Short Takes – 1-6-24

CSB Applauds Washington State New Refinery Safety Regulation. CSB.gov press release. Pull quote: “CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said, “The State of Washington’s final rule implements a majority of the measures that the CSB recommended and establishes important new safety requirements for petroleum refineries in the State of Washington. This new rule will provide greater protections for workers at petroleum refineries across the state.””

Will New US Law Ground DJI, Autel Drones? Yes, No, Definitely Maybe, a User Guide Suggests. DroneDJ.com article. Pull quote: “Bathrick’s listing of those elements includes – among other things – exceptions that otherwise chest-thumping pols have created to permit federal UAV users to shrug off the blacklisting of DJI and Autel craft. Of course, final proof of the new legal pudding will only become clear as it’s served up over time, but the guide suggests the law won’t be the lights-out blow its cheerleaders suggest.”

Elon Musk: SpaceX needs to build Starships as often as Boeing builds 737s. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “This all may seem rather illusory to discuss before SpaceX has put Starship into orbit. But the company is clearly on a trajectory to do so, then we'll be talking about when SpaceX might demonstrate in-space refueling, a prerequisite for any Starship journey beyond low-Earth orbit. Then, when will SpaceX successfully recover Super Heavy and Starship and re-fly them? Then, when will Starship land NASA astronauts on the Moon? When will Starship be able to actually launch and land on Earth with people? What about the multi-month trip to Mars?”

As Vulcan nears debut, it’s not clear whether ULA will live long and prosper. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “United Launch Alliance's heavy lift vehicle underwent its final review on Thursday, and the company cleared the rocket for its debut flight. With weather looking favorable, the Vulcan rocket is on track to lift off at 2:18 am ET (7:18 UTC) on Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission's primary payload is a lunar lander built by Astrobotic, and the launch will be streamed live here.”

Has North Korea Attacked South Korea? What We Know. Newsweek.com article. Bit of a click-bait headline. Pull quote: “The artillery shells, fired between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time, did not actually land in South Korea's territory but remained in the disputed area. However, South Korean authorities have warned about the importance of this act.”

Supreme Court agrees to decide whether Trump can be barred from holding office. CNN.com article. Pull quote: “The high court’s decision to hear the case puts the nine justices squarely in the middle of the 2024 election as voting starts in the early primary contests and represents the court’s most significant involvement in a presidential race since its highly consequential decision 23 years ago in Bush v. Gore.”

Supreme Court to Decide Whether Trump Is Eligible for Colorado Ballot. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “Mr. Trump acknowledged the court’s decision to hear the case at a rally Friday in Sioux Center, Iowa, saying he hoped the justices would fairly interpret the law. “All I want is fair; I fought really hard to get three very, very good people in,” he said, referring to his appointees. He added, “And I just hope that they’re going to be fair because, you know, the other side plays the ref.””

Spacecraft Swarm, Mars VTOL Aircraft Among Projects to be Funded by NASA Concept Technology Program. ExecutiveGov.com article. Pull quote: “The 13 projects selected for NIAC 2024 Phase I include the development of a fixed-wing vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in Mars exploration; the sending of a spacecraft swarm to the Proxima Centauri star system — the nearest to our own — that would send back data using laser communications; and the development of a spacecraft that will retrieve a sample of the surface of Venus.”

A toxic gas that could help spawn life has been found on Enceladus. ScienceNews.org article. Pull quote: “Key compounds that could support alien microbes or help life emerge have been detected in the enormous plume of water that erupts from vents in Enceladus’ icy shell, biophysicist Jonah Peter of Harvard University reported December 15 at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting. These include hydrogen cyanide, which can be toxic to humans, though Peter noted it’s also “a key building block for synthesizing more complex compounds including amino acids, sugars and nucleobases, which in turn are precursors for proteins, RNA and DNA.””