Saturday, December 21, 2019

not because they are easy, but because they are hard

American astronauts have had to rely solely on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get to and from orbit since July 2011, when NASA retired its space shuttle fleet.

Yesterday, Boeing’s new Starliner capsule ran into trouble and went off course in orbit minutes after blasting off on Friday on its first test flight, a crucial dress rehearsal for next year’s inaugural launch with astronauts.

Today President Donald Trump has officially funded a Pentagon force focused on warfare in space - the US Space Force. The new military service, the first in more than 70 years, falls under the US Air Force.

Stirring stuff, but considering they still  can't actually launch astronauts themselves. I think taht perhaps a period of self-reflection might be in order.

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