision of exploring the Moon, Mars and other destinations.

The X-Prize for private suborbital human spaceflight has taken on new money and a new name.

A deal between two emerging entrepreneurial space companies was announced this week. Bigelow Aerospace announced it will launch a prototype of an orbital inflatable habitat aboard a SpaceX Falcon V launch vehicle.

The Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, continue their historic and astounding explorations of the Martian surface. Opportunity has reached the edge of Endurance Crater and provided spectacular imagery. Meanwhile, Spirit continues its journey toward the Columbia Hills.


This approximate true-color image taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the impact crater known as "Endurance." NASA/JPL

I haven't been consistent in keeping up with this exciting exploration activity. I've now added the JPL Mars Rover web site to the space section of my permanent links.

The First Thursday in May
Each year, this date is observed as the National Day of Prayer. Here is the Presidential proclamation of the observance.

The annual observance of the educationally oriented Space Day also occurs on the first Thursday in May.

While I doubt there was any coordination on picking this date for these two observances, perhaps it can serve as a reminder that wherever we go in the Universe, we'll never be alone.

Space Access '04
HobbySpace.com provides this rather comprehensive review of this latest annual conference of the emerging space transportation industry, held last weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.

Handover Complete
The International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 8 crew has returned to Earth, while the Expedition 9 crew carries on with ISS operations in orbit.

Saddam's War on Insects
This is one possible explanation for the huge quantity of 'pesticides' found around abandoned Iraqi ammo dumps. However, Ken Timmerman has a more likely explanation, which would blow the roof off the conventional wisdom regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq.

Pro-Death March
I had the interesting experience of participating in one of the prolife counterprotests at today's pro-abortion rally in Washington, DC. The activity I participated in was organized by Silent No More and was a peaceful, dignified and well-organized response to the so-called 'March for Women's' Lives', a title which ignores the violence abortion does to unborn children and the serious suffering it has caused for many women.

The pro-abortion march drew an estimated 250,000 people, comparable to some of the recent years attendance estimates at the March for Life, which is held every year on a week-day in Washington on or around January 22, the anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 imposition of abortion-on-demand in the United States.

A Real Hero

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
John 15:13

I don't normally pay much attention to sports figures or other celebrities, but former pro-football player Pat Tillman, like many ordinary citizens, sacrificed everything to protect our freedom.

Space Commission hears more innovative ideas...
...at its public hearing last week in San Francisco.



Contents of presentations from this latest hearing should be up on the Commission web site sometime soon. Just a reminder to click on the 'Contact Us' button to submit your comments to the Commission. Time to comment is growing short. The Commission is due to issue its report to the President in June.

Still Trying to Party like It's 1992
John Kerry has released a pro-abortion campaign ad.

Language, the Culture and Space Policy
Dwayne Day writes in The Space Review on the 'feminization of American space policy', discussing the history of the language used by American leaders to describe the rationales for our space activities. He describes how by the nineties, the language tended to emphasize concepts such as inspiring and educating children.

This analysis has a lot of merit, but there is another aspect that deserves a look. Providing for one's children or for future generations is not a uniquely feminine trait, but also a strong masculine trait and responsibility. I don't think it is a coincidence that the current President who has rejuvenated our drive to explore the Solar System is also one who espouses a 'culture of life' (borrowing Pope John Paul II's phrase) which welcomes and protects children before and after birth.

Exploration, development and eventual settlement of the Solar System is a part of a positive world view of the future, in contrast to the 'limits to growth' world view which fears future generations and espouses aggressive population control around the world. W has revived the Reagan Mexico City policy curtailing US support of abortion in U.S. funded 'family planning' programs abroad.

"We will finish the work of the fallen."
President Bush has just finished addressing the nation on Iraq and is now taking questions. He outlined the grave situation in Iraq, acknowledging that these have been "tough weeks in that country", and pledged to stand firm in helping the Iraqi people defend themselves while pressing ahead with the June 30 transfer of power. The leadership of the President in standing firm in this critical situation is vital to America's future, and indicates once more that he should continue to hold office for another term.

Meanwhile, some of the domestic opposition have become totally unhinged, as shown by an ad sponsored by Democrats in a local Florida paper (the publisher of which says running the ad "slipped through" and shouldn't have happened). BTW, isn't threatening a public official potentially a criminal act meriting Secret Service investigation?

This Holy Week
This week marks Divine intervention in human history. Yesterday was the start of Passover, commemorating the time when God intervened to deliver the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Tomorrow evening begins the holiest time of the Christian calendar, the Easter Triduum marking Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection as redemption for our sins.


