Day: November 1, 2020

Artemis Accords

What does the US, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE and the UK all have in common?

The answer is not the Covid-19 virus. They have all signed the Artemis Accords.

Scratch head and ask…HUH?

Via the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024, heralding in a new era for space exploration and utilization.While NASA is leading the Artemis program, international partnerships will play a key role in achieving a sustainable and robust presence on the Moon while preparing to conduct a historic human mission to Mars. With numerous countries and private sector players conducting missions and operations in cislunar space, it’s critical to establish a common set of principles to govern the civil exploration and use of outer space.International space agencies that join NASA in the Artemis program will do so by executing bilateral Artemis Accords agreements, which will describe a shared vision for principles, grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, to create a safe and transparent environment which facilitates exploration, science, and commercial activities for the benefit of humanity.

Click to access Artemis-Accords_v7_print.pdf

It appears that there is now a code of conduct for any Moon missions.

NASA’s new moonshot rules: No fighting and littering. And no trespassing at historic lunar landmarks like Apollo 11’s Tranquility Base. The space agency released a set of guidelines Tuesday for its Artemis moon-landing program, based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other agreements., the AP reports. So far, eight countries have signed these so-called Artemis Accords. Founding members include the US, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he expects more countries to join the effort to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024.

It promises to be the largest coalition for a human spaceflight program in history, according to Bridenstine, and is expected to pave the way for eventual Mars expeditions. “It’s important not only to travel to the moon “with our astronauts, but that we bring with us our values,” noted NASA’s acting chief for international and interagency relations, Mike Gold.

Rule No. 1: Everyone must come in peace. Other rules:

  • Secrecy is banned, and all launched objects need to be identified and registered.
  • All members agree to pitch in with astronaut emergencies.
  • Space systems must be universal so everyone’s equipment is compatible, and scientific data must be shared.
  • Historic sites must be preserved, and any resulting space junk must be properly disposed.
  • Rovers and other spacecraft cannot have their missions jeopardized by others getting too close.

Violators could be asked to leave, according to Bridenstine. The coalition can say, “Look, you’re in this program with the rest of us, but you’re not playing by the same rules,” Bridenstine said.

NASA Proposes the Artemis Accords. The New Rules for Lunar Exploration

A “Code of Conduct” is a fine idea….but what about the nations that have not signed on to the Artemis Accords?

Nations like India, China, Russia, South Korea……have not signed on so how do we control the conduct of these nations?

Since these “Accords” are supposedly based on the treaty from 1967……read and learn…..

Click to access STSPACE11E.pdf

More treaties to be watched…

If it appears as if I find these Accords lacking….then I am doing a good job….and I am not alone in thinking this Accord thing is unimpressive…..

On 13 October 2020 the directors of NASA and seven other national space agencies signed the Artemis Accords, a document purporting to articulate international norms for the development of the Moon, Mars and other celestial objects of economic interest in the near future. International public opinion ignored the announcement and international elite opinion was underwhelmed. Yet, there are good reasons why so few outside the orbit of space policy experts took notice and many of those who did were unimpressed.

Opinion – The Unimpressive Nature of the Artemis Accords

This is going to be interesting to watch (well interesting to me)…..some say I am spinning my blogging wheels with this issue….but to me it will be the next horizon for international relations……so I watch and write.

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Nukes On The Moon

A familiar scenario?  Back in 1975 TV was graced with a new scifi show, Space 1999, and its story line went something like this….

The premise of Space: 1999 centers on the plight of the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, a scientific research center on the Moon. Humanity had been storing its nuclear waste in vast disposal sites on the far side of the Moon, but when an unknown form of magnetic radiation is detected, the accumulated waste reaches critical mass and causes a massive thermonuclear explosion on 13 September 1999. The force of the blast propels the Moon like an enormous booster rocket, hurling it out of Earth orbit and into deep space at colossal speed, thus stranding the 311 personnel stationed on Alpha

I know what does this have to do with this particular post?

You guys know me I like to give some background before I leap into the post……and there you have it.

There seems to be a problem with nuclear waste here on planet Earth…..and the Moon looks like a good place to store the excess…..as soon as we set up our station…..our Lunar Base…….

Not content to desecrate our terrestrial landscape with hundreds of thousands of tons of nuclear waste — much piled up with nowhere to go, the rest released to contaminate our air, water and soil — humankind, in all its folly, now plans to do the same to the Moon. And, eventually to Mars.

…

NASA, the US Department of Energy and assorted nuclear labs are pushing the small modular reactor for nuclear projects on the Moon and Mars. Desperate to stay relevant and to continue gobbling up taxpayer dollars, this is music to the failing nuclear industry’s ears. Financially disastrous and technically unresolved on Earth, the SMR, say these “experts”, is ideally suited to the needs of humans living for extensive periods in space.

…

Needless to say, so far there is no certified design, no test reactor, no actual reactor, and no fool-proof way to send such a reactor to the Moon. (Rockets have an unfortunate habit of sometimes blowing up on — or shortly after — launch.) Nevertheless, the year 2026 is the ambitious target date for all systems go. In keeping with the theme, “pie in the sky” springs to mind.

Nukes on the Moon?

Can you see why this story made me think of a TV show?

I have been asked why I find the Space stuff so compelling…..easy answer….we have fucked up this planet and we are making plans to do the same to others in our spacial neighborhood.

For those interested…..I believe that this story violates Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty…

Article IV
States Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space in any other manner.
The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall be forbidden. The use of military personnel for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes shall not be prohibited. The use of any equipment or facility necessary for peaceful exploration of the moon and other celestial bodies shall also not be prohibited

https://history.nasa.gov/printFriendly/1967treaty.html

Granted the Article is talking about nuke weapons….but I suggest that waste is a weapon and weaponized fairly easy and quickly.

Commercializing space will do more damage than good (my opinion)…..greed will replace scientific curiosity….and look where greed has brought this world to and do we truly want it happening again?  And again?

For further reading:

https://lobotero.com/2020/09/02/legal-black-holes-of-outer-space/

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Say Good-Bye to James Bond

Sad news…..I am a huge James Bond fan…..and was thrilled when they brought Ian Fleming’s books to the big screen…..now my favorite James Bond has died…..Sean Connery.

He was the first actor, and many say the best, to portray James Bond in the spy film series. Now, a goodbye to the original 007: The family of Sir Sean Connery says the Scottish actor has died at the age of 90, reports the BBC. Connery kicked off his role as a British MI6 agent in 1962’s Dr. No, based on the books by author Ian Fleming, and went on to star in seven of the franchise’s films. He was also known for his wide span of other movie roles, including The Hunt for Red October, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Rock, and 1987’s The Untouchables, for which he won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role as Irish cop Jimmy Malone.

Born Thomas Sean Connery in Edinburgh, Connery grew up poor and first toiled as an unskilled laborer, until he joined the Royal Navy at age 17, per Variety. He left a few years later due to health issues and worked various jobs before he started entering bodybuilding contests; he even placed third in an early-50s Mr. Universe competition. His trajectory changed when he moved to London and heard about a part in South Pacific: He took a crash course in singing and dancing and surprisingly got the part. He worked for various repertory companies in and near London for several years before his first Bond role. Connery was formally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, earning him the right to use “Sir” in front of his name. Connery is survived by his wife of 40-plus years, Micheline Roquebrune, as well as son Jason Connery and a grandson.

I realize that Sean Connery was a masterful actor….but for me he brought a fiction hero to life and he will always be the best James Bond in my book…all the others were just pale imitations.

He was missed when the actor change came and he will be missed now.

May he Rest In Peace.

Please share your thoughts as well.

“lego ergo scribo”

Is It “Fall Back”?

It is Sunday and It is that time again.

I believe that we return to real time and not that fake crap of Daylight Savings.

I have been saying that we should put the Daylight Savings Time where it belongs…in the crapper.

I may hate the continuous time changes…but now there seems to be a good reason to rid this cancerous growth from society….

Most Americans will turn the clocks back in November to mark the end of daylight saving time, and with that tradition comes another: all the griping from people who think it’s a dumb, antiquated practice that should end. For the first time, however, a major panel of sleep experts has staked out an official policy position on the issue—and these experts agree that it’s a dumb, antiquated practice that should end. More specifically, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says the changing of the clocks is clearly hurting our health, reports CNN. The group, which Motherboard explains is in charge of the accreditation of sleep clinics, cites a regular uptick in motor vehicle deaths in the days after the switch to DST, along with a wide range of other health factors.

“An abundance of accumulated evidence indicates that the acute transition from standard time to daylight saving time incurs significant public health and safety risks, including increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events, mood disorders, and motor vehicle crashes,” AASM says in its position paper, which will be published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Group President Kannan Ramar puts it in more succinct terms: “You have enough data now to really say that this is not good for our health,” he says. “There’s no going back now.” Of course, none of that will matter unless lawmakers agree, but Ramar hopes the position paper will lend a strong voice to the call to stop the clock-shifting. For the record, the AASM prefers we stay on standard time, which begins in November.

This exercise has done NOTHING to improve American society……so why keep doing it over and over?

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“lego ergo scribo”