Friday, December 31, 2021

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas (Restored/Remastered HD with Names)

Documents:Trump's Inner Circle Was Appalled by Insurrection

On 13 December 2021,the House Committee on January 6 met and voted to submit the name of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Randall Meadows to the Department of Justice for consideration of criminal prosecution for contempt of Congress.Mr.Meadows originally cooperated with the Committee,submitting thousands of pages of documents,including texts and emails,before abruptly changing his mind-presumably because he had angered former President Donald Trump by his submission of the documents and a recent book he wrote about his time serving in the Trump administration.The full House must now vote on the recommendation before the Justice Department can consider the case for submission to a Grand Jury,which can then issue an indictment.* Indeed,at the meeting last night,the Committee shared some of the text messages Mr.Meadows had received on January 6 from many close to the former President,including his son,Donald Trump,Jr. and several Fox News hosts.All of them expressed horror at the insurrection.Fox News host Laura Ingraham,for instance,said: Mark,the President needs to tell the people in the Capitol to go home.This is hurting all of us.He is destroying his legacy.* Her Fox colleagues spoke in the same vein.Sean Hannity inquired: Can he make a statement?Ask people to leave the Capitol.* Brian Kilmeade: Please get him on TV.Destroying everything you have accomplished.* Most interesting was Donald Trump Jr.'s profane response: He's got to condemn this shit ASAP.The Capitol Police tweet is not enough.* Mr.Meadows replied: I'm pushing it hard.I agree.* In another text,Trump,Jr. added: We need an oval office address.He needs to lead now.It has gone too far and gotten out of hand.* After the Committee meeting,former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farrah,a longtime colleague of Mr.Meadows,expressed her surprise at what had become of him.He had always seemed to be a straight-up institutionalist to her,a man who believed in the Constitution and wouldn't strive to overturn a Constitutional process such as the Electoral College vote-counting on 6 January or defy a Congressional subpeona,possibly exposing himself to criminal prosecution.

Friday, December 3, 2021

The First Family and the Second Family Attend the National Christmas Tre...

What Can We Do Right Now About Omicron?

It will be a good 2-3 weeks-perhaps even up to a month,before we can understand the scope of this new challenge.Public health depends on the large data sets which are now being assembled. 1.Remember that the basics still work:hand-washing;social distancing;and masking in public. 2.If you are unvaccinated,it's a great time to start the process.If you are fully vaccinated,get a booster.The more protection you can acquire,the better your chances of avoiding infection. 3.Try not to worry too much.The best scientists are hard at work on the issue,and the vast amount of knowledge developed from previous efforts will help them immeasurably.They can do this. 4.The most common pronunciation seems to be oh-mih-cron.

Friday, October 8, 2021

Rocket Lab Announces NASA Solar Sail Contract

In a 6 October 2021 press release,Rocket Lab USA of Long Beach,California announced it has been chosen to launch NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (AC3S) on the Electron launch vehicle.The NASA technology employs composite materials in the lightweight booms that will deploy from a CubeSat to support the solar sail.Solar sails use the pressure of photons,particles of light which lack mass and were first posited by Albert Einstein,for propulsion of deep space missions without the need for conventional rocket fuel.The AC3S demo will facilitate the design of future large-scale composite solar systems for such purposes as space weather early warning satellites;near-Earth asteroid reconnaissance missions;and communications relays for crewed exploration missions,such as to Mars.* The launch is slated for mid-2022 at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand.The launch will feature the Electron rocket's Kick Stage capability for deploying rockets to unique orbits-in this case,to the higher orbit required by AC3S than the other CubeSats that will ride along on the launch.The Kick Stage will perform a special burn for AC3S with its 3D printed Curie engine,raising the AC3S for its deployment.Said Rocket Lab's founder and CEO Peter Beck: We are thrilled to be NASA's lauch partner for this innovative mission...We're excited to see composites used yet again to unlock new capabilities in space.* Indeed,Mr.Beck pointed out that the Electron rocket itself is the world's first full carbon composite orbital launch vehicle.* Rocket Lab USA Inc (RKLB)

The Rolling Stones - Troubles A’ Comin (Official Lyric Video) - new unheard track

