Archives for the 'politics' Category
Earth Day 2008
Published on 22 Apr 2008 at 8:54 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Earth, politics.
April 22, 1970, I went to school as on any other day. Only that day, many of the lessons were on Earth and the environment. That was the first Earth Day. I remember that we had an aluminum recycling contest going on in the school that had been going on since Christmas […]
Decimating NASA
Published on 3 Apr 2008 at 12:04 pm.
4 Comments.
Filed under NASA, politics.
My students (and others) often ask me why I don’t work for NASA. After all, I would seem to be qualified. I’ve got the right background to contribute something. I certainly have a passion for astronomy and space exploration (both manned and unmanned). So, why don’t I work for NASA? […]
Shooting down USA-193
Published on 15 Feb 2008 at 2:05 pm.
19 Comments.
Filed under politics, rockets.
Yesterday, the Pentagon announced that the US Navy would attempt to shoot down a US reconnaissance satellite that is out of control and spiraling back to Earth to an uncontrolled reentry into the atmosphere. The missile used to do the job is to be a modified Standard Missile 3, developed for use with […]
So, why don’t we make more money?
Published on 29 Jan 2008 at 12:13 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under blogging, politics.
A recent poll by Harris Interactive to see who Americans think have prestigious jobs listed both scientist and teacher as being prestigious. Hmm.  Since I am a college professor and an astronomer, does that make me doubly prestigious? Also on the list of the most prestigious professions was firefighter, military officer, nurse, and doctor. Interestingly, […]
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Measuring and Mitigating Light Pollution
Published on 6 Oct 2007 at 10:58 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under politics, skywatching.
Light pollution is the bane of astronomers world wide. Now, we all know that outdoor lighting is sometimes needed at night. But, outdoor lighting is almost always over done. At night, there are plenty of reasons to have lights on outside. Streetlights improve traffic safety. Sporting events are played at […]
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Will China beat us back to the Moon?
Published on 5 Oct 2007 at 8:47 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under politics, space exploration.
I read a rather disappointing news report recently. In the AP story that I read, reportedly NASA’s chief administrator Mike Griffin said he believed that China would make it to the Moon before the United States makes it back. Given what I’ve seen in the last few years, I don’t doubt it.
Sputnik was […]
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Student Loans
Published on 11 Aug 2007 at 3:04 pm.
8 Comments.
Filed under college teaching, politics.
The Fall Semester is soon going to begin. Once again the campus will be filled with students looking for their classrooms and filling up the parking lots. This is going to be happening all over the country. But, these students are going to have to pay for their classes. In this […]
