Charles Miller started off thanking Henry Vanderbilt for organizing this conference.
Charles will share some thoughts on the potential for NASA to help with low cost reliable access to space.
Some of the slides here are similar to what he showed us.
Charles says the NACA approach is to build an industry, not a program. They weren’t trying to pick winners.
Historically NASA has done a poor job of creating low cost access to space. Charles reviewed four attempts by NASA over the last forty years. Engineers point out that we have learned technical lessons. Charles says we haven’t learned other lessons, more important lessons.
In 1898 the Department of War gave Dr. Sam Langley $50,000 to invent the airplane. This was a lot of money. He was the acknowledged expert on flight at the time. Five years later he was $20,000 over budget. When he failed, he was not close to inventing a practical airplane. Embarrassed the Department of War shut down the project.
Then a couple months later the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk. The brothers spent only $1,000. These brothers would never have been picked as experts, yet alone be the ones who succeed.
Charles says the point of this is often “We often don’t know what we don’t know.” He proposes that we take an open innovation approach. Don’t worry about trying to figure out ahead of time who will be the winner.
Charles said the NACA had their greatest impact when their budget was the lowest.
In the early history of aviation there were legal issues on who could build airplanes.
Europe bought lots of planes. The government didn’t buy planes in volume for years. The NACA persuaded various government agencies to buy planes.
Charles talked a bit about some upcoming conferences.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Friday, April 09, 2010
A scary statistic - 43% have less than $10,000 saved for retirement
43% have less than $10k for retirement reports:
-----------
The percentage of American workers with virtually no retirement savings grew for the third straight year, according to a survey released Tuesday. Workers who said they had less than $1,000 jumped to 27%, from 20% in 2009. -----------
I would love to know some statistics for those within ten to fifteen years of retirement.
---------
Technorati tags: space
-----------
The percentage of American workers with virtually no retirement savings grew for the third straight year, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The percentage of workers who said they have less than $10,000 in savings grew to 43% in 2010, from 39% in 2009, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute's annual Retirement Confidence Survey. That excludes the value of primary homes and defined-benefit pension plans.
I would love to know some statistics for those within ten to fifteen years of retirement.
---------
Technorati tags: space
Space Access 2010 - Other people blogging about Space Access 2010
There are several other bloggers here at Space Access 2010.
You can catch Clark Lindsey's report on his blog HobbySpace.
Ian Kluft is blogging, and posting pictures, at here.
Doug Messier is blogging about the proceedings at Parabolic Arc.
Jeff Foust is posting at NewSpace Journal.
Rand Simberg arrived late yesterday and hasn't posted anything yet, but I expect he'll start blogging soon at Transterrestrial Musings.
And Jonathan Goff is also here at the conference and I expect he'll have something to say at
Selenian Boondocks.
People are using twitter to write brief messages about the conference.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
You can catch Clark Lindsey's report on his blog HobbySpace.
Ian Kluft is blogging, and posting pictures, at here.
Doug Messier is blogging about the proceedings at Parabolic Arc.
Jeff Foust is posting at NewSpace Journal.
Rand Simberg arrived late yesterday and hasn't posted anything yet, but I expect he'll start blogging soon at Transterrestrial Musings.
And Jonathan Goff is also here at the conference and I expect he'll have something to say at
Selenian Boondocks.
People are using twitter to write brief messages about the conference.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Space Access 2010 - Future of Flight Innovation Center / Barry Smith
Future of Flight Innovation Center is about 20 miles North of Seattle. Barry Smith wanted to improve the tourist experience of the Boeing tour. He felt like it was going to the zoo and seeing stuff animals.
They have expanded the tour from about 80,000 people a year to over 200,000 people. Barry shared about some of the things they do to generate interest.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
They have expanded the tour from about 80,000 people a year to over 200,000 people. Barry shared about some of the things they do to generate interest.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - Space Studies Institute / Lee Valentine
Lee Valentine talked about the Space Studies Institute (SSI) and what they've done over the years. He listed a number of projects they have worked on. Lee wants to improve the education of the public on the benefits of space.
SSI has moved their offices and library to Mohave, cutting their costs by about half.
There is going to be a SSI manufacturing conference at NASA Ames in October.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
SSI has moved their offices and library to Mohave, cutting their costs by about half.
There is going to be a SSI manufacturing conference at NASA Ames in October.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - Panel: High-Payoff LEO & Deep Space Transportation Technologies
Jordin Kare thinks it would be great to invest in laser launches and beamed power for near earth space. To get to deep space going to need nuclear powered engines.
