ORION CREW EXPLORATION VEHICLE Update... And the winner is... Yup, you guessed it— The same company that built the F-117A Stealth Fighter, the F/A-22 Raptor, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and...um, NASA's now-defunct X-33 spaceplane. Of course, you probably didn't guess right if you don't know anything about American military aircraft, but oh well. I actually thought Northrop Grumman and Boeing were gonna win the contract, since they’re comprised of old companies that were actually responsible for building the Apollo spacecraft in the 1960’s (although most of the people who built Apollo are obviously not around anymore to lend their experience to building Orion), but whatever. Northrop and Boeing should be used to getting the short end of the stick... What after the YF-23 and Joint Strike Fighter losses (respectively). What’s really cool is that we finally have a contractor that will be responsible for bending metal and doing wiring on the vehicle that will hopefully take us back to the Moon by 2020. Go Lockheed! Don’t screw it up again... We don’t need another X-33 debacle...









On another topic, I'm heading to New York within 5 hours... This is gonna be my first time there. Click here for more details. BE BACK ON SEPTEMBER 5TH!

58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards... In case you didn't watch the show tonight (I didn't. I was watching Star Wars: Episode II on Fox. No seriously.), 24 won the award for Best Drama while Kiefer Sutherland received kudos as Best Actor for his role as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer in the hit Fox TV series. Kudos... Haha. Maybe I should see if I could get a job at The Hollywood Reporter or Variety or something. It's too bad Gregory Itzin (nominated Best Supporting Actor for his role as U.S. President Charles Logan) or Jean Smart (nominated Best Supporting Actress as First Lady Martha Logan) didn't take home awards. Oh well. They should take solace in the fact they were major players in the best season of 24 so far. Despite the fact I've only watched Seasons 4 and 5 in their entirety, and most of Season 2. In all, 24 took home five Emmy wins: Best Drama Series, Best Actor in a Drama Series, Best Directing in a Drama (Jon Cassar), Best Music Composition (Sean Callery) and Best Single Camera Editing (David Latham).

STS-115 Update... The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis has been delayed to Monday so Kennedy Space Center workers can check for damage after lightning struck at the pad yesterday. The countdown at the top of this page mentions the new liftoff time.

UPDATE (August 27): The launch may be pushed back to this Tuesday because the damage assessment after Friday's lightning strike wasn't completed yesterday, and Hurricane Ernesto may pose a concern for Kennedy Space Center.

UPDATE #2 (August 27): There are unofficial reports that Atlantis may be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for protection from the looming hurricane threat...thus jeopardizing the entire launch window from August 28 through September 7...forcing NASA to wait till either October (where only 2 days are available for launch), or mid-December...which was the time slot reserved for Discovery as it is currently being prepared for mission STS-116.

UPDATE #3 (August 28): Around noon tomorrow, NASA management will make the final call on whether or not to roll Atlantis back to the VAB in preparation of Ernesto's arrival at Florida on Wednesday. If NASA decides to have Atlantis stay at the pad, the shuttle will not be able to launch no sooner than this Sunday. If it's rolled back, Atlantis' next launch opportunity will be on October 26...assuming the Russians don't budge on moving the date of their Soyuz rocket launch to the space station beyond September 14.



UPDATE #4 (August 30): In a first for the space shuttle program, Atlantis was brought back to the launch pad yesterday after NASA management decided that Tropical Storm Ernesto wouldn't be strong enough to cause major damage when it arrived over Cape Canaveral today. Atlantis was halfway through its journey back to the VAB when the order to cancel rollback was made. Now, the shuttle has from September 6 through September 8 to launch on flight STS-115.

Less than a week from now, a couple of friends and I are headed to Connecticut and New York City. Yea, can't wait! Especially considering this is my first time out on the East Coast. Much like for my last journal entry on this trip, it's Hammer-time!


Just felt like finding a lame-ass excuse to repost this icon, haha.

PLUTO NO LONGER CONSIDERED A PLANET... Well that certainly sucks. I was rooting for the twelve-planet scenario mentioned in this earlier entry to be approved. Now, there are only eight... Mercury through Neptune. Whatever... Astronomers blow. They blow big time. Thank God I got a 'D' in astronomy during my first year in college. Then again, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that.

