The odds are you didn't hear anything about it ...

[unixronin]

...on any major US news outlet, but there's a Soyuz in orbit right now that launched late last night from Baikonur, carrying a replacement crew for the ISS.  The Soyuz is carrying Commander Bill McArthur of NASA, Commander Valery Tokarev of Russia, and New Jersey space tourist Greg Olsen.  It's unclear from this coverage whether Olsen will be staying on the ISS, or returning to Earth with departing ISS crew members.

Comments

[nephthys510.livejournal.com]

I heard this on Air America or NPR and thought - assfuck... you know what I could do with all that money???

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, if I had that much money just lying around, I'd probably invest it directly in Scaled Composites or some other such outfit instead of blowing it on a trip to orbit. But hey -- it publicizes civilian space travel, it's one step closer to opening up space for everyone. Which, sooner or later, we're going to have to -- or, sooner or later, we're fucked.

[nephthys510.livejournal.com]

Jumping ahead there, speedy.

Where's my flying car????

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Well, this outfit's working on it. (http://www.moller.com/) :)

Actually, odd though it may sound, that is in many ways a more complex problem. I do have some ideas on the subject, but to do it well requires technology we don't have yet. The Moller Skycar works, but by all accounts it's noisy as hell.

[koyote.livejournal.com]

Yes, you can hear it from my house, which is probably a mile away.

[koyote.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure dude is staying up, he's said something in the past few days about having experiments to do.

[jilara.livejournal.com]

Actually, I heard about it on KCBS. But then, they don't keep winning the Edward R. Murrow Award for nothing.