Kinetic Space Launch

With Emphasis on SpinLaunc

William M. Gutman
Introduction 

Kinetic space launch refers to a launch in which the vehicle is imparted very high initial velocity and leaves the launch apparatus at maximum speed. The vehicle, at least initially, is a simple projectile.

Centrifugal accelerator built by SpinLaunch at NM Space Port.

The highest velocity occurs at exit where atmospheric pressure is highest. Therefore

      • The dynamic pressure on the vehicle is highest.
      • Atmospheric drag is highest.
      • Aero-thermal effects are highest.

Currently, no one pursuing kinetic launch systems expects to reach orbit directly with a kinetic system.  Rather, a second stage rocket will be used to attain the final increment of orbital speed.  Companies do, however, expect to exceed the Karman Line.  The Karman Line is the most commonly used definition of the threshold of space.  It is 100 km Continue reading “Kinetic Space Launch”

It’s madness, madness, madness, there is no climate emergency

“Although they say the science is settled! In fact, the science is never settled . . .”

Dick Reaney

Labels: Climate RealismDick ReaneyGlobal warming alarmism

Dick Reaney

Climate Change is normal and natural and has gone on for millions of years without any help from the human race. The scaremongering now going on by the media, politicians and climate alarmists, is so utterly misguided to be nothing but tragic. That we have an End of the World scenario is Continue reading “It’s madness, madness, madness, there is no climate emergency”

About Recent Words from Richard Lindzen

Robert W. Endlich

We have posted on this forum two recent essays by Richard Lindzen, the first, The Imaginary Climate Crisis – How can we Change the Message? from Clintel, and the second, An Assessment of the Conventional Global Warming Narrative, originally from London’s Global Warming Policy Foundation. I presented my analysis of the high points of Lindzen’s essays, along with some comments to bring these topics home, especially to those

Emeritus MIT Professor Richard S. Lindzen

of us in southern New Mexico, and also, from the world of operational meteorology.

Here is a small, but hopefully representative, sample of some of Lindzen’s most important thoughts, and some comments.

Lindzen properly says:

“…the whole narrative is pretty absurd.”

and in his writing, he goes on to provide the data and his reasoning for why Continue reading “About Recent Words from Richard Lindzen”

A New Look at NOAA’s Alleged Cat 5 Strength for 2018’s Hurricane Michael

‘More evidence that Hurricane Michael was definitely NOT a Category FIVE storm at landfall.’

Robert W. Endlich
Image courtesy of Pixabay

In late September 2022 Category Four Hurricane Ian struck southwest Florida bringing death and destruction to southwest Florida. Ian’s arrival and wind damage spurred me to take another look at when 2018’s Hurricane Michael struck the Panhandle of Florida, and NOAA’s 2019 declaration that Michael was a Category Five storm at landfall.

This is my new look at Hurricane Michael’s winds and NOAA’s 2019 report. Continue reading “A New Look at NOAA’s Alleged Cat 5 Strength for 2018’s Hurricane Michael”

The Imaginary Climate Crisis – How can we Change the Message?

Richard S. Lindzen
Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences, MIT

[This essay is a slightly extended version of a lecture delivered to a joint zoom meeting of the Irish Climate Science Forum and CLINTEL on March 31, 2021.]

For about 33 years, many of us have been battling against climate hysteria. We have correctly noted

The exaggerated sensitivity,

The role of other processes and natural internal variability,

Image by Pixabay

The inconsistency with the paleoclimate record,

The absence of evidence for increased extremes, droughts, floods, wild-fires, and so on.

We have also pointed out the very real benefits of CO2 and even of modest warming.  And, as concerns government policies, we have been pretty ineffective.  Indeed our efforts have done little other than to show (incorrectly) that we take the threat scenario seriously.  In this talk, I want to make a tentative analysis of our failure.

In punching away at the clear shortcomings of the narrative of climate Continue reading “The Imaginary Climate Crisis – How can we Change the Message?”