UPDATE: One of the reasons why Pluto was demoted was because of the new rule stating that it must "clear out its neighborhood" (neighborhood being nearby asteroids, comets or other icy objects) to be a planet. Well, being that scores of asteroids reside near Earth (Near Earth Objects) and "Trojan" asteroids share Jupiter's orbit, then Earth and Jupiter SHOULDN'T be planets either.


On the plus side, having only eight official planets means that our exploration (or at least America's exploration... USA! USA! USA! Just kidding) of the solar system is complete. Sorry Alan Stern and the New Horizons project. I still wanted my name on that probe, though.


An illustration depicting NASA's New Horizons spacecraft passing by the dwarf planet Pluto.

CREW EXPLORATION VEHICLE Update... The logo above wasn't suppose to be revealed till next week, when NASA announces the winning company (Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman/Boeing) that will build the spacecraft. But because current International Space Station astronaut Jeff Williams spilled the beans, NASA confirmed today that Orion will be the new name for the CEV. So much like how the moon missions in the 1960's were labeled Apollo 1, Apollo 11, Apollo 13 and so forth, the next lunar missions will be labeled Orion 1, Orion 11 and Orion 14 (one wonders if NASA will be superstitious enough not to label a CEV mission Orion 13). Of course, that's assuming things stay on track for a 2018-2020 launch of the next moon flight. That, and NASA finds the right launch vehicle to lift the Crew Exploration Vehicle into space. Click here for more details on that.

PRISON BREAK: Season 2... Don't forget that the hit FOX series returns tonight at 8 PM, Pacific Time. Can't wait... And no, I wasn't paid to do this little shameless plug-in...

SNAKES ON A MOTHERF***IN’ PLANE... I saw the Samuel L. Jackson film during a free screening at the Ontario Mills in California today, and needless to say, it rocked! Or maybe I just have low standards when it comes to critiquing movies. Anyways, the filmmakers—or should I say, the geeks on the online message boards who gave suggestions about what they wanted to see in the film (RE: more violence, profanity and nudity)—did not run out of creative ways of showing the snakes wreak havoc. Highlights of the film (Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD): The hot blonde chick getting bit on one of her tits, that fat dude getting bit on the ass, that other dude getting bit in the crotch while taking a piss (ouch!) and that one geezer who gets crushed and eaten by a boa constrictor. Oh, and don't forget that dog that gets also eaten by the boa constrictor. Then again, maybe "creative" wasn't the right word to use there...but "predictable". As in, predictably amusing. Of course, how can we overlook that much-anticipated Sam Jackson line: "I’ve had it with these motherf***in’ snakes...on this motherf***in’ plane!" You rock, Shaft—err, Mace Windu—err, Jules.



Though I’m kinda surprised... A couple of coworkers and I were actually doing an exit poll at Ontario Mills...and most of the screenings we polled yesterday and tonight had a measly average of 30 to 40 people attending each show. Wow, I guess all that Internet buzz isn’t gonna help the box office take for Snakes on a Plane at all. I wonder if this film is gonna even make $20 million this weekend. We'll see.



UPDATE (August 20): Snakes on a Plane made $15.2 million during opening weekend. Considering the hype— GOOD GOD, that's sad...

The Planet...CERES? For those of you who didn’t read any article on this yesterday, the International Astronomical Union (the world's governing body in charge of naming stars, planets, asteroids, wormholes, Star Destroyers and whatnot. Just kidding about the wormholes and Star Destroyers) is set to vote on August 24 to increase the number of known planets in our solar system from 9 to 12. The list of planets will now include: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres (formerly an asteroid), Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Charon (which used to be Pluto’s moon...now it is Pluto’s sister world) and "Xena" (not its official name. Its current designation is 2003 UB313... Its official name will be decided later). I know, I know... That listing above is pointless considering the image I posted below. But the number of planets could increase in the near future...since other worlds beyond Pluto are candidates for planethood (like Sedna and Quaoar).



On another space-related note, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is getting even closer to entering interstellar space. Two days ago, the probe’s distance from the Sun passed the 100 AU (astronomical units... 1 AU equals 93 million miles) mark, and is getting farther by 1 million miles a day. For those of you wondering just how vast 100 astronomical units is, that’s 9.3 billion miles...or 15 billion kilometers, for you metric system-loving ninnies out there. Voyager 1 could cross into interstellar space within the next 10 years or so. Wow... Imagine having my name on a compact disc onboard that spacecraft... Just kidding about calling you guys ninnies.



