The SpaceX Moon mission extends Elon Musk's ambitions

Elon Musk, it seems, loves nothing more than to spin plates. When most of us might be looking to lighten the load, he's piling on the ambition.

The serial entrepreneur's latest gambit is to fly people around the Moon. Two wealthy individuals have apparently lodged significant deposits with his SpaceX company to make this journey.
We have no idea who they are, just that these space tourists include "nobody from Hollywood".
That Mr Musk should announce his intention to carry out an Apollo 8-like Moon loop should not really be a surprise; such a venture is on the natural path to deep-space exploration and colonisation - his stated end goals.
What does take the breath away is the timeline.
He's talking about doing this journey in late 2018, in hardware that has not yet even flown. That's Elon for you. 

For sure, his Falcon rockets have been working for some time now and the Dragon capsule has become something of an old hand at shuttling back and forth to the International Space Station (ISS). But the circumlunar project is another step on from robotic cargo runs to low-Earth orbit.
The Falcon Heavy, the much bigger rocket that will be needed, should make its debut this summer.
The crew version of Dragon, with its all-important life-support equipment, is targeted to make its maiden voyage at the end of 2017.
This will be an unmanned test outing; the first flight to the ISS with people aboard is slated for the spring of 2018.
That does not leave much time to configure and adapt systems for the longer, more arduous Moon mission.

The Dragon will need some sort of propulsion and service module (with extra propellants, oxygen, water, etc) to help sustain the required trajectory and the tourists for what will be at minimum a 6-to-7-day journey.
"Back in the Apollo days the outbound journey would usually take between two and three days and the same for the return journey, maybe about a one-week round trip once they leave the Earth," commented Jason Davis from the space advocacy group the Planetary Society.
"It is a little bit different than say putting an astronaut in low-Earth orbit on the International Space Station because your quick return to Earth is no longer an option.
"Once you fire that rocket and head towards the Moon, you can't turn around and go home so you are really kind of on your own for about a week with no-one to come and save you if there is a problem."
Mr Musk says his tourists understand the risks, and that they will receive "extensive training before going on the mission."
The entrepreneur hasn't yet confirmed it, but it's hard to imagine the ticketed passengers would fly without also being accompanied by an astronaut of experience. If there is a problem, having someone aboard with intimate knowledge of the Dragon's workings could make all the difference.

Of course, history tells us that everything in space "moves to the right". Timelines are rarely fixed. And SpaceX is not immune in this respect.
The Falcon Heavy is behind on its original schedule; like Musk, we all thought he’d be flying people to the ISS regularly by now; and his recently promised robotic Mars landing has just been pushed back two years. And don't forget the long list of satellite operators who've seen their launches delayed in the aftermath of two Falcon mishaps.
So, don't be surprised if this Moon loop also extends into the future. The really interesting sub-plot, however, is what this all means for the US space agency (Nasa).
It can be no coincidence that its leadership has announced that it will be looking to put people on the maiden flight of the agency’s huge new rocket, the Space Launch System, and its associated crew capsule, Orion.
These systems are currently due to fly in an unmanned test configuration late next year. A Nasa inquiry could now see a way to slip the mission to 2019 and make it a manned outing instead.
This would make for an intriguing comparison. You would have two missions launching almost at the same time, to do essentially the same mission profile around the Moon, except one (SLS/Orion) would have cost billions to get to the launch pad while the other (Falcon Heavy/Dragon) would have cost in the hundreds of millions. Certainly there would be an order of magnitude difference in price.

