Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Last Hurrah

Add this event to your travel plans this week and see history in the undoing.

Event: The Wernher "I'm spinning in my grave so fast I will dig my own hole to China" von Braun Memorial Symposium.
Time: October 21, 08:30 CDT
Where: Von Braun Center, South Hall, 700 Monroe St., Huntsville, AL
Presentation: "Cooking Ares-1...Designs, Books, Tests"
Who: Viceroy King, Chef Cook, Clumsy Assistant Davis

Special swan song appearance by the Emperor.

Be there or be square.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Will you bring me out an extra plate of food when you leave? Thanks.

No Italian, though. Fruit, veggies and dip, stuff like that.

Anonymous said...

There is a rather eloquent post tonight by kt over at http://groups.google.com/group/sci.space.policy/browse_thread/thread/e8ccf6e0748a2222#

Anonymous said...

Are they having a party over there too? Perhaps they are celebrating the soon to be restored constitutional protections of the citizens of the United States of America. That's gonna be a much bigger and wilder party than the celebration of the rocket that will never fly. Bigger even than the never ending September.

Here's another acronym for you : Another Republican Engineered System - Ares.

Anonymous said...

More prose from kt

http://tinyurl.com/5cxwl7

I wonder why anyone takes him seriously.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why anyone takes him seriously.

Because I believe in, support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, every time I see it compromised by outright irrationality, and I publish those beliefs. You are more than welcome to criticize my beliefs. If you have any criticism of something I have said HERE, say it HERE. If you have any criticism of something I've said on the Usenet, criticize it on the Usenet, not here. Every time you criticize HERE, something I have said on the Usenet, you only make yourself look bad. Trust me.

Any thoughts on the Ares I party? I've heard it's going to be a ball. I do hope the emperor breaks protocol and dressed for the event.

Anonymous said...

kt no one could improve on your own ability to make yourself look bad, trust me.

Anonymous said...

But you can't SAY what makes me look bad, can you. Because not only are you afraid to say it, you're afraid to sign it. You are very afraid. All you've got is fear and smear. Sixty percent of America can smell that fear now, and they are no longer afraid of you, of calling you what you are. Even Jon Stewart just comes right out and says it now. You're an embarrassment to the nation. Ares I makes you look bad. Religion in both government and education not only makes you look bad, it makes you do stupid things. Now we have to pay for the stupid things you've done, and clean up the mess of your stupidity.

So go ahead, have your party. It's all over for you guys, and sixty percent of America will make that very clear, very shortly now. Very few of us actually expect you to take any responsibility for your actions, let alone participate in the cleanup. If you haven't even admitted that yet, you aren't going to admit it any time in the future.

We no longer trust you.

You're incompetent.

Anonymous said...

I guess I don't get why religion is so threatening.

Anonymous said...

I guess I don't get why religion is so threatening.

One word : Taliban.

Just like you don't get why the Ares I is such a ridiculous rocket. Just why you don't get why a $10 trillion dollar national debt is so debilitating to the nation. Just like you don't get why education matters to the nation. Just why you don't get why the rest of the world HATES YOU. Just like you don't get why printing money won't solve your money problems.

You just don't have the education and the intellectual skills. The reason you don't have the necessary educational and intellectual skills to recognize, acknowledge and solve your problems is RELIGION. So go ahead, try to pray and praise your way out of the problems that you don't even think that you have.

I'll take mathematics, science and engineering over your religion any day. You know why? It works.

So go ahead, party it up. The asteroid headed your way cares not about your religious beliefs. And when it hits, just remember, it's just god's way of telling you you're doing something very wrong.

I'm sure that will make everything all right again.

Anonymous said...

The Ares rocket doesn't matter in the long run. Your anger points to a void in your life. I've been mature, and you have not. You can have God and intelligence. I hope you'll discover that. When the asteroid hits, religion is all that's left.

RayGun said...

KT, I think I found a clip of your savior. Barney Frank, Democrat NY, "There needs to be an immediate increase in spending" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Mazjm_A5k
With increased boarder security and gas prices perhaps you are getting priced outta your favorite herb. Please consider rehab and anger management.

Sorry RocketMan, Sometimes KT makes me laugh but most times NOT.

Anonymous said...

The Ares rocket doesn't matter in the long run.

We're kind of focused on the near term, if you haven't noticed yet.

If you think you are going to gain some cheap political points by bringing my eminently reasonable Usenet comments to the viewership of Rocketman's blog, you are sadly mistaken. The disrespect is all yours. But by all means, keep trying. We need all the help and encouragement we can get, to solve our very real problems, in a very real world. Your delusions just make those problems clearer, and make the solutions much easier to understand. And I'll continue to attempt to make your useless posts relevant to the topic at hand.

