Thursday, August 31, 2006

Orion Contract Awarded to Lockheed Martin

3:10 CST - 08/31/06
To the Moon and Beyond

After thanking both companies and agreeing that both proposals are viable. ...

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle ($3.9 B+) contract goes to...
Lockheed Martin.

Orion Crew Vehicle

"...The Lockheed Martin Orion team -- Lockheed Martin, United Space Alliance, Honeywell, Hamilton Sundstrand, and Orbital -- brings to bear the nation's premier human space flight and exploration expertise in the development of NASA's next generation crew transportation system. Our collective expertise spanning five decades in large-scale systems integration, planetary exploration, human space flight systems and operations, launch vehicles, military aircraft, and autonomous flight systems provides a critical foundation for NASA's vision for space exploration..."





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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Democrat Corruption, B-2 Iran Peace Flights

Culture of Corruption is a theme that the Dems want to use so badly, but they keep tripping over it across the aisle. A five term Democrat from Illinois will keep the light of day on where the real culture of corruption calls home. This is a no brainer, Dems. You can't win with this. It's harder to throw around when you are covered in the stinky mess.

WASHINGTON - Illinois congressman Danny Davis and an aide took a trip to Sri Lanka last year that was paid for by the Tamil Tigers, a group that the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist organization for its use of suicide bombers and child soldiers, law enforcement sources said...read more

B-2 Flights Over Tehran for "Peaceful Purposes"

Plame Out: The ridiculous end to the scandal that distracted Washington.

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First Female Private Space Ambassador?

First Female Private Space Explorer & Space Ambassador?
Anousheh Ansari, chairman and co.
-founder of
Prodea Systems, Inc
client:SpaceAdventures.com

Anousheh Ansari, has been officially named to the Soyuz TMA-9 primary crew. The first female spaceflight participant will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 14, 2006 en route to the International Space Station (ISS) along with the Expedition 14 crew members: NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin.

In her down time, Mrs. Ansari will chat with ham radio operators and maybe even hold a news conference while she's in orbit 220 miles above Earth.
If I were in the State Department, I probably couldn't be sure what her political leanings were, and I might have some concern and maybe even be nervous about what messages she will be sending. Notice that her personal mission patch for the ISS has an Iranian Flag next to the American Flag.

Earlier today, the Iranian born, Plano, Texas citizen's webpage stated that one of her goals as the "first space ambassador" was, "...To promote peace and understanding as a representative for millions of Iranians that, given the right opportunities, can achieve their dreams."
This goal was excised from the website sometime this afternoon. Curious...
Could this be part of why there was concern about a "traffic jam" if the Shuttle was still docked when she arrived?
Is the title of "Space Ambassador" a self proclaimed annointment or is this quasi-official? Who does she represent? And who is she representing to?

From what I've read about her in the Texas press, she will probably have the grace and demeanor to not insert any sensitive political commentary into the program that might seem to undermine the cooperation of nations in space or on the earth.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Rumsfeld - No Appeasement

Rumsfeld wants terror war 'perspective'
Aug. 29, 2006
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday critics of the Iraq war are trying to divide the country instead of battling "a new kind of fascism."

Go, Rummy, Go!
Donald Rumsfeld is a man who is very picky with words. This administration prefers actions over words, but words are important. It is therefore a day to celebrate when Rummy comes out and says it like it is.

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Rollback to Pad Briefing - Atlantis

August 29, 2006
3:41 Central Time
STS-115
Rollback to Pad Press Briefing
Kennedy Space Center
3:52 Press Briefing begins...
The 11:00 am weather forecast changed by 10 knots or so, the approach of the storm was further away, the plan was immediately developed, and since roll back was less than half complete, the plan to reverse course was implemented sending the launch vehicle back to the pad. STS-115 will be covered and protected after its arrival at 8 PM
3:55
70 knot wind speed is the criteria for secured vehicle launch pad safety, storm is only projected to be about 45 knots, with some gusting of up to 55 knots near launch pad.
Shuttle safety not compromised by rollout.
4:00
September 6, 7 and 8 are all being considered for launch date.
4:05
This was the first time for a reversal of a rollback...
Contingency plans rehearsed back in May confirmed criteria to reverse course by about the 40 percent mark.
Standard launch countdown is expected after launch date set.

