Interesting Morning

You know, it's not everyday you wake up and check the news to find we now have a 10th planet in our solar system. And not only that ... another group of scientists claim to have discovered what I quess would be the 11th planet? Holy Clyde Tombaugh ... what gives?!?!

I mean ... I thought the discovery of Quaoar was pretty interesting. So then that was topped by the discovery of 2004 DW (not a very interesting name, of course but oh well). And then Sedna comes along. Come on ... are the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud so overcrowded that now we have two new planets???

Eric, I suggest you write the discoverers of 2003 EL61 and suggest they name it "Zayd". And, since it apparently has a moon, perhaps you suggest the name "Blarthog" for that object.

And, while we are talking about space ... NASA has declared Discovery "fit for landing" after analysis on the ground of images of the damage sustained by another chunk of foam striking a leading edge of one of Discovery's wings. I'm sorry, but if I were one of the seven aboard Discovery, I think my attitude would be more of "Ummm ... Hey ... Houston ... we're sorry, but we're going to patch this hole." The other thing that disturbs me is this.

Sorry ... I've always been a bit of a nut about NASA (perhaps a new term - NANASA?) but let's face it folks ... we can't have another "Columbia". Jane and Marion ... remember the models of the Saturn V that I built down in Texas? Funny ... I just remembered that. I think that was the same trip I was almost swallowed up by the waves down on the gulf.

Marion - don't you think Dupont could develop a very strong, yet very lightweight netting that could be used to envelop the foam and thereby eliminate the possibility of these foam chunk strikes? My theory is a netting of interlaced two-inch squares. Hey ... you have what - three more days? You Can Do It!