Jeff Greason says he had an interesting summer. Before talk about what technologies to invest in, need to step back and figure out what trying to do. Jeff is worried that we have single supplies for critical components. If something goes bad it might be the end of United States space exploration. Afraid because of politics not going to get nuclear. May be able to use solar sails and beamed power.
Jonathon Goff said it doesn’t matter if there is platinum in them there hills, if don’t have a decent transportation. He likes afterburner rocket nozzles, orbital fuel depots and NXT aerobreaking.
Henry Spencer worries about the thermal protection problem. He talked about some potential solutions.
Rand Samberg - ISRU is a critical problem. If we can’t develop resources off planet, then won’t be able to move off earth.
A discussion about the pros and cons of various technologies.
Rand said it would be nice to improve how technology was developed. Jonathon agreed. It would be nice to have more experiments so had more data.
Jeff says we have a problem in trying to do 30 year plans. We have a good idea of what we are doing now and a reasonable idea on what we could be doing in three years, but after that we basically say “And a miracle occurs here.” when we make plans for thirty years out. It would be much more honest and effective to have general goals and not have detail plans far out into the future.
Jeff says often the hard problems aren’t technical problems, but economic issues. The key question is can we afford a particular solution.
Jeff suggests it is worth reading The Influence of Seapower on History.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Jeff Greason says he had an interesting summer. Before talk about what technologies to invest in, need to step back and figure out what trying to do. Jeff is worried that we have single supplies for critical components. If something goes bad it might be the end of United States space exploration. Afraid because of politics not going to get nuclear. May be able to use solar sails and beamed power.
Jonathon Goff said it doesn’t matter if there is platinum in them there hills, if don’t have a decent transportation. He likes afterburner rocket nozzles, orbital fuel depots and NXT aerobreaking.
Henry Spencer worries about the thermal protection problem. He talked about some potential solutions.
Rand Samberg - ISRU is a critical problem. If we can’t develop resources off planet, then won’t be able to move off earth.
A discussion about the pros and cons of various technologies.
Rand said it would be nice to improve how technology was developed. Jonathon agreed. It would be nice to have more experiments so had more data.
Jeff says we have a problem in trying to do 30 year plans. We have a good idea of what we are doing now and a reasonable idea on what we could be doing in three years, but after that we basically say “And a miracle occurs here.” when we make plans for thirty years out. It would be much more honest and effective to have general goals and not have detail plans far out into the future.
Jeff says often the hard problems aren’t technical problems, but economic issues. The key question is can we afford a particular solution.
Jeff suggests it is worth reading The Influence of Seapower on History.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - United Launch Alliance/Jeff Patton, on ULA's Support for NASA's Commercial Crew Development Program
Jeff Patton explained that that United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Lockheed and Boeing.
They have been working with Bigelow. They have learned from each other. They think there is a business case for flying people to Bigelow hotels in space. They are looking at about four to five years.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
They have been working with Bigelow. They have learned from each other. They think there is a business case for flying people to Bigelow hotels in space. They are looking at about four to five years.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - Alan Ladwig/NASA HQ, on A New Space Enterprise
Alan Ladwig started off talking about recent changes at NASA. The budget went up, but he felt that the PR was poor, and the media has been a bit hostile.
Alan talked about some of the interest in space during the 1950s and 1960s. There were articles in Collier’s. Walt Disney promote travel into space. For last 50 years many thought that NASA would take us to space.
With the new budget NASA is going in another direction. The top line is there was a $6 billion increase in NASA’s budget. He frequently said there were problems with NASA because of the “previous administration.”
He talked about various aspects of the budget. The funding will help “green aviation.” Putting money into advanced technologies. The Obama administration wants to track climate change. NASA is suppose to track near earth asteroids. The budget will extend the life of the Hubble telescope. There are plans to create a new 21st century launch complex.
Alan listed a bunch of other new programs, or expanded programs. He said that over the next five years the current administration was planning to spend $100 billion more than was initially planned.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Alan talked about some of the interest in space during the 1950s and 1960s. There were articles in Collier’s. Walt Disney promote travel into space. For last 50 years many thought that NASA would take us to space.
With the new budget NASA is going in another direction. The top line is there was a $6 billion increase in NASA’s budget. He frequently said there were problems with NASA because of the “previous administration.”
He talked about various aspects of the budget. The funding will help “green aviation.” Putting money into advanced technologies. The Obama administration wants to track climate change. NASA is suppose to track near earth asteroids. The budget will extend the life of the Hubble telescope. There are plans to create a new 21st century launch complex.
