Boeing in Space? Obama Adopts a Conservative Approach

The Debate Over the Privatization of the U.S. Space Program

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     On February 1st, 2010, President Obama announced that the space travel program will privatize, providing contracts to private companies to continue with space exploration and to shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. In nearly every case where I hear privatization in politics, I consider it a bad word. I associate it with procurement scandals, coziness with lobbyists, and corruption of the democratic process. Although privatization may leap-frog technology and our ability for inexpensive manned space-flight, it also has the potential to become a travesty of our initial ideals in exploring space in the first place.

Robot Boat to Sail the Seas of Titan

New project seeks support to research potential life on Saturn's moon

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As a writer, I can’t get enough of science stories that both fascinate intellectually and stir the creative imagination. When I learned there were diamond oceans with solid diamond icebergs on Neptune and Uranus, my brain went crazy at trying to imagine them. It seems the universe is filled to the brim with scenes whose beauty we can only imagine. The scientific study of planets other than our own not only helps us understand the physical universe, it brings new and strange ideas to the collective human imagination.

Ancient Nukes on Mars, Earth

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Scientists say that 180 million years ago, a naturally occurring nuclear blast may have hit Mars, rendering it the lifeless planet that it is today. They claim that this blast would have left the planet with nothing but dry, red sand—which sounds like it could be plausible. Evidence that supports the theory includes the presence of radioactive materials, such as uranium and thorium, on the planet’s surface, that appear to stem from a hot spot.

Kobaïa and the Magma Conundrum

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Kobaïan? Good question. It’s a language created by Magma drummer Christian Vander and assigned to the fictitious story he constructed over his band’s first few albums. There’s a bit about escaping from Earth only to return and be chased off again. But that’s all nonsensical framing. And since we can’t understand the lyrics without a sheet of proper translation, it’s utterly moot.

We can hear music, though.

10,000 Jobs to Be Available in Loveland

If NASA’s plans to build an aerospace park in Loveland pull through, it will mean approximately 10,000 new jobs in the area—not to mention a key tourist attract, which will also bring the area some income. Since the endeavor is in its final stages of negotiation, residents will likely know soon whether or not the jobs will available.

That said, the state budget of the state of Colorado altogether is nearly half the budget of the space command in the state—and as the budget will be experiencing some heavy belt tightening soon, many jobs are expected to be cut as well. Creating satellites that are smaller and cheaper to operate is one proposed solution to the problem; but even so, jobs are likely to get cut in the process.

FBI Document: Proof That UFOs Landed on Earth?

Not surprisingly, experts are denying that a 1950s memo confirming the landing of a UFO on earth is the real deal, claiming that it’s rubbish and a tactic used to push conspiracy theories. It’s definitely nothing new; the so-called “Hottel Memo” has been released to the public before, and has yet to be confirmed or proven by a reputable source.

Still, the fact that such a heated controversy surrounds the memo is enough fuel to fire the continued hope and faith that believers share—and even if it’s fake, it’s definitely not enough to disprove their theories.

New Particle Discovered

While this news sounds like something one might hear in an Iron Man sequel, researchers believe they may have discovered a new particle, or force of nature.  An atom smasher (something I must admit that I’ve never even heard of) from Fermilab physics laboratory in Batavia, Illinois called the Tevatron (which sounds like an extra from Transformers) has stimulated thousands of particle collisions, making what scientists believe may be a new particle.

It should be noted that these findings are not conclusive, and that the new particle has yet to be proven for sure. If it proves to be true, however, it means big news for the science community. It may result in the complete transformation of cosmology and high energy physics, say some researchers.

Sightings: Straw Cities and Other Historic Vagaries

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There’s a secret history of twentieth century music – well, Alex Ross told part of it – informing a huge number of players working in what amounts to noise of the most wreckless variety. With the explosion of lame tape culture and its eventual recognition by the straight press, one would have imagined that critics hearing Sightings for the first time would be able to recognize antecedents. There’re a bunch of ‘em.

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