From Liane*in*VT (whose brother in law is an actual rocket scientist)
So, it turns out, Musk overruled his engineers and did not have flame diverters installed in the launch pad. This is what happened to the launch pad.
Expensive and reckless decision, if that turns out to be the cause.
So, Musk got his start with PayPal. That is all I need to know.
ReplyDeleteFunny, the spouse and I had a conversation just the other day about how concrete can be burnt.
ReplyDelete0430 hrs and I haven't been able to sleep; rest, but not sleep. Presumably a reaction to the Covid booster (which I had about 4PM. Well, that's nothing much.
ReplyDelete----Alan
So strange since we were so tired that I slept 11 hours and Wil slept 16! But it definitely does something to your usual stamina and pattern. We're FINE today!! Hang in there.
DeleteI am thinking that it is time to discontinue my consulting practice (in forensic toxicology). I am more than ten years past full retirement age, and I am getting out of practice. Also traveling long distances is too hard now. Unfortunately I don't know anyone I can recommend to defense attorneys; matters are especially difficult for public defenders because their budgets are so tight. All the people I knew who did that sort of work for the defense bar are retired, dead, or both.
ReplyDelete---Alan
Lack of sleep may be influencing me.
Delete---Alan
I was in my late 70s when I started to feel the ned to slow down. I believe I was 78 when I shifted from an essentially full-time contract to part-time, then fully retired at 82. Luckily, my clients were able to find somebpdy who probably fit their needs even better. She joined the group as an actual researcher but with English-language writing skills entirely adequate to do their journal articles and grant applications.
DeleteIs there any young whipper snapper in the field whom you could mentor?
DeleteWil is beginning to train Root*Center*Son on the software work he does, so R*C*S can take over the company at some point. But there's sooo much to know! I guess we'll see how they progress.
I don't think any of the whippersnappers I know, or know of, are likely to be interested.
Delete---Alan
In re the SpaceX launch--- I am reminded of the old saw that NASA never had failures, only limited successes. And I remember seeing the newsreel of the Vanguard satellite "launch." As memory serves me the rocket got about four feet off the launch pad before undergoing a rapid disassenbly.
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia:
The December 6, 1957 Project Vanguard launch failure occurred at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It was a monumental failure, exploding a few seconds after launch, and it became an international joke. The satellite appeared in newspapers under the names Flopnik, Stayputnik, Kaputnik,[64] and Dudnik. In the United Nations, the Soviet delegate offered the US representative aid "under the Soviet program of technical assistance to backwards nations. Only in the wake of this very public failure did von Braun's Redstone team get the go-ahead to launch their Jupiter-C rocket as soon as they could."
--Alan
Vanguard TV-3 [Click]
Delete---Alan
(Susan) Woo hoo! Happy Dance! Fox just fired Tucker Carlson and CNN fired Don Lemon.
ReplyDeleteI'm doing backflips about TC!!
Delete
DeleteFired Carlson? Gee. I don't know Don Lemon, but Wikipedia is informative.
---Alan
Tucker Carlson Was Pushed Out by Rupert Murdoch [Click] Rupert feeling some heat?
Delete—Alan
Tucker Carlson Didn’t See It Coming
DeleteApril 24, 2023 By Taegan Goddard
Tucker Carlson, who was apparently fired by Fox News today, had these final words on his show last Friday: “We’ll be back on Monday.”
^^^^Alan
DeleteRon Wyden Asks Harlan Crow for List of Gifts to Thomas [Click]
ReplyDelete----Alan
We've been waiting for a part for our Maverick since February. Just learned that it might be available May 29th, but no guarantees. Of course, without the part our check engine light keeps coming on, which precludes getting a new inspection sticker...which was due end of March. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm indeed. Probably can't get a replacement from a junk yard for such a new vehicle.
ReplyDelete---Alan
Yup.
DeleteYou'd think we'd have learned when we bought one of the first Honda Civid Hybrids, then couldn't yet get a new transmission from Japan when needed. That's how come I bought my first Mini Cooper! So what did we do, years later? We ordered a new-fangled truck during a pandemic when there were huge supply chain issues. Ha! What could possibly go wrong?
How about an nice refurbished four door Model A Ford? Or an Imperial?
Delete---Alan
[Chrysler] Imperial Wikipedia entry [Click]
Your garage probably wouldn’t accommodate one of these. [Click] Zero problems with electrical parts, though.
DeleteOr maybe one of these? [Click]
—Alan