Your problem is that you confuse rationality with anger, and anger with outrage. In that respect, the Ares I is a very minor outrage indeed. It's just the one with the most long term consequences, IMHO.

When the asteroid hits, religion is all that's left.

I still find it hard to believe we still have to put up with this in the 21st century.

Anonymous said...

Please consider rehab and anger management.

Why? My conscience is clear.

You don't have a conscience, so you're good to go.

Anonymous said...

You have posted nothing remotely relevant to space exploration on this page, kt. Instead all we get are flashes of your obvious mental instability.

Madison, Wisconsin is a large community, Thomas Lee Elifritz. I am certain that they have outpatient anger management counseling where you can get some help.

Meanwhile we'll all be praying for your swift recovery.

Now can you please stop messing up Rocketman's otherwise useful resource?

Anonymous said...

I am certain that they have outpatient anger management counseling where you can get some help.

Why bother? I'm not angry, I'm merely outraged, and the usenet is the universally accepted venue for outrage management. It's not my fault you are so disconnected from reality that you don't recognize that which is universally accepted.

Meanwhile we'll all be praying for your swift recovery.

Which has been scientifically demonstrated to be ineffective in solving real problems in the real world. I'm so sorry that your delusions have left you incapable of distinguishing fantasy from reality. However, since your delusions have demonstrably damaged America's ability to solve real problems in the real world, my outrage at that unnecessary result left me with no choice other than to express my outrage in the necessary and appropriate manner on the universally accepted media venue for outrage expression.

Now can you please stop messing up Rocketman's otherwise useful resource?

I'm sorry, but I'm not messing it up. I'm merely commenting on your continued desire to party, when real problems need to be solved by real work in the real world. And that is appropriate to Rocketman's post here on Rocketman's blog. I just don't want all that good food to go to waste, that's all. I need the calories to do the work which for some reason you decline to do.

Anonymous said...

I sincerely hope that Rocket Man will start mod'ing these comments. This is stupid. Go somewhere else you trolls.

Anonymous said...

That would be great. Tell me though, do you really think my post #1 was inappropriate? I'm always open to second opinions. Hopefully Rocketman will blog the menu at the party.

This is satire, right?

Anonymous said...

The very first post on this thread by kt has nothing to do with space exploration. And then he wonders why he becomes troll bait?

Anonymous said...

Well, since the Ares I will never be involved in space exploration, one has to improvise alternatives.

Any ideas, o' anonymous one?

I can think of a few.

Anonymous said...

I am not certain why anyone would ever listen to kt - he has yet to provide evidence of a single published paper to prove that he has any expertise. All that appears online are his profanity-laced insults on sci.space.policy.

Anonymous said...

We're not on sci.space.policy, we're on RocketandSuch, and merely bringing up external conversations that have no bearing on the present topic of NASA chefs cooking in the kitchen is downright disrespectful.

I have examined NASAs new launch vehicle recipe, and found it wanting. I was hoping that perhaps this von Braun party might produce a new recipe, but alas, looking over the chief chef's comments :

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php

it appears to be a mere reiteration of Bush's recipe of no discussion, no dissent, my way or the highway, I'm the boss, I can fire your ass.

It appears now that even a paypal chef can produce a workable dish. Very soon we will be able to buy our own rockets on eBay.

Clearly this chef is no longer capable of learning, he simply has too many degrees in cooking, and apparently he's left the oven on overnight and the dish is ruined. No amount of further cooking is going to decarbonize the remains. That's entropy at work folks, sorry, even prayer isn't going to bring that piece of meat back to life. We'll just have to start over. I'm sorry to have to bring this up again, but to bring new life into the world, it's going to require doing that nasty thing. The unspeakable filthy deed. You guessed it.

There is only one word in the English language adequate to describe this situation, and you all know what that word is here.

But I respect rocketman and his blog, even if you don't. He's already read me the riot act.

There's still another day, though. And then there's tomorrow night.

You can find my papers on INSPEC.

RayGun said...

Regarding the comments by Mike Griffin. He seems to be telling us he is wearing clothes, BUT he isn't wearing any. Oh, and who are you to tell him he is naked?

Anonymous said...

Face it kt - er I mean Elifritz - you are just one big lie. You are just some raving nutjob posting on bogs. You have no expertise, no publications - nothing - other than an anger management problem and a total intolerance for ideas and opinions that differ from your own.

