Space

Cargo Launch Vehicle with Lunar Lander

Before the end of the next decade, NASA astronauts will again explore the surface of the moon. And this time, we’re going to stay, building outposts and paving the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond.

So opens the article How We’ll Get Back to the Moon on NASA’s website in their Vision for Space Exploration. Brave words. While I’ve no doubt they’re capable of doing it, I do have serious doubts whether we’ll see this program fully funded.

Why, you may ask, are we even going back to the Moon? Didn’t we already do that in 1969? Is there anything really left there to explore? Here’s NASA’s chief historian, Steven J. Dick, answer to Why We Explore:

In October 1995 – ten years ago this month – two Swiss astronomers announced the discovery of the first planet around a Sun-like star outside of our solar system. A few weeks later the American team of Geoff Marcy and Paul Butler confirmed the discovery, and a few months after that they added two more “extrasolar planets.” These landmark events were only the beginning of a deluge of new planets. Some 155 are now known in addition to the 9 in our own solar system. Hardly a week goes by without the discovery of more. In a way, each discoverer is a new Columbus, unveiling a new planet rather than a new continent. Although these planets are gas giants, Earth-sized planets are not far behind. A thousand years from now our descendants may explore them in person.

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Space enthusiasts have known about the concept of solar sails for decades. Use vast silver wings to accelerate a spacecraft using only the pressure from sunlight.

Now a satellite has been launched into orbit which will test the concept. The craft will unfurl it’s sails on June 25, 2005 and try to catch a solar breeze. If it works, the satellite will gain velocity and climb to an ever-higher orbit.

This isn’t going to happen quickly, and it’s not going to be flashy. There won’t be any news for a few weeks, and then the gains (if any) will be modest. Something tells me that the news of success will be a minor item at best. Luckily the Planetary Society has a blog where we can keep track of developments.

What I fond rather interesting is that the satellite was launched into orbit from a Russian ballistic submarine. That’s a pretty good use for those old doomsday weapons that are now rusting away from lack of maintenance.

God rest his soul.

In my view, he was one of the greatest men of the last century.

John Paul II was lover of freedom. Readers of ths blog may be interested in this quote from him: “Where self-interest is suppressed, it is replaced by a burdensome system of bureaucratic control that dries up the wellspring of initiative and creativity.” He had lived under communism. He knew the score.

He devoted his life to the service of God, as he saw it, through all hardships, and in the face of all opposition.

He was a deep thinker and a prolific writer. It will take decades for the Church, and the world, to digest and fully understand what he wrote and his vision for the Church going forward.

We will not see anything like him again.

May God have mercy on his successor, and grant him courage. He’ll need it.

Oremus pro beatissimo Papa nostro Joanni Paulo.

I discussed Chinese preparations to invade Taiwan in this post. Fellow Chicago Boy TMLutas of Flit fame left a comment.

“In other words, conventional invasion has an expiration date attached. I would guess it’s about 5 years after cheap launch becomes a reality.”

This prompted reader David Davenport to ask what was meant by “cheap launch”.

Generally speaking, the biggest expense for a satellite is getting it up there. Rockets are terribly inefficient and costly, but so far no one has built a viable alternative. But there have been some ideas proposed to get around this problem.

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We’re off!

If it hits it’ll be some good shooting.