An illustration showing the location of Voyagers 1 and 2 in our solar system.

UPDATE (September 13): Xena (also known as 2003 UB313) and its moon have been given official names by the International Astronomical Union: Eris and Dysnomia. That is all.

Atlantis a "Go" for liftoff... As expected, a green light was given today to launch NASA’s third space shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster, and the first space station assembly mission since 2002. As shown on the countdown at the top of this page (which has been posted there for about a month), liftoff is targeted for 1:30 PM (PDT) on Sunday, August 27. One major issue remains, and that's whether or not engineers should open Atlantis' cargo bay and replace two screws that were inadequately fastened on the vehicle's main communications antenna. If the replacement does need to be done, hopefully it could take place at the launch pad this weekend, and the August 27 liftoff date won't be jeopardized. *Crosses fingers.*

UPDATE (August 20): The bolt replacement job was successfully completed today.


The crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-115.

HELL’S KITCHEN Season Finale... The right person won! For a second there, I thought Chef Gordon Ramsay was gonna prove K-Greasy’s (a.k.a. Keith) point that the Chef had a thing or two for Virginia by choosing her to win the Red Rock Hotel restaurant in Vegas. Good thing that didn’t happen. Go Heather! Yea, she deserved it. Anyways, now that Hell’s Kitchen is over, can’t wait till Prison Break returns next week. That’s a kick-ass show (who cares about the concept being farfetched. The show’s f***in’ entertaining...and that’s the point). Will I watch Vanished when it premieres next week as well? Hmm... We’ll see. Eh— Who am I kidding? I’m gonna watch it. What else is on Monday nights? Nothing. Nothing, whatsoever.

THE DARK KNIGHT... That will be the name of the sequel to last year’s Batman Begins, with Lords of Dogtown/Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger set to play the role of the Joker. The Dark Knight will start principal photography—err, filming, in 2007, with a release date set for 2008. Click here for more details.

Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch? C’mon, you know that was funny... You know it to be true. Especially if you're a chick. Just kidding. Anyways, I finally finished watching the DVDs for both Seasons 1 and 2 of Chappelle’s Show (not back-to-back, FYI). Not surprisingly, the Rick James and Prince skits were still the best ones. Of course, the Tyrone Biggums crack dealer and Lil’ Jon skits were also hilarious (WHAAAT? YEEAAAAH!), and so was that Collateral bit featuring Chappelle and Wayne Brady wreaking havoc around town (why else would I open this entry with an extremely non-offensive quote from that skit?). But what really stood out was that full interview of Rick James in the special features section. The things he said were such a crack-up... Rick James flatly denies that Charlie Murphy (Eddie’s brother) ever beat the crap out of him, only to point out moments later that Murphy "made (him) cry like a little bitch" (the Superfreak’s exact quote). And at the end of the interview, the Superfreak says that he must be losing his mind, since he was "reminiscing about Charlie Murphy jumpkicking (his) ass." And don't forget when R. James almost doze off during the middle of the interview. Good stuff.

Charlie Murphy’s two unaired stories about being a security guard for his celebrity brother and that trash-talking midget named Darryl also stood out. But what really caught my ear was when Murphy pointed out that he must’ve been one of few black guys who ever (did) an "Oriental" woman. Yea, riiight. I see more Asian girls hangin’ out with white and black dudes around my town than with Asian guys. Actually, that’s inaccurate. Most Asian girls I know are getting married to Latino guys. No wait— Didn't Chappelle mention in a previous episode that he was married to an Asian woman? I’m going off-topic here (and I’m well aware that Murphy was probably talking about the rarity of getting crazy with an Asian chick during the 1980’s). Anyways... "Cocaine’s a helluva drug." That’s another line by Rick James during that interview (go to this previous journal entry for more things that I wrote on Chappelle’s Show). This entry is meant for those of you who’ve never watched the Comedy Central hit...being that the DVDs came out in 2004. Will I buy the DVD for the just-released "Lost Episodes"? Don’t know. It's too bad that Chappelle left the show during the third season. Oh well. I’m riiich, biatch!

