Short Takes – 11-20-24

The key moment came 38 minutes after Starship roared off the launch pad. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “Before going for a full orbital flight, officials needed to confirm Starship could steer itself back into the atmosphere for reentry, ensuring it wouldn't present any risk to the public with an unguided descent over a populated area. After Tuesday, SpaceX can check this off its to-do list.” Lots of interesting program details in the article.

SpaceX Starship Launch Ends With a Dramatic Water Landing. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “Though the SpaceX livestream stayed away from political commentary, Mr. Trump’s attendance at the launch signals a growing bond between the president-elect and Mr. Musk.”

Wrangling over whether to punt government funding to Trump heats up. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““So, if they’re willing to work on a little bipartisan basis — we know we’re not … the majority. We can get things done, but if they want a partisan bill, then they have to do it on their own, and they’ve shown no ability to do it.””

Every hurricane this season was turbocharged and made more intense than it should have been, study finds. CNN.com article. Pull quote: “Other scientists not involved in the study agreed with the researchers’ overall finding that that human-caused global warming was intensifying storms, but urged caution around the specific increase in wind speeds, particularly with projecting the influence of global warming on future storms.”

Risk Management Under the Toxic Substances Control Act: Certain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances; Extension of Comment Period. Federal Register EPA comment extension. Summary: “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the comment period for the notice that published in the Federal Register on September 30, 2024, seeking public comment on the manufacture of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), during the fluorination of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and other plastic containers to inform regulations as appropriate under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). That notice established a public comment period that is scheduled to end on November 29, 2024. This document extends that comment period for 31 days to December 30, 2024. EPA received a request to extend the comment period from an interested stakeholder who requested additional time to collect information relating to EPA's notice and develop thoughtful responses to the issues raised in EPA's notice. EPA believes it is appropriate to extend the comment period in order to give stakeholders including the requester additional time to identify and gather information related to the issues identified in EPA's notice and to prepare comprehensive comments.”

300 Drinking Water Systems in US Exposed to Disruptive, Damaging Hacker Attacks. SecurityWeek.com article. Pull quote: ““Moreover, we were unable to find documented policies and procedures related to the EPA’s coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other federal and state authorities involved in sector-specific emergency response, security plans, metrics, and mitigation strategies,” OIG notes.”