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ARCHIVE
Month: August 2005
Danish Activists Develop Protest Rocket

“The N55 ROCKET SYSTEM enables persons to communicate their protest in a concrete way. It is a low tech, low cost, highly efficient hybrid rocket propulsion system, fueled by a mixture of polyethylene and laughing gas (N2O). The N55 ROCKET SYSTEM makes it possible to distribute various things from high altitudes. For example, printed matter or plant seeds could be spread over a vast area.The rocket PROTEST, constructed to protest […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 31, 2005
Sneak Peek at Griffin's AIAA Speech Tomorrow

An Advance Look at NASA Administrator Mike Griffin’s AIAA Speech“The Exploration Vision commits our nation to the exploration of the Solar System, beginning with a return of humans to the Moon by the end of the next decade, and from there to subsequent voyages to Mars. I’m here today to discuss something of how we plan to reach these goals.” Reader comment: “I was reading Dr. Griffin’s AIAA speech and […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 31, 2005
Past – and Present NASA Family Concerns

LSU turned into emergency relief center for Katrina victims, WKYC“O’Keefe, a New Orleans native and Loyola graduate, would not mind seeing his brother pass through LSU. “My oldest brother is down there (in New Orleans), and I cant account for where he is,” O’Keefe said. “Haven’t heard from him in 36 hours.” Editor’s note: In addition, other New Orleans residents, former NASA General Counsel Paul Pastorek, and former NASA lawyer […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2005
Purge 2.0

Editor’s note: Another round of reassignments – several dozen or so – are soon to be implemented at NASA HQ. Among them, Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Vic Lebacqz will be moving up to the 8th floor at NASA HQ. Just so y’all know: it is on the 8th floor where former AA’s (Diaz, Readdy) and others sit in small, partially furnished offices waiting to leave the agency. With Lebacqz’s move, […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2005
NASA Management Seeks to Muzzle Its Employees

Message from NASA Headquarters – Communicating With the Public, NASA HQ“To ensure a responsive public communications program and enhance public perception of NASA, each Center has designated a Public Inquiries Officer for managing communications, including letters, e-mails, faxes and telephone inquiries, from the general public.” … ” Here is how the E-Gov Initiative works. Effective immediately, if you receive an e-mail from a member of the public, promptly forward it […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2005
Pretty New Flowers at JSC – Actually A Good Idea

Editor’s note: I stand corrected. Someone at JSC is using their head!“Hi Keith–You sent a note to Linda Matthews-Schmidt of our staff asking for the value of our grant with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.The value of the grant is $65,000.The funding comes from the same source as money used to maintain the grounds. We are, like Marshall, in a cost-cutting mode and are hoping that the study will […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2005
Hurricane Power Outage to Affect STS-121 Launch Date?

Hurricane rattles shuttle’s fuel tank factory, New Scientist“It’s still without power. We have generators providing electricity to emergency crews, but they’ll need to get power back before they open the facility.”Katrina leaves millions without power in U.S. Gulf, Reuters“The New Orleans-based energy company warned customers to expect a long and difficult restoration that could take weeks. Some government officials in Louisiana and Mississippi said it could take a month or […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2005
Is Powerpoint Truly Evil – or Just a Crutch?

PowerPoint: Killer App?, Washington Post“But NASA — like the rest of corporate and bureaucratic America — seems powerless to resist PowerPoint. Just this month a minority report by the latest shuttle safety task force echoed the earlier concerns: Often, the group said, when it asked for data it ended up with PowerPoints — without supporting documentation.” Editor’s note: Wouldn’t it be something if NASA engineers were forced to use complete […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2005
Initial Reports: Michoud Damage Not Severe

Editor’s note: Initial rpeorts from Michoud talk of some water inside the facility – but not from flooding. The External Tanks and their associated manufacturing hardware seems to be more or less OK. More to follow. Hurricane Katrina threatens shuttle external tank facility, Spaceflight Now“A small “rideout” crew is in place at Lockheed Martin’s sprawling external tank production facility in New Orleans, braced for potentially catastrophic flooding and destructive winds […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 29, 2005
Insight into MSFC's IRAD Wish List

Editor’s note: Have a look at this FY 06 IRAD (Independent Research and Development Program) document developed internally at MSFC. MSFC is clearly trying to get itself at the head of the line when it comes to exploration technology. MFSC is also (clearly) trying to find work for people whose current tasks may be disappearing.Comments? Send them to [email protected] comments thus far: “What is particularly disturbing about your post related […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 29, 2005