June 22, 2004
Nine days and counting until I'm on my way to a 4th in Fairbanks. A vacation is past due. It's been over a year since my birthday in N'awlins, and I'm ready. We're taking a train through Denali, or at least through as much of it as possible. It sounds great. I've never been there, so I can only imagine what it'll be like. I'm hoping for an overdose of Glacier grandeur sprinkled with a little Northern Exposure.
June 19, 2004
Coming soon to a spaceport near you... The X Prize piqued my interest from its beginning. Now, someone is on the verge of claiming it. The X Prize, if you haven't heard, is a $10 million cash award to be given to the first privately financed and built craft able to propel three people up to 62.5 miles (100 kilometers) altitude, return safely to Earth, and then repeat that trip within a two week period. It is patterned after the Orteig Prize that inspired Charles Lindbergh.
On Monday, June 21, the Scaled Composites corporation is scheduled to launch a manned flight as a last step before attempting the two flights required to grab the brass ring. It's exciting, and I wish them godspeed, but I'm not sure this is going to lead to motels on the moon like some dreamers have envisioned. There is a good commentary on Space.com that puts the future spoils of the X Prize winner in perspective.
For me, the item of greatest interest coming out of the Space Ship One flight is the non-explosive rocket fuel they are using, made out of rubber and laughing gas. Its byproducts are water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen. That makes it a cleaner way to reach space, and with a little more research and development by the private sector, it seems there should be some down to earth applications for the technology. Who knows - maybe Funny Fuel will be the new Tang.
June 10, 2004
I only saw him once, at the Alberta Bair Theater in the late 80's. I consider myself quite fortunate for the experience.