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Vice President Harris Meets with Quad Leaders - The Honourable Scott Morrison MP,Prime Minister of Australia and His Excellency Yoshihide Suga,Prime Minister of Japan

The Rolling Stones - Paint it Black - Live in St. Louis 2021 - with drummer Steve Jordan (not shown) - fan video

Contracts Awarded for NASA Gateway Project

US,Canadian,Japanese and European firms are to design and build major elements of NASA's Gateway project,including advanced robotics,habitations,telecommunications and refueling modules and elements.NASA will thus be enabled to lead a global coalition to the Moon and beyond,contributing to the creation of a dynamic and sustainable exploration architecture.The small space station is to be engineered for a 15-year minimum lifespan.Gateway will also be capable of autonomous operations,since it will not be continuously occupied.* NASA's international partners on the project include the European Space Agency (ESA);Canadian Space Agency (CSA);and Japanese Space Agency (JAXA).ESA will contribute habitation and refueling modules,as well as enhanced telecommunications.The ESA prime contractor for the systems is Thales Alenia Space,a joint venture by aerospace and defence firms Thales and Leonardo.The ESA International Habitation Module,I-HAB, will enhance Gateway capabilities for scientific research,life support systems and crew living quarters,enabling longer dueration crewed missions;while the European System Providing Refueling,Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT) consists of a refueling module with observation windows,plus high rate telecommunications for the Habitation and Logisitics Outpost (HALO).ESA contractors are currently completing design work,and construction of both systems is slated to begin in late 2021.The I-HAB,to be launched in 2026, will feature improved micrometeoroid and radiation protection for the Gateway crews,in light of the harsh environment of deep space.The refueling element is planned to launch in 2027.* International astronauts will fly to the Gateway aboard the Orion spacecraft as part of integrated crews of US and partner astronauts.* NASA has contracted the launch of the HALO Power and Propulsion element,the initial portion of the Gateway,as early as May 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.* CSA is contributing the Canadarm 3,to be built by MDA,and is an advanced external robotic arm for Gateway.Under the Gateway Treaty,Canadian astronauts are to fly on the first crewed mission aboard the Orion spacecraft,Artemis 2,which will send humans deeper into space than ever before,and on an a separate flight to the Gateway.For its part,ESA expects to send a European astronaut to the lunar surface on a later Artemis mission.* JAXA will contribute habitation components and logistics resupply.* Northrop Grumman (NOC),MDA Ltd (XTSE:MDA),Thales SA (XPAR:HO),Leonardo SpA (XMIL:LDO).

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Raja Chari Trains for SpaceX Crew-3 Mission

Raja Chari Trains for SpaceX Crew-3 Mission: In this image, NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-3 Commander Raja Chari trains aboard the ing session at SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in Hawthorns, California.

Friday, July 2, 2021

Khatia Buniatishvili Handel Minuet in G minor HWV 434 arr W Kempff

Van Halen- Panama

Colbie Caillat - Realize (Official Video)

FAA Grants License to Virgin Galactic

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted a license to Virgin Galactic for launching customers into space.The approval follows successful crewed test launches of the VSS Unity spacecraft from the VMS Eve carrier aircraft.Before launching of customers can actually begin,however,the company must successfully complete three more development spacefilghts.The next one,on 11 July 2021,is to launch the Virgin Galactic founder,Sir Richard Branson,into space,beating rival billionaire Jeff Bezos,who himself yearns to become an astronaut on his own spacecraft,Blue Origin.* Shares of Virgin Galactic have been climbing since the licensure was announced.* Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE)

Monday, May 31, 2021

Houston We Have a Podcast:Water Bears in Space

Water Bears in Space: Thomas Boothby, assistant professor for the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Wyoming, teaches us about tardigrades, more commonly known as water bears, that are headed up to the International Space Station for a scientific study to learn how these extremophiles adapt to microgravity. HWHAP Episode 197