It is said that President Trump is looking very hard at how to expand commercial space activity during his administration. The Moon missions would give him considerable food for thought.
Publicly, both Musk and Nasa are on the same page. The agency, which has invested considerable sums in SpaceX, released a statement late on Monday saying that it commended "its industry partners for reaching higher".
Musk tweeted: “SpaceX could not do this without Nasa. Can't express enough appreciation”.
But the comparisons are inescapable. And this is a wave we are witnessing.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has been quietly acquiring space credentials through his impressive Blue Origin company. He is building a rocket to rival the Falcon Heavy that he calls New Glenn. He’s even got one on the drawing board that’s bigger still called New Armstrong.
The ambition is the same as SpaceX. So is the cost model. That is, to create something that is considerably cheaper than the public sector can deliver with its burdensome oversight and its (politically driven) distributed manufacturing methods.
After all, it is in part the cost of access to space that has slowed the pace of exploration since the Apollo era.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39115201

Doris Roberts of 'Raymond's' has died

April 18, 2016

Doris Roberts, celebrated for her portrayal of a loving but meddling mom on Everybody Loves Raymond, died Sunday.
Roberts' son, Michael Cannata, confirmed the news in a statement issued Monday that says his mother "died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes."
The 90-year-old actress, whose celebrated career spanned six decades, won four Emmys for her portrayal of Marie Barone on the top-rated, long-running CBS comedy series (1996-2005). She won an Emmy earlier in her career for supporting actress for her role on NBC's medical drama St. Elsewhere.
Raymond star Ray Romano remembered the actress who played his title character's mother in a statement: "Doris Roberts had an energy and a spirit that amazed me. She never stopped. Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a young, green comic trying to make it as an actor, she did it all with such a grand love for life and people and I will miss her dearly."

On Raymond, Roberts' Marie was a loving, sometimes smothering and often all-knowing (at least in her own mind) presence in the home of son Raymond and his wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton), who did not always appreciate Marie's interference. The late Peter Boyle played Marie's husband, Frank, and Brad Garrett played Raymond's brother, Robert, who always felt that he played second fiddle to the coddled Raymond.
Roberts, who was born in St. Louis and grew up in New York, was a veteran of Broadway before starring in various films and TV series during an illustrious acting career that began in the 1950s. Her stage credits include The Desk Set, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Bad Habits, for which she won an Outer Critics Circle Award.

Besides Raymond, Roberts had memorable roles in other TV series, including Remington Steele and Angie. Early in her career, she appeared on such classic shows as The Naked City and Ben Casey and more recently she was featured in ABC's Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and The Middle, which stars Heaton.
Roberts' feature film roles include Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Heartbreak Kid (1972) and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and Madea's Witness Protection (2012).
Roberts' passion for cooking was reflected in her 2005 book, Are You Hungry, Dear? Life, Laughs and Lasagna, which she co-wrote with Danielle Morton.
In addition to son Michael, Roberts is survived by her daughter-in-law, Jane, and three grandchildren: Kelsey, Andrew and Devon Cannata.

Hope Solo arrested on domestic violence allegations involving sister, nephew

Hope Solo

Hope Solo, the goalkeeper on the U.S. women’s soccer team, was arrested for allegedly assaulting two of her relatives after a dispute broke out early Saturday morning during a party at her suburban Seattle home.

Police answered a 911 call from the Kirkland, Wash., home Solo shares with her husband Jerramy Stevens and arrested her for allegedly striking her sister and teenage nephew. Solo, according to police, appeared “intoxicated and upset” and her nephew, 17, and adult sister had visible injuries. “There was a big party going on at her house. It was an out-of-control situation,” Kirkland police Lt. Mike Murray told the Seattle Times. Solo, 32, was being held without bail in South King County Jail on two charges of domestic violence assault in the fourth degree. Listed under her married name, Hope Amelia Stevens, she is to appear Monday in Kirkland Municipal Court.

Solo married Stevens, a former NFL player for the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in November 2012, shortly after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Solo, but charges were never brought because there was insufficient evidence. Solo, who has played on two Olympic gold-medal winning teams, appeared as a contestant on ABC television’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2011.

Kirkland police released details of her arrest (via the Times):

    On June 21st 2014 and just before 1:00 am, Kirkland Police Department Patrol Units responded to a 911 call of a disturbance in the 10600 block of 124th AVE NE. The male caller stated that a female at the residence was “hitting people” and they could not get her to stop or to leave the house. Officer arrived and immediately heard the sounds of the disturbance inside the residence.