Link from www.truecatholic.org, artist not listed.

Have a blessed and happy Easter and Passover!

A Historic Clearance for Space
The FAA has announced that it has granted a launch license to Scaled Composites to conduct suborbital spaceflights with the company's SpaceShipOne vehicle. Scaled Composites is a leading contender for the X-Prize for demonstrating suborbital spaceflight.

UPDATE: Scaled Composites did not waste any time to exercise its license, conducting another powered flight test on Thursday morning.

Bipartisan Support in Congress Growing for W's Space Plans
Frank Sietzen reports that key lawmakers appear to be coming together to provide the initial downpayment in NASA's budget for the space initiative.

Particularly interesting in the UPI article is what it says about the White House's strategy in promoting the initiative:

According to congressional sources, several House members complained Bush has failed to say anything more about the moon-Mars plan since his Jan. 14 speech, and his silence has been interpreted as a cooling of support. The group was told the White House was silent, not because Bush was rethinking his grand space plan, but was instead trying to avoid further politicization.

One source told UPI that Bush would "keep his powder dry until the myths, legends, and political barbs on this strategy subside," and the president probably would speak again about his space plan sometime late in his re-election campaign.

This would counter some of the usual punditry concerning W's handling of the initiative, and may also provide insight into how the Bush Administration handles other priority issues, sometimes 'under the radar' of the Old Media.

NASA space fly-off considered.
Retired Adm. Craig E. Steidle, head of NASA's new Exploration Office (Code T), says a fly-off competition for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) might be advantageous to the agency's exploration goals. Adm Steidle is drawing on his experience with the military's Joint Strike Fighter project, for which such a competition was held.

W signs bill to protect second victim.

White House photo by Paul Morse

President Bush today signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (also known as Laci and Conner's Law). In his remarks at the White House signing ceremony, the President said:

"With this action, we widen the circle of compassion and inclusion in our society, and we reaffirm that the United States of America is building a culture of life."

X43A Experimental Flight Success!

NASA

The X43A experimental vehicle is designed to test hypersonic flight technology. Saturday's successful test took place off the California coast.

An Example of Why This Election Matters
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which would prosecute, in cases under federal jurisdiction, an attack on a pregnant woman and her unborn child as an attack on two persons. The measure passed on a vote of 61-38. One of the 'No' votes was that of Senator John Kerry. President George W. Bush is eager to sign the bill into law.

Old Media Echo Chamber
In this week's Space Review, Dwayne Day explains the sloppy journalism behind the common impression conveyed by the Old Media that President Bush is proposing to spend 'a trillion dollars' on 'a mission to Mars'. One more example of why to take what you learn from the Old Media (formerly the 'mainstream media') on any significant public issue with more than a few grains of salt.

Feast of the Annunciation

Link from Knights of Columbus, Artist not listed

The Word being made flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit. In our current times, this feast highlights the value of human life, and is often marked as the Day of the Unborn Child.

Space Commission Hearings


The President's Space Commission held its third public hearing session yesterday and today in Atlanta. A highlight was testimony by space entrepreneurs on the need to engage the private sector in space activities. A reminder that the commission is soliciting public input on its web site (Click on the 'Contact Us' button.).

The Shores of Mars
Catching up with a busy week which featured the historic announcement that scientists have conclude there was an ancient sea where the rover Opportunity is now studying the Martian surface.

Next step for SETI
As Project Phoenix has concluded, an announcement of funding for the more advanced Allen Telescope Array.

St Joseph's Day
Today is the feast day of my patron saint. (Since my middle name is Patrick, I have a sort of double-header this week for patron saints.)

Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession were left unassisted. Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection. Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.

"So Many Stars"
SETI Institute scientist Pete Backus, a good friend from my California days, reflects on the conclusion of Project Phoenix, which recently completed its final observing campaign at the Arecibo radiotelescope in Puerto Rico, in articles here and here. Pete assures us that the search has only just begun.

Vice President Cheney gets to the point...
...on the threat of terrorism in the world, and challenges Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's consistency and credibility on security issues. The text of the VP's speech is here.

Expelling snakes from DC
On this St. Patrick's Day, I'm happy to report that two of Washington, DC's most notorious abortion clinics, Hillcrest NW & Hillcrest SE have closed down, apparently due to staffing shortages and many prayers. (I've often joined the group praying the Rosary on Saturday mornings at Hillcrest, NW over the past three years.) Thanks be to God!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!


Artist unknown, Link by Catholic Forum

Catholic Forum provides 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.