http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37509776/ns/technology_and_science-space
On Friday June 4th, the SpaceX corporation launched its first successful test flight of the Falcon 9 rocket, boosting a dragon capsule into low-earth orbit. SpaceX is a private corporation contracted by NASA to develop a low cost space vehicle to bring supplies to the International Space Station. This contract represents part of President Obama's new space policy to privatize part of the space program. NASA will continue to develop programs for deep space exploration and manned space flight with more "mundane" space supply services provided by private companies. SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk, the founder and former owner of PayPal. It's expected that the cost of a Falcon 9 mission will be considerably cheaper than the one billion dollars it costs to launch a space shuttle flight.
I think that this is an important turning point in the space program, but it has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage so far seems to be that the companies involved so far are small and innovative. When big corporations are involved in what should clearly be public/government work, they sometimes put profit ahead of public policy and end up costing more. Also, small, private companies that are free of political patronage problems may be able to achieve specific goals more economically. On the other hand, space exploration is complicated and expensive. Having small, innovative companies with lots of bright thinkers may lead to some technological breakthroughs. However, space exploration remains expensive, difficult, and dangerous.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Senior Reflection #3 - Skydiving
School is almost over and we will be graduating in just a couple of weeks, so I really wanted to do something exciting to end my last year of high school. Therefore, I decided to go skydiving! On Saturday afternoon I drove out to a place called Skydive Orange which is about 2 hours away. I was scheduled to jump at 4 PM but it was raining so I had to sit waiting anxiously for 3 hours until the storm passed. Finally at 7 PM my instructor came over and got me suited up and into the airplane and we took off. After a 15 minute plane ride up to 13000 feet, the door opened and reality hit. I watched two solo jumpers go and then it was my turn. I tried to act brave as we scuffled over to the door, but really I was just hoping I wouldn't pee my pants. There wasn't much time to think because as soon as we got to the door, we were out and falling through the sky. It was the most incredible feeling; I can't even describe it. After at least 15 seconds of falling, my instructor opened the parachute and we floated peacefully back down to Earth. I really loved the experience and I can't wait to go back and do it again!Monday, May 24, 2010
Current Event #2
Drug Wars in Jamaica
Over the past few days in Jamaica police and military forces have been battling against gangs of drug dealers led by a man named Christopher Coke. The violence has spread from the capital city of West Kingston into outlying slums. So far, there has not been reports of violence spreading to the northern part of the island where all of the resorts are located. Jamaica is the largest producer of Marijuana and also has one of the worlds highest murder rates. Gangs have grown into organized crime networks that are involved with international gun smuggling. According to the article from the AP, the weapons arsenals of the gangs rival those of the police power, making it difficult for them to put an end to the violence. These gangs are also tied to the governering political party, the labor party.
I think it is sad that all of this violence is happening in Jamaica. When most people think of Jamaica, they think of the beautiful beaches and resorts, but they do not realize that there is another completely different atmosphere surrounding the other side of the island. I hope that the police and military forces will be able to stop the gangs and that the violence will subside before it reaches the northern part of the island where all of ther resorts are. If the violence spreads there, tourism will come to a halt and that is a major factor of their economy.
Over the past few days in Jamaica police and military forces have been battling against gangs of drug dealers led by a man named Christopher Coke. The violence has spread from the capital city of West Kingston into outlying slums. So far, there has not been reports of violence spreading to the northern part of the island where all of the resorts are located. Jamaica is the largest producer of Marijuana and also has one of the worlds highest murder rates. Gangs have grown into organized crime networks that are involved with international gun smuggling. According to the article from the AP, the weapons arsenals of the gangs rival those of the police power, making it difficult for them to put an end to the violence. These gangs are also tied to the governering political party, the labor party.
I think it is sad that all of this violence is happening in Jamaica. When most people think of Jamaica, they think of the beautiful beaches and resorts, but they do not realize that there is another completely different atmosphere surrounding the other side of the island. I hope that the police and military forces will be able to stop the gangs and that the violence will subside before it reaches the northern part of the island where all of ther resorts are. If the violence spreads there, tourism will come to a halt and that is a major factor of their economy.
Senior Reflection #2 - College
As high school begins to wind down, I am becoming more and more excited to go to college. I will be attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. This means that next winter, while everybody in Virginia is freezing and shoveling snow, I will be in warm 70 degree weather. :) The campus is located right in the heart of Daytona and is right next to Daytona International Airport and only a five minute walk to the beach. I am planning on majoring in Aerospace Engineering with an area of concentration in propulsion and minoring in homeland security. I will also be doing Air Force ROTC in the hopes of becoming a fighter pilot in the air force after college. That has been my dream since I was little. If that doesn't work out, I would like to use my engineering degree to design engines for jet aircraft. What attracted me to Embry-Riddle the most was the community and the atmosphere. Pretty much everything there is centered around aviation. It is also a small campus with only about 4000 students, which I preferred over larger campuses like Virginia Tech.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Current Event #1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37176269/ns/technology_and_science-space/
On Friday afternoon, the space shuttle Atlantis launched from Cape Canaveral on it's last mission before it is retired. The launch went off without a hitch and the shuttle made it safely into space. Today, Atlantis finally arrived at the International Space Station, where astronauts will be delivering equipment that will help keep the station running after the shuttle program ends. There will also be three space walks made by the astronauts during their week-long stay. There will only be two more shuttle launches before the program ends: Discovery is expected to launch in September, and Endeavor in November. This is due to President Obama ending low-Earth orbit expeditions and focusing instead on asteroid and Mars expeditions.
I am glad that Atlantis made it to the ISS without any big problems. I watched the shuttle launch on friday afternoon on TV and it was pretty cool to see. It's kind of dissapointing that Obama decided to end the shuttle program. American astronauts will still be able to travel to the ISS, but they will now have to hitch a ride on russian shuttles. However, I understand that the program cost a lot of money and it might be better to focus our efforts on Mars expeditions, etc.
On Friday afternoon, the space shuttle Atlantis launched from Cape Canaveral on it's last mission before it is retired. The launch went off without a hitch and the shuttle made it safely into space. Today, Atlantis finally arrived at the International Space Station, where astronauts will be delivering equipment that will help keep the station running after the shuttle program ends. There will also be three space walks made by the astronauts during their week-long stay. There will only be two more shuttle launches before the program ends: Discovery is expected to launch in September, and Endeavor in November. This is due to President Obama ending low-Earth orbit expeditions and focusing instead on asteroid and Mars expeditions.
I am glad that Atlantis made it to the ISS without any big problems. I watched the shuttle launch on friday afternoon on TV and it was pretty cool to see. It's kind of dissapointing that Obama decided to end the shuttle program. American astronauts will still be able to travel to the ISS, but they will now have to hitch a ride on russian shuttles. However, I understand that the program cost a lot of money and it might be better to focus our efforts on Mars expeditions, etc.
Senior Reflection #1 - Air Show
Today I went to the air show at Andrew's AFB with my family. It is a really great event and I always look forward to it every year. Unfortunately we got there kind of late because of the traffic, so I missed the Army Golden Knights jump and the F/A-18 Superhornet demo, as well as some other performances. However, I did get to see many other awesome things like the F-16, the F-22, and the AV8B Harrier. The Harrier was probably the coolest because it can take off and land vertically, but my favorite plane is the F-16 so it was fun to see it actually fly. Of course the main attraction was the Blue Angels performance at the end. They were amazing, as usual. They perform maneuvers with extreme precision; there is only an 18 inch seperation between the wing tip of one jet and the canopy of another when they are in the diamond formation. My favorite part of their performance was when the two solo jets did a high speed, low altitude pass. They were going over 600 mph! Anyway, overall it was a really great day and I look forward to attending the air show again next year.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Editorial #5
The Future of Flight <-- Link to Editorial
This editorial, from the Washington Post, is about the federal government equipping airports around the nation with a new satellite-based radar system, known as NextGen. This is much more technologically advanced than the current radar system which makes it difficult for controllers and pilots to know the exact location of aircraft in the air and on the tarmac. The use of the NextGen system would result in more takeoffs and landings and the ability to fly more direct routes. In the long run, it will reduce congestion, fuel use, and pollution. The problem is the cost. Many airlines do not want to pay their share for the upgrade, which will cost about $25 - $30 billion, according to the FAA.
According to the editorial, Southwest Airlines has already paid its share of the funds to retrofit its fleet with the NextGen system, and I think other airlines should follow suit. Although it costs them money now, it will benefit them in the long run with reduced fuel costs, etc. The ability to pinpoint the exact location of aircraft could also reduce the number of collisions in the air and on the ground.
This editorial, from the Washington Post, is about the federal government equipping airports around the nation with a new satellite-based radar system, known as NextGen. This is much more technologically advanced than the current radar system which makes it difficult for controllers and pilots to know the exact location of aircraft in the air and on the tarmac. The use of the NextGen system would result in more takeoffs and landings and the ability to fly more direct routes. In the long run, it will reduce congestion, fuel use, and pollution. The problem is the cost. Many airlines do not want to pay their share for the upgrade, which will cost about $25 - $30 billion, according to the FAA.
According to the editorial, Southwest Airlines has already paid its share of the funds to retrofit its fleet with the NextGen system, and I think other airlines should follow suit. Although it costs them money now, it will benefit them in the long run with reduced fuel costs, etc. The ability to pinpoint the exact location of aircraft could also reduce the number of collisions in the air and on the ground.
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