What a Trip!

As I usually say at the New Year or on my birthday, "just one more trip around the Solar System". But, to borrow from Jerry Garcia, what a long, strange trip this year has been (but with some real blessings, too).

A year ago, it looked like our next president would be Hillary Clinton or one of several Republicans.

The US shot down a failing satellite in February, gaining some missile defense experience in an increasingly dangerous world. Civilian and commercial space activities made significant advances this year, particularly in the year's final weeks, while the final Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope has to wait until 2009.

Spring time brought a particularly blessed time with Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the US, which included the April 17 Mass in DC which I attended.

The year saw the most serious economic dislocations world wide in many decades, with spiking energy prices, the housing and credit market collapses and ongoing fear and uncertainty going into the new year.

The seemingly endless presidential campaign concluded with the historic election of Barack Obama while introducing a dynamic prolife conservative leader to the nation in the person of Sarah Palin, who will surely be a part of our future.

Our new president should be in our prayers so that he gains the wisdom and strength to do the right things (even if they differ from some of his past positions and promises). Those prayers are also needed in light of the continuing and growing dangers in the world, as seen this year in the Russian invasion of Georgia, the terrorist atrocities in Mumbai and in the Middle East violence provoked by Hamas in the closing days of the year. It is possible to pray fervently for peace without assuming a false moral equivalency in every conflict.

Well, we say good bye to one wild and crazy year, and look forward to a challenging new year with our prayers and hopes.

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

Apollo 8 Launched 40 Years Ago Today

NASA

On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 mission with astronauts Borman, Lovell and Anders launched on the first manned mission of the Saturn V rocket from Cape Kennedy, Florida. While the actual landing on the lunar surface by Apollo 11 the following summer is generally more often remembered, it was this mission that first marked humanity's breaking away from the immediate vicinity of Earth to visit another world. This Christmas time mission was a major inspirational moment for me.

Paul Spudis remembers and comments and provides several other links (Hat tip to HobbySpace).

Coming at the end of a very troubled year for the nation and the world, the journey of Apollo 8 provided an uplifting and unifying experience for the world and inspired Time Magazine's Men of the Year selection.

SO it seemed to Christopher Columbus in 1500. In the closing days of 1968, all mankind could exult in the vision of a new universe. For all its upheavals and frustrations, the year would be remembered to the end of time for the dazzling skills and Promethean daring that sent mortals around the moon. It would be celebrated as the year in which men saw at first hand their little earth entire, a remote, blue-brown sphere hovering like a migrant bird in the hostile night of space.

The year's transcendent legacy may well be that in Christmas week 1968, the human race glimpsed not a new continent or a new colony, but a new age, one that will inevitably reshape man's view of himself and his destiny. For what must surely rank as one of the greatest physical adventures in history was, unlike the immortal explorations of the past, infinitely more than a reconnaissance of geography or unknown elements. It was a journey into man's future, a hopeful but urgent summons, in Poet Archibald MacLeish's words, "to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold - brothers who know now they are truly brothers."

The inspirational highlight of the mission was the Christmas Eve telecast from lunar orbit where the crew read from the first verses of Genesis.



Some addirional thoughts and videos on this epic mission are posted at The Discovery Enterprise.

Hanukkah and Our Attitude about the Future

(This is a post I originally made in 2003 and feel is worth repeating each year, especially in light of ongoing and emerging developments that can 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.

Obama Announces Science and Tech Team

Barack Obama has announced some key appointments related to science and technology (although no word on the NASA administrator job yet). There are some good, some bad and still some uncertain aspects as to where his sci-tech policies are going, about which I'll have plenty to say as things develop.

Space Solar Power Highlighted

A position paper (PDF) submitted by the Space Frontier Foundation to the Obama transition team has been linked on the transition web site, where it has already generated three pages of comments, pro and con (and you can join in).

The one page paper summarizes the potential benefits of collecting solar energy in space and transmitting it to Earth and makes recommendations on the role the federal government can take in researching and developing space based solar power as a part of our mix of energy sources in the future. As an Advocate of the Space Frontier Foundation, I'm happy that this proposal is receiving such prominent public exposure and discussion.

Fitz Blitz

Reports and commentary are everywhere regarding the arrest of Illinois Governor Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief-of-staff on multiple corruption charges, including the attempted selling of the Senate seat being vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama. Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald emphasized that Obama is not implicated in these charges (and in fact, he refused to go along with the Governor's alleged dealings and was one of many targets of Blago's foul-mouthed tirades recorded by the FBI during the investigation).

ABC's Jake Tapper notes that there is a discrepancy between the accounts by Obama and senior adviser David Axelrod over his contacts with Blago, though there may or may not be any significance there.

Fitzgerald, who prosecuted Scooter Libby and investigated others in the Bush Administration over issues related to the 'Valery Plame affair', has focused much of his efforts as a federal prosecutor investigating corruption in the Chicago area. The incoming president did spend his rising political career in the milieu of Chicago politics, so Fitzgerald's continuing investigation of corruption in Illinois may remain as a shadow during his presidency. Today's developments are only the start of an ongoing story.

Real Change We Can All Believe In

While it was overshadowed by the national presidential and congressional elections and the approval in California of the Marriage Amendment, California voters also made history and showed common sense in voting for another initiative.

Proposition 11, which passed with the narrowest of margins (50.8 percent), could mark the most serious challenge to the political class by voters since the foiled term limit movement of the 1990s. It strikes at the core pillar of power: incumbency guaranteed through gerrymandered districts. Californians took away from their legislature the power to draw its own districts--a key element of nearly uninterrupted Democratic control since 1970. The task will now be handled by an eight-member commission chosen much like a jury, whose members cannot come from the political class.

Hopefully, this will become a wave across the country. The practical result would be to make other states such as Maryland, like California, less dominated by Democratic legislative control, while loosening Republican domination in other states such as Texas. In short, legislative races across any state that adopts this reform could become more competitive and citizens would feel they have more influence in how they are governed.

Georgia On Our Minds: Saxby Chambliss Wins!

Republican incumbent US Senator Saxby Chambliss won tonight's run-off election in Georgia, denying the Democrats an absolute 60 seat margin in the US Senate.

Meanwhile, Kathryn Jean Lopez debunks a lingering scurrilous accusation against Chambliss over an ad run during his first Senate campaign six years ago.