HELL’S KITCHEN... Next week is the season finale for the reality TV show, and the two finalists are Heather and Virginia. Obviously, I’m rooting for Heather to win...since she was the most hard-working of this year’s contestants, and I think she’s a lot more attractive than Virginia is, haha. Virginia should’ve been gone waaay long time ago, if Gordon Ramsay didn’t have a thing for her (c’mon, if you watch the show too, it’s clearly obvious the chef does). Keith’s elimination didn’t come as a surprise after yesterday’s episode, since he really IS a cocky bastard. To quote a line by Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi (I know, I know— Oh, brother. But Jedi IS a Fox film, and Hell’s Kitchen is a Fox TV show. So the reference makes sense): His over-confidence was his weakness. Keith constantly acted like a punk since he assumed he would end up being one of the top two. Boy, were you wrong, buddy. That was your undoing. Anyways... Like I said, I hope Heather wins. But much like Ralph P. who finished in second place last season, Virginia is gonna try to get by on selling her abilities instead of showing ‘em (her abilities, that is haha). And since Virginia is obviously not a balding New Yorker like Ralph is (I wouldn't be surprised if was opening myself up to a libel suit here...but you didn’t just read that), I think Virginia’s tactic might actually work. That, and she flirts like hell with Chef Ramsay. C’mon Heather, that multi-million dollar restaurant in Vegas is yours!

TALLADEGA NIGHTS... So I watched the Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy yesterday, and needless to say, it was more enjoyable than his previous film, Anchorman (which was still funny). Will I buy this one on DVD? Hmm... Good question. Then again, I did buy The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions on DVD, so you never know. I like squandering money. Just kidding... Not really. Anyways, where was I? Oh yea... The racing scenes in Talladega Nights were well-staged (especially the car crashes), Leslie Bibb is hot (and so is Amy Adams, who plays Susan), Will Ferrell was actually pretty convincing as a NASCAR driver, those two kids (Walker and Texas Ranger) were hilarious and Sacha Baron Cohen as the gay French Formula One-turned-NASCAR driver Jean Girard was a crack-up. Though now thinking about it, buying the DVD will probably be ruled out since there’re only so many times one could watch Borat liplock with Andy Richter and Will Ferrell at the end. Unless you’re not hetero. Or a chick. Haha. For those of you who haven’t watched the film yet, check it out (it IS 76% fresh on RottenTomatoes.com right now...which is pretty good for a film comedy that doesn’t have Woody Allen-style humor in it). Next up on the "To-see" list: the college flick Accepted...which comes out on August 18.

One more thing: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy... What’s up with Will Ferrell and biographical titles with colons in them? Err, whatever.

I found the picture below on Google... Overlooking the two dudes strapped together in this pic (like I could throw stones about tandem skydives), I think it's friggin' awesome that a space shuttle launch is visible in the background (the smoke trail to the right if I need to point it out to you. No offense). Don't know what's cooler; skydiving in Florida at the same moment one of the most complex machines ever built by humans is soaring into orbit, or skydiving 30,000 feet above the ground. Hmm... What a dilemma.



UPDATE: Here's another cool picture... This one being of an F-15 fighter jet patrolling the skies above Kennedy Space Center just as a shuttle is lifting off.



UPDATE #2: A year ago today, I went skydiving in San Diego. Click here for more details.

CREW EXPLORATION VEHICLE Update... The Ares 1 launch vehicle... NO MORE? I’m not gonna elaborate right now, since this unconfirmed info comes from a non-public source, but it is rumored that NASA engineers have found a "showstopper" problem with the Crew Launch Vehicle (the orange-tinted upper stage seen in the pic above being severely overweight)...meaning the rocket needs to be re-designed, and thus the "Stick" concept that you see in the image above most likely being discarded. So what do the enginners have in mind now for the CLV? Again, can’t say. But if the rumors are any indication, the photo below should give you a hint as to what’s being considered... More to come later.

Why does the world need space programs? It is time for everyone to know and understand the ways that space programs are absolutely critical for solving the largest problems that all people living on our planet now face. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and President George W. Bush are welcome to share this list with the American people and members of the U.S. Congress who ask, "why do we need a space program?"

Prevention of environmental disasters: Remote sensing satellites allow us to monitor the ozone hole, global warming, air, water and ocean pollution, the effect of oil spills on the melting of the ice caps, the loss of rain forests and other environmental threats to human survival. These systems can help us trace our recovery from the worst environmental threats and improve our quality of life.