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Atlantis - Back to Launch Pad

Partway through the move back to the assembly building to weather out Ernesto, the decision was made to turn back to the launch pad. Real time weather forecasting and near real time decision making show Real time determination and dedication.




Atlantis Heading Back To Launch Pad
"NASA managers have decided to roll the shuttle Atlantis back to the launch pad. It should arrive at around 8 p.m. EDT tonight. A new launch date is not yet scheduled.
The latest forecasts show Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to weaken enough to allow the shuttle to ride out the storm at the pad."

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Monday, August 28, 2006

Atlantis Launch Postponed As Ernesto Nears

NASA mission managers Monday morning decided to scrub Tuesday's scheduled launch attempt of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Preliminary preparations are also under way to roll the orbiter back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, although no final decision has been made to allow for possible changes in Tropical Storm Ernesto's track. That decision is expected by midday Tuesday.

More details will be available at a 10:15 a.m. EDT briefing, which will be live on NASA Television.

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Saturday, August 26, 2006

STS-115 launch postponed

Update: Sunday 8/27
Weighing Options For Atlantis Launch
"NASA is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Ernesto as engineers continue to analyze data from a lightning strike at the launch pad on Friday. A decision is expected later this evening on whether to press ahead with a launch attempt Tuesday or roll Atlantis back to the Vehicle Assembly Building to protect it from high winds."
Saturday 8/26
"The Shuttle Mission Management team decided this afternoon to postpone the STS-115 launch for at least 24 hours. They will be providing more details on the issues they are working at a briefing this afternoon. The briefing will be carried live on NASA TV."

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Jesse to negotiate with Syria?


Je$$e Jack$on To Lead Middle East Delegation
Jackson To Meet With Political, Religious Leaders To Discuss Journalists' Kidnapping, Other Developments

I'm thinking that a fly on the wall over in Syria might just hear the following bits and pieces of the conversations...
bzzzzz.... "Come on Asshad, I ain't had no press since I sprung them brawlin' Decatur 5 back in '99, Let's work this out... First, let's get the lighting right...
Is that camera on? Why not?? Turn it on right now, you simple Al Jezerra raghead! I LIVE FOR THAT!...
I'm telling you if you don't work with me on this, you'll have to listen to Jimmy Carter whining or maybe Cindy screeching when I leave..." bzzzz.....

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NYT Body Armor Vulnerabilities

..."Earlier this year the New York Times courageously exposed vulnerabilities of US body armor, accompanying the story with a controversial diagram and a leaked Pentagon paper in a PDF file, identifying the best areas to shoot at. Today the Pentagon responded by releasing a diagram that details vulnerabilities of the New York Times journalists, which analysts predict is about to become the focus of a new media fury." ...continue...


Al Jazeera Headline News:
Hezbollah rockets hit Israeli cemetery. Thousands dead

Al Qaeda Poll Shows
No Iraq-Terror link

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Are GWB's Critics Right?

Let's look into the crystal ball and see what might be.

Are Bush's critics right?
By Tony Blankley
August 23, 2006
We are all aware of the dangerous Middle East conditions the United States faces today after five and a half years of President Bush's leadership. So let's consider what the world might well look like if, in his remaining two and a half years, he were to follow the recommendations of his critics...
... continue...

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Tutu, Obama, Hurricane Al, and Muslims

Desmond Tutu to Sen. Obama: 'I'm Glad You're Black'
Can you imagine the outcry from the PC crowd if this was a Republican official speaking to Obama?
"...Obama, who is due to visit his father's home in Kenya, as well as Chad and the Congo, reiterated one of his favorite themes: that African countries should not expect handouts and could not blame colonialism indefinitely for their woes. Instead they should strive for good governance and invest in the future by better education."
This sounds a lot like the logical Bill Cosby viewpoint expanded to include African nations.

Hurricane Season- 2006 - An inconvenient truth. Hey, Al Gore, explain this.

IF YOU'RE A MUSLIM - IT'S YOUR PROBLEM
Islamic communities in UK should look within.

