Plasma Wind

How this blog got its Name

In case you forgot

A Year of Blogging

This week marks (about) the 1 year anniversary of Plasma Wind.  All in all, I’ve been very pleased with how its turned out.  In all honesty, I have been surprised as the interest level in my postings.  One never really knows if what you have to say will resonate with anyone.  I am pleased to say that it has been my pleasure to make the acquaintance with many like-minded individuals.    Once again I apologize for a slow start this year.  But I vow to do better.    Since most of you never read my very first postings, I provide them here again for your reading pleasure.

An Introduction (originally posted May 1, 2009)

After much consideration, I have decided that a weblog, a "blog", might be a good way to publicize things I'm working on, share tools, and perhaps most importantly to me, articulate ideas and concepts that I find important, and might perhaps be of interest to others.  Therefore, this blog, Plasma Wind, is my attempt at bringing these notions forth.

To quoteMarshall Savage, author of the Millenial Project, Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps,"I'm a simple man, whose interest extends no further than the Magellenic Clouds".  There is an infinite number of interesting things to comment on, to discuss, to consider, and even to act upon.  But we are finite, so we must choose what's important enough to spend time exploring. 

I hope you find my entries into this blog interesting enough to return, hoping for more.  It will be interesting to see whether my finite topic set, big though it may seem to me, has sufficient value to you to spend something of value to you, which is your time. 

Cheers!

JAB

After much consideration, I have decided that a weblog, a "blog", might be a good way to publicize things I'm working on, share tools, and perhaps most importantly to me, articulate ideas and concepts that I find important, and might perhaps be of interest to others.  Therefore, this blog, Plasma Wind, is my attempt at bringing these notions forth.

To quoteMarshall Savage, author of the Millenial Project, Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps,"I'm a simple man, whose interest extends no further than the Magellenic Clouds".  There is an infinite number of interesting things to comment on, to discuss, to consider, and even to act upon.  But we are finite, so we must choose what's important enough to spend time exploring. 

I hope you find my entries into this blog interesting enough to return, hoping for more.  It will be interesting to see whether my finite topic set, big though it may seem to me, has sufficient value to you to spend something of value to you, which is your time. 

Cheers!

JAB

Back in Bloggin' Bidniz

Folks, sorry for the bit of a hiatus.  Had quite a good work load there since February, but now I’ve got some time to provide some blog posts.   In terms of Blog posts, here’s what I’m working on:  

1.  2^nd part of ATR history  

2.  2^nd part of ATR applications (sub-orbital and orbital launch vehicle applications)  

3.  simplified ATR performance calculation tool  

4.  More blog posts on Exvionmentalism    

We’ll see how those actually pan out.  Stay Tuned.

But for all the best intentions

Wow, I have been really swamped since the beginning of the year.  My goals of getting the ATR history and performance posts out are yet to be fulfilled. 

But hang with me, and I'll make it worth your wait. 

In the meantime, check out some of my archived posts, they are definitely worth reading, IMHO.

Articulating the Vision: Limericks

There once was the program Constellation

Which was fettered with much consternation

Though considered a boon

For a ride to the moon

It ultimately died of starvation

 

 

When I think of going to Orbit

I want to no if, and, or but

Yet knowing the cost,

It seems all hope is lost,

Until I remember Tom Corbett*

 

* Tom Corbett: Space Cadet

 

 

Don’t be sad if you’ve been a good civil servant,

And you’ve only your blog on which to rant,

Though there’s coming and going

And no real knowledge or knowing,

The pension plan is still not quite full-spent

 

 

About these events you may be bumming,

And the mood may indeed be quite glumming,

But just remember my friend,

Though seeming close to the end,

The next program’s sure to be coming

Articulating the Vision: Haikus

The Vision Has changed

More work for some, less for you

Resume update

 

Stop, Start, Stop, Start, Stop

Start, Stop, Start, Stop, Start, Stop, Start

Stop, Start, Stop, Start, Stop

 

Job uncertainties

Pack my boxes, pack my bags

Down on the cube farm

 

Aero Engineer

Earn my passage up to space

If they need ballast

 

No low cost options

Program termination fees

Larger than Direct

 

Five segment solid

Based on Heritage Hardware

Is more new than old

 

Buy a ride to Space

The way of Free Enterprise

Space Life coming soon

 

Sometimes the big change

Is what remakes our spirit

And lets us do more

May you be inspired to pen some more of your own.