Saxby Chambliss, of course, did not question Cleland’s patriotism. He ran an ad that, yes, included images of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, as well as images of the American military. They were reminders we’re at war. The ad attacked Cleland for voting 11 times against a homeland-security bill that would have freed the president from some union mandates in setting up the new department. Agree or disagree with the bill (which was co-sponsored by then-senator Zell Miller of Georgia, a Democrat), the non-union employee measure, or the establishment of the department itself (National Review wasn’t a fan of the idea), but it was absolutely fair game for Chambliss to bring it up during the course of his campaign for Cleland’s Senate seat.

Tacking to the Center?

President-Elect Barack Obama's choices for key cabinet and staff positions have many wondering whether the incoming president has truly moderated his positions from those he took during the campaign. Caution is advised at this early stage of the formation of Obama's administration. Given the continuing dangers in the world, emphasized by the terrorist atrocities in India, and the continuing economic doldrums, we can only hope for a more moderate path.

Rich Lowry even sees continuity between Barack Obama and, gosh, George W. Bush.

A kind of continuity is also possible for Obama because the caricature of Bush foreign policy as dangerously radical never accurately reflected reality.

Bush wants U.S. troops to "return on success" in Iraq - so does Obama. Bush supports a buildup in Afghanistan - so does Obama. Bush wants a larger military - so does Obama. Bush has launched raids against al-Qaeda into the tribal areas of Pakistan - Obama wants to do the same. Bush wants to close Guantánamo Bay, but has been bedeviled by the difficult choices inherent in its shuttering - Obama will be, too. Bush has put out diplomatic feelers to Iran, while warning of the unacceptability of its nuclear program - Obama has done the same, although with more of an accent on diplomacy.

While any trend toward moderation on national security and economic issues would be good for the country, unfortunately, Obama's appointments do not indicate any trend toward moderation on social issues, particularly those involving the vulnerability of human lives.

SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser tells LifeNews.com that Clinton's selection is the latest in a line of appointments that shows Obama isn't serious about finding middle ground on reducing abortions.

"President-elect Barack Obama spoke of finding 'common ground' on abortion policy, but so far his personnel picks preclude this policy," she said. "Women and children deserve authentic common ground that affirms the lives of both. It is hard to see how these aggressive abortion advocates, so out of the mainstream woman's view, would help forge such ground."

Advent: Anticipation of Christmas

Today is the first Sunday of Advent a time of preparation for the coming celebration of our Savior's coming at Christmas. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us to "be watchful" for Christ.

Turning to today’s Gospel reading, he said, "Jesus' appeal therefore comes very much at the right time and in this first Sunday it is again proposed with force: 'Be watchful!' Jesus directed these words to his disciples, but also to 'everybody else' because each one will be called to answer for his existence at a time known only to God. This entails the right detachment from earthly things, sincere repentance for one's own errors, active charity towards one's fellow man and especially a humble and trusting faith in the hands of God, our tender and merciful Father."

Welcome to California

The Space Shuttle Endeavour landed safely today in California, diverted from Florida because of weather, after a mission that included an International Space Station (ISS) crew member swap and repairs and upgrades to the ISS.

Happy Thanksgiving

A special day to give thanks to God for all His gifts to us. On October 3, 1863, in the middle of the dire circumstances of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation which set the precedent for the annual holiday.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Have a good time with family and friends and don't eat any more than I would. ;-)

Terrorists Strike Again

Terrorist have struck at several locations in the Indian city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), killing nearly eighty people in a confrontation that is still ongoing with hostages being held.

UPDATE: The death toll is now reported at 101 and may be growing. Pray for all those involved in this horrific situation.

Meanwhile there is a heightened alert for potential attacks in New York City or elsewhere in the US over the holiday season.

Are you an Informed Citizen?

A couple of recent surveys have revealed that many Americans don't know as much as they think they do about civics, history and politics.

A survey by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute concludes that "Americans Earn a Failing Grade When Tested on American History and Economics." There's a link on the site to take the quiz yourself and see if you fare better than a majority of your fellow Americans.

Even more startling is the fact that over twice as many people know Paula Abdul was a judge on American Idol than know that the phrase "government of the people, by the people, for the people" comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.

Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker John Ziegler and Zogby Polling collaborated on a project to survey Barack Obama voters on major campaign topics. I want to emphasize that this does not reflect on all those who voted for Obama nor exclusively on Obama voters (McCain voters and others were not included in the survey). However, it does emphasis how badly much of the major media have misinformed voters about this year's candidates and campaign.



While I believe the Media are responsible for much of the misinformation revealed in this survey, particularly the greater knowledge of more trivial issues like Sarah Palin's wardrobe, I don't believe the Media hid the fact that Democrats took control of Congress two years ago. Even with all the Media distortion and omission, someone who was unaware of the Democrats controlling Congress after two years just wasn't paying very much attention to any source of information.

There is an individual responsibility for a citizen to be informed about how they are governed. If you are like me or most Americans, you already don't get enough sleep time, so it may be necessary to take some time away from something else you consider urgent or desirable to become more informed from various information sources about how you are governed.

Busy at ISS on Tenth Anniversary

The ISS and STS-126 crews were busy making improvements on the International Space Station yesterday, the tenth anniversary of its first component making orbit. Except for a tool bag becoming an unintended free-flying satellite and a delicate internal plumbing problem, the STS-126 mission is going well.

Historic First Direct Images of Exoplanets

Two separate announcements yesterday heralded the historic development of direct images being taken of planets orbiting other star systems.



NASA announced the discovery of a large planet orbiting the star Fomalhaut with imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope.


W.M. Keck Observatory, National Research Council Canada, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Meanwhile, another astronomical team announced the discovery and released the image of three planets in the star system HR 8799 using the ground based Keck Observatory in Hawaii.

These are historic developments that we've been awaiting for a long time and are just the opening act in a new spectacular era of discovery.

Endeavour on the Way to ISS

Shuttle Endeavour lift-off at 7:55 PM EST this evening. Full Moon is at upper right.
Image Credit: NASA/Troy Cryder

The Space Shuttle Endeavour left Earth this evening in a spectacular night-time launch on a mission to make improvements to the International Space Station (ISS).

St. Hildegard of Bingen

I attended a special concert at my Church this evening featuring the work of Hildegard of Bingen, 11th Century mystic, abbess, artist and composer. Hearing her soaring sacred music was a refreshing break from mundane activities and a reminder of things greater than the serious concerns of recent days.

