Avatar photoX37B Orbit Found, Mystery Remains

click on the image for a larger version You gotta’ love amateur satellite observers. They spend hours glued to their telescopes, binoculars, and/or video cameras for the shear joy of seeing a man made object cross the sky. Their latest triumph is determining the orbit of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-1). Through careful planning …

Avatar photoThe Cheonan Report, Continued

The text and visual aids released at last week’s press conference on the findings of the multinational investigation into the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan are now available. (Another version of the briefing slides can be seen here.) The nature of the event now appears beyond serious dispute, so the debate has moved …

Avatar photoGreat Speeches

What are the most significant speeches related to arms control given at the middle and end of a U.S. presidency? There’s plenty of room for argument, but here are my choices. Let’s work backward. End of term: President Eisenhower’s famous farewell address on January 17, 1961, admonishing his fellow citizens to beware the military-industrial complex. …

Avatar photoAn Alternative View of the ZFS

(As in “Zombie Fuel Swap.”) Late Update | 7 pm, May 21. A2 has asked me to add some clarifying remarks. See below. At this late date, there might be reason to believe that the LEU/TRR deal was a bridge too far; if the P5+1 wanted to prevent Iran from enriching uranium to just under …