Senate Committee: NASA Supports Too Much Free Enterprise and Exploration, Too Little Spending in Their States on Unneeded Giant Launcher

From the Space Access Society:

An URGENT Call To Action

There is a NASA Authorization bill up for vote tomorrow (Thursday July 15th) in the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, in a session scheduled to start at 10 am Eastern time. This draft NASA Authorization makes drastic cuts over the next three years in both Commercial Crew development (and also sharply constrains that program) and in new space exploration technology, in order to pay for 2011 startup of a new NASA Shuttle/Ares-derived heavy-lift booster program plus continued development of the Orion crew capsule.

Our immediate options are limited. There are two amendments already prepared for tomorrow that would reduce the damage. The Warner Amendment would restore Commercial Crew funding and remove restrictions. The Boxer Amendment would restore some of the new space exploration technology funding.

If you are reading this before east coast close-of-business July 15th, and you are from one of the states listed below, please call or fax your Committee Senator. (If at all possible, make contact well before 10 am eastern.) If phoning, let the person who answers know you're calling about the NASA Authorization. They may switch you to another staffer (or that staffer's voicemail) or they may take the call themselves. Either way, ask them to support the Warner and Boxer Amendments to the NASA Authorization. Give one or two reasons briefly (EG, to support the US commercial launch industry, to enhance our national technological competitiveness, to support the President's NASA policy, to address the NASA problems pointed out by the Augustine Commission and restore NASA's ability to usefully explore, etc - see previous piece) then politely sign off.

Please read more here, most of which I agree with heartily. My main qualification is that I think there are reasonable arguments to continue work on the Orion capsule in the limited form proposed by NASA.

Here is a good summary of the draft authorization.

Here is a copy of the draft.

Jan van Underpants

Jan van Abbenbroec bore breeches as canting arms in the Wapenboek Beyeren of 1405.

Reaching Out to the Muslim World

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, in an interview with Al Jazeera June 30:

I am here in the region - its sort of the first anniversary of President Barack Obama's visit to Cairo - and his speech there when he gave what has now become known as Obama's "Cairo Initiative" where he announced that he wanted this to become a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. When I became the NASA Administrator - before I became the NASA Administrator - he charged me with three things: One was that he wanted me to re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, that he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations, to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science and engineering -- science, math and engineering.

He then went on to deny that there was a diplomatic goal to his trip, but that he wanted to expand the sort of cooperation that NASA had with Russia and Japan and other countries contributing to the International Space Station.

For an example of what this outreach means in practice, see Bolden's remarks in Cairo on June 15, 2010. Tailoring the remarks to an Egyptian audience, he mentions two scientists born in Egypt: Dr. Farouk El-Baz, who contributed to the Apollo program, and Dr. Ahmed Zewail, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999. He describes NASA's international partnerships in general, its science and education agreements with predominantly Muslim nations in particular, and the potential for expanding this cooperation.

When Bolden's remarks generated a certain amount of controversy, NASA assistant administrator for public affairs Bob Jacobs told ABC News:

Administrator Bolden understands that NASA's core mission is exploration, both in space and in scientific endeavors here at home. Inherent to the success of that mission is cooperation and collaboration with other nations which are equally committed to this effort, including expanding the range of countries with which NASA engages and partners.

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said:

The President has always said that he wants NASA to engage with the world’s best scientists and engineers as we work together to push the boundaries of exploration. Meeting that mandate requires NASA to partner with countries around the world like Russia and Japan, as well as collaboration with Israel and with many Muslim-majority countries. The space race began as a global competition, but, today, it is a global collaboration.

It seems clear that based on the further remarks in the interview and on the content of Bolden's Cairo remarks that "help them feel good about their historic contribution" was simply part of the outreach process rather than an end in itself.

There have also been complaints that Bolden had been asked to make outreach to the Muslim world NASA's top priority. That seems to be unjustified. Bolden said that Obama had asked him to do three things, with the third "perhaps" the foremost. But it doesn't follow that Bolden was asked to do only those three things, or to put them ahead of any of the other goals previously assigned by the executive branch or Congress.

And if we look at the budget presented by the administration, there's no evidence that any of the three charges were given any sort of paramount importance.

I should add that the second, cooperation with other nations, has been an explicit goal of NASA since it was formed in 1958, and the third is a subset of the second.

Happy 4th of July

Restoration Of 'Star Spangled Banner' Uncovers Horrifying New Verses

Bastons or Bâtons

Baston in medieval French (later bâton) could be translated as staff, club or rod, but it was also used as a generic term for weapon. Godefroy gives several passages where estocs, swords, spears and other weapons are described as bastons.

I think it’s plausible that the medieval Latin baculum was used in a similar range of senses. Mathew Paris describes an incident where William de Valence receives some hard knocks at a tournament at Newbury in 1248.

“…ut introductiones miliaea initiales addisceret, baculatus.”

J. A. Giles translates this as:

...and was well batoned, in order that he might receive his apprentisage in knighthood.

But Richard Vaughan’s 1984 translation is less literal:

… and as an initiation to knighthood, thoroughly beaten.

Likewise, argumentum ad baculum can be translated literally as an appeal to the stick, or less literally as an appeal to force.

The Awesomeness of Elena Kagan

The most recent post of Garrett Epps' excellent coverage of the Kagan hearings is here. But go back to the beginning for the whole thing.

(I once read a theory that people who look like Muppets do best on television. Can't you picture Elena Kagan singing "O is for Opinion" with Oscar the Grouch?)

