The Space Economy and its growing influence from Southern New MexicoIt’s better to create the positive than try to deconstruct the negative. I heard this at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) which concluded last Thursday, October 8th. Creating a new commercial space industry has been a collaboration across many sectors of […]
Read the NTSB report on the SpaceShipTwo accident
In the past year, we have experienced three aviation deaths at or near the Las Cruces Municipal Airport. All three of the accidents are being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB website states in part, it is a federal agency which does not assign fault or blame for an accident or […]
Getting pushed over to the side of the road
Have you ever owned a jalopy and had to push it over to the side of the road? Remember what it’s like, drivers side door open, traffic stopped and you huffing and puffing to get it out of everyone’s way. When I was young my parents did not give me a car when I came […]
The waves do not rise, but when the wind blows
The state legislature has been in session for two weeks now. Reports are coming from Santa Fe about southern New Mexico. More debate is occurring about the future of our spaceport. Establishing a new industry like commercial space transportation requires demand for its products and services. Commercial products of the commercial space transportation industry include […]
Take time to show compassion to the Virgin Galactic employees here in our community
Take time to show compassion to the Virgin Galactic employees here in our community. When I started working in the space industry 26 years ago, I was unfamiliar with its vocabulary. My boss was critical of any misuse of the “technical” language which did not help me to continue to experiment with new vocabulary. Using […]
New Mexico Universities must invest in faculty with commercial space capability now
New Mexico Universities must invest in faculty with commercial space capability now. Commercialization of space is becoming more important to our national leaders every year as commercial companies demonstrate low-cost increased access to space from commercial spaceports is possible. “The United States Defense Department needs to be thinking seriously about commercial alternatives in order to […]
Why didn’t I think of that?
Why didn’t I think of that? The TV remote control/bottle opener, the swivel passenger car seat, or the battery operated twirling spaghetti fork? You know it, I’ll bet at least once you’ve thought of some cool invention and then let it slip away into the graveyard of great ideas. Lauren Rojas, a seventh grader from […]
Platforms
This quote from John Pierce, the man who supervised the development of the transistor at Bell Labs, provides a relevant perspective worth sharing, regarding the risk/reward equation New Mexico has embarked on with the spaceport; “Regrettably, the language that describes innovations often fails to distinguish between an innovative consumer product and an innovation that represents […]
Under Promise and Over Deliver
Under promise and over deliver. A key strategy to success in business, and life. The implications are that you know what you want to do, are able to communicate it and then deliver. Delivering promised results is a key trust building behavior. As I plan my goals for 2013 for the Student Launch Program (SLP), […]
The Dragon in the Cave
Calculating in the Dragon that lives nearby. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote books for his children. Like all great children’s books, lessons were hidden in big adventures and larger than life characters, even if they were short in stature. I am sharing a favorite quote from The Hobbit. I’ve kept it in mind when making big decision […]