Monday, May 24, 2021

Virgin Galactic Notches Third Human Spaceflight

On 22 May 2021, Virgin Galactic successfully completed its third human spaceflight, making New Mexico the third state from which humans have been launched into space, following Florida and California.The flight was launched from New Mexico's Spaceport America,Virgin Galactic's operational base.Its two previous human spaceflights were launched from its development facility in the Mojave Desert, California.* In the course of the flight, the VSS Unity spaceplane was released from the VMS Eve mothership and reached altitude 89.2 km/55.45 mi. Attending the launch were Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson;New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham; and former Governor Bill Richardson,who was instrumental in the creation of Spaceport America.* Piloting the VSS Unity were Astronauts CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay.Sturckow became the first person to fly into space from three different states.The US definition of an astronaut is one who has traveled more than 80 km above the Earth's surface. Three more Virgin Galactic human spaceflights are planned for the test programme, with regular operations slated for 2022.That will allow them to collect enough data to submit to the Federal Aviation Administration for a Commerical Reusable Spacecraft Operator's License. Virgin Galactic has about 600 aspirants signed up for its spaceflights at a price ranging from 200,000-250,000 dollars. The test flight flew over New Mexico's White Sands National Park.Besides collecting data, the flight carried three paid scientific experiments for NASA under the Flight Opportunities Program.* Governor Grisham said: After so many years (15) and so much hard work,New Mexico has finally reached the stars...On behalf of proud New Mexicans everywhere,I'm incredibly grateful to so many dedicated and visionary collaborators in this effort, not least Sir Richard Branson and former Governor Bill Richardson, the entire Virgin Galactic and Spaceport team who made possible this long-awaited day.* Virgin Galactic stock was up 5.84 (27.74%) at close of Monday's trading.* Virgin Galactic Holdings (SPCE)

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Successful Launch of Space Physics Mission

This is to announce that the NASA Wallops Flight Facility,Virginia has launched the KiNET-X mission on a Black Brant XII rocket.The 71.5-foot tall solid fuel rocket with four stages-the Talos, the Terrier, the Black Brant, and the Nika-is built by Magellan Aerospace of Mississauga,Ontario.* The rapid fire launch was similar to a military missile:in the blink of an eye.It took place on the very last night of the launch window.Had it not been launched on 16 May,it would have had to have been rescheduled for later in the year, because the Moon would have been too far above the horizon and blacked out the mission's visual observations in Bermuda.Previous attempts were snakebitten mainly by weather problems with upper level winds at Wallops, and clouds over the Bermuda observation post critical to the mission.There was also a mechanical issue involving possible damage to a rocket motor when the rocket accidentally bumped against its rail, which guides it at launch.The rocket had to be taken down and the motor replaced.* Principal Investigator is Professer Peter Delamere of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Geophysical Institute,which makes aurora forecasts.The study simulated an aurora by making barium clouds over Bermuda.It seeks to better understand the energy transfer process between different regions of space bound togther by a magnetic field.How are the electrons in an aurora energised by the Solar Wind?* Magellan Aerospace (MAL:TSX).

First look! CSNY “Deja Vu” 50th Anniversary Box Set - Sending Signals po...

Monday, May 10, 2021

Launch Scrubbed

The KiNET-X mission has been scrubbed by NASA because of upper level winds exceeding the safety requirements.If the Black Brant XII rocket were to go off course,there is no way to correct it,so optimal launch conditions are necessary.They will try again tomorrow at the same time.The lainch must occur by 16 May.

Space Physics:Sounding Rocket Mission to Study Big Question

Tonight is to be launched an important scientific payload on a Black Brant XII sounding rocket from NASA Wallops Flight Facility ,Virginia.The launch window begins at 7:40 pm EST and runs for 40 minutes.The launch may be visible along the East Coast and west to the Mississippi River.NASA has posted a map on its website.* The Black Brant family of sounding rockets is built by Magellan Aerospace of Mississauga, Ontario.It is a four stage,solid propellant rocket capable of flight to more than 200 miles above the Earth's surface. In the course of the mission, the KiNET-X payload will discharge two barium clouds in order to stimulate particle interactions.* The study is being conducted by four space and plasma scientists at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.* Sounding rockets are used to study suborbital space phenomena. Space is defined as at least 100 km above the Earth's surface.In this study, the two barium canisters will be detonated at 249 mi/400.7 km and 186 mi/299.3 km respectively.* The study is being led by space physics professor Peter Delamere.It seeks to understand a key interaction of the Solar Wind with the planets: How does a large plasma such as the Solar Wind interact at the particle level with, for instance, the plasma of the Earth's space environment? The interaction of the Solar Wind with a planet having a magnetic field and a substantial atmosphere results in an aurora.So the study seeks to find out how auroral electrons are energised,a process believed to occur at an extremely small scale, a UA-F press release explains. While the plasma of Earth's magnetosphere is several planetary diameters in scale, the aurora has very thin yet active curtains.Why are they so thin? It is a fundamental mystery of heliophysics.* Experts in plasma and space physics from Dartmouth University; University of New Hampshire; University of Maryland; Clemson University; and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center are also participating in the mission.* Magellan Aerospace (MAL:TSX) Note:TD Ameritrade,for one,allows trading on the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange).

Monday, April 26, 2021

Sanofi Helps Moderna - plus my vaccine experience

Pharma titan Sanofi announced it will help Moderna manufacture as many as 200 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.Sanofi attributes its effort to US President Joe Biden's encouragement.The French firm will perform the fill and finish function on the messenger RNA vaccine at a New Jersey plant, putting the completed vaccines into vials and packaging them.* Moderna is presently testing a booster for the vaccine at half-strength (50 micrograms).A yearly booster for the vaccine looks like a good possibility for approval in the months ahead.* I received my first of two doses of the Moderna vaccine at a Maryland doctor's office.It was administered by a young woman in green scrubs.She did a good job,as I hardly felt the injection at all.Following the shot,I had to sit twenty minutes in the waiting room.Then a front desk person asked how I was feeling and I told her there was no problem. By the time I got back to my room,my arm was getting sore.This increased to moderate soreness by nightfall.A hot shower gave considerable relief to my arm. The next day, I was still sore and had become moderately nauseated as well.I was also very fatigued.These symptoms continued through the next day, although at a lesser level.By the third day after my vaccination,I was back to normal. The strength of my reaction to the shot surprised me.It was my strongest reaction to a vaccine in my whole life.Usually I just have a mildly sore arm.This moderate illness was good news, however, since it showed my immune system was galvanised by the shot into fighting its perceived SARS-CoV-2 enemy, the respiratory virus that causes the COVID-19 illness.There are no virus particles in the Moderna vaccine.It is basically a head fake to get your immune system to recognise and attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus, should it enter your body.So I will see how my second shot goes 28 days after the first one,God willing.* Sanofi stock was up 0.24 (.47%) and Moderna stock was up 4.70 (2.71%) as of this writing.* Sanofi SA (SNY), Moderna Inc (MRNA)

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

NASA Updates Launch Date, TV Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

NASA Updates Launch Date, TV Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission: NASA will provide updated coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

Monday, April 19, 2021

Soyuz MS-17 landing in Kazakhstan,Central Asia

Mars Helicopter Ingenuity's first successful flight (video of lift off a...

As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon - includes video

As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon: NASA is getting ready to send astronauts to explore more of the Moon as part of the Artemis program, and the agency has selected SpaceX to continue development of the first commercial human lander that will safely carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface.

Monday, March 29, 2021

ARK Investment Debuts Space Fund

ARK Investment's new product,ARK Space Exploration ETF, the first new exchange-traded fund by Chief Investment Officer and CEO Cathie Wood and the ARK team in two years,debuts tomorrow.Its holdings are drawn from four categories of companies: 1.Orbital Aerospace Companies that launch,make,service or operate platforms in Orbital Space; 2.Suborbital Aerospace Companies that launch,make,service or operate platforms in Suborbital Space,including drones,air taxis and electric aviation vehicles; 3.Enabling Technology Companies that create the technology required for successful space operations;and 4.Aerospace Beneficiary Companies that stand to benefit from aerospace activities,such as agriculture,internet access,GPS,construction and imaging companies.* The new fund's top holdings are Trimble,ARK 3D Printing ETF,KRATOS,L3Harris,JD.com,Komatsu, Lockheed Martin, Iridium,Thales SA and Boeing.Virgin Galactic is also represented,along with 28 other firms.* ARK,founded by Cathie Wood in 2014, specialises in actively managed ETFs and favours disruptive innovation companies.The Space Exploration ETF is their eighth fund. Ms.Wood,65, graduated from USC in 1981 and worked at investment managers The Capital Group and Jennison Associates.She became a Wall Street celebrity when her company's flagship fund, ARK Innovation ETF, gained around 150% in 2020.It has pulled back about 11% this year as tech stocks retreated. She's been buying the dips.* ARK Space Exploration ETF (ARXX),ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK),Thales SA (OTCMKTS:THLEF), Virgin Galactic (SPCE), Trimble Inc (TRMB),L3Harris (LHX), Iridium (IRDM),JD.com (JD),Komatsu (OTCMKTS:KMTUY),KRATOS (KTOS),ARK 3D Printing ETF (PRNT)

Monday, March 8, 2021

Vice President Harris Delivers Remarks to the European Parliament for In...

Guide to Perseverance Photos 7 March 2021

Among rover Perseverance's photos of 7 March are a Martian sunrise and some glimpses of a celestial object near the sun in the Martian sky.It hasn't been ascertained what it was.It could be Mars' moons Phobos or Deimos.Bear in mind they are much smaller than our Moon.It could be another celestial object as well. The object looks like a little spike or knob on the sun, depending on which photo you're looking at.It is believed that Phobos and Deimos may be asteroids that were captured by Mars at some point.

Perseverance Rover captured Mars’ Moon (Phobos/Deimos) and Sun on March ...

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

NASA Awards Gateway Launch to SpaceX

NASA announced it has selected Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) to launch the foundational elements of the Gateway,a lunar orbital waystation to facilitate deep space missions, including the Artemis human exploration missions to the Moon.On the Gateway, which is 1/6th the size of the ISS,astronauts will prepare for landing on the lunar surface and NASA,its international and commercial partners will conduct unprecedented deep space science and technology investigations. The foundational elements of this small space station are the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE),built by Maxar Technology, and the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), built by Northrop Grumman Space Systems. The PPE is a solar electric propulsion spacecraft that provides power,high speed communications, attitude control and propulsion that enables Gateway to reach various lunar orbits for maximum access to the lunar surface. The HALO is the pressurised living quarters for visiting astronauts, providing command and control and docking ports.As well,it supports science investigations;distributes power;provides communications to visiting vehicles and lunar surface expeditions, while supplementing Orion's life support systems. The Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts up to the Gateway, which will orbit the Moon at a maximum distance of tens of thousands of miles from the Moon.* The SpaceX Falcon-9 Heavy rocket will be used to launch the Gateway elements for around 331.8 million dollars.The launch will be no sooner than May 2024.* Maxar Technology Inc (MAXR), Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC)

Monday, February 8, 2021

Biden Greenlights Artemis Missions

President Joe Biden has approved the Artemis missions of human exploration of the Moon, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed in answer to a reporter's query last week.Artemis 1,an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket,is to be launched later this year.This isn't really a surprise, given the White House request for a NASA Moon rock to display in the Oval Office-which was granted.* Artemis 2 will be the first crewed mission on Orion, taking humans farther into space than ever before in a high lunar orbit-tens of thousands of miles past the Moon.It will prepare the way for the first crewed landing on the Moon since the 1970s.Eventually, the Artemis missions could enable a voyage to Mars in the 2030s.* Lockheed Martin (LMT), Boeing (BA),Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings (AJRD)

U.S. Embassy Statement | U.S. Embassy in Belarus

U.S. Embassy Statement | U.S. Embassy in Belarus: February 7, 2021 Every day but especially today, “The Day of Solidarity with Belarus,” the United States stands with the Belarusian people in their yearning for democracy, liberty, and justice. Fundamental freedoms inherently belong to the people of all nations and are long overdue in independent, sovereign Belarus. In December, the United States Congress passed ...

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Orion Today - from July 2020

Orion Today: Howard Hu, Orion deputy program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, gives an update on Orion, the spacecraft that will take the next generation of space explorers to the Moon and beyond. HWHAP Episode 171.