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Monday, August 21, 2006

Mad Ahmadinejad

Not A Time To Run From Danger -- by Steve Darnell
"...Warfare has become a politically correct popularity contest, where the rules of engagement are written by the New York Times and public opinion, not the armies involved in the war. Of course, if Hezbollah, Hamas or other terrorist organizations are killing civilians, the rules of engagement are thrown out the window and public opinion is somehow on their side. Israel was taught this lesson during its war with Hezbollah.
Liberals and the mainstream media try to convince Americans on a daily basis that President Bush’s sinking popularity at home and around the world has somehow diminished his effectiveness. Their propaganda seems to be working. Many Americans now question the president’s direction in the war on terror, and his poll numbers are down.
President Bush should not be concerned with his popularity, and he never has been. It is a simple fact of life that the most productive person in the room is normally the most unpopular. Hard-chargers, like the president, who step on toes while getting tasks accomplished are not usually very popular people, but they get the job done. Winston Churchill is a prime example..."

(read the complete post)
*****************

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French leadership?

The Army That Only Goes Where It's Safe

The French have somehow located 50 brave Frenchmen and hope to find 200 more soon to lead the peacekeeping force in Lebanon. While we can probably depend on France to provide an abundance of white flags, it seems that French troops in blue berets are another story.

cartoon by: Cox and Forkum

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Political Correctness gets corrected

Would you put your family's life at risk for political correctness? Would you be comfortable flying with suspicious acting Arabic speaking men wearing jumpsuits and heavy leather jackets on your plane? I wouldn't. And I don't care if CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations, a spinoff of the IAP) cares either. Even Dicky Durbin and Chuckles Schumer have their doubts about CAIR.

The Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) is an Illinois based front group for the terrorist organization Hamas, according to Steven Emerson
ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION FOR PALESTINE (IAP)
P.O. Box 1163
Bridgeview, IL60455

Passengers refuse to fly unless Muslims disembark
Muslim leaders yesterday spoke of their dismay after a passenger mutiny in which several British families refused to travel on a plane with two Asian men.

British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.

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Thursday, August 17, 2006

STS-115 set to launch on August 27



Orbiter: Atlantis
Mission: STS-115
Launch: Aug. 27, 2006
Time: 4:30 p.m. EDT

"NASA managers today formally - and unanimously - cleared the shuttle Atlantis for blastoff Aug. 27 on a mission to restart space station assembly, pending resolution of two down-to-the-wire technical issues." More...

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Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Lamont’s Folly or Rove's Genius?

"If Karl Rove had a secret plan to destroy the Democratic Party, he could scarcely have dreamed up a more brilliant gambit than Ned Lamont’s primary challenge to Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman. "
Read the rest of this article by Robert Stacy McCain...

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Monday, August 14, 2006

Scotty Beams Up



Cremated Remains of Star Trek's "Scotty" James Doohan
and Astronaut Gordon Cooper to Fly Into Space Aboard UPAerospace Rocket

Houston, TX
"Space Services makes it possible to honor the dream and memory of your departed loved one by launching a symbolic portion of cremated remains into Earth orbit, onto the lunar surface or into deep space."

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Sunday, August 13, 2006

Hezbollah in Toronto, Naming Names

Hezbollah is on our streets,
and in our cities.







Toronto - Saturday, August 12, 2006













Naming names
"Last week, President Bush finally said the words that many of his supporters in the War On Terror have been waiting years for him -- he named the enemy, calling it "Islamic fascism."

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Monday, August 07, 2006

The Dems have our backs covered.



Howard ("Screech") Dean, Richard ("This disturbs me")Durbin, Benny Arnold Murtha, and John ("I was a Viet Nam war hero") Kerry have an extremely nuanced, yet dark and obscured view of supporting our troops.

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From the Desk of Senator Dick

Iowahawk has assembled a collection of letters written by Senator Dick ("our guys are like Nazis")Durbin.

From the Desk of Senator Dick
An ongoing series featuring the correspondence of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), America's most dynamic metaphorist

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Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Islamo Facism Hides Behind Civilians

Islamo Facism attacks and hides behind and amongst the civilian population. They target Israeli civilians. Mullahs in Iran pulling jihadi puppet strings are planning for the end of days. And moonbats want the soothing sound of Jimmy Carter? Go back in your moonbat wayback machines and see which self proclaimed "nuclear physisist" enabled and encouraged the Iranian mullahs in the last half of the '70s. Jimmy Carter to broker "a peace?" Give it a break.

Dry Bones Blog

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