Quote of the Day

"There is nothing like looking at the real thing."

- Allan Needell, curator of the Apollo Collection at the National Air and Space Museum, speaking about the Saturn V rocket. The rocket on display outside Johnson Space Center has been restored; opening ceremonies are today.

First, he's right: I got to see one at the Apollo Center at Kennedy, and Oh My God. It's like the Grand Canyon or the ocean - pictures don't do it justice.

Second: Thirty-eight years since July 20, 1969? Damn.

On the other hand, the new space tourism business is possibly the best thing to happen to manned space exploration ever. It's the incremental, demand-based approach that actually has a rat's ass chance of building a sustainable program.

Quote of the Day

" 'Oh that - that's a sloth tooth.'"

- Jim Sheehan, who runs the Pahokee marina at Lake Okeechobee, who says that's what archaeologists say.

This was good enough to justify a second Quote of the Day because, hey, sloths.