Space-for-All at HobbySpace

Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute is interviewed: FutureDude Visits Seth Shostak at the SETI Institute, Part 2 – FutureDude™.

But, how does it affect the world if we did find something? I think that depends. I mean, if you can actually find a message in that signal, and you can understand it, maybe you’re in touch with an intelligence beyond ours. So, then perhaps you could learn some really important stuff, man! Maybe we could get to those futures we never seem to get to. But, I don’t know if that would happen.

What I do think would happen for sure is that it would change the way we look at things—in the same way Copernicus changed the way people looked at things. Copernicus, 400 years ago says, “You know, Earth’s not the center of the cosmos.” He said the Sun was and he wasn’t right about that. But at least he moved the center away from the Earth.

But people still went to work, still got married, or worried about their incomes, doing their taxes, or whatever. But on the other hand, things really were changed. Philosophically they were different. I think if we discovered a signal, it would have a big impact.

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Here is a SETI Institute video of a panel discussion led by Jill Tartar with Elisa Quintana, Tom Barclay, and Jason Rowe, who were among the authors of the paper on the discovery of the first earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star. (Quintana is the lead author.) See post here and also Paper Announcing Kepler186f Available for Download 0 SETI Institute

Today’s selection of space policy/politics related posts.

NASA:
- Senate Appropriations chairwoman “deeply troubled” by proposed NASA budget – Space Politics
- CJS Hearing: FY15 NASA Budget – Senate Appropriations Committee – video
- U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby rips NASA over Space Launch System funding – Huntsville Times – With no US vehicle available to get astronauts to the ISS, Shameless Shelby still puts the payload-less SLS on the top of the priority list and contineus to make goofy accusations against commercial crew and cargo programs.
- Amended NASA Authorization Bill Headed for Vote on House Floor – SpaceNews.com
- House appropriations subcommittee approves NASA funding bill, with hints about other provisions – Space Politics
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Statement on House Appropriations Committee FY15 NASA Budget – CSF
- Fattah Highlights Priorities in FY2015 CJS Appropriations Bill – Congressman Chaka Faffah
- Bill increase still falls short for NASA – Florida Today
- NASA operating plan makes final adjustments for fiscal year 2014 « Space Politics
Russia:
- Lawmakers seek end to U.S. reliance on Russian rocket engine – Yahoo Finance
- Война слов (War of Words) – Space KSC
Defense:
- Elon Musk’s SpaceX granted injunction in rocket launch suit against Lockheed-Boeing – The Washington Post
- SpaceX Wins Court Injunction to Block Russian Rocket Engine Purchases – NBC News.com
- ULA Injunction (pdf)
- Preliminary injunction blocks purchases of RD-180 engines (updated) « Space Politics
- McCain: Rocket Deal ‘Smacks of Cronyism’ | DoD Buzz –
  “‘This smacks of the cronyism that we saw in the first tanker contract that ended up in a major scandal,’ McCain told the Defense Department’s top weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, on Wednesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.”“He was referring to the Air Force’s initial deal with Chicago-based Boeing for a fleet of new refueling aircraft. The agreement was canceled in 2004 amid a scandal involving Boeing’s chief financial officer, Michael Sears, who offered a job to the Air Force’s top procurement official, Darleen Druyun, during negotiations. Both were sentenced to serve jail time.”
- SpaceX court filings offer new details on EELV protest – Space Politics
- NASA operating plan makes final adjustments for fiscal year 2014 « Space Politics
General:
- NASA losing hold of public imagination : Daily-cardinal (Univ. of Wisconsin)
- Elon Musk and the Great Competition Caper – TechnoScience as if People Mattered – I made some comments to this.
- Trial Balloon – Space KSC

Update:

Webcasts:

* On the radio | Behind The Black – Bob Zimmerman will go on the Space Show with David Livingston on May 6th at 7 :00 pm (PT) “to discuss the situation with the Russians and ISS”. He will also go on Coast to Coast with George Noory on May 7th from 10 to 11 pm (PT) to discuss the same topic.

* The John Batchelor Show Hotel Mars, Wednesday, 4-30-14 | Thespaceshow’s Blog – Space law expert Michael Listner discussed China and the militarization of space, sanctions on Russian space industry and the Russian response, and the SpaceX lawsuit against the Air Force’s ULA launch monopoly.

* ISDC 2014, Monday, 4-28-14 | Thespaceshow’s Blog – A preview of the upcoming annual National Space Society conference with Dr. Nicola Sarzi-Amade, John Spencer.