Alan listed a bunch of other new programs, or expanded programs. He said that over the next five years the current administration was planning to spend $100 billion more than was initially planned.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Valerie Moon's journey to homeschooling
I came across a nice interview with Valerie Moon on how she got into homeschooling. She has been a long time supporter of homeschooling. The interview starts with:
----------
I first became aware of homeschooling mother Valerie Moon via her excellent website, The Military Homeschooler. Homeschooling families in which a parent is an active member of the military face particular challenges as they deal with homeschooling laws in different states and even different countries as the family moves from station to station. Even though she’s done homeschooling her children (through two different countries!), Moon has continued to maintain her site, a wonderful resource for military families contemplating or actively homeschooling, and her family’s story is an interesting one. Here we go:
----------
It was fun to get to know Valerie a little better.
---------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
----------
I first became aware of homeschooling mother Valerie Moon via her excellent website, The Military Homeschooler. Homeschooling families in which a parent is an active member of the military face particular challenges as they deal with homeschooling laws in different states and even different countries as the family moves from station to station. Even though she’s done homeschooling her children (through two different countries!), Moon has continued to maintain her site, a wonderful resource for military families contemplating or actively homeschooling, and her family’s story is an interesting one. Here we go:
----------
It was fun to get to know Valerie a little better.
---------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
Money and education from Arizona
Since I'm in Arizona, this is a bit topical - Increased school spending isn’t getting to the classroom starts with:
----------
In 2000, Arizona was spending only 57.7 cents of every education dollar in the classroom. That fact helped persuade voters to pass Proposition 301, which boosted the state sales tax to fund classroom spending with higher teacher salaries, more instruction aids and other needs.
Ten years later, the percentage of education funds spent in the classroom has changed: it is now only 56.9 cents per dollar, third-lowest among the 50 states.
A February 2010 report by state Auditor General Debbie Davenport found that, despite the $300 million raised annually by the Prop. 301 tax increases, the percentage of education dollars spent directly in classrooms has declined for five straight years and now is at a record low. She found many school districts are diverting classroom funds to transportation, special services, and bureaucracy, which the report says is a “violation of state law.”
----------
There is tons of money floating through public schools, the problem isn't lack of money, but the misuse of public funds.
----------
Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
----------
In 2000, Arizona was spending only 57.7 cents of every education dollar in the classroom. That fact helped persuade voters to pass Proposition 301, which boosted the state sales tax to fund classroom spending with higher teacher salaries, more instruction aids and other needs.
Ten years later, the percentage of education funds spent in the classroom has changed: it is now only 56.9 cents per dollar, third-lowest among the 50 states.
A February 2010 report by state Auditor General Debbie Davenport found that, despite the $300 million raised annually by the Prop. 301 tax increases, the percentage of education dollars spent directly in classrooms has declined for five straight years and now is at a record low. She found many school districts are diverting classroom funds to transportation, special services, and bureaucracy, which the report says is a “violation of state law.”
----------
There is tons of money floating through public schools, the problem isn't lack of money, but the misuse of public funds.
----------
Technorati tags: children, education, government schools, children, public school, public education
Space Access 2010 - Centennial Challenges /Andrew Petro, NASA HQ
Andrew Petro talked about the Centennial Challenges. He reviewed some of the contests. There are some new contests coming out.
Some of the slides he showed us are in this presentation.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Some of the slides he showed us are in this presentation.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - Armadillo Aerospace / John Carmack
John Carmack who founded Armadillo Aerospace, started off by showing a video of the Lunar Landing competition.
The video summarized the major accomplishments in the last year. There is a group called SPEAR - Students Performing Experiments on Armadillo Rockets. The audience chuckled.
Armadillo is going for altitude now. Their rockets have gone up to 4,000 feet. John said the boost to 4,000 feet was successful, but the landing wasn’t. They learned some important lessons.
John is going to talk about the business first. They have taken on more two more people. They have a couple customers who are paying their money. They are distracted by the customers. They are a marginal profitable aerospace company now. John doesn’t want to spend a lot of time chasing NASA contracts. He sold Doom. He is stepping up his investment in Armadillo.
On one side he is proud that Armadillo is profitable, but he wants to make progress on some specific projects.
John praised NASA’s centennial challenge. He is very frustrated with the decision to give him second place, as he lost a half million dollars. Still he thinks the challenge was a great thing.
He is rethinking getting work from NASA, because Armadillo is working on things they don’t think are the right way to do things. They did hand over two rockets to the Rocket Racing League. The league did their 50th flight just today. He doesn’t know if the league is going to be successful.
John said “There is a quality from quantity.” Armadillo did twenty untethered flights under a class 3 license last year. It is good to do lots of flights.
As the company has gotten bigger John no longer does the CnC machining or running the flight as much as he use to do. He has less time. He has a second son, six months old.
He wants to go faster.
Believes that with the current design they could go up to 100,000 feet, but not 100 km.
I counted about 110 people in the conference room. There are also some people in the hospitality room.
He talked some more about the work with NASA. They have learned from doing the work for NASA.
They have been building about two vehicles a year. He doesn’t mind crashing them, as long as they learn from them.
He hinted that there was some deal in the work, but it wasn’t done, so he couldn’t talk about it.
He said there is work from universities for putting experiments into space. He mentioned a $75 million range. That would provide for dozens of flights, and could learn more.
He is feeling pretty good about the industry.
He doesn’t think too much about the big picture with NASA. It is very discouraging. It makes you want to weep. It seems like every year there is some regulatory crisis, and once you get through it the remaining eleven months are pretty good.
They haven’t changed their mind about flying passengers via remote control. It is so expensive to include the second body.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
The video summarized the major accomplishments in the last year. There is a group called SPEAR - Students Performing Experiments on Armadillo Rockets. The audience chuckled.
Armadillo is going for altitude now. Their rockets have gone up to 4,000 feet. John said the boost to 4,000 feet was successful, but the landing wasn’t. They learned some important lessons.
John is going to talk about the business first. They have taken on more two more people. They have a couple customers who are paying their money. They are distracted by the customers. They are a marginal profitable aerospace company now. John doesn’t want to spend a lot of time chasing NASA contracts. He sold Doom. He is stepping up his investment in Armadillo.
On one side he is proud that Armadillo is profitable, but he wants to make progress on some specific projects.
John praised NASA’s centennial challenge. He is very frustrated with the decision to give him second place, as he lost a half million dollars. Still he thinks the challenge was a great thing.
He is rethinking getting work from NASA, because Armadillo is working on things they don’t think are the right way to do things. They did hand over two rockets to the Rocket Racing League. The league did their 50th flight just today. He doesn’t know if the league is going to be successful.
John said “There is a quality from quantity.” Armadillo did twenty untethered flights under a class 3 license last year. It is good to do lots of flights.
As the company has gotten bigger John no longer does the CnC machining or running the flight as much as he use to do. He has less time. He has a second son, six months old.
He wants to go faster.
Believes that with the current design they could go up to 100,000 feet, but not 100 km.
I counted about 110 people in the conference room. There are also some people in the hospitality room.
He talked some more about the work with NASA. They have learned from doing the work for NASA.
They have been building about two vehicles a year. He doesn’t mind crashing them, as long as they learn from them.
He hinted that there was some deal in the work, but it wasn’t done, so he couldn’t talk about it.
He said there is work from universities for putting experiments into space. He mentioned a $75 million range. That would provide for dozens of flights, and could learn more.
He is feeling pretty good about the industry.
He doesn’t think too much about the big picture with NASA. It is very discouraging. It makes you want to weep. It seems like every year there is some regulatory crisis, and once you get through it the remaining eleven months are pretty good.
They haven’t changed their mind about flying passengers via remote control. It is so expensive to include the second body.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap/Dan Rasky, NASA Ames
Dan Rasky talked about the goals NASA has for commercial space transportation. NASA wants a reusable vehicle, they are looking for lower costs. They are hoping for something ten times cheaper. These slides are similar to the ones he showed us.
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
The full agenda for Space Access 2010, with links
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - George Herbert, on "Project 248" - 2 people, 4 days, 800 kg: Minimal Crew Capsule For A Ton-Class Launcher
George Herbert covered some of the problems with big launch vehicles.
He has a proposal of he calls 248: two people, four days, 800 kg. It is similar to a Falcon 1. He wants to get people up to the International Space Station. He is focusing on slimming down the rocket so that it costs less to get people into space.
Going with a space suit is lighter than having a pressurized cabin. A docking / berthing adapters are very heavy. He said one type weight almost 400 kg. He has a proposal for a new berthing mechanism. One tube fits inside the other, and then something inflates which seals. This is a lot lighter and don’t have to precisely align. He showed a sketch of the rocket.
He talked about some stuff he is still trying to work out.
Main entry point.
---------
Technorati tags: space access
He has a proposal of he calls 248: two people, four days, 800 kg. It is similar to a Falcon 1. He wants to get people up to the International Space Station. He is focusing on slimming down the rocket so that it costs less to get people into space.
