The Explorers Club
No. CXXXIII - Louis Blériot (1872-1936), "the first man to fly the Channel," 25 July 1909, precisely one century ago yesterday.





I mean not to impugn M. Blériot's engineering acumen, but it must require bravery for a man to sit at the controls of a Blériot XI and take to the skies, even a modern recreation.




Centenarylink.

This Week in Motorsport
Thwarted again! Despite my best intentions, though far from my best effort, I learned that Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix before the tape-delayed U.S. broadcast of the race from the Hungaroring outside Budapest. However, it was an exceptional race, with more changes at the top of the running order and fiercer jockeying for position than in any other race I've seen. Hamilton won the day starting from the fourth position and Kimi Räikkönen moved up from seventh to claim second place; Mark Webber finished third having started in the pattern-busting third position. F1link.

I hope Felipe Massa makes a full recovery. I am most decidedly not among the ghouls who watch motorsport for the crashes; the inevitable collisions during the 24 Heures du Mans were positively nerve-racking. Only today did I learn of the tragic demise of young Henry Surtees last weekend during a Formula Two race; at the risk of being self-centered, I pray I will never be firsthand witness to a racing fatality. May the Lord have mercy on Surtees's soul, be a comfort to his grieving kith and kin, and watch over the injured Massa.

The next F1 race is not until Sunday, 23 August, the European Grand Prix in Valencia, perfidious Spain. What am I to do during the drought? I am thinking of giving the IndyCar Series a second chance; the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day was terrifically dull, but the Honda 200 in a fortnight's time is to be run on a road course. Ovals are the pits, but I can't fully gauge my potential affinity for IndyCar racing until I see them run on a street circuit or road course. I am not optimistic, but I'm willing to risk a couple of hours.

The Stars My Destination
Starting the countdown with "11 Days to Apollo 11" on 9 July of this year, our astral attention has for nearly three weeks been fixed on the triumphs of the past, but let us not forget the glorious present: baker's dozenlink. Holy smoke, there are thirteen astronauts and cosmonauts currently in orbit! Never before in forty-eight years of manned spaceflight have there been this many persons outside Earth's atmosphere. And, with the occupancy capacity of the International Space Station set at six and the forthcoming Orion Crew Vehicle's maximum crew of six (for a total of twelve, unless more are sent up on a Russian Soyuz or a second Orion), we may not again see this many sailors-among-the-stars and -cosmos simultaneously in space. Though I am increasingly loathe to quote The Simpsons, I can think of no words more apropos to the moment than, "What a time to be alive!"





Science!
By Jove, Jupiter's getting pummeled: N.A.S.A.link and B.B.C.link! I remember fondly the heady days of Shoemaker-Levy 9; Bog, I wish we'd had ye olde internet back then. (I know the internet existed in '94, but not in anything resembling its current ubiquity.) What do the Planet Jupiter, the telescopes necessary to view Jupiter in detail, and ye olde internet have in common?

Science!

Coming Attractions
"Prelude to Project PANDORA" - my response to your responses, risking all "on one turn of pitch-and-toss"
"M.P.W. at XXX" - I'm thirty, now what? Subsection: "The Loot"

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Green Day, "21 Guns" from 21st Century Breakdown (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: So far, I have mostly not connected with 21st Century Breakdown, but the line "When it's time to live and let die" caught my ear. And the chorus of "21 Guns" certainty stands out amidst the rest of the album.