That's Fiore

When the Lion's fierce roar conquers your Iron Door
That's Fiore!
When the Elephant's knees are unbending as trees
That's Fiore!
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
When you’re hit by fendente
Points will stab jibby-jibby-jab, jibby-jibby-jab
Like a sharp-toothed serpente

When the Lynx's keen sight sees you move in the night
That's Fiore!
When your skills can defeat the assassins you meet
With a glove
When you make all your foes scream with the tricks that you’ve
Learned from Fiore
When the Tiger's swift leap makes you flinch and say "eep!"
That's Fiore!

That's Fiore.......

Flags of Forgotten Countries

Note to flag designers: avoid eagles and crowns, there seems to be a negative correlation with regime survival. And you must use an eagle, try to design it with no more than one head.

Falcon Flies

The Economist has an appreciation of Falcon 9's successful first flight.

This is an impressive achievement. The launcher is considerably more capable than the Atlas and Titan rockets that launched NASA's first astronauts: it's reportedly a bit more capable than the Saturn 1 that launched a boilerplate Apollo capsule in 1964.

The biggest government funded launchers of the U.S., Russia, Europe, Japan and China are more powerful, as is the the Zenit launcher that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union, but it can lift more than India's biggest launcher, the next most capable government program.

The Challenge of the Seneschal of Hainault: Pennsic 2010

The Seneschal of Hainault and certain companions have come to do single combats against the Company of St. Michael. Those who wish may also offer challenges against one side or the other, either for an agreed number of blows or until one champion or the other falls to the ground. Also, there will be group combats with rebated weapons as often and as long as the ladies wish.

This deed will occur on Tuesday August 10th from 3-6 PM on the Main Battlefield (West) at Pennsic.

The Historical Basis:

This is based on deeds of arms done by the Seneschal of Hainault and certain others at Smithfield in 1410.

“And in the tenth year of King Harry's reign the IVth, come the seneschal of Hainault, with other men, into England, for to seek adventures, and to get him worship in deeds of arms, both on horseback and on foot, of all manner points of deeds of arms and war.”

The company is seeking volunteers to take the role of the puissant seneschal and his immediate household. To take these roles you must have harness suitable for his era (1380-1415) and authentic in appearance from a distance of ten feet or less. There is no appearance requirement or limitation to the seneschal’s period for other challengers, although authentic appearance is encouraged and appreciated.

If interested, contact Galleron de Cressy, Captain of the Company, at mclean1382@aol.com

Combat Conventions

Each combat between two champions will end when the judges stop the fight, or a champion is unable to continue

A champion is unable to continue if he is struck five good blows in the course of the combat, or falls or becomes disarmed, or is disabled as described below. A champion whose weapon breaks is not considered disarmed, and the fight will halt while he replaces it.

Champions may also agree to end the fight after an agreed number of blows thrown by one side or the other, even if nobody is knocked down or disabled first.

Weapons:

We will have matched lances, throwing spears, pollaxes, two handed swords and daggers available for the combatants.

Effects of Blows

Two handed edge blows have no effect against plate or brigantine torso armor, and count as one good blow against the head or other protection.

A hit with a thrown lance or spear counts the same as a two handed edge blow. For the justification of the relative effectiveness of thrown weapons, see here.

Single handed edge blows have no effect against any plate but the helmet, and count as a good blow against the head or lesser protection elsewhere.

Thrusts have no effect against any plate except for plate helmet visors or faceplates, count as one good blow against these or mail, and a disabling blow against barred visors and lesser protection.

Heavy hardened leather and other suitably covered rigid protection will generally count as plate, with debatable cases to be decided by the discretion of the judges. The judges will, as far as seems practical, attempt to match opponents with similar levels of protection like against like, and harness from the same period like against like.

Champions may agree that both are assumed to be wearing typical armor of the early 15th century even if they are actually wearing less protection: mail at the neck, armpit and inside the elbow, cloth at the back of the knee and inner thigh, and plate elsewhere. Barred visors will still count as no protection against a thrust.

I suggest these rules for halfswording with two-handed swords, if both parties consent.

Do not act out blows, but call them out clearly. Except in group combat you need not keep track of the blows struck yourself: those guarding the list will do so for you.

Group Combats with Rebated Weapons

After any telling blow, retreat to your end of the lists, cry your cry, and return to the fray. Do not act out amputations. The weapons are no more than six feet long: a sword, pollaxe or short spear.

René’s rules assumed the combatants would batter each other with blunt weapons, and if a combatant was temporarily stunned his retainers would protect him until he recovered. Standard SCA rules in which the man struck pretended he was crippled or killed were not appropriate. After our first recreation we omitted the armored retainers who protected their master in René’s rules: under the adapted rules they didn’t have a lot to do or scope to enjoy themselves. (In the original, this was irrelevant: they were paid to do their job, not to have fun).

We often fight this over the barrier. Barriers didn’t become part of friendly deeds of arms until around 1500, rather later than René’s rules. However, barriers do allow good control of the melee with minimal need for marshaling. Sword and shield at the barrier tends to be an uninteresting fight, and I would discourage that choice if the combatant is able to use one of the other options.

Since we fight on foot we faced a fundamental choice. Should we use contemporary foot combat conventions while using as much of René’s format as made sense, or should we follow as many of his rules as possible even if they lose their purpose in the absence of horses? We eventually chose the first, and so allowed the typical weapons of foot combat. Thrusts were only rarely prohibited in contemporary foot combat so we allowed them.

You can learn more about 15th century deeds of arms here:

Some of the historical basis for the combat rules can be found here.

Here is an account of the deeds of arms the seneschal did on his pilgrimage to Santiago a few years earlier. It gives a good sense of the formats he and his companions might have used for their combats.
Here is an account of the the challenge the seneschal issued before his departure. You will see that his opponents negotiated significant variations from the original challenge in the combats they actually fought.

The formats for single combats are described here.