A Grim Anniversary

Rand Simberg recalls that today is the seventieth anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night when a wave of terror against the Jews swept through Nazi Germany, foreshadowing the coming Holocaust. This is another ominous reminder to be wary of blindly following any temporal leader or movement.

Potential Game Changing Developments

Three technological developments that could affect our lives and generate new industries that would spur long term economic growth.

- U.S. Army researchers have developed "nanoscaffolding" that can facilitate the regrowth of external limbs and internal organs. (Hat tip to Transterrestrial Musings.)

The technology works by placing a very fine apparatus called a scaffold, which is made of polymer fibres hundreds of times finer than a human hair, in place of a missing limb or damaged organ. The scaffold acts as a guide for cells to grab onto so they can begin to rebuild missing bones and tissue.

This is the kind of breakthrough medical research that can improve peoples' lives, and all without even one embryonic stem cell.

- Mini nuclear power plants that can power industrial plants and residential areas. (Hat tip to Drudge.)

The miniature reactors will be factory-sealed, contain no weapons-grade material, have no moving parts and will be nearly impossible to steal because they will be encased in concrete and buried underground.

- Use of artificially generated "magnetic bubbles" to protect space travellers on deep space journeys. This technology would protect those traveling to and from the Moon and staying on its surface and would remove the greatest known hazard for journeys to Near Earth Objects, Mars and more distant places, enabling eventual settlement of the Solar System.

Computer simulations done by a team in Lisbon with scientists at Rutherford Appleton last year showed that theoretically a very much smaller "magnetic bubble" of only several hundred meters across would be enough to protect a spacecraft.

Now this has been confirmed in the laboratory in the UK using apparatus originally built to work on fusion. By recreating in miniature a tiny piece of the Solar Wind, scientists working in the laboratory were able to confirm that a small "hole" in the Solar Wind is all that would be needed to keep the astronauts safe on their journey to our nearest neighbours.

Post-Election Thoughts

A number of thoughts on the aftermath of Tuesday's elections:

So we've elected our new president. The election obviously didn't turn out the way I wanted. So what is the appropriate response? I think it is one of support where that term means support by praying for our leaders for guidance and strength. In terms of actions, the most I can say is I'll support President Barack Obama where I can and oppose him where I must. If he follows through on policies based on his record and his statements, there will be plenty to oppose. However, I'll always try to separate intense opposition to policies and actions from attacks on the man's personal dignity. Unfortunately, that line was not respected by those who became unhinged in their opposition to the Presidency of George W. Bush.

All the other serious implications aside, the historic first of Barack Obama's election in breaking a racial barrier is significant. Once such a barrier is crossed, it will not be so much of an issue in future campaigns.

There is a lot of discussion right now on how Republicans and conservatives come back from this election. Probably the biggest challenge is to meet is communicating in the current media environment. The thriving alternative media is a growing refreshing source of information and commentary. However, it was obviously still not enough to overcome the increasingly blatant distortion and omission that was part of the conventional media coverage this year. The reaction has to go beyond complaining about the situation to comprehensively planning to go through, over and around conventional media sources to reach people who so far are not aware of or don't take the time to investigate alternative sources of information. This includes keeping on top of rapidly evolving communications technology.

Communicating with younger citizens, who voted in a strong majority for Obama this time, requires conveying a message in their terms. Simply describing Obama's tax plans as 'socialist' does not have much of an impact on those who are too young to remember the Soviet Union or Ronald Reagan. Many younger Americans may have even been told by college professors that socialism is a good thing. It is important to communicate concisely and directly how a redistributive tax proposal would diminish their dreams of future opportunities.

Educational, cultural, scientific and religious institutions often are staffed with persons who consciously or not, tend to address public policy questions (e.g. climate change) in a way that promotes a particular point of view as established fact, even though the actual facts often lead to alternative conclusions. Changing the political landscape of a society goes beyond campaign strategies and must include a long term strategy to take these other influences into account.

There are of course, the specific policy areas at stake now: life issues, national security, economy, etc. that will need to be addressed proactively in this new political environment (with some definite priorities of intensity: e.g. a policy destructive of human life being a more grave situation than a bad tax policy).

UPDATE: 11/09/08: Paul Mirengoff expresses similar sentiments on maintaining a balanced response in this column.

Well, Here We Go

Well, with the projection for California now in, it is all but confirmed that Barack Obama has been elected as our next president. The President-Elect deserves credit and congratulations for conducting an effective campaign that outran two powerful opponents, first Hillary Clinton, then John McCain. (No doubt, the recent financial crisis likely played a pivotal role.) BTW, John McCain just gave a supremely gracious and classy concession speech.

One positive thing that should come out of this is that the nation should move beyond the current state of lingering divisions related to race.

Beyond that, there is more of a mystery of which Barack Obama will show up in the Oval Office, the moderate sounding candidate of 'Hope' and 'Change' or the man with a radical background of associations and policy positions that continued to bubble up even over the past few days.

So how to approach a situation that is what it is? There is a need to separate a feisty opposition from the kind of personal vitriol that marked the reaction to President Bush by some on the left. However, there can be no withdrawal from the fight for our essential values: the protection of human life at all stages, the advancement of liberty and imposing limits on the encroach of government power on free people. Let's pray and work like we've never done before.

The Election and Beyond

In a few days I’ll have time to clean up my house, get more rest, take an autumn hike on a mountain trail, spend more time at Space.com than I do at RealClearPolitics.com, etc.. These have been the final days of phone-calling, sign-waving, blogging and Election Day at the polls activities.

So what is this choice about? On the presidential level, we have one candidate who deserves credit for breaking the race barrier in winning his party’s nomination, setting a precedent for others in both parties seeking national office.

But this accomplishment is not a qualification for being swept into the Oval Office. Much about Barack Obama is still unknown: his birth certificate, educational and medical records, thesis paper, etc. are unavailable. But what we do know about his background and world view is reason enough to not choose him as our next leader. His long time associations with individuals and organizations to point to a radical world view that in turn will influence his policy decisions. Obama’s pronouncements on the economy and taxes, the latest revelation on his position on coal as an energy resource, his lack of experience or clear direction on national security and especially his insensitivity, even outright hostility, to the protection of human life at all stages are all reasons not to vote for Barack Obama.

