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snow-tonic.bsky.social
Looking for interesting news, insights, and objective conversation on science and technology topics. I prefer to stay anonymous on social media.
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A lesson of WWII and the Nuremberg trials is that in fact there is little moral distinction between inspiring and promoting genocide and being the one to actually pull the trigger.

submitted 3 days ago • 6 comments

I still stand by this statement. There are clearly problems in the Starship program, and significant design and process reviews are needed. However, it is inaccurate to call the program a failure. It will be a while yet before Starship becomes a reliable orbital launch system - but it will happen.

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

This planet is run by crazy people. Remember what they have to do to get where they are. Their perspective is so narrow, so...brief. A few years. In the best of them a few decades. They care only about the time they are in power. - Carl Sagan, Contact

submitted 7 days ago • 8 comments

And now the maritime notices have come out indicating NET June 20 for the retry.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

BREAKING: The American Bar Association has sued the Trump administration on behalf of its members to put an end to Donald Trump's law firm intimidation project, calling Trump's efforts "unprecedented and uniquely dangerous to the rule of law." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

submitted 8 days ago • 102 comments

What the hell is wrong with people? Between her and Mike Lee, these people should never sniff a political office ever again.

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Passenger aircraft can lose both of their engines and still land. I can't see a vehicle whose only means of landing is high-speed retropropulsion ever being safe enough for human point-to-point flight.

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

Our whole society is going Nazi, and it's not because Trump has mass popular support - his support has barely changed in years - it's because our elites are unable to tolerate the uncomfortable experience of opposing bigotry, authoritarianism, and conspiracism in their own social circles.

submitted 14 days ago • 21 comments

I've been opposed to his nomination for a while on two grounds - his conflicts of interest and loyalty to Musk, and his disdain for the many valuable projects NASA (especially SMD) does. This interview basically corroborates both concerns. Unfortunately, whoever is replacing him may be even worse.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Now we just need one of these articles debunking asteroid mining too.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

People have been citing the limitations of cameras on Teslas (versus lidar) for years now. Turns out these concerns are not unfounded.

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

White House - “It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon.”

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

White House to withdraw Isaacman nomination to lead NASA The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be administrator of NASA, throwing an agency already reeling from proposed massive budget cuts into further disarray.

submitted 24 days ago • 2 comments

The NASA planetary science fleet chart if the president’s budget is enacted.

submitted 25 days ago • 31 comments

We're going to learn some tough stuff today about the White House's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026—including what they have in mind for NASA. I'll share what I hear, but remember: CONGRESS decides how much money NASA gets, not the White House. So whatever happens today, the fight continues.

submitted 25 days ago • 16 comments

My annotations of the NASA exploration budget: - Most Artemis elements (Orion, SLS, EGS, Gateway) cancelled starting FY 2028. - $800M initially, growing to $3B in 2028 for Commercial Moon & Mars development. - $350M initially, growing to $500M in FY 2027 for "Mars Technology".

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

NASA budget req cancels SLS and Orion after Artemis III and creates a "Commercial Moon and Mars Infrastructure and Transportation" line item with $864 M in FY26, $825 M in FY27, $2.3 B in FY28, $3 B in FY29 and $3.6 B in FY30.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

Seems I'm in the minority on this platform, but I wholly agree. Private enterprise can do the job cheaper, better, and faster. NASA refocusing on science and cutting-edge research would be emphasizing what NASA is actually good at.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

Northrup Grumman's annual revenue is $40B. RocketLab's is $500M. You don't become a prime with a few small acquisitions. They have a long way to go and this oversells who they are at this point.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments