It looks like it’s really happening tomorrow. The SpaceX home page features Starship on the pad, ready for launch at 5am Pacific time. I’ll be up and watching. It’s not often you get to see the world change (in a positive way), scheduled and televised.

It took a year (!) for the FAA to approve the launch. We’ll know in a few seconds after ignition if it’s a success.

Looking ahead to the massive payload capacity of Starship, here’s a source for how much payload was possible during the Apollo era using Saturn V rockets. It’s hard to derive the number from this haystack of statistics, but my best estimate is about 15 tons cargo delivered to the Moon. Starship can deliver up to 250 tons!! That’s a true game changer.

I held my nose and watched some of the speeches from the recent NRA convention in Indiana. Opposition research.

What became obvious was that D. Trump is going to be the 2024 Republican nominee for President. He’s still vigorous, still gives his weird everyone’s-against-us speech with a lot of conviction, and the audience loves him. They love him, even though most everything he says is straight out of the fascist dictator’s handbook. They *want* a crude, domineering, ignorant fascist as their leader.

I don’t understand it, but you better believe it. Democrats need to buckle up and get ready to run someone who can beat this guy. Biden has the political chops, but I worry about his stamina and health. Trump is a human cockroach – he’ll probably live to 110.