John McCain has a proven record of character, sacrifice and ideas that would point our nation in the right direction. While I do have some policy disagreements with him, John McCain will protect our country, proposes generally pro-growth tax, economic and energy policies, and is, for the most part, strongly prolife. Finally, his selection of Sarah Palin as his VP running mate introduces a dynamic leader who challenges the conventional wisdom on so many levels. Palin is an accomplished governor of Alaska who has adopted the positive aspects of feminism in her personal life while discarding its lethal pro-abortion baggage. Sarah Palin will be a part of our future no matter tomorrow’s outcome.

So, going into Election Day, polls indicate that Obama is up by varying numbers in the popular vote and by narrowing margins in most of the key electoral states, so it is only prudent to be prepared for an Obama victory. However, with the huge number of statistically fluctuating polls, the latest bombshell on "bankrupting coal plants", the spirited connection between the crowd and Sarah Palin I saw in York, PA on Friday, and anecdotal evidence of uneven support for Obama among Democrats and Independents, it is possible the outcome could upset the conventional wisdom.

With all of the "boots on the ground" Get Out The Vote effort, we must also remember to depend on prayer. The historical analogy most often brought up in this context is the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 where a seemingly outnumbered fleet saved Christian Europe. Remember, with God, all things are possible.

So pray, work and vote. You are a free person and don't let polls, pundits or acquaintances discourage you. Fight on!

He Said What?

Add this to the "Saying in San Francisco what he won't say in Pennsylvania" department. In a radio interview with the San Francisco Chronicle back in January, Barack Obama revealed that his carbon cap-and-trade plan would be so aggressive it would bankrupt any effort to build a coal fired power plant and would also cause electricity costs to skyrocket. Here's the audio, in his own voice.

Obama talks about developing clean coal and other alternative energy sources, a worthy goal that should be pursued. But it can't be forced by deliberately hitting the American economy with staggering energy costs.

What else are we going to learn about this guy? This is spreading across the Internet and alternative media. McCain and Palin are jumping on this revelation. It may derail Obama's presidential ambitions. Otherwise, dinner by candlelight may become the norm.

If You are Even Thinking of Voting for Barack Obama,...

...please check out the video by Eduardo Verastegui linked near the end of this post. (Be forewarned, the full video contains graphic images of the destruction wrought by abortion. The video does provide an option to skip over that content.)

Not all political advertising is being conducted by the presidential campaigns or their respective political parties. Independent groups are weighing in on various issues. Here we'll highlight some of the latest prolife political messages.

Abortion survivor Gianna Jessen is featured in a new video responding to the Obama campaign's attack on her first video challenging his record of opposing protection of born-alive abortion survivors.



Meanwhile, Hispanic voters are the target of messages from Bisop Gracida of Corpus Christi, TX and actor and producer Eduardo Verastegui, whose powerful videos (in English and Spanish) emphasize the horrors of abortion and expose Barack Obama's extreme pro-abortion record. Verastegui is not only distributing this video, but is going on speaking tours of electoral swing states with high Hispanic populations such as Colorado and Florida.

Perfect 10!

Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio (STScI)

The first picture released from the Hubble Space Telescope following its recovery to the alternate side of its science data handling system shows a pair of gravitationally interacting galaxies called Arp 147 which appear to form a colorful number 10.

Meanwhile, NASA also announced officially what was becoming obvious to those of us on the project, that the servicing mission will not occur in February but more likely in May.

Sarah on Fire in Pennsylvania

I just got back this evening from an exciting afternoon in York, Pa. where VP candidate Sarah Palin, joined by Alaska's "First Dude" Todd and cute little daughter Piper, addressed a high spirited crowd at a campaign rally. Palin fired up the crowd and addressed several issues, including the economy and taxes, energy and national security, along with her special concern for the care of special needs children and the protection of human life. She quoted Pennsylvania's late Democratic Governor Robert Casey on the importance of protecting and assisting the vulnerable.

One definite impression is that Sarah Palin is even more charismatic in person than she appears on TV. No matter the intense attacks on her from other sources, those who come out to her rallies express an intense and warm affection.

While most opinion polls show Barack Obama still leading by various but narrowing margins, there does not seem to be any "enthusiasm gap" among McCain-Palin supporters in central Pennsylvania. Those I talked to mentioned the preponderance of McCain signs in the York area. Of course, given the enthusiasm nationwide on both sides, I won't draw any definite conclusions about the outcome. But now, I'm really pumped going into these final days before the election.

Late word: Drudge is reporting Zogby showing McCain up by one-point (48-47)!

Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-Treating is winding down after a nice Autumn Friday night of friendly little ghosts and goblins out on the chocolate hunt.

I don't know if this is a growing Halloween fad, but here in Silver Spring tomorrow night a "Zombie Walk" will be held. Probably a great time for wanna-be zombies. There may even be more real zombies this year than usual, given the efforts of ACORN to raise up registered voters to advance their agenda.

On a more significant note, All Hallows' Eve segues into All Saints Day. Kathryn Jean Lopez describes her experience on a retreat focusing on how anyone can aspire toward sainthood.

World Champion Phillies!

It's been a long time since the Philadelphia Phillies, my native Major League baseball team won the World Series, but tonight's the night! Yeehaa!!

Catholics, Life Issues and the Election

Over 100 Catholic bishops in the US have weighed in on the importance of protecting human life in light of next week's election, many of them linked on this list. One particularly articulate and powerful statement is from Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia.

At this moment in our country’s history, defense of innocent human life is a moral responsibility for all of us. The same God who thundered from Mount Sinai: "Thou shalt not kill," thunders still. When life in the womb is destroyed, God thunders: "This is a child!" When by the most barbaric means, unworthy of any civilized people, the brain of a child is sucked out of his or her head by a vacuum, God thunders: "This is a child!" When a baby is left to die of exposure on a shelf because of a failed abortion, and this is considered a "right" by any leader, God, the Source of all law and authority, thunders: "This is a child!" When we are faced with every modern means of education and communication, in addition to the law placed in our hearts at creation, no one, and most especially, no Catholic, can ever say: "I did not know."

Some observers, such as in this LA Times opinion piece, say that Catholic voters are drifting away from concern about protecting human life in making their election decisions. I doubt such a sweeping conclusion, which seems to be based on a selective focus on some of the wildly varying polls being published.