    They entered and contacted several persons; one being Hope A Stevens (Solo) who appeared intoxicated and upset. As officers made contact, they observed visible injuries on Solo’s 17-year-old nephew and on Solo’s sister. After receiving statements of the persons involved, Officers determined that Solo was the primary aggressor and had instigated the assault.

    Solo was arrested on 2 counts of Domestic Violence Assault 4th Degree and booked into the south King County detention facility (SCORE). Solo will have a mandatory court appearance Monday June 23rd at the Kirkland Municipal Court, with the time yet to be determined.

The Seattle Reign, for whom Solo plays, said in a statement: “We are aware of the situation regarding Hope Solo and are currently gathering information. We have no further comments at this time.”

Jeremy Meeks: Alleged Felon’s Mug Shot Goes Viral On Facebook

Jeremy Meeks, 30, could’ve never guessed that thousands of women would share, like and comment on his mugshot on the Stockton PD’s Facebook page — but that’s exactly what happened after he was arrested! In one of the weirdest stories so far this summer, Jeremy — teardrop tattoo and all — has become a well-known face overnight.



In the Stockton PD’s Facebook post, they detailed Jeremy as one of their day’s arrests: “Jeremy Meeks, a 30 year old man, convicted felon, arrested for felony weapon charges,” part of the post attached to Jeremy’s photo read.
The Stockton Police caught Jeremy as part of their Operation Ceasefire enforcement mission. The criminal sweep was a multi-agency task force that included the Stockton PD Gang Violence Suppression Unit, Community Response Team, County Wide Gang Task Force and nine other organizations, including the FBI, according to the department’s Facebook page.
While the fact that Jeremy was arrested by the hard-working police department for an alleged crime is VERY serious, the comments on his Facebook mug shot are simply hilarious.

Jeremy Meeks’ is the guy that women have been swooning over ever since his mugshot went viral on June 18. Here are five things you must know about this sexy felon.

Well, he is quite a hunk! Jeremy Meeks, 30, and his model face went viral overnight when his mugshot caught the attention of ladies around the world. HollywoodLife.com has rounded up 5 things you must know about Jeremy, the man whose gorgeous mugshot went viral! Note of caution, ladies: he’s a convicted felon, so he’s not exactly date material!

Jeremy Meeks: 5 Things To Know About The Guy Whose Mugshot Went Viral

1. He was arrested for felony weapons charges.

Jeremy was arrested on felony weapons charges on June 18 along with three other men. The police believe Jeremy was a part of an active group that is allegedly responsible for many shootings and robberies in the area, according to the Stockton Police Department Facebook page. He has also been convicted of a crime in the past.

2. He has a son, according to Facebook.

On a community Facebook page created about Jeremy, pictures surfaced of Jeremy with what seems to be his son. His mother also posted pictures of Jeremy with his on her GoFundMe page. Like Jeremy, his son is a cutie.

In a new interview, Jeremy revealed that he also has a wife.

3. His mother has started a GoFundMe page to “Free Jeremy.”

His mother, Katherine Angier, started a GoFundMe page to raise money to “Free Jeremy.” On the page, Katherine pleaded with people to donate to get him released. “Please help,” she wrote. “My son was taken into custody on his way to work. He is a working man with a son. He is being stereotyped due to old tatoos.”

4. His mother believes he’s been stereotyped because of his tattoos.

His mother also believes he’s been singled out because of his significant tattoos. “He has a job and … He was on his way to work,” she also wrote. “With no gang affiliations as per two of the charges. He has old tattoos..which causes him to be sterotyped. He’s my son and he is so sweet. Please help him to get a fair trial or else he’ll be railroaded.”

5. His picture on the Facebook page has been liked over 45,000 times!

Yes, you read that right. The picture that the Stockton Police Department posted after the arrests, and the one that’s gone viral, has been liked over 45,000 times and counting! The ladies seem to have a thing for this bad boy.