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Category Archives: Technology and Society
Virgin Orbit
Looks like the end of the road.
I never thought it was a great business model.
Branson has managed to waste an astonishing amount of Other Peoples’ Money on his space ventures. I weep when I think of what could have been done for just a fraction of it if it had gone to something sensible. For example, Lynx could have flown.
Of course, Stratolaunch was a boondoggle as well, which also never made any sense. Air launch is a niche market for people who want mission flexibility and single-orbit rendezvous, and there weren’t enough of those people to sustain that costly infrastructure.
Starburst Ventures
…just put out a report on the outlook for the commercial space industry. I haven’t read it yet.
The IPCC Reports
…have become bumper-sticker climate science.
The Evolution Of Choo Choos
This article strikes me as bizarre and ignorant of the history of railroads. How can one talk about why we no longer have steam locomotives without talking about diesel locomotives? It’s like asking why we no longer use sail for cargo ships. Though, some people want to reinvent that, because climate.
The “Billionaire Space Race”
Yes, I always get annoyed at the comparisons between Musk and Bezos, let alone by either of them with Branson, who has wasted vast amounts of other peoples’ money with not much to show for it or any hope of getting much of it back.
[Tuesday-morning update]
I’m finally getting around to reading the whole thing. I found this amusing: “In the future, Virgin Galactic aims to use its advanced technologies to manufacture aircraft capable of high-speed point-to-point travel. High-speed aircraft are capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound. A significant market opportunity exists for vehicles with this capability, as they could drastically reduce international travel times.”
What “advanced technologies”?
Overdue
Ed Driscoll reviews a new documentary about Apollo 8.
That event, not Apollo 11, is when we won the race, because the Soviets quietly threw in the towel at that point, pretending that they’d never been racing.
Failure Is Not Not An Option
In spaceflight, it’s a necessity.
Safety Third
It Should Be Safe To Be Unpopular
Thoughts on the woke religion and libertarianism.