However, there is a reason for concern. I believe that the bishops are speaking out more strongly now partially to correct a couple of loopholes that some in the Church seem to have found in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship".

Is this election one of the "times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons"? Many bishops have said "no," but "Faithful Citizenship" has been being taught throughout the nation's dioceses and parishes for many months. Stories abound of parish seminars where the pro-life concern was dismissed as "single-issue" or "divisive" and "partisan." It got so bad in the Diocese of Scranton that Bishop Joseph Martino crashed a panel discussion in a local parish and announced, "The USCCB doesn't speak for me."

Whatever the outcome of this election or the direction of the Catholic vote, I hope/expect that the bishops will clarify and strengthen their USCCB statements to reflect their stated concerns on the priority of the life issues.

Limbo Lower Now! How Low Can You Go?

Barack Obama and Joe Biden seem to be doing the Limbo Rock with the arbitrary line they've drawn where you earn enough income to have some of it "redistributed".

$250,000, $200,000, $150,000...?

How low can you go?

Obama's Own Words

Barack Obama has remained a national enigma while riding a popular wave the last two years of campaigning. His response to 'Joe the Plumber' a couple of weeks ago revealed a preference for "spreading the wealth around" through tax policy.

Now, a recording from a radio interview (audio and transcript) at WBEZ in Chicago in 2001 reveals just how far Obama's views in favor of redistribution of wealth go.

But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent as radical as people tried to characterize the Warren court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it’s been interpreted, and the Warren court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. It says what the states can’t do to you, it says what the federal government can’t do to you, but it doesn’t say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf.

So he would like to have seen an economic equivalent of Roe v. Wade, which imposed abortion-on-demand on the nation even though no such requirement exists in the Constitution. However, he says he prefers a strategy of "political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power" to achieve his radical views.

So it is plainly obvious now what this election is about. No matter what your view on President Bush's performance, his administration will soon be history. The issue is is not just about competence, but about two radically different views on our way of life, a positive policy of freedom and growth v. redistribution.

One must ask, if Barack Obama thinks this "redistributive change" is such a great thing, why didn't he tell us all along? Why did it take a spontaneous conversation with a plumber and now a 2001 radio interview uncovered one week before the election for this world view to become publicly known?

A Journalist Looks at His Once Proud Profession

Journalist Michael Malone describes his shame how the journalism profession in the conventional media has declined, especially in light of this year's political campaign coverage.

The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months I’ve found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and my laptop computer.

But worst of all, for the last couple weeks, I've begun - for the first time in my adult life - to be embarrassed to admit what I do for a living. A few days ago, when asked by a new acquaintance what I did for a living, I replied that I was "a writer", because I couldn’t bring myself to admit to a stranger that I’m a journalist.

You Couldn't Write Fiction Like This

So much of the Media was singing hosannas over Ret. General Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama for President (yawn).

Supposedly this gives national security cred to Obama. However, this may not impress the terrorists and tyrants of the world. who are likely to create a an international crisis during the first six months of an Obama presidency, according to Obama's running mate Joe Biden.

Now Biden's statements raised many eyebrows, but not so much among some major Media organizations, who were pre-occupied with investigating GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin's wardrobe.

The $150K figure attributed to Palin's wardrobe seems to attract more curiosity among the Media regulars than Obama's record shattering $150M spent in September.

I could go on, but it's past my bedtime. Sweet dreams.

Space Buzz

A number of exciting developments this week:

- After more troubleshooting, Hubble Space Telescope science operations are about to be restored after a switch to the B-Side of its Science Instrument Control and Data Handling system.

- An International Space Station (ISS) crew switch from Expedition 17 to Expedition 18 was completed yesterday with the arrival of the returning crew to Earth. Paying customer Richard Garriott, who stayed on the ISS while the crews were handing over, was doing more than space tourism. He was conducting an experiment that may have a great payoff for medicine and commerce.

- India launched its Chandrayaan-1 lunar robotic spacecraft, joining a growing community of nations exploring the Moon. Here's a link that provides some video of the historic launch.

- The SETI Institute is starting to operate its Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in northern California. The ATA will provide unprecedented capabilities in searching for possible intelligent signals from other solar systems in our galaxy.

So, How Informed Are You?

Do you think you know what the presidential candidates' positions are on the issues they would be facing as president? Kathryn Jean Lopez shocked many members of a crowd of young Catholics when she informed them of how radically pro-abortion Barack Obama's views are.

In a packed bar, I was discussing the contentious question of whether a Catholic can support Obama for president. I highlighted the priority that defending innocent human lives takes in these considerations, according to the Church. I then went through Obama's radical record on abortion. The jolt came after I finished speaking, when one by one, people told me they had no idea Obama was so radical.

They were shocked. And so was I.

Lopez cited numerous examples of Obama's position that are clearly on the public record despite the candidate's attempt to smooth talk his way out of his own record during last week's debate.

OK, so you were unaware of these facts on abortion and protecting life. Of course you know who's to blame for the mortgage debacle that led to the financial crisis. George Bush, right? Well, if you read the article by Stanley Kurtz on his research into the origin of the mortgage debacle, and/or check out this video clip (~11 min), you may be surprised.

So why is there so much confusion as to what the facts are surrounding some of the grave issues facing our society? For that matter, why are we so divided on these issues? Could it be that the traditional sources of information, the large news media institutions are distorting or omitting critical information and whipping up emotionally simplistic reactions to controversial issues? Could it be that not everyone trusts the same sources of news and that people are reaching out to increasingly diverse sources of information?

You don't have to rely solely on those traditional, so-called mainstream media sources. For that matter you don't have to rely on any narrow source of information, including this blog and the sources I cite. Being an informed citizen means taking the advice in the video linked above to use Google and other tools to check out and verify information for yourself. When you do so with an open mind you may be surprised. It may even change how you vote in two weeks.

'Joe the Plumber' Meets 'Senator Government'

Well, the third debate is over (transcript and video) as are the Al Smith Dinner proceedings (videos, McCain transcript and Obama transcript).

The big story of the week has been the encounter between Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber, and Barack Obama in Ohio on Sunday.



John McCain successfully used the incident in Wednesday's debate to highlight how he and Obama differ on approaches to the economy and taxation. Much fallout has come from this, including some attempts by Obama supporters (including those in the Media) to question Wurzelbacher's background and credibility.

