Update 10:14am CDT: SpaceShipOne is on the ground safely. That’s it from me for the day. More tomorrow.
Update 10:06am CDT: They’ve just reported on CNN that Mike Melvill made it to 100km, and will be landing soon. CNN blew the coverage of lighting the torch on SpaceShipOne, and the rocket may have cut out early, but it appears as though they’ll actually cover the landing.
Update 8:49am CDT, White Knight and SpaceshipOne are in the air (their website can’t handle the traffic, but you might be able to get the mostly-text FAQ). Next interesting bit should be about 9:45 or so, when SpaceShipOne separates and fires its engines.
High temps in the 60s in the early part of the week, and a possible low tonight in the mid-40s. Yep. It’s summer all right.
Today’s posts are something of a mix. I’ve got some things on local events during the next week or two, some political stuff, and then what’s hopefully the last Layne followup. Be warned that there will probably me more political stuff coming as the week progresses, too. I’ve got a couple bees that were put in my bonnet over the weekend, and will almost certainly feel the need to write about ’em. You’ve been warned.
- Evan has his views on this morning’s launch in This Flight Tonight. Remember, 8:30am Central time for the flight. CNN is supposed to have live coverage. Meanwhile Armadillo Scores Test Liftoff Success In Bid For X Prize last Tuesday. They’re definitely behind in the race, and unlikely to make the needed flights before the end of the year, but it’s still nice to see multiple teams going for the prize. [boing boing and 101-280]
- The Strib has an article on What goes around … a look back at streetcars. It’s a nice little bit of local history. A lot is riding on light rail’s opening days next weekend, but it’s going to be hard to actually judge the line before the final segment to the airport opens sometime later this year. If you want a Ticket To Ride on the Hiawatha Line, celebrations begin downtown at 10am on Saturday, and service begins about noon. Buses and trains will also be free all next weekend.
- The Grand Excursion will be a Trip a tribute with a twist of Twain, and it starts on Friday in Rock Island, Ill. It should arrive in St. Paul on July 3rd. On smaller waterways, a Project begins to improve Minnehaha Creek corridor, trying to stabilize the banks of the creek and make it more inviting to folks. [strib]
- Here it is, in
print
from the New York Times: What the Bush Administration Said about the connection between Saddam Hussein and the attacks on 9/11. Meanwhile, The Weekly Standard continues to document The Connection. Hell, as the article points out, Newsweek, ABC News, and that conservative bastion NPR were documenting the connection between Saddam and Osama back in 1999. Yeah, they must have just been paving the way for Bush tolie
, since we all know they were in Bush’s pocket even back when Clinton was president. [instapundit] - Michael Snider, who wrote the article in Maclean’s about Layne gives the world My thoughts on Plain Layne, and still believes she’s a real gal. I’ve been chewing on it, and so far, the evidence is circumstantial, except for Mitch, who’s pretty much the final word, and we have to trust him when he says he’s 99% certain it was a guy writing it. In any case, what upsets me most is that I probably won’t ever get one of those emails out of the blue when I’m having a crappy day again. In fact, it’s very much like the feeling when Mark Penman died. It leaves a hole, whether you’ve met the person in meatspace or not. But hey, the Layne’s posts are back online at the Plain Layne Archive Index Page if you want to relive the train-wreck.