Sometimes you have to be alone to reflect on the beauty of life. Where winter is only a rumor in our world here in the desert, it is for us to enjoy this time of year. Let’s be grateful that so many of us have traded in snow shovels for sun screen. When we are […]
Celebrations and Tyranny
Fiesta and conference season are upon us here in the Land of Enchantment. As we work overtime daily to put the finishing touches on the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight and the Community Partnership Luncheon, the event organizing roller coaster ride continues. I have a suggestion for everyone participating in any of our […]
Operating at the Margins and Making it Work
What do Pros Ranch market and going back to the moon have in common? Hint #1: it’s about looking around to see what isn’t happening. We are not going to Juarez or the moon. Right now, both are out of reach. Hint #2: it is about opportunity. Hint #3: it’s about us. Why do I […]
Best Place in the Universe
Does anyone remember the State of New Mexico Alien’s “Best Place in the Universe” advertising campaign? It started in 2007. It was the right campaign at the right time, although not everyone agreed. You can still see the videos on youtube. Secretary of Tourism, Mike Cerletti came to Las Cruces to speak to the Advertising […]
Who knows?
Who knows? You might end up in space. That was the closing line in a recent Wall. Street Journal written by Mary Kissel. She interviewed Richard Branson recently to discuss his new book, “Screw Business as Usual”. Now that the 2011 International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) is done, we are focusing on […]
La Niña
I already know the answer. So here’s the question, is it possible to get decent weather predictions for winter now that we know about La Nina? Recently Jeff Anderson, an NMSU Horticulturalist, suggested to Diana Alba in a Sun News article, the long range forecast for southern New Mexico indicates the strong effects from La […]
Dream Chaser
Did you know the United States copied a Russian space plane called the BOR-4 and adapted it in the 1990’s to a manned orbital space plane called the HL 20? On Tuesday, November 8th, I went to the Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) plant in Livingston, Colorado, accompanied by Carl Ehrlich, the manager of the Rockwell […]
Cube-Sats- small satellites for the common man
Maybe you do this – work on the weekends because it is fun. Sometimes I enjoy taking my time to read through the emails my colleagues purposely save for the weekend. That way we can savor good news and accomplishments. Here is a great accomplishment; Montana State University, Auburn Utah State and Michigan State launched […]
The Spaceport Directors
This is a multiple choice question. The reason I was late for my telecom last Thursday was (a) I forgot how to get to the office (b) the dog hid my keys (c) there was a snake in my living room. It was 6:30am, I was leaving the house to run, and there it was. […]
Lunar Legacy Project
In 1999, two graduate students, Ralph Gibson, and John Versluis, submitted a proposal under our Graduate Student Research Program at New Mexico Space Grant. They wanted to determine if it was possible to have the Apollo 11 landing site at Tranquility base designated a World Heritage site. This project became a tale of passion, perseverance […]