Regardless of all the details of Joe Wurzelbacher's life, the real issue here is Barack Obama's answer to his question, and what it tells about Obama's philosophy of economics and government. Many Americans like Wurzelbacher, who are currently well below Obama's arbitrary dividing line of who is rich enough to be taxed more, aspire to grow their business and wealth in the future. They are disturbed by Obama's claim that implies it is up to the government to decide how much an individual is allowed to prosper before their wealth is to be "spread around".

"Spread the wealth around" may sound rather benign but it raises real questions about what Obama's world view is. One's world view is influenced by what individuals and groups one associates with, so the questions about Obama's associations with Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, ACORN, etc. are not just campaign distractions, but are relevant to what philosophy Barack Obama would use in governing.

This week's polling data indicates some narrowing of the race, as analyzed at Patterico.com. (Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt) Whether the issue raised by 'Joe the Plumber' alters the electoral outcome will depend on whether the McCain campaign, supporters and alternate media can effectively and persistently communicate this issue to enough voters between now and the election.

A Blogger Without a Keyboard....

...is like a fish out of water. After three days of not being able to type, replacement hardware from HP arrived yesterday, so I can once again comfort the afflicted and afflict the politically correct conventional wisdom.

Who Spoke These Quotes?

The first quote is

It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

and the second is

I believe the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves. And who is more vulnerable, or more innocent, than a child?

Are they both from the same person? Actually, the first one is from an early political hero of mine, the liberal Democrat Hubert Humphrey, Vice President of the United States. And the second? That was spoken by one who is currently seeking the office that Humphrey once held, Sarah Palin, who went on to say

Yes, every innocent life matters. Everyone belongs in the circle of protection. Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. There are the world’s standards of perfection ... and then there are God’s, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake.

Times have surely changed when some of those of the political party that Hubert Humphrey once belonged to and some of the more unhinged on the left, oh excuse me, "progressive" side denounce Sarah Palin in the vilest terms (which I will not repeat here) precisely because she speaks so strongly for the protection of the innocent.

Here are the text and a video excerpt of Sarah Palin's speech Saturday in Johnstown Pennsylvania.

Jim Benson, RIP

Jim Benson, space entrepreneur and founder of the commercial space company SpaceDev, passed away Friday after battling a brain tumor at age 63. I recall first meeting Jim Benson at the 1997 Space Studies Institute conference, where he was investigating business opportunities in the space field after recently retiring and selling off a couple of computer related companies he founded. Benson's company was originally founded to carry out a prospecting mission to a Near Earth Asteroid, but later shifted into launch vehicle and propulsion development. SpaceDev provided the hybrid engines which propelled SpaceShipOne on its pioneering human spaceflights.

An American Carol

Tonight I went to see David Zucker's An American Carol, an obvious satire on Michael Moore and his docu-ganda movies, which lampoons many politically correct icons while celebrating traditional American values. Kathryn Jean Lopez salutes this rare breakout from Hollywood's boringly predictable world view.

Second Time Around

A View Over Mercury’s Horizon (October 8, 2008)
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

The MESSENGER spacecraft flew by the planet Mercury on Monday, the second of three flybys before the spacecraft enters orbit around the planet in 2011.

This afternoon a friend and I attended an event at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the organization which built and is now controlling the pioneering spacecraft. We heard one of the leading mission scientists present background on the science and exploration of Mercury along with the latest results (followed by a stop for Mexican food and margaritas just outside the Lab). For continuing updates, check out the MESSENGER web site.

Connecting the Dots

While last night's debate (video and transcript here) yielded mildly positive results for both Senators McCain and Obama, many observers seemed to conclude that, for various reasons, this debate might lead to a cure for insomnia.

Two serious issues not addressed at the debate were the twisted history of the origins of the home mortgage debacle that led to the larger financial crisis and a growing scandal of potential voting fraud developing around the country. At the center of both of these stories is an organization called ACORN. What makes these developments so explosive at this time is the involvement with ACORN of one man: Barack Obama.

Stanley Kurtz describes this organization's aggressive push to force lending institutions to provide mortgages to people who would not have otherwise qualified for loans. Assisting poor people to move up in life is not a bad thing, but using intimidation to force lending institutions to extend unsustainable loans has led to disaster for the poor and others.

Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin describes ACORN and another organization being targeted by authorities in Nevada and other states investigating voter registration fraud. Here's more detail on the raid by authorities in Las Vegas.

McCain on Obama and the Economic Mess

As the markets went on another stomach-churning roller coaster ride today, John McCain delivered a speech in Albuquerque describing how Barack Obama and key Democrats in Congress thwarted action that might have averted the crisis.



This is a connection that must be repeated so that the voters can make a more informed decision on which persons and offices in our government allowed this situation to become so severe.

Sarah Comes On Strong

Last night's vice presidential debate (full video and transcript) was one of the most watched political debates in history with nearly 70 million viewers.

Over all, the debate went well. Joe Biden conducted himself well, though some of his statements proved to be reality-challenged. Sarah Palin shined with a great comeback after a rough couple of weeks for her and John McCain.

One of my favorite lines was Palin's response to Biden's incessant Bush bashing.

Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future.

If some of Sarah's words sound warmly familiar, check out this video.



Sarah Palin has such a proactive fighting spirit that she even challenged the McCain campaign's decision to pull campaign resources out of Michigan, saying that she and her husband Todd wanted to go and win over support in that state.

Meanwhile, Republicans will need to build on Sarah's performance to make the case in this campaign. Public opinion polls indicate a majority blame Republicans for the financial crisis. The following ad from the NRCC documents some history that challenges that perception and sheds some light of accountability for the situation.

Tax Bill Now Law, Market Down

The huge rescue/bailout bill (PDF text)was signed into law this afternoon after passage by the House. Hopefully the positive features (FDIC insurance extension, accounting rule change, aid to credit market, etc.) will outweigh the pork and whatever hidden whoppers were included in this 'sausage-making' process.

Meanwhile, the stock market took another dive after the bill was passed. I don't know whether that says more about the federal legislation itself or about the state of Wall Street today (or about my limited knowledge of finance). I don't know if the biggest problem on Wall Street is greed or its flip-side, wimpishness. We've heard so much about "nervous" investors and bankers. It's time for them to step up and take some risks for the good of themselves and the country.

Finally, some on the left wishfully express the opinion that this rough economic period marks the decline of the free enterprise system. Nothing could be further from the truth. Free enterprise thrives in many different ways, but this week saw a historically significant advance thanks to Elon Musk and SpaceX with their successful launch to orbit. The frontier is opening wide.

