I’m actually really surprised they’re allowed to use lead to solder their vacuum flask, considering that in my industry (computers), we’ve had to eliminate lead solder and tin-lead finishes. (Tin-lead finishes used to be the traditional method of preventing tin whiskers, but RoHS banned them. RoHS only applies to the…

Stop trying to ram all these puns through.

The only reason I can see is if it’s to protect the integrity of an investigation.

Nitpick: I don’t think it blew up at all.  I think it likely broke up due to mechanical forces -- basically, the same way a reentering satellite breaks up.

Well, I know they were doing a propellant transfer demonstration and demonstrating opening and closing the payload bay doors. This may have included intentionally pitching it around into the orientation it would need for orbital operations. I assume they’d want it to be oriented much like X-37 or the Space Shuttle…

Keep your seatbelt fastened!

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” — Ronald Wright

Quelle suprise.....

I would put my money (if I were a betting person) on it breaking up due to aerodynamic forces as a result of an unfavorable reentry attitude. I would not call that an explosion. Sad to say, the most comparable event in past history would be the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia; the breakup happens due to mechanical…

Hard to say. I mean, traditionally, folks have pointed at the N-1 as a reason to say “definitely not a good idea”, but what people usually miss is that the N-1 actually managed to iron out the bugs and was almost to the point of success when they basically ran out of money and were shut down in favor of the…

WOOHOO!   That is fantastic news!  :-)

Not necessarily. If they have the same number of chromosomes, they may well be able to produce fertile offspring.

Damn, you beat me to it.

Frakes is going to have to break into the set one day and just slip into the background of a shot as an easter egg. :-D

I can’t pass up a chance to rag on Star Trek V anyway. :-P

I’m in MSP, so “choosing Delta” is almost not a choice already anyhow. (Although I do miss when they were Northwest.)

And at least don’t make it a slideshow.  The comments are broken enough; the slideshow makes them worse.

One really important thing I want to say: don’t assume that because someone appeared “in good spirits” that they aren’t going to kill themselves. I had a classmate in high school who killed herself. We weren’t close enough for me to call her a friend, but I did know her fairly well; we were teammates. As far as I or…

Yeah, I love dumb crooks and social media! Match made in HEAVEN! :-D

Considering how many people assumed “MCAS, look it up” meant you thought MCAS was at fault, perhaps you should have been more clear in the first place.  You probably don’t have to explain further, but you maybe should have said this in the first place. Just sayin’.