Click here to view the embedded video.

NASA just tested an emergency escape system in the event of an aborted launch attempt.  In light of the current end to human space flight, you might be asking yourself, why?

For one thing, they put a lot of work into the project, I’d want to see it work too. Eventually the private space industry WILL be doing human spaceflight.  I’m sure they will be able to use some of the technology. Besides I think NASA should act as enablers to the private industry, because in the end private industry will be more efficient.  There is 1.2 billion in NASA’s budget to greatly help in that regard.

While I’ll make no bones about my displeasure of us becoming dependent on others to continue just getting a ride to the ISS — to the tune of a half billion dollars.  Not everything about the NASA budget is (IMO) bad, sure there are a couple big ticket items I’d toss, still it sounds we could end up with a couple pretty good Mars missions and a moon mission.  The James Webb telescope appears still to be funded, plus an increase in the budget to look for asteroids potentially hazardous to Earth.

There is also hope for getting some of our bright students employment in the aerospace field, certainly a positive idea.

We’ll just have to wait and see what actually transpires.  I keep hearing “transparency” bandied about where the government is concerned.  Let’s just hope the meaning of transparency starts to be defined as open, and not invisible like it currently seems to be.

I’ll get off my soapbox now. Be sure the have a look at some of the comments posted to the video at YouTube, I got a kick out of them.

AND FINALLY (!!)  Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there.