Going with a space suit is lighter than having a pressurized cabin. A docking / berthing adapters are very heavy. He said one type weight almost 400 kg. He has a proposal for a new berthing mechanism. One tube fits inside the other, and then something inflates which seals. This is a lot lighter and don’t have to precisely align. He showed a sketch of the rocket.
He talked about some stuff he is still trying to work out.
Main entry point.
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010 - Affordable Spaceflight Beyond LEO by Henry Spencer
Henry Spencer traditionally gives the opening presentation. He started with a couple simple drafts showing the near earth space. He points out that the obvious place to visit first is the moon. Mars is farther away in terms of time, and delta-v. Possible to visit a near earth asteroid. It would take several months. Henry’s said best to go out a month or two, hop on, ride till get closes to earth, and then hop off. A big problem is that the asteroids typically are going fairly fast.
The hardware needed to get to the moon can take us to other places, but going to Mars has additional issues. Get a lot of radiation in going through the Van Allen belt. Good to refuel in Low Earth Orbit.
General Approach: think long haul, focus on transportation services (not programs), plan for multiple destinations. Henry says a focus on Mars is a bad idea, better to be more general. Better to fly more often than to fly with a big spacecraft. Versatility is better than lots of new programs. Henry says NASA likes development, great for an engineer jobs program.
Good to have backup systems. Deep space missions should have more than one ship, so if something goes wrong, have a better chance to survive.
Better to design missions so they don’t have to be self-sufficient. With a general support system then each mission would be cheaper to create. A support system would have things like fuel depots, assembly bases, stopover points, bases and colonies, navigation aids, communication relays, scouts, tugs and so on.
Henry had several suggestions on how to simplify the problem: 1) Pick resonant orbits for first-orbit rendezvous. 2) Tugs for altitude matching. (This means will keep some space hardware in space.) 3) Expendable tether as “upper stage.”
There are several benefits with orbital assembly. If want more, just do a few more launches. Currently the big costs are the development costs. Fuel is relatively free. A simple basic system which takes payload into orbit at an assembly point would be cheaper than developing a large spaceship to be built on earth. There are some issues with building in space, things like thermal controls, power issues, structural stiffening and damping. An assembly base allows you to avoid these issues. Henry said there were some problems with having an assembly base, and gave solutions. He showed a proposal for an assembly base. It looked like a shed with solar arrays. The bottom of the shed was open to the earth. The shed protects the assembly from the heat of the sun and the cold of deep space, and from other stuff in orbit.
He went back to the issue of going to the Moon. There is no good place for an orbital base around the moon. He proposes a ship he calls “The Turtle,” One of them can start the other for the moon.
Henry believes LOX (Liquid Oxygen) is the right fuel for Low Earth Orbit. There are several problems with initially developing LOX on the moon.
Main entry point.
---------
Technorati tags: space access
The hardware needed to get to the moon can take us to other places, but going to Mars has additional issues. Get a lot of radiation in going through the Van Allen belt. Good to refuel in Low Earth Orbit.
General Approach: think long haul, focus on transportation services (not programs), plan for multiple destinations. Henry says a focus on Mars is a bad idea, better to be more general. Better to fly more often than to fly with a big spacecraft. Versatility is better than lots of new programs. Henry says NASA likes development, great for an engineer jobs program.
Good to have backup systems. Deep space missions should have more than one ship, so if something goes wrong, have a better chance to survive.
Better to design missions so they don’t have to be self-sufficient. With a general support system then each mission would be cheaper to create. A support system would have things like fuel depots, assembly bases, stopover points, bases and colonies, navigation aids, communication relays, scouts, tugs and so on.
Henry had several suggestions on how to simplify the problem: 1) Pick resonant orbits for first-orbit rendezvous. 2) Tugs for altitude matching. (This means will keep some space hardware in space.) 3) Expendable tether as “upper stage.”
There are several benefits with orbital assembly. If want more, just do a few more launches. Currently the big costs are the development costs. Fuel is relatively free. A simple basic system which takes payload into orbit at an assembly point would be cheaper than developing a large spaceship to be built on earth. There are some issues with building in space, things like thermal controls, power issues, structural stiffening and damping. An assembly base allows you to avoid these issues. Henry said there were some problems with having an assembly base, and gave solutions. He showed a proposal for an assembly base. It looked like a shed with solar arrays. The bottom of the shed was open to the earth. The shed protects the assembly from the heat of the sun and the cold of deep space, and from other stuff in orbit.
He went back to the issue of going to the Moon. There is no good place for an orbital base around the moon. He proposes a ship he calls “The Turtle,” One of them can start the other for the moon.
