A fire in the sky, 20 years later
I knew it would be my last chance to see a space shuttle passing over Waco during re-entry; what I got wrong was why Columbia’s return would be the last time. An updated version of my Waco Trib column from 2013.
You Can Call Me HAL
Fairly obvious what inspired this one.
Dragon Fire
A space song from 2011 — back when SpaceX's plans for its Dragon capsule were still largely aspirational — that I missed putting up here previously.
Jeb
Inspired by watching my friend Kris Overstreet playing Kerbal Space Program on his own gamestream. (I have the game myself but haven't played it much mainly because I find the actually having to steer during launch incredibly daunting.)
Beautiful Earth
An original from 2008. The title/line in the chorus was inspired by Bugs Bunny commenting on the lunar view in 1948's "Haredevil Hare."
Anousheh
An original from 2006, when Iranian-American engineer (and Plano resident) Anousheh Ansari flew as a paying passenger to the International Space Station. As her crew was donning their spacesuits at Baikonur Cosmodrome for their Soyuz flight, she gave a Vulcan salute for the cameras, and won my geekly heart....
T+51 years: Space is a marathon
Apollo got us to the moon at the cost of leaving us all but earthbound for the next 50 years. Another moon or Mars sprint isn't the answer.
Fax Paladin, Houston