Articulating the Vision Thing

This new NASA budget is causing great rejoicing and also great gnashing of teeth and wailing.  Maybe that's what makes this whole process so interesting and compelling.  Yet, there's a lot of confusion over what this all means.  So I'm going to try and articulate what the actual vision might be for this new budget, and what it means for NASA, Americans, and for all of us as a space fairing civilization. 

I think I can state it quite simply, so here’s the Vision: Thanks to NASA, we now know how to get from the Earth up To Low Earth Orbit (ETO).  Commercial Enterprises now have the knowledge and experience to provide that service.  Let them take advantage of free market forces to increase supply and reduce prices.  NASA can now focus on developing the technology and approaches that will allow us to go out into the rest of the Solar System.  This is one of the things that NASA does best.

And that’s what the new Budget Reflects:  Commercial Enterprise for ETO, NASA R&D for Greater Space Exploration out beyond Earth Orbit. 

To really get the point across, maybe the message has to be reduced to something that will fit on a bumper sticker.  So here are my suggestions:  

1.  Going from Deep Sh*t to Deep Space

2.  Not About to be Shafted Again

3.  Space is a Noun, not an Adjective

4.  NASA:  Too Legit to Quit

5.  When you find yourself in a gravity well, stop digging

6.  Let the invisible hand work, not just the finger

7.  Space Entrepreneur: No longer an Oxymoron

8:  Get On, Sit Up, Shut Down, Hang In

9.  Up, Ours

10. Keep on Rocket in the Free World

11. ETO is Good to Go, How ‘bout we Go some Mo’

12.  Commercial Space:  Taking the RATION out of INSPIRATION  

Maybe you’ll be inspired to produce some more of your own.  After all, it really is about the vision thing. 

NASA's new Vision

Wow, if any of you tuned into NASA telecon today, you know what I'm talking about.

I don't you about you, but I feel rather enthusiastic about these new directions.  Check out the budget charts here. 

I think, in general, this will have some major positive benefits for NASA, and the U.S. taxpayer. 

Let's roll....

See you next Decade

Here's to Auld Lang Sign , and here's to the next Decade.

I don't know about you, but the "Aughts" (2000 through 2009) were a very interesting, but challenging set of years for me.  Ten years ago to this very day, John Bergmans and I test fired the world's first bi-propellant gas generator Air Turbo Rocket (it's the one in the pictures).

However, I think the "teens" (2010 through 2019) are going to be some rockin' years, and I mean that in a great way.

As some have heard me say before, ten years from now, the commercial space industry will be very different than what it is today, so much so that we will hardly recognize it.  At least that's my hope.

For all of you hoping for, and most especially for those of you who are working for that change, I wish you good luck and God speed.

Happy New Year!

In-Flight Blogging

Remember how, when you got your first cell phone, that you'd often say to whoever you were talking to on the other end something like "Hey! Guess where I'm calling you from?!?" or "Hey! I'm in my car driving around!", stuff like that.  Well, I'm sort of having that experience now. 

I'm on a Delta Flight, in bound for Altanta, at 31974 ft and about 560 knots (according to the seat-back monitor).  They were promoting their in-flight wi-fi service, normally about $24 per month, by offering first time users a free connection for the flight.  I had my laptop, so I gave it a try. 

However, once connected, it wouldn't accept the promo code.  Now here's the cool part (at least to me):  they had this live-chat function, and when I invoked it, "Brandon" comes on line after a bit (I was number 6 in the queue).  I tell him the problem, he tells me what to do, I do it, and BAM I'm on-line.  It was pretty neat.

I'm sure this will all be passe in a short time, and I'm sure you younger people out there are probably kind of rolling your eyes and going "get with it geezer, this stuff been available forever, like since May". 

Well, got to sign off.  Tray tables must now go up, and seats in their full upright and locked positions. Still, I find it very cool.  And if you're blase about this, that's too bad, because it really is pretty neat-o!