Anonymous said...

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995

Yes, I was invited to speak there.

You can read my original paper here :

Spec Sci Tech 17, 1 (1994)

Of course, this was before the experimental demonstration of Bose-Einstein condensation in cold atomic gases, when most of the scientific community was still calling BEC a 'mathematical curiosity'. What I am interested in is 'electronic' BEC, which is a different beast. One must necessarily invoke BCS-BOSE in that case, the holy grail of physics.

I'm sure most of you have read or are familiar with my NASA COTS proposal, but if you are interested in my most recent proposal, you may read a simple first draft preproposal :

Here.

Now about that conference banquet dish.

Any thoughts, anonymous? If you can't stand the heat, may I be so rude as to ask you to vacate the kitchen? There are many other chefs willing and able to improvise on short notice. Yes, I'm speaking to the emperor.

Anonymous said...

What does that paper have to do with rocket design, Elifritz? Hmmm why is only an abstract online?

Your COTS "proposal" is pathetic. Small wonder NASA ignores you.

Anonymous said...

What does that paper have to do with rocket design

It has to do with your statement :

You have no expertise, no publications - nothing

You asked for it. Order it from NASA if you want to read it, I'm not going to fair use it just for your disingenuous reading pleasure.

Your COTS "proposal" is pathetic.

That's your opinion. But you can't quantify your objections, can you.

I happen to think the 'stick' is pathetic. Even worse, I happen to think the 'emperor' is pathetic, based upon his idiotic anti-science and 'unamerican' public statements these last few years. I happen to think his statements today are 'anti-american'. I am astonished that people continue to support him, but it's obvious the only people who continue to support him are his employees who are deathly afraid of losing their jobs, and the contractors who are profiting from his folly. This is truly his 'Last Hurrah', and true to form, he hasn't deviated from the Bush script which was clearly written for him.

As far as condensed matter physics is concerned, I happen to believe there is a direct connection between condensed matter physics and rocket science, and I intend to demonstrate that. Clearly we need to start over from scratch with this country and its institutions, and I think the time to do that is right now. I can't do much about reinstituting a credible post sputnik education in this country, the kind of education I benefited from directly and immensely, but I can do something about post graduate science education at the University of Wisconsin, and I have clearly outlined my plan to do so.

It just too bad that creationists burned up all the money in a tragic kitchen fire at a religious orgy.

Any more disingenuous thoughts?

My suggestion to you is : stay out of the kitchen, and spend more time in your local public library system. Leave the cleanup to the first responders, and the cooking to the adults.

Anonymous said...

Nice little flame war you started there kt. Your education did indeed teach you many things. You obviously grew up thinking that the PRESS told only the truth. I have never seen anyone demonstrate the capability to drink the Kool Aide like you. Do you have it delivered or do you just pipe it in?

Your smarter than all of you attitude prevents anyone from giving your ideas due consideration. You promise much but deliver little of any value.

At least give us some credit for being smart enough not to cross the boss when this is the only job in town. There are those who endure these situations because their moral compass makes sure that they provide for their families first. Yes, we put up with a lot because we do take the long view - we are not as taken with the moment as you appear to be.

You remind me of another little demigod on Space Station. He was the fount of knowledge. He had the plan. Management was universally stupid. He was the only one who could save the day. When he didn't get his way, he would stir up trouble, file harassment law suits and post his rants for all to see. It became plain to one and all what his motives were. His plans were hollow, empty shells, devoid of rational thought - a lot like yours. Notice that nobody is signing up to your plan? Has Musk called you back yet?

Pity that when you were getting educated that you didn't learn that your little airplane won't fly with just a left wing!

Anonymous said...

Nice little flame war you started there kt.

I didn't start this flame war. I didn't even fan the flames here. This isn't even a flame war at all. This is all an anonymous flaming of me.

The United States of America is burning. The Earth is burning. All most of us are saying here is : give rationality a chance. That doesn't seem to satisfy you at all.

Your smarter than all of you attitude prevents anyone from giving your ideas due consideration.

My ideas speak for themselves. You know why? Because I have PUBLISHED them. You really find that threatening, don't you. What I think you really find threatening, is that I really don't give a rats ass what you think of my ideas. I think you are scared to death that I exist at all and can't be bought.

Has Musk called you back yet?

Why should he? I didn't ask him to, and he doesn't need me.