Happy 50th Anniversary to NASA!

The pioneering US space agency was born on October 1, 1958. Here's a video (~15 min) that brings back many exciting moments. Amid mounting global and economic challenges, with a rapidly emerging commercial space enterprise and a growing number of international players, Jim Banke speculates on the next 50 years in space.

Senate passes Finance Bill

The tally is 74-25 on the $700B+ bill. The House will act on it tomorrow or Friday.

The Sky Hasn't Fallen

Today the Dow Jones soared 485 points, recovering over half the losses of yesterday's nose dive. Not that there is not still a serious situation here, especially in terms of a growing constriction on credit.

However, two developments underway may help restore stability and confidence to the economy. The Senate will be next at bat with a finance bill tomorrow evening. This version includes a package of tax breaks and a clause raising the federal deposit insurance limit from $100,000 to $250,000, which would be a big assurance to middle class Americans (a move supported by both Senators McCain and Obama). Also, the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a "clarification" that loosens the "mark-to-market" rule that those more knowledgeable than me have said has had a depressing effect on the financial markets and credit.

A couple of thoughts on yesterday's House vote rejecting the previous rescue/bailout bill. Did Speaker Nancy Pelosi really proceed with the scheduled vote thinking it would pass? Did she really not bother to find out that 95 members of her own party would vote against the bill. These questions have led some to question whether she is either inept as a legislative leader or that she saw this more as a political issue to be exploited than a national crisis to be resolved.

Finally, there was some serious division among House conservative Republicans on yesterday's vote. John Hinderaker at Power Line presents the statements of two conservative Republican Reps from Minnesota who took opposing sides on the vote based on principle and assessment of the choices at hand.

Market Crash! Congress in Knots! Hubble Trouble! What a Day!

The stock market took a dive today after the House voted down the proposed rescue/bailout plan agreed to by leaders over the weekend. A majority of Republicans and a significant minority of Democrats voted against the plan, motivated largely by a tidal wave of calls from constituents opposing the plan. Speaker Pelosi's pre-vote diatribe and other back-and fourth charges made it a most contentious situation.

So what happens next? Congress will try to come up with a solution that doesn't anger constituents by having them foot the bill for Wall Street excesses and flawed government policies going back over a decade. Finance is not an area I understand very well, though Newt Gingrich and others say there may be a relatively straightforward way of mitigating the situation by suspending an accounting rule called "mark-to-market" that does not require an act of Congress. Probably the best advice for an average citizen investor is not to panic. We'll get through this.

Meanwhile, above it all, the Hubble Space Telescope encountered a serious data handling problem that will delay the upcoming Shuttle servicing mission, probably until early next year. Those of us involved in this mission will be doing some serious replanning in the coming days. We'll get through this too.

"Fourth Time's a Charm!"

So says Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, which this evening achieved success in reaching Earth orbit with its Falcon 1 launch vehicle after three earlier flawed attempts. This is a significant accomplishment for commercial space ventures. Companies like SpaceX and others, both new and established, may play a crucial role in assisting the US in mitigating the 'gap' between the retiring Space Shuttle and NASA's next human spaceflight program.

Given the serious economic woes of the moment, the persistance of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and his team to put their money where their dreams are and open up frontiers is cause for optimism about future prosperity for America and the world.

Reports on the Falcon 1 launch success include those at Space.com and MSNBC. Also, look for numerous reports at Spacetoday.net and HobbySpace.

The Financial Fix Bill

It appears the long tough negotiating of the past few days has resulted in a bill to rescue the ailing financial system. (Here's the draft text via NRO.) While I can't claim to know what all transpired, it appears the stand taken by Republicans has resulted in a better bill, including removal of the onerous proposed subsidy to social activist organizations like ACORN. John Hinderaker at Power Line analyzes the side by side comparison of the two earlier versions of the bill with the one finally agreed to early this morning, and assesses a political angle to the outcome.

The role played by John McCain appears to have been a constructive one. He supported and worked with the House Republicans. The Democrats no doubt wanted his support for the final product, and that must have enhanced the Republicans' position at the table. The Democrats would not have wanted an unpopular bailout plan to be supported by Barack Obama and opposed by McCain.

If voters understood the events of the last week, they would probably return control of the House, and perhaps the Senate, to the Republicans. The mainstream media will make sure that doesn't happen.

Political implications aside, we better hope and pray that this package does settle things down and restore confidence in the financial system, given the dire consequences of failure seen by some of those knowledgeable in the financial field.

Chinese Space Traveler Takes a Walk

Zhai Zhigang became China's first spacewalking 'taikonaut' today. Mark Whittington has posted a link to a ~11 minute video clip of the event.) The three space travelers are preparing for a Sunday return to Earth.

China's Shenzhou 7 Launch Successful

Xinhua/Li Gang

The three crew members of the Chinese Shenzhou 7 spacecraft were launched into orbit earlier today. China's first attempt at an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) or spacewalk is likely in the next day or two.

Tough Dealing on Financial Fix

Efforts in DC to come up with a deal to avert a potential collapse of financial markets have entered a tough negotiating phase going into the night. As President Bush explained last night, this is a very serious situation where some kind of government action is necessary and probably inevitable.

However, demands for immediate action to avert a crisis do not mean we have to forgo thinking about what is a good solution and what would make a bad situation worse. Reportedly, from evening news and talk shows, Republican House members are holding out to move the package toward a more free market and responsibility compatible solution. Senator John McCain is reportedly playing a major leadership role. Of course almost anything could possibly happen, so let's pray for the best.

Largely overlooked this week is an apparent Republican victory in the fight to enable access to offshore and shale oil resources.

Safer Stem Cells

Safer for patients and for embryos: induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) have passed a major hurdle toward being safely used in medical therapies, according to Wesley Smith and this Washington Post article.

Going for Stem Cell Results

Leading stem cell researcher James Thomson of Wisconsin is shifting his research focus to the new developments in non-embryonic stem cell research, according to this article on ProLife Blogs.

Barack Obama, Gianna Jessen and the Lives of Infant Abortion Survivors

Gianna Jessen, a 31 year old survivor of a failed abortion attempt in the late seventies appeared in an ad produced by BornAliveTruth.org, an independent 527 organization, taking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to task for his multiple votes against legislation to protect infant survivors of abortion.



