- As fascinating as it might sound, putting people on Mars is just not feasible right now. It's a shame that here we are now 2 and a half years after the retirement of the Space Shuttle, and we STILL have to bum rides off the Russians just to get to LEO and the International Space Station. How about we put a little more R&D into a new launch vehicle, crew vessel, and reentry mechanism for this country? Also, where are all the headlines on all the amazing research already coming out of the ISS and NASA in general? We have no problem launching rockets. We launch them all the time, so how difficult would it be to develop a vehicle that would out-class the shuttle? I know, easy for me to say. I'm just a Monday Morning astronaut. Although, after riding Mission: Space at EPCOT (orange version), I feel like I have been to Mars and back...whoa. In any event, I'm all for Mars exploration. We have learned so much about that planet, and as a result about our entire solar system, thanks to all of the gadgets that we have sent there over the years. However, this talk of manned missions to Mars has to stop. There is so much that we need to do first before that can even be a pipe dream.
- In a related story, NASA and JAXA (the Japanese Space Agency) have announced a launch date for the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM). I remember from my LaRC DEVELOP days all the hype surrounding this mission. As part of our student projects, we studied space-borne precipitation data using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), but as the name implies, it only observed rainfall in the tropics. GPM will give a completely global view of all types of precipitation to give us a better understanding of water cycles and climate all over this planet. Launch is scheduled for February. This is a big one. Great news!
- The Obamacare signup deadline has passed. Despite what certain executive politicians have said on the record, NO you can't keep your doctor. NO your premiums will not stay the same. NO your coverage level will not be what it was before Obamacare came into effect. These are at best severe stretches of the truth, and at worst abject lies. If that is isn't enough evidence for you see that the government in charge of your health is a really bad thing, I don't know what is...and that doesn't even touch on the bureaucratic nightmares that continue to this day.
- The Mike Shanahan era in Redskins-land ends on Black Monday. That's just 4 days away. Ways to describe the Redskins situation have been described with such colorful words as "bizarre," "pathetic," "dramatic," "hilarious," "laughing stock," and I could go on. Usually this time of year we're showering the Raiders with those kinds of descriptors. It's not too hard to see why. Egos are aplenty in Ashburn. Everyone from the owner, to the head coach, to the quarterback have egos, and they all have done all they could to inflate them this year. It started when Shanahan mismanaged RGIII's injury. It continued with RGIII's stupid "#Allin4week1" campaign while he was recovering from his 2nd major reconstructive knee surgery. Then of course you have Uncle Dan Snyder who ultimately runs the show anyway. When you have all these egos (and consequently all these dollars) at stake, throw in 12 or 13 losses, and you see what happens. The best thing for this team is to get rid of the nepotism in the coaching staff and just clean house, and perhaps in that case 3-13 is just what the doctor ordered. Dallas may be perennially 8-8, but as long as they keep their regime in place, 8-8 is their ceiling. We may not have a 1st round pick next year (he wears #10), but a new coach, with new ideas can jazz everyone up enough so that we can be competitive in 2014. Look at what Philly did this year with Chip Kelly. In the NFL, thanks to parity, we have seen too often zero-to-hero stories in the blink of an eye.
- My brother got me for Christmas the entire first season of Breaking Bad. I have never seen a single episode yet, but there's a show that I need to watch. I smell a marathon coming!
What was your favorite gift from Christmas this year? My gift to you will be (hopefully) keeping a more consistent blog schedule!
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