Another busy day. I did take time to watch Space Ship One successfully its first flight enroute to winning the X-Prize (Its actually the second manned suborbital flight of the vehicle). There was a scary moment there, when it rolled (nearly 40 times according to the news) and looked like it was tumbling. I guess that's the nature of barnstorming, but it looked pretty serious -- they aren't having too much luck with the control system, I think. The pilot turned the engines off and stabilized it and completed the flight. I still worry about a major disaster curtailing the recent growth of small private enterprise pushing into space. The public can be pretty risk adverse about these things - but without risk, the endeavour isn't worth accomplishing. I'd also like to report that the NASA Administrator used the same quote I have on my web page in his congratulatory speech - Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

Anyway, I'll use this as another opportunity to express my opinion that pilots rock. A lot of engineers are all about using automated flight systems to control space vehicles. They say it will make it simple, and operations easier. And, in a lot of cases, these systems are actually necessary because the controls are so complicated and counterintuitive and the vehicles are so unstable at high velocity. Personally, I think if you can make a vehicle that is simple enough to be flown by one or two pilots and ditch the automated systems all together and just rely on the pilot -- well, that's perfect. That's a simple system, not one with an advanced autopilot. I wonder if Space Ship One would've survived this flight without pilot control.

Tonight: Massive cram session for my test tomorrow.


And, the funniest e-mail I received this morning:


Since one of our DM'ers sent me this notice about the "smoking grass" across the street, I thought I'd let you know what I know.



I called Security Dispatch last Wed-Thurs to report the "grass on fire", because I saw the same thing myself that morning. I met the Security/Fire Marshalls there--as well as BGfrom the EOC--and they assured me that the fire was not burning--it was just steam coming out of the ground--maybe from a broken steam pipe which they said they were going to check out. I guess they were prompted to rope off the area for now to keep people out of that area. I'm sure that the grass will never grow back as long as they don't change anything. But they assured me it was not fire--just steam.