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Item from the Associated Press — “Virgin founder Richard Branson discusses the progress of his Virgin Galactic division, which is trying to be the first viable space tourism company. The spacecraft, Spaceship Two, just made a successful free-gliding flight. ” See the video.This is “a very big deal,” Virgin president Sir Richard Branson told The Associated Press. “There are a number of big deals on the way to getting commercial space travel becoming a reality. This was a very big step. We now know that the spaceship glides. We know it can be dropped safely from the mothership and we know it can land safely. That’s three big ticks.”Yes, it is a very big deal. Private commercial space flight isn’t here, but it sure does look like it’s coming. This will be the future. When it arrives, it will be an infant, doing a little more than crawling, But, all things start in their infancy.Virgin Galactic has a six-passenger space ship. The cost per ticket is something that only multi-millionaires can afford, something like $200K for a very short space ride.The Associated Press reports that according to Virgin Galactic, “Some 370 customers have plunked down deposits totaling $50 million.”I don’t think that in this post Star Trek age, Mr. Branson’s company will be lacking passengers.

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A lot of people were a little disappointed by Roach’s previous book, Spook.  I wasn’t one of them, but I could understand their objections.  Something about the softer subject matter blunted Roach’s sense of humor, perhaps.  And it was certainly a less educational read, discussing bull**** artists as it did.These people will certainly be glad to get their hands on a copy of Packing For Mars, Roach’s latest book about life in outer space.  Actually, to be more accurate, it is primarily about life in the American space program, with some entertaining forays to the space programs of other countries.And there’s a lot of talk about pooping.  An entire chapter, in fact.  Hooray!I don’t think there was a single page in the book that didn’t at least make me chuckle, if not literally laugh out loud.  Roach has a gift for taking topics that many would consider dry, like orbital physics, and making them not only entertaining but actually gripping, and then finishing with a zinger.In the case of Packing For Mars, Roach often pins her discussions on the human subjects.  In other words, instead of talking about pure theory, Roach is often talking about astronauts.  This gives her many anecdotes and digressions a very human face, as well as revealing an aspect of the space program that many of us have never seen.How Roach managed to trudge through all the NASA transcripts is beyond me, but she has dragged out some rare gems.  She finds a clip of Frank Borman on board Gemini VII, surly and refusing to talk to the NASA surgeon about dandruff.  An Apollo 9 astronaut crawls back to his bunk to recover from a bout of motion sickness.  And a truly hilarious bit of transcript as the Apollo 10 astronauts spot an escaped turd floating into the control area, and argue about whose it is.Packing For Mars could almost be called “a secret history of NASA,” for all the inside gossip it dishes.  Not to mention the volume of surprisingly fascinating technical detail about the more prosaic challenges of life in outer space.  I have only one complaint about Packing For Mars, and it is fairly minor.  Although the book is ostensibly geared towards a forward look at a potential manned mission to Mars, this topic is given short shrift.  Perhaps some of Roach’s more speculative work was cut or perhaps it was given an inaccurate title by an enthusiastic editor who thought it needed more “zazz.”  We don’t really learn much about what a mission to Mars would be like, aside from “very smelly.”Regardless, Packing For Mars is a real gem, and a refreshing break from the standard writing about the space writing.  Roach’s topics may be a lot less heroic, but they are far more interesting and real.

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I can’t resist alleged UFO videos, especially when they appear on major network news shows. Yesterday, Monday, on NBC’s Today Show, host Dara Brown did a feature on an unidentified flying object caught on camera whizzing across the sky in Cumbria,England. Of course, she asked the question, “Is it a UFO?” NBC isn’t going on record, suggesting: Holy Moses, UFOs! There might be something to UFOs, really!Ms Brown spoke with UFO author, blogger, and expert Pat Regan who says the sighting could be either a secret military project or alien visitors.He said: ‘There has always been quite a lot of UFO activity in Cumbria. But I was amazed by the shape of the object – it is a perfect cylindrical shape. It appears in this video for about one second and you have to go into freeze frame to actually see what it is as in normal play it just appears as four black flashes on the screen.” See the video.There is a theory — — that the government is getting the public prepared for a great big announcement, the mother of announcements, that we have visitors, and they aren’t sneaking in from across the border either. And so, we see UFOs on major news shows, and that is just the first step, before this big announcement is announced.