Here is the ad that Obama's campaign put up in response to the Gianna Jessen ad.



Notice how the Obama ad includes a very small and brief video clip (no audio) of Jessen while attempting to blame his Republican opponent John McCain for a supposedly misleading and 'sleazy' ad. But that description more aptly describes Obama's ad on several counts. First, John McCain's campaign did not produce the original ad. An independent 527 organization did. Second, the Jessen ad is not misleading. Obama did vote several times to oppose the protective legislation and did not vote for it. Finally, Obama's ad is trying to have it both ways. By fleetingly using Gianna Jessen's video image, it is trying to vaguely remind viewers of the original ad without reminding them of the details or even of Jessen's identity.

This last point is significant, because Gianna Jessen's very existence is a threat to Obama's position and abysmal record on protecting infant abortion survivors. This issue touches on the deepest meaning of where our society stands on protecting innocent human life and Barack Obama is playing with fire by attempting this kind of deception to divert attention from the truth.

A Day of Food, Drink, Music and Merriment...

...at the Maryland Renaissance Festival today.

At the Gateway to Space

Last Friday I participated in a 'systems hardware walkdown' to view the flight hardware for the upcoming STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. While there, I also got to take some interesting pictures of the KSC/Cape Canaveral facilities and Cocoa Beach.


Shuttle Atlantis on Pad 39A awaiting launch to the Hubble Space Telescope. The top of the Shuttle's orange External Tank is visible while the rest of the vehicle is obscured by the pad's Rotating Service Structure.



Atlas V Launch Complex 41 on the left, Falcon 9 Launch Complex 40 on the right. The sets of four spindly towers at each launch site serve to protect the rockets and launch facilities from lightning strikes.



The view from in front of my room at the Holiday Inn, Cocoa Beach.

The launch to Hubble is currently scheduled for October 10. Meanwhile, our friends and colleagues at Johnson Space Center remain in our thoughts and prayers as they deal with recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Politics Gone Criminal

Personal e-mails of Sarah Palin and her family were hacked and published on the Internet. The political mud-slinging has gone lower while fast-and-furious, but this latest development is not only the most outrageous but also a criminal offense and an offense against privacy that must be of concern to all Americans.

Ike Strikes the Houston Area and Others

NOAA

Hurricane Ike surged ashore at Galveston, TX early this morning, leaving millions without power and making it difficult to move around the area. Authorities are still trying to account for those who did not evacuate the most endangered areas.

NASA's Johnson Space Center suffered some damage though major functions appear to remain intact., while space station operations were supported by a temporary site at a hotel in Austin.

Do keep all those affected by this storm in your thoughts and prayers.

In Remembrance of September 11, 2001

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael W. Pendergrass

Seven years ago tomorrow morning, I overheard a coworker down the hall from my office telling someone else about planes hitting the World Trade Center. I checked in on the Internet and on news radio for reports on what would develop into the the modern era's day of infamy. We know of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but there was also the attack that did not occur because of the heroic actions of the passengers on United Flight 93.

Seven years of daily living, along with increasing domestic rancor, may have dimmed the feelings of shock, horror, and outrage and the response of prayer, compassion, and resolve that united the people of America and most of the world. However, terrorist activity around the world should serve to remind us that the threat is still real.

This audio/visual Internet presentation developed by a New Yorker shortly after the attacks recaptures all of those experiences. The sequence is ~15 minutes long and some of the images and sounds are quite disturbing, others are inspirational. (I've also added the link to this video to my sidebar.)

Good for presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, who will put aside their serious differences for a day and stand together in observance of this solemn anniversary.

It is important that we remember, not only to honor those who died and those who acted heroically that day, but to remain constantly aware of the ongoing dangers, of the presence of real evil in the hearts of some men, and to maintain constant vigilance and a determination to defeat this evil. Finally, we must always remember to trust in God and his mercy during trying times.

Down-Ballot Shift?

The Dem/Left/Media/Cultural Establishment melt-down over Sarah Palin and the shift in the polls has been coming too fast to have time to cover it all. One interesting trend is that the shift in the polls may not be limited to the presidential race. The Real Clear Politics Generic Congressional Vote polling data shows a narrowing of the generic preference for Democrats for Congress. The average of recent polls is down to a 5.4% margin for Democrats. Only a couple of weeks ago this margin was over 10%. Notice that the most recent poll, taken by USA Today/Gallup on 09/05 - 09/07 shows a 5% Republican advantage. Scroll down through the polling history that shows no other poll with a Republican advantage in the past two years.

Now one should be careful about putting too much stock in any one poll or even a short term trend, but if the trend continues, it will be a dramatic change in the atmosphere surrounding the congressional contests. The cause is apparently the coattails of the 'Palin effect' along with the possibility that the Republican initiative for comprehensive energy development, including drilling for our domestic oil resources, may be starting to break through.

Hanna Comin'

Tomorrow will be a day of heavy rain and strong winds here as Tropical Storm Hanna blows through the Mid-Atlantic region.

On the Pad

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Space Shuttle Atlantis was moved out to the launch pad on Thursday for its launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope, now rescheduled for October 10.

Politics is Getting to Be Fun Again

Well, the week that began with predictions that the Republican National Convention would be drowned by Hurricane Gustav ended with a re-energized party and conservative movement. Sarah Palin's blockbuster speech Wednesday night (which I watched with a large group of fired-up supporters in Gaithersburg) and John McCain's solid leadership address last night have leveled the playing field for the coming election.

The pile-on by media and cultural establishment types against Gov. Palin only guaranteed her a bigger audience for her to reach the American people with her winsome way the other night. Her selection by Sen. McCain may have not only recast the presidential race but but could help mitigate what has been predicted as a looming disaster for GOP congressional candidates. (Hat Tip to Mark Whittington)

While we don't want to turn Sarah Palin into another messianic figure (one is too many this election cycle), Michael Reagan has given permission to consider her the Second Coming of the Gipper.

Now that each party has had its energizing convention, the campaign will turn on how each party's candidates persuade the voters on how they will lead, particularly on the nation's economic challenges. I feel McCain/Palin got off to a good start, particularly on energy development, but need to steadily press their position and continue to develop further their economic message.

With both sides now energized, the public is likely to become more engaged and turn out in higher numbers. That is definitely good for the country.