I help bridge bold space ideas to reality. Former NASA Engr/Flight Director, Planetary Resources CEO/co-founder. Building tools from lessons learned both ways.
Seattle, WA
Joined June 2008
- Tweets5.2K
- Following1.9K
- Followers6.8K
- Likes5.5K
I wonder what's high-water count of airplane refueling in a single mission. I would guess the stat below would top it (since human metabolism isn't a limit).
Program >> Mission
"we must launch annually and keep moving"
The idea of an ongoing campaign being served by a regular cadence of progress (via reliable, sacrosanct launch dates) is a refreshing return to how progress was made quickly 50 years ago.
Artemis II was not Apollo 8 either. At NASA, we are making the most of architecture decisions made, for better or worse, over decades. Regardless of the state of the lander, we must launch annually and keep moving in the direction of the Moon. Delaying for a perfect set of objectives doesn't make the rocket cost less, achieve the overall Artemis goals faster, or make anything safer.
When the LEM wasn't ready, NASA changed Apollo 8 from an Earth-orbit test of the lander to a mission around the Moon, moving the lander test to Apollo 9. When Gemini VI's Agena target failed, we pulled Gemini VII to the left and had Gemini VI to rendezvous with it. In both cases, NASA adapted to circumstances, made the most of what was available, and kept moving forward.
Some people choose to make this about their affinity for certain hardware, or equally, their distaste for certain hardware or people or companies, but it should be about what advances America's space program...and that is what Artemis III will do.
Surprising quote from @davidanderman (frmr Gen Council at Spacex) at the Seattle S4 conference today, promoting Sovera sovereign constellations:
“People are saying
‘You can not trust the United States.
You can not trust Elon Musk’.
And you know they might not be wrong.”
One could read this “eulogy” and have no idea what Foursquare did, or what value it provided to its users.
Being “the best job I ever had” or “the biggest mistake I made was falling in love with the company” seems to put the focus on the business as employing people who love to work together.
Perhaps it ended poorly because I, for one, can’t explain what Foursquare did (or tried to do) for its users?
And in my personal experience, ending in an iliquid acquisition is a notch higher than ending in bankruptcy. So, congrats?
Foursquare was acquired last month. The outcome was disappointing. It's taken me a while to write this, but I think I'm finally done grieving it. Here are some thoughts on our final years, an effort to honor the team who helped build & maintain FSQ's legacy, and my attempt to finally get some closure. teendrama.substack.com/p/som…
I feel like I could start a business helping other founders get off lead lists for "You qualify for growth capital!"
At this point I'd pay money never to get another text or call on this topic, which I receive daily.
And the amount of SAM.gov shadow businesses is also stunning. I think its a 20:1 ratio of inbound making messages from the real thing quite difficult to discern.
As I'm building RiskThing.com, the most consistent response I've received is:
"I don't have time for this right now I'm trying to close an investment round!"
One shrewd founder recommended that I use my Risk-Agent research workflow to help identify real and perceived risks, with a problem->solution action plan for each stage of the engagement.
The "fundraising risk" concept made me realize I could build a similar database from prominent statements made by founders and investors with specific guidance on "do's and don'ts" depending on the context of your company or stage.
Hit me up if you'd like perspective and sharper guidance on closing your next round based on this dataset.
riskthing.com/
Sometimes I enjoy letting FSD 12 drive just to piss off the other drivers.
Driving 5-10mph below the speed limit, blinker on - not quite turning into the lane until too much time passed, hesitating to go through a green light unless there's a car ahead, coming to a near-stop at a yield sign. All of this is "safe", so I need not interrupt, despite the annoyances.
After all, its not my driving reputation at stake, people can only see the @Tesla logo on the car.
Love the vibe of this website, and the "first attempts" photos prominently on display.
Someone will give you $50,000 to build whatever you want.
No equity.
No reporting.
No pitch deck.
Spend it on anything.
It's called the Basis Fellowship.
• $50,000 cash per fellow
• Open to anyone: engineers, scientists, operators, builders
• The application takes about 10 minutes
• Rolling. Apply anytime
• Didn't make the cohort? They may still give you $3,000
Their words: "We take nothing and expect nothing."
Most people will never hear about this.
Bookmark it and send it to the one builder friend who needs it.
Link below 👇
basisfellowship.org/
Seeing Rush twice within the space of a week is awesome. I think this quote is an apt description of their style:
quotewise.io/q/xicyrh/
#TIL the origin of the word galaxy, and relatedly the name for our galaxy.
Oh *hell yes.* Breathtakingly beautiful.
Every frame from @VRubinObs is going to be billions of civilizations in one picture.
"Let's just take a closer look."
Famous last words.
NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory images reveal stars, nebulae, and a mindblowing number of distant galaxies hiding in the background.
So go ahead. Zoom in.
You might want to clear your schedule.
➡️ skyviewer.app
“Twinkling ceilings” are an appreciated new feature at conference centers to give some life to an indoor space.
Seen at the Space Northwest Symposium today.
Love this quote - captures the essence of what I'm building at RiskThing.com:
"The successful learn vicariously; the foolish insist on firsthand pain." @shaneparrish, January 19, 2025
What do you know now, that should not have required first-hand pain?
I'll start:
Kam needs way more followers here on X, given how many space companies he's launched.
@xenergynuclear
@Int_Machines
@Axiom_Space
@weareibx
@QuantumSpace_US
@FermiExplorer
"Prosperity doesn't just happen. It is built. We must imagine it, believe it is possible, and execute on the infrastructure needed to make it real."
Agree! @xenergynuclear's technology will change the world! Great video explaining next-generation advanced nuclear power, TRISO-X pebble fuel, and how X-energy is scaling our technology to help shape the future of energy.