Monthly Archives: September 2008

The Ratchet Effect

Posted on September 18, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

Robert Higgs, author of the libertarian work Crisis and Leviathan, explained one of my key issues with “temporary powers” granted to government in times of emergencies: One aspect of my model, however, has received relatively little notice, although I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 9 Comments

Depressing Humor for the Day: AIG Edition

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

Jim Henley hit it on the head (again): My kids bought me an insurance company! Sweet children: they don’t even have jobs yet. I’m really looking forward to helping pick up the tab for the past several decades worth of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | 12 Comments

Light Blogging Again

Posted on September 15, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

Sorry that I won’t be able to follow-up on that burst of blogging over the past week or two.  I managed to catch some sort of nasty flu, and between design stuff at work, helping Michael get some of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 2 Comments

Habeas Corpus: Compare and Contrast

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

I just saw a quote that I think illustrates a clear difference between the two prospective presidential candidates, on the topic of the right of Habeas Corpus: Calling it “the foundation of Anglo-American law,” he said the principle “says very … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 20 Comments

ULA SPACE 2008 Papers

Posted on September 11, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

There were a few interesting papers being presented at the Space 2008 conference that some of my friends at ULA sent me.  I’m going to wait until after the conference is over, so I don’t steal their thunder, but they … Continue reading →

Posted in Commercial Space, Launch Vehicles, Propellant Depots, Technology | 1 Comment

Fragile

Posted on September 9, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

I just got a call tonight from my little sister.  Apparently my cousin Amanda Goff passed away today.  She was only in her twenties.  Her sister went in to wake her up from a nap, and she wouldn’t wake up.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Family | 3 Comments

Blog Move

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

In case any of you noticed the changes, I’m in the process of moving my blog to a remote host using wordpress.  I’m still getting things sorted out, so it may be a few days before everything looks quite right.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Administrivia | 8 Comments

Random Thoughts: SSTOs

Posted on September 6, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

Ok, I asked people to put up suggestions on my Skribit account, and I figured it was about time to actually start responding to some of the suggestions. One of the topics someone asked about was if the Saturn S-IVB … Continue reading →

Posted in Launch Vehicles, Space Transportation, Technology | 7 Comments

My Thoughts on Sarah Palin

Posted on September 6, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

I know I don’t post on politics that often, and I don’t want to turn this site into yet another political punditry place. Quite frankly there’s far more than enough blogs like that out there, and the light to heat … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 11 Comments

Orbital Access Methodologies Part VI: Air-Launched Glideforward TSTO

Posted on September 6, 2008 by Jonathan Goff

Back when I first gave the guest-lecture at the University of North Dakota that kicked off this series, I had only introduced four actual technological approaches to making RLVs work. The balance of the time I spent talking about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Launch Vehicles, Orbital Access Methodologies, Space Transportation, Technology | 29 Comments