Happy Independence Day to all. Our grand "experiment" is still plunging ahead, probably well past what some of the founders might have imagined. I thank God for being born and raised in this great land, made possible by the sacrifice of the men and women who fought and died, both to start it and to keep it moving ahead intact. One of the by-products of our experiment has been the greatest series of technological advances ever seen. When people are free to pursue happiness they tend to be more productive. Not to say other peoples around the world don't invent or discover things, it's simply multiplied here and supported by our massive GNP.
One such achievement is the space program, which of course will be on display today as Discovery is set to launch. Yes, the Shuttles are outdated and need replacement, but it's not as if other countries are flying superior models. To the liberals who say we need to scrap the whole thing and spend the money on social giveaways, well, your predecessors were saying the same thing about the Apollo program. Space exploration is vital and should continue with no delay.
So Godspeed, 121. It would be great to see a successful launch on our nation's birthday, a tremendous source of pride. But hey, if the weather gets in the way, we can wait. Lightning and wind shear must be respected.
Speaking of weather, the picture below was taken from the Shuttle. Known as "Red Sprites" and "Blue Jets", this unique form of upper atmospheric lightning needs more study before we fill up the stratosphere with space planes. The Shuttles are certainly best-positioned to provide the observations.
HAPPY FOURTH FROM THE GARGOYLE 7/04/06
Kim Jong decided that one rocket launch in the world was not enough. His fluttering little fireworks show was probably designed to take press away from a successful Shuttle launch and send a 4th of July message.
But does anyone take this idiot seriously, anyway? Even if he was able to successfully fire an ICBM to hit Seattle or Anchorage, his entire country would be cinderized by the gaggle of nuclear submarines prowling around the Pacific. The only real reason to pay close attention is the proliferation possibility, which most experts say is the number one threat to national security.
MORE 7/4/06
It will be interesting to see whether we get an answer as to whether NK self-exploded the ICBM or it just failed. Nevertheless, big ripples might come from this. Guess having NORAD on high alert turned out to be the correct thing.
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