Henry believes LOX (Liquid Oxygen) is the right fuel for Low Earth Orbit. There are several problems with initially developing LOX on the moon.
Main entry point.
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Space Access 2010
Below is the agenda for the Space Access 2010 conference. I'll update this with links to my posts as I create them.
Thursday 4/8/10
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Thursday 4/8/10
1:30 pm Henry Vanderbilt, Space Access Society, with Announcements and A Quick Welcome
1:35 pm Henry Spencer, on Affordable Spaceflight Beyond LEO: Alternate Approaches, Paths Not Taken
2:50 pm George Herbert, on "Project 248" - 2 people, 4 days, 800 kg: Minimal Crew Capsule For A Ton-Class Launcher
3:20 pm (break)
3:50 pm Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap/Dan Rasky, NASA Ames
4:30 pm Armadillo Aerospace/John Carmack
5:20 pm Centennial Challenges/Andrew Petro, NASA HQ
6 pm (dinner)
8 pm Alan Ladwig/NASA HQ, on A New Space Enterprise
8:40 pm United Launch Alliance/Jeff Patton, on ULA's Support for NASA's Commercial Crew Development Program
9:20 pm Panel: High-Payoff LEO & Deep Space Transportation Technologies - Jeff Greason, Jon Goff, Jordin Kare, Henry Spencer, Rand Simberg
10 pm Space Studies Institute/Lee Valentine
10:10 pm Future of Flight Innovation Center/Barry Smith
10:20 pm Orbital Outfitters/Jeff Feige (Presentation wasn't given, not sure why)
10:30 pm (done for the day)
Friday 4/9/10
9 am Charles Miller, Senior Advisor for Commercial Space, NASA HQ, on An NACA Approach To Low Cost Reliable Access To Space
9:40 am DC-X, High-Alpha and the Continued Quest for the VTVL Spaceplane/Bill Gaubatz, Layne Cook
10:30 am (break)
11 am XCOR Aerospace/Jeff Greason
11:50 am Paragon Space Development/Jane Poynter
12:20 pm Space Frontier Foundation/Ryan McLinko
12:30 pm
2 pm CRuSR (Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research)/Douglas Maclise, NASA
2:40 pm Panel: Propellant Depots: "Impedance Matching" Between LEO Launch And Deep-Space Missions - Dallas Bienhoff, Jon Goff, Bernard Kutter, Rand Simberg
3:30 pm
4 pm Lasermotive / Jordin Kare
4:40 pm FAA AST/Michelle Murray
5:20 pm SpaceWorks Commercial/A.C. Charania
5:50 pm Tethers Unlimited/Gerald Nordley
6 pm
8 pm Gary Hudson, on The Past Forty Years In The Commercial Space Business And A View Of Its Future
9 pm Dynetics/Tim Pickens
9:20 pm Panel: World Space Programs & Projects - Clark Lindsey, Doug Messier, Dave Salt, Henry Spencer
10 pm Misuzu Onuki, on Japanese Space Venture Developments
10:20 pm Space Diver / Rick Tumlinson
10:30 pm
Saturday 4/10/10
9 am Leik Myrabo, on The RPI Laser Propulsion Laboratory/International Collaboration On Hypersonic BEP With Brazil/LTI Work With Umea Institute of Design On 2-5 Passenger Lightcraft Design
9:50 am Henry Spencer, on Realities Of Nanosat Launch: What Nanosats Are And What They Want From Launchers
10:20 am
10:50 am Masten Space/Dave Masten
11:40 am Flometrics / Steve Harrington
12:10 am Stratofox/Ian Kluft, Bob Verish
12:20 am TBA/Michael Laine
12:30 am
2 pm Unreasonable Rocket/Paul Breed
2:30 pm Copenhagen Suborbitals/Frank Smith
2:50 pm Frontier Astronautics/Tim Bendel, Michael Carden
3:20 pm SpeedUp/Bob Steinke
3:30 pm
4 pm Rocketplane Global/Chuck Lauer
4:30 pm Tim Pickens, on Orion Propulsion: The 5-Year Journey
4:50 pm Panel: Newspace Startup Finance - Stephen Fleming, Eva-Jane Lark, Joe Pistritto
5:30 pm Panel: Politics of the New NASA Policies - Jeff Foust, Michael Heney, Jim Muncy, Henry Vanderbilt, TBA
---------
Technorati tags: space access
Out of Order
Our land line phone and Internet service have been out since Monday afternoon. The phone company says that it should be fixed by Friday!! We have free wireless internet in our neighborhood, but it is very slow and unreliable.
