Yesterday I wrote a post on “NC State of Business,” the blog we started at the Industrial Extension Service. I should probably just cross-post it, but I’m too lazy this morning to worry with rebuilding all the links. Instead, I just offer a single link to the post itself: “Multitasking, Procrastination, and Corporate Failure.”
by 
Today’s space history anniversary: Fifty years ago today — October 7, 1958 — Project Mercury was formally organized in Washington, D.C. Almost makes me want to watch The Right Stuff.
___
In other news, my friend Edmund Schubert, editor of Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, posted a nice list of writerly terms on his blog. It’s a good run-down of terms aspiring writers need to understand.
by On October 4th, 1958, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, was dedicated — and a few years later we were stationed there. For those who don’t know, Vandenberg is also known as the Western Space and Missile Center, and we spent two years there (1993-95) managing launch facility refurbishment projects as part of the Titan System Program Office.
Congrats, Vandenberg, on 50 years of service to the nation!
by Twenty years ago today, the Space Shuttle Discovery landed on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, after the “return to flight” mission following the loss of Challenger. It just so happens that we were stationed at Edwards at the time, and got to see it.
Later, I was on the Air Force Flight Test Center shuttle recovery team, and worked four shuttle landings as part of the crew that would help extract astronauts in an emergency. For this landing, though, I was just a spectator — which was, in itself, pretty cool.
by My lovely bride took a tumble this morning in her classroom; she called me from Urgent Care, and I got there in time to help her back to X-ray. Turns out she cracked two ribs, so she’s in a good deal of pain right now and I’m doing my best to help her around and fetch and carry what she needs (like ice packs).
I’ll still post on the blog from time to time, but I don’t expect to do a lot of writing in the next little while. Priorities, you know?
I’m just glad that the University folks let me work from home when I have to … and of course I can do my reading for Baen from almost anywhere.
by Fifty years ago yesterday was the end of NACA, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, and 50 years ago today was the first day of NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Congratulations — you’ve accomplished a lot since then, but there’s a lot still to do.
Onward and upward!
by So many blog-able things, so little time.
First, do you consider yourself conservative or liberal? If you answered “yes,” then you’re a person after my own heart. That’s the Anti-Candidate’s position, too, as seen here.
That is, the anti-candidate is conservative on some things, and liberal on other things. So far as we can tell, the anti-candidate is conservative and liberal on all the right things.
Next, a little space history: 50 years ago today was the last day of NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. (My aerodynamics professor once tried to convince us that NACA stood for the “National Association for Cambered Airfoils.” Go figure.)
And finally, progress on the novel has stalled. Last night I had an idea of something to add, and I’m struggling with whether it’s a good idea or not. I may have to leave a big block of white space labeled “figure it out later” and move on. It’s very frustrating.
But, life goes on. At least until it doesn’t.
by On September 29, 1988, Space Shuttle Discovery launched on mission STS-26, the first mission after the loss of the Challenger two years earlier. Astronauts Fred Hauck, Dick Covey, John Lounge, David Hilmers, and George Nelson successfully deployed Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)-3. You can read more about the mission here.
In more recent space news, yesterday the SpaceX company had the first successful launch of their Falcon-1 booster. Congratulations!
by Five years ago today, the European Space Agency’s SMART-1 mission was launched to the moon. SMART was an acronym for “Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology,” and the spacecraft tested solar electric propulsion technology on its way to the Moon. According to the ESA fact sheet on SMART-1, the spacecraft entered lunar orbit on November 15, 2004 — for those who didn’t know, electric ion thrusters don’t make for a particularly speedy trip — and after a one-year extension the mission ended on 3 September 2006 with a planned lunar impact.
As well as testing new technology, SMART-1 did the first comprehensive inventory of key chemical elements in the lunar surface. It also investigated the theory that the Moon was formed following the violent collision of a smaller planet with Earth, four and a half thousand million years ago.
And hopefully, relying on some of the latest lunar science observations will help make my novel MARE NUBIUM a little more realistic. Time will tell.
Now, back to work on the thing 😉 .
by If you’re interested in blogs about leadership and management, I recommend Wally Bock’s “Three Star Leadership” blog. One of his recent posts linked to Julie Ferguson’s entry on the “HR Web Cafe” blog about hiring veterans. As an Air Force retiree, I appreciate them calling attention to the subject and just wanted to say, Thanks, y’all!
by 
