The Dawn of the Commercial Space Age is (Probably) Happening This Weekend
SpaceX's Dragon heads for the ISS in a historic first flight for the commercial space industry
Tomorrow morning, whether they realize it or not, Americans will likely wake up to a new era. Though nothing will be outwardly different, a fundamental shift in the nature of spaceflight will commence during the wee morning hours. Call it a defining moment, or a milestone, or simply call it what it is: the dawn of the private spaceflight industry’s real presence in outer space.
Barring some unforeseen setback, at 4:55 a.m. EDT, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft--both built by private spaceflight firm SpaceX--will blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida en route to the International Space Station with the goal of becoming the first privately built spacecraft to rendezvous with the ISS. This is the partial culmination of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which aims to do two things: jumpstart the commercial space industry’s ability to service low Earth orbit, and get NASA out of the low Earth orbit transportation business so it can once again focus on pushing the boundaries of space exploration.
Both of those goals are meaningful. For NASA, that (hopefully) means a return to days of boldly going where no man has gone before (to Lagrange points, for instance, or to asteroids and eventually Mars). But more so this weekend belongs to SpaceX. The company has once made history by being the first private company to launch and successfully retrieve a spacecraft from Earth orbit. A successful rendezvous with the ISS followed by a successful return of cargo to Earth will ring up so many “firsts” for the company that its place in spaceflight history will be secure.
Because, simply put, that’s what this weekend is: historic. It’s a shame almost no one is going to be awake to see it get underway. READ MORE
Tomorrow's rocket launch marks a passing of the torch that’s beyond symbolic.
Catholics can decide the 2012 election, expert says
By Hillary Senour
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As the presidential election draws closer, political expert Brian Burch
is telling Catholics that if they turn out in slightly larger numbers at
the polls, they will be “the decisive vote this November.”
Although some Catholics tend to shy away from the political sphere with the mindset that it is unrelated to their faith, Burch said that due to recent developments, “we no longer have the luxury of keeping politics separate from religion.”
“Politics in the state, in our federal government in particular, is coming into our religion and we need to stand up now before it gets any worse,” the founder and president of CatholicVote.org told CNA in a recent interview.
Burch noted that in light of the federal contraception mandate and the president's recent support of “gay marriage,” Catholics have become increasingly aware of how politics are impacting their religion.
The federal contraception mandate, if enacted in its current form, will force employers to purchase insurance which covers sterilization, contraception and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of their deeply held religious beliefs.
On May 21, 43 Catholic organizations across the country, including dioceses, universities, hospitals and private businesses, filed lawsuits against the Obama administration, citing infringement of their First Amendment rights to religious freedom.
“We can't forget that religious freedom and the role of religion was what our founders built this country on,” Burch said, noting that the colonists originally fled England in order to practice their faith “without the intrusion of the state. Read More
Although some Catholics tend to shy away from the political sphere with the mindset that it is unrelated to their faith, Burch said that due to recent developments, “we no longer have the luxury of keeping politics separate from religion.”
“Politics in the state, in our federal government in particular, is coming into our religion and we need to stand up now before it gets any worse,” the founder and president of CatholicVote.org told CNA in a recent interview.
Burch noted that in light of the federal contraception mandate and the president's recent support of “gay marriage,” Catholics have become increasingly aware of how politics are impacting their religion.
The federal contraception mandate, if enacted in its current form, will force employers to purchase insurance which covers sterilization, contraception and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of their deeply held religious beliefs.
On May 21, 43 Catholic organizations across the country, including dioceses, universities, hospitals and private businesses, filed lawsuits against the Obama administration, citing infringement of their First Amendment rights to religious freedom.
“We can't forget that religious freedom and the role of religion was what our founders built this country on,” Burch said, noting that the colonists originally fled England in order to practice their faith “without the intrusion of the state. Read More
The 10 Happiest Countries in the World
By Michael B. SauterFor the second year in a row, 24/7 Wall St. examined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's report on life satisfaction in the developed world. Economic prosperity, health and a strong social support network continue to correspond highly with happiness.
And once again, the United States fails to make the top 10 happiest nations in the world, while countries like Australia, Israel and all of the Scandinavian nations do.
Don't feel too bad, fellow citizens. We actually came in 11th. But here are the 10 who ranked ahead of us, and why.
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