It has been like a mini school vacation. I had not realized how much of our homeschooling is Internet based or at least Internet dependent for some aspect. With the free time, the kids have been doing a lot of house cleaning. I'm kind of enjoying that part. You would not believe all the stuff we found behind the piano and under the couch.
Today, I'm planning on taking the kids to the library to use the computers so that they can do some of their regular class work.
---------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
It has been like a mini school vacation. I had not realized how much of our homeschooling is Internet based or at least Internet dependent for some aspect. With the free time, the kids have been doing a lot of house cleaning. I'm kind of enjoying that part. You would not believe all the stuff we found behind the piano and under the couch.
Today, I'm planning on taking the kids to the library to use the computers so that they can do some of their regular class work.
---------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Space Access 2010
Here is a heads up on a change in venue for our blog. Our long time readers know that every Spring my father and I run off to Phoenix for Space Access. We're joined by my two brothers. In some families the men folk go hunting or fishing, we get together to learn about rockets.
I'll be blogging fairly heavily about Space Access, partly because my blog has become an extension of my brain. This will last from April 8th to the 10th and which point we'll return to our regular posts.
---------
Technorati tags: space access
I'll be blogging fairly heavily about Space Access, partly because my blog has become an extension of my brain. This will last from April 8th to the 10th and which point we'll return to our regular posts.
---------
Technorati tags: space access
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up - Open House
When the original host for this week had a sick child needing a doctor's care, the Nerd Mom stepped in at the last minute and put together this week's Carnival of Homeschooling. Swing by the NerdFamily Blog and check out the carnival, the Open House edition.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Monday, April 05, 2010
Change in who is hosting this week
Richele's household has been hit hard with the flu. One child has been hit hard. She's taking the child to the doctors and it looks like the child may have to be admitted to the hospital. With all that is going on she understandable said she won't be able to host.
The Nerd Mom, from the Nerd Family, has stepped forward to host this week! (We have a great group of hosts who keep this carnival going.)
You now have less than six hours to send in your entry for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
The Nerd Mom, from the Nerd Family, has stepped forward to host this week! (We have a great group of hosts who keep this carnival going.)
You now have less than six hours to send in your entry for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Free Online Course Material
I recently discovered that my alma mater, Utah State University, offers free online course material.
It is quite an impressive list, such as Cultural Anthropology, Biochemical Engineering, and Introduction to Economics. They include links for Syllabus, Lecture Notes, and Audio Lectures, as well as additional resources.
MIT also offers free online course material. Their course list is even more impressive.
Yale University also offers free online course material.
Harvard, Berkeley, Columbia, Oxford, The University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and so forth. The list just goes on and on.
I can't imagine homeschooling without the Internet. Our children, as well as ourselves, can get a world class education for free at home.
It is kind of ironic though. Because of frivolous internet use, some have called this the "Dumbest Generation."
With the options now available, ignorance is now a lifestyle choice.
---------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
It is quite an impressive list, such as Cultural Anthropology, Biochemical Engineering, and Introduction to Economics. They include links for Syllabus, Lecture Notes, and Audio Lectures, as well as additional resources.
MIT also offers free online course material. Their course list is even more impressive.
Yale University also offers free online course material.
Harvard, Berkeley, Columbia, Oxford, The University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and so forth. The list just goes on and on.
I can't imagine homeschooling without the Internet. Our children, as well as ourselves, can get a world class education for free at home.
It is kind of ironic though. Because of frivolous internet use, some have called this the "Dumbest Generation."
With the options now available, ignorance is now a lifestyle choice.
---------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, public school, public education, education
Reminder - send in a post for the next Carnival of Homeschooling
You have less than eleven hours to send in your entry for the next Carnival of Homeschooling.
Richele will be hosting the carnival at Under the Golden Apple Tree.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Richele will be hosting the carnival at Under the Golden Apple Tree.
Go here for the instructions on sending in a submission.
As always, entries to the Carnival of Homeschooling are due Monday evening at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education, Carnival of Homeschooling
Saturday, April 03, 2010
In the News
Don't you just love this headline:
Cops & CPS Seize Child From Parents For Mistrusting Government
The story gets a little murky with this little tidbit:
I lost sympathy for the parents because of the drug use issue. But, even so, something sounds a bit off in the official report.
If the courts can use this criteria to remove children from homes, my family is at great risk. (If you are interested, the entire CPS report is included at the end of the article.)
This article has some more details:
‘KopBusters’ Couple Lose Son Over Misdemeanor Pot Charge
But even if drug use is a legitimate reason to remove a child from a parent, packaging it with the "mistrust of government" charge is a risk to all of us.
---------
Technorati tags: parenting, children
Cops & CPS Seize Child From Parents For Mistrusting Government
A family in Williamson County, Austin have lost custody of their 7-year-old son as part of a Child Protective Services investigation because the parents taught their children to mistrust the government, an action that deemed them to be “unsuitable parents,” according to charges leveled by police officers in CPS documents.
The story gets a little murky with this little tidbit:
“Once in the couple’s home, officers discovered a small amount of marijuana and charged the Coopers with Class B misdemeanors, resulting in both their arrests. Each immediately bonded out of jail and paid a small fine. Days later, while Candi’s youngest son was visiting his father in east Texas, Child Protective Services contacted the Coopers, revealing that the incident could cost them not only custody of the boy, but also their freedom on felony child endangerment charges,” writes Stephen C. Webster of True Slant, who has been following the case.
I lost sympathy for the parents because of the drug use issue. But, even so, something sounds a bit off in the official report.
On page five of the CPS case report, police level the shocking claim that the Coopers are “unsuitable parents” because they teach their children “the government is out to harm them”.
On page six of the report, police accuse the Coopers of being “aggressive to authority” because they will not allow government employees to enter their house without a court order.
If the courts can use this criteria to remove children from homes, my family is at great risk. (If you are interested, the entire CPS report is included at the end of the article.)
This article has some more details:
‘KopBusters’ Couple Lose Son Over Misdemeanor Pot Charge
Barry and Candi Cooper, a married duo well-known in the world of drug reform activism, have temporarily lost custody of Candi’s youngest child due to misdemeanor charges stemming from a recent “KopBusters” sting operation against a police officer in Williamson County, Texas....This is a hard one. Drug use in the home does put children at risk, no matter how much the parents want to pretend it doesn't. As a foster parent, I've seen the damage of "casual" drug use. The mother and step-father are more concerned about their own agenda than about the welfare of a child. I absolutely care less that a parent who routinely uses illegal drugs for recreational purposes may lose custody of their children.
In the document, an affidavit in support of ex parte relief filed with a court in Upshur County, Texas, Mr. Johnston contends that because of Barry and Candi’s standing as nationally-known marijuana activists and their high (no pun intended) level of comfort with the drug, they pose a danger to Zachary. He cites articles on the duo’s exploits published by Cannabis Culture and Maxim, noting in particular that when Barry and Candi met, she was his “pot dealer.”
But even if drug use is a legitimate reason to remove a child from a parent, packaging it with the "mistrust of government" charge is a risk to all of us.
---------
Technorati tags: parenting, children
Friday, April 02, 2010
Follow up to School-Homed
Here's a follow up commentary on School-Homed.
Not an April Fool’s Joke: “School-Homing” Education Ideas
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Not an April Fool’s Joke: “School-Homing” Education Ideas
“School-homing,” as the satirical source dubs the fictional trend, would be a witty April Fool’s fib if it didn’t sound so much like the liberal education ideas we’ve heard in the last few decades.
The Clinton administration, for example, popularized the idea of “one-stop shopping” for social services at public schools. They also heavily promoted school-based clinics, which offer services including reproductive health counseling and contraceptives to minors.
The Obama administration is following suit. The new health care law massively increases funding for school-based clinics–$250 million over the next five years. Meanwhile, Secretary Duncan described his “Department’s cradle-to-career education strategy” in testimony before the House Budget Committee last month....
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Thursday, April 01, 2010
April Fool's Day
It looks like Rush Limbaugh got caught by an early April Fool's joke. I was listening to talk radio this morning on the way to Baby Bop's preschool activity. Rush mentioned this news story:
Global Warming Activist, Journalist, Perish in Antarctica
When I got back from preschool, I googled to get more information. Low and behold, it was a parody.
I should have realized earlier by some of the details, like...
Oh, and just in case you missed it, my School-Homed? post was also a parody, even if it was, at times, too true to be funny.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Global Warming Activist, Journalist, Perish in Antarctica
When I got back from preschool, I googled to get more information. Low and behold, it was a parody.
I should have realized earlier by some of the details, like...
"He kept talking about when they 'get down to chili', and I thought they were talking about the order in which they would consume their food supplies", Mrs. Schneider recounted. "I had no idea they were talking about Chile, the country from which you usually fly or sail in order to reach Antarctica."
Oh, and just in case you missed it, my School-Homed? post was also a parody, even if it was, at times, too true to be funny.
----------
Technorati tags: homeschooling, homeschool, home school, home education, parenting, children, education
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)