Creating a global network for modern communications, entertainment and networking: Advanced satellites provide global connectivity by means of the telephone, fax, the Internet, radio and television. Such connectivity extend far beyond the reach of fiber optic cables. Eleven thousand television channels are now available via satellite and well over 200 countries and territories are linked via satellite.

Global education and health services: Over 2 billion of the 6 billion people in our world today lack formal educational systems, health care services, potable water or power. The only way to provide global education and health care services in coming decades at reasonable cost and broad coverage is via space-based communication systems. Socrates once said, "there is only one good: knowledge, and only one evil: ignorance." In an age of terrorism and great intolerance, the need for global education is ever more important.

Cheap and environmentally friendly energy: NASA scientists and engineers already have gone a long way to developing space technology that can provide unlimited low cost energy from space. The operational systems, however, still need to be developed and proven in practice.

Transportation safety: The 6,000 commercial airplanes that are aloft at one time during peak periods in the U.S. depend on satellite navigation for safe operation. New systems can provide better fuel efficiency, earlier warnings of safety hazards and alert of terrorist attack. This is but one of the ways that future space systems can provide greater transportation safety in decades to come.

Emergency warning and recovery systems: The ability to warn populations of pending dangers from hurricanes, monsoons, tidal waves, fires and earthquakes are increasingly dependent on space-based systems. Further rescue operations, from emergency communications to disaster assessment to recovery operations, are dependent on satellite networks as well. Protection of our information networks from cyberterrorists: Many of our current electronic information networks that control transportation systems, energy grids, banking systems and governmental databases are vulnerable. Public key infrastructure systems are in need of upgrade. New types of security systems based on GPS location and encryption systems are dependent on space-based systems.

National defense and strategic security: Space has been called the high frontier. National security systems are increasingly based on smart technologies and instruments that operate in outer space. Ever since Operation Desert Storm, military operations are based heavily on space systems and future systems will be even more so.

Protection against catastrophic planetary accidents: It is easy to assume that an erratic meteor or comet will not bring destruction to the Earth because the probabilities are low. The truth is we are bombarded from space daily. The dangers are greatest not from a cataclysmic collision, but from not knowing enough about solar storms, cosmic radiation and the ozone layer. An enhanced Spaceguard Program is actually a prudent course that could save our species in time.

Creation of new jobs and Industries -- a new vision for the 21st century and a mandate to explore truly new frontiers: Most of the economically advanced countries such as Japan, Canada, Australia and Europe, not to mention China, India and Russia, use their space programs to stimulate their economy, expand their educational and health care networks, improve their agriculture, upgrade their information networks, enhance their entertainment networks and create new jobs. In this respect the U.S. space program now spends precious little of its resources in these areas, but it once did and it could again. These are only some of the ways that space programs could help create a better future for generations yet to come, but it is an impressive list that impacts every American. Space is actually our future. Some would argue that space is the next great step forward for a pioneering nation that sees the need for advancement and discovery. In Nebraska a historical display dedicated to the pioneers that went out West notes that the cowards stayed home but the brave died seeking a better tomorrow. Now is the time to assess our values and our aspirations. It is time to truly ask some key questions:

Why explore space and why send humans into space?

Why does the U.S. space program spend the money it does?

Why does the U.S. space program use the resources it has the way it does?

What is the U.S. space program’s role in terms of education, health care, energy and job creation?

Why is there not more international cooperation in space activities?

Should the U.S. government, at all levels, not realize it needs to do a better job telling us why space and space research, exploration and applications are key?

Courtesy of Space.com

BIG APPLE, HERE I COME! Thirty days from now, a few close friends and I are heading out to New York. This will be my first time traveling to the real Gotham City, and I can’t wait! Haha. We’re actually gonna be flying out to Connecticut to meet up with a friend who’s getting his Doctorate degree there (or is it his Masters? No wait— He’s getting his Masters right now...down in San Diego State). Then we’re gonna drive (or ride the train) to the Big Apple, and spend 3 days there. Yep... Our airline tickets and hotel reservations are booked...now all we actually need to worry about is transportation. Should we take a train to NY or ride in my friend’s car (which should fit us all, though the luggage is gonna be tricky, and city parking isn't exactly gonna be cheap)? Meh— We’ll worry about that later, haha. In the meantime, I’m counting down to our departure on August 31st. I’d put a countdown at the top of this page for that, but you know... It’s reserved for space-related stuff, as you can tell. Haha again! It's Hammer-time!


Yea, that was random.