Obama Cancels Return To The Moon
Posted by John Nemec in Technology on February 3rd, 2010
The Ares I-X launches during its test flight in Oct. 2009. The program to develop the rocket may be canceled by the Obama administration. NASA
President Obama is planning to cancel NASA’s return trip to the moon due to tough economic times but is planning on boosting NASA budget 5.9 billion dollars, according to Discovery News.
“We are canceling the program, not delaying it,” Obama’s budget chief Peter Orszag told reporters.
President George W. Bush began the Constellation program in 2004 with the hope of having humans one day return to the moon. Since that time NASA estimates to have spent over nine billion dollars on not only this project but also on the component Ares 1 program (3.5 billion) and the Orion program (3.7 billion on).
Obama’s cancellation decision means that NASA will be constrained to low-Earth orbits for years to come. This combined with the planned retirement of the space shuttle fleet in September will transform the aspirations of the U.S. Space Program.
Obama is hoping that commercial rockets and other vehicles will ferry U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station (IIS). But at the same time, Obama plans to hike NASA’s budget by 5.9 billion dollars over five years to boost commercial development, with the goal of a first commercial flight to the ISS launching by 2015, according to Obama advisers.
Until the new infrastructure is in place, and after the space shuttle program retires, NASA will rely on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft to carry U.S. astronauts to the space station.
The last hurtle for Obama to get this passed will be Congress, which, in my opinion, I hope is a hard one, since lawmakers from Florida and other states with close ties to the space program are likely to oppose moves that could threaten local jobs.
Popularity: 8% [?]
The History of Groundhog Day
Posted by John Nemec in Strange Stuff on February 2nd, 2010
Every year on February 2nd the United States and Canada celebrate Groundhog Day. The belief is, if a groundhog comes out of the ground on this day and fails to see its shadow, it will leave it’s burrow and winter will soon end. If it does see it shadow, it will be frightened and go back into hiding, meaning that there will be six more weeks of winter. Although this is soundly based upon scientific fact, I’ve always wondered who were the great scientists that tested this theory so it could eventually become one of the cornerstones of our seasonal calendar.
Thousands of years ago, give or take a few, the Gaelic and Celtic cultures celebrated four principal festivals, Imbolic being one of them. Scientists in those times realized that the beginning of February falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. They dedicated the day to the goddess Brigid and later the Christians changed it to St. Brigid’s Day.
One of the many traditions of Imbolc was watching to see if the serpents or badgers came from their winter hiding places. Eventually serpents and badgers were removed from the holiday and replaced with the lovable creature, the Groundhog.
Based on these early theories, early Germanic scientists eventually narrowed the date down to February 2nd. They moved to Pennsylvania, USA, to avoid the scientific oppression that was pushed upon them during the War of the Grand Alliance, where French troops, under King Louis XIV, persecuted the Germanic people due to the advanced scientific discoveries.
So every year we not only celebrate Groundhog day to discover if it will be a short or long winter, but also to honor the brave men and women who helped keep science alive in the dark periods of our past. And if you believe any of this nonsense you should make sure to watch the Groundhog Day celebration on TV to see if winter is really coming or not. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy another watching of the great Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Power Ranger to MMA
Posted by John Nemec in Strange Stuff on February 1st, 2010
Jason David Frank borrowed from Sports Illustrated.
Do you remember Tommy the Green Ranger on the kids show the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? I remember my little brother kicking and punching at the screen nearly everyday while watching these guys (and girl) jump around in what seemed to be a low budget live action show from Japan. Well, the Green Ranger is now not only a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, but he also won his first match!
Jason David Frank, the Green Ranger, won his first match against Jonathan Mack in the first round to win his mixed martial arts debut. According to MMAWeekly.com, “Mack landed several hard punches, including one that sent Frank crashing to the canvas.” Apparently, he allowed the Green Ranger to get back up again before knocking him back down. But Frank, the Green Ranger, “quickly pulled Mack into an omo plata for the submission win.”
Tommy the Green Ranger borrowed from BlackNerdComedy.com
To all the Power Ranger Haters out there, including myself, we must now eat our words and admit that the Green Ranger could kill us. And I for one, if I ever meet Jason David Frank, I will never admit to making fun of him, but will try to shake the mans hand and offer to buy the man a beer.
Popularity: 2% [?]