Pity that when you were getting educated that you didn't learn

I didn't 'get educated'. I'm self taught, and I am of the philosophy that education is a life long process, and learning never stops. I'm a naturalist. Nature is my workshop and my model. Science is merely one of my tools. I know how difficult that must be for you to understand, given your demonstrated petty and narrow world view, and your propensity for dogma and superstition. I'm just along for the very short ride here. Life is a gift I don't take for granted, and I would be totally happy living as a skid row bum, just as I was totally happy living in the bush out in the Atlantic Ocean with known desperadoes. Career and ambition mean nothing to me. We just live our lives and help our friends and neighbors, and do what has to be done. I've already given you everything you're ever going to get out of me. Take it or leave it.

Let me now take the time to tell you about my 35th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing experience. A good friend of mine was evicted from his island he was shacked up on, some wealthy country music stars bought it out from under his lease. He had already built a wonderful two bedroom house on stilts, and everything was slated for destruction. But being the fun loving talented can't say no, ain't going to take it lying down kind of guys and gals that we are out there, he decided he was going to convert his house into a tank and boat, and drive it and sail it away to another island. So he got his friends together, the whole village pitched in, and they built some floats under it, calculated out all the mechanical parameters, and then mounted twelve sets of mobile home axles on it. The entire damn house. Things were dragging on, and the guy who needed the house off the island asked me to help out, and since I was already building a launch pad out in the bush, and had access to a lot of scrap iron, I got some guys together and we moved a set of four large galvanized I-beams out of the bush, and I built a portable railroad, to get the thing up over the sand bar, and up the hill at the other end. We scrapped together a rather amazing set of winching equipment, mounted some boats for propulsion, and when it came time to move, it just happened to be July 20, 2004.

We ran that thing into the water, drove it all day over 10 miles of open ocean, drove it up over sand bars, through the harbor and finally rammed it up on the beach. All day everyone monitored our progress, because we weren't really sure if it was going to work, and there were numerous close calls along the way. Since the house was intact for the entire trip, while we were working the spotters, they were cooking up a storm and having a raging party on the porch. When we finally passed the village dock, there were hundreds of people, villagers, tourists, politicians, all cheering and screaming with delight, a huge round of applause you could hear a mile away, and after we got it grounded all of the woman and children came down to see us, the women singing their church hymns and the children screaming and swimming, it was a party scene like nothing I've ever experienced. Then the next few days we spent winching it up the hill, and it sat there for a year, went through a major hurricane, and then we did it all over again, in order to move it to yet another small island, where it remains as a beach home to this day. If you think that us third world hacks don't know what we are doing, you are sadly mistaken. It was a lesson in ingenuity those children will likely never forget.

I've lost a lot of friends out there over the years. It goes with the territory. If you can't even do it on the planet Earth, then you sure as hell aren't going to be colonizing planets anytime soon.

So go ahead, flame me all you want. My conscience is entirely clear.

RayGun said...

nar·cis·sism /ˈnɑrsəˌsɪzɛm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[nahr-suh-siz-em] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.
2. Psychoanalysis. erotic gratification derived from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.
*3. KT

*Note: I added #3

Anonymous said...

Stick : a branch cut from a shrub.

Election : November 4th.

Big Party : November 5th.

Anonymous said...

kt is a certifiable loon. He thinks that life in Margarittaville is applicable to designing rockets.

Anonymous said...

kt is a certifiable loon.

Is that an anonymous flame? Big party on November 5th. The whole world is invited. You heard it here first.

My congratulations to India for launching their first lunar mission.

Anonymous said...

kT when are you going to post something that is actually relevant to the topic of space exploration?

Anonymous said...

When rocketman posts something about space exploration. This post was about the von Braun conference food.

I don't post anyways, I just comment. I'm not all that interested in space exploration in the traditional sense, I'm more interested in zero g food, and launch vehicles, of course.

Driving around on the moon in a house on wheels? I tried that once on Earth, it was a lot of work, and very stressful. It took a lot of planning to pull that one off, we were basically flying by the seat of our pants, you have no idea. On the planet Ceres? That could work.

Anonymous said...

Hey kt are you on drugs or something?

RayGun said...

Rocketman, I see on NW that Keith called you out. I sure hope that your real ID is not public knowledge. I would guess that you are #1 on the emperors hit list, followed closely by the NASA Direct contributors. Broom-Hilda might want a crack @ you too.

Anonymous said...

Another steaming gem from kt:

http://tinyurl.com/5t64dk

Anonymous said...

More from the Karl Rove smear machine. Why do you hate America?

The emperor spoke. I responded.

Anonymous said...

The Rocketman posting on NW is not affiliated with this column.