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Another Earth? OMG! Isn’t One Enough?!Item from the Associated Press — “A team of planet-hunting scientists say they’ve discovered a planet 20 light years from earth that could be the most earth-like body ever found.”What does this mean? Newly discovered planet may be habitable? Well, the dudes who should know, the scientist, right, are hinting that this new planet is just right for life? Reports the CBC –“Astronomers believe they have found the first Earth-sized planet outside our solar system that is likely to support liquid water and therefore life.Planet “g,” which orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581, is right in the middle of the star’s “habitable zone,” reported a team led by Steve Vogt of the University of California Santa Cruz and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C.Two of the planets previously discovered around that star were right on the edge of the zone around the star that has the possibility of supporting life, giving them only a small chance of being habitable…”Yeah, yada, yada, yada.What does this all mean? Alien space ships? A real alien threat? The tripling of the size and wealth of the military-industrial complex to meet this Planet “g” threat? Maybe the Newt-ster, will quit ranting about Muslims and America being taken over by sharia law, and start ranting about space aliens, the newest red menace?We have no evidence that there are people on Planet “g” and their skins are red. The Newt-ster doesn’t have any evidence to the fact either, but facts or lack of them have never slowed down that motor mouth of his.Anyhow, will the Newt-ster now rant of Planet “g” aliens, threatening to force us, Americans, to speak a language as difficult as Klingon?!But the big question is: What does this have to say about God? Two planet earths, maybe?My answer: Two planet earths? Why not? The Good Lord, after He made us, threw up His Hands and said, “Oh my Self!” And He went off somewhere else and tried again. Well, what did He expect, when He gave us free will?

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The daily deal for the Discovery Channel Store is Planet Earth: Pole to Pole & Wonder Globe for only $9.99 with $5.95 shipping! This is a great price for a really fun, exciting, educational film – and globe! This item would make a great gift for the young – or the young at heart – and is a visual feast for your brain! This set includes the following:4″ Metallic Wonder Globe by Replogle The blue Metallic Wonder Globe is ideal for home, office, school, and travel. The gyroscopic globe rotates on 2 axes. Measures 4 3/8” in diameter and 5 1/2” in height. Planet Earth: Pole to Pole, Mountains & Deep Ocean DVD More than five years in the making, Planet Earth redefines blue-chip natural history filmmaking and continues the Discovery Channel mission to provide the highest quality programming in the world. Award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver narrates this engaging series featuring never-before-seen footage and unprecedented high-definition production techniques. Plus, as a bonus, get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of each incredible episode. Pole to Pole Follow the sun as it touches the lives of creatures across the planet, bringing a fresh understanding of how the world is interconnected. From African herds migrating hundreds of miles in search of water to desperate animal hunts, Pole to Pole examines how the seasons produce the greatest spectacles on Earth. Mountains Tour the planet’s mightiest mountain ranges and meet the rare animals that inhabit them. From a never-before-seen hunt by snow leopards on the treacherous slopes of the Himalayas to a family of pumas struggling to survive the unstable weather of the Andes, Mountains reveals life on the planet’s highest peaks. Deep Ocean Explore the depths of the planet’s oceans and discover some of this mysterious world’s most spectacular species. From light shows performed by squids to the blue whale, the largest animal to ever exist, Deep Ocean investigates the waters that cover two thirds of the Earth’s surface yet remain largely unknown.Think of all the stuff you, your friends, and family can learn about our fascinating rock – and the beautiful scenes that will awe and amaze them – water, mountains, animals – this DVD set has it all – and for less than $16.00 – that is less than the price for 2 matinee movie admissions! – and you get a free globe! Did I mention Sigourney Weaver is the one who narrates the film – because she does! Well, what are you waiting for? Get your copy and globe today!

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When Stephen Hawking says it’s time to get out, you know it’s time to cut our losses and move to Mars—or whatever planet will have us. According to Hawking, if we don’t leave the Earth within the next 100 years, we will become extinct. “Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill,” he says. Obviously, we’re doing ill on a massive scale—which leads us to an important question. Though it’s time to leave the planet, should we? We’ve already exploited the resources here so vastly and so wildly, we cannot prove that we won’t do it again on another planet. Indeed, we would likely just do it all over again—Wall-E notwithstanding. There is definitely a mass extinction taking place right now. Corals, tropical species, and large mammals are disappearing the fastest, and scientists agree that the cause of this period of extinction is none other than us. John Alroy of the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University says, “We’re 100 percent responsible for it. There is no precedent at all for what we’re doing.” People need to remember this when they scoff, “Species have gone extinct plenty of times before! Just look at the dinosaurs. It’s natural.” Actually, what’s happening is the opposite of natural—it all boils down to activities carried out by mankind, not by events of nature or space.  Alroy explains this simply, saying that all of the extinctions the planet has previously experienced boil down to environmental shifts, not by an individual species. So what do we do about it? Do we explore space, make a giant ark or space craft, or simply prepare for the worst? I don’t think any amount of recycling or solar paneling is going to undo what we’ve done already—though we should certainly keep trying to at least buy our children some time. Even so, as humans, you have to admit that we’ve had a good run, and that many of us have had exceptional lives. Maybe if we all look at this world as if there are only 100 years left on it for us, we would treat it—and each other—a little bit better. Then again, as my husband says, it’s only a theory—an educated one that I happen to subscribe to, but still, not completely proven, and that things can still happen. Either way, it’s something to think about—and to perhaps keep in mind when we shop and continue to exploit the resources of this planet.

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Those scientists and researchers are at work again, busting their brains to come up with stuff. that –Well!A survey, reported in yesterday’s,, edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, of “50,000 Americans conducted in 2008 and 2009 for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that included questions on people’s day-to-day happiness and their overall life satisfaction, that Happiness got better as income rose but the effect leveled out at $75,000.. Their overall sense of success or well-being continued to rise as their earnings grew beyond that point.”But $75K is the happiness point, below that we’re all miserable?According to the Associated Press, Angus Deaton, an economist at the Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University, said “For folks making less than — Stuff is so in your face it’s hard to be happy. It interferes with your enjoyment.”Hmm? Suppose folks make $74, 999? They must be fit to be tried in their misery? Huh?

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Item from the Associated Press — “NASA says two small asteroids discovered just days ago will zip harmlessly past Earth on Wednesday …”Yup. Discovered just a few days ago.What else would they tell us? I don’t ever expect to see a bulletin like this: ‘Issuing non-bulletins from an abandon mine shaft, NASA brass have no comment on that giant shadow covering our planet earth.’The AP item concludes — “Asteroid 2010 RX30, thought to be 32 to 65 feet long, will pass within 154,000 miles of Earth shortly before 3 a.m. PDT Wednesday. The second one, dubbed 2010 RF12, will fly by about 11 hours later at a distance of about 49,000 miles. NASA says the second one is 20 to 46 feet long.”Huh, huh.We are really exposed. We hang out in space with no real defenses against anything that happens along, that might smack into our planet.

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A giant meteor strikes Jupiter; footage on the net for the world to see.The Internet brings the world to us. The whole world that is known to humans. If one should miss something., whether it is a major news event or a significant natural phenomenon, he often has an opportunity to see a recording of it laterMr.Tachikawa, an amateur astronomer, was at his home in Kumamoto City, southern Japan, using a video telescope, when he saw and recorded a large flash, that lasted for two seconds, on the planet Jupiter. NASA has concluded that this flash was caused by a giant meteor as it plunged into the atmosphere surrounding Jupiter.Professor Junichi Watanabe of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan told the press, “This kind of footage is rarely filmed.”Rare? Well, because of the Internet, it is archived for the world and easily shared. See the video.

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I was reading this lovely story on the Newsweek website about animals that have been in space and it got me thinking about all of the furry little friends that have blasted off into the great unknown – including, of course, Sigourney Weaver. I don’t mean to say that she is some sort of freakish, big toothed animal, but… she is a freakish big toothed animal.First, a little bit about what I learned: we have been shooting animals at the stars for about 50 years. The Soviet Union was the first to blast off animals into space, a pair of dogs on Aug. 19, 1960 – with the result being these animals came back down to Earth safely. Cue the impending buzz kill – a lot of the animals that were sent up there died or have since died and there is a section in the “article” devoted to their lives. That is so sad, I am a big animal lover and it is actually pretty horrifying to think about.So to lighten things up I am going to instead talk about Sigourney Weaver wielding a space age machine gun while carrying around children – laughing in the face of danger! Muahaha! Seriously though, how great is that picture? That little girl is probably as terrified as the poor animals that were rocketed into the great abyss. Oh wait I’m not supposed to mention that. Look at her shoes and those pants – and that eighties hair! And I love how her face is all serious – shes such a good actress – so “teethy” though.The plastic gun is the part that really gets me, how are you going to kill anything with a fake gun, Sigourney Weaver? Oh man, what a classic movie. Anywho – if you are interested in learning about the animals we blasted off into space read Animals in Orbit. If you don’t feel particularly emo when you read this watch this space video and continue to feel happy – or do both! It includes shirtless male astronauts! Just sayin’I have always wondered how strong, manly, astronauts shaved… and between the youtube video and the movie Alien I have a pretty good idea about how it’s done.