Patrick S. Tomlinson 🔜 WorldCon Seattle

So am I, but there are very effective container solutions that can mitigate that possibility.

Go make your appointment.

Here you go: bsky.app/profile/stea...

Also, any of you making Space 1999 references, go make your next colonoscopy appointment. You're old now.

This program has been around since before even Trump's first stolen term. It is reasonable, necessary, and entirely doable.

Now, if only Starship would stop exploding. 9/9

And no, it's not going to blow up the Moon. The unit is designed for low enriched uranium and simply can't physically be turned into a nuclear bomb. And even if it melted down (nearly impossible), there's no air or ground water to contaminate with radioactive fallout. 8/

In early January of this year, as Biden's term wound down to Armageddon, NASA announced Westinghouse had been selected to develop an FSP demonstrator to be launched in the early 2030's.

Yesterday's announcement by NASA's new administrator then is nothing new or surprising. 7/

This program paired NASA with the private sector to develop a small scale, lightweight, unmanned nuclear fission reactor in the 40 kw range, or about enough to power a neighborhood of three dozen homes.

Initial awards were made to three companies in 2022 (Biden's term) 6/

Which is why a very long time ago, NASA identified a need for a small, modular nuclear reactor for future Moon/Mars missions. That requirement has gone through a few program names over the years, but the most recent is called the Fission Surface Power program. 5/

It's for this reason outside of the lunar poles where sunlight is constant, solar power alone is unrealistic for most places we'd want to put a moon base.

Wind is obviously out, as are hydroelectric and geothermal power. So, what's the alternative?

Nuclear. That's about it. 4/

The ISS only needs enough battery reserve power for 46 minutes at a time. A moon base will have drastically higher power requirements, and the battery storage needed for two weeks of uninterrupted power would come with a dramatic weight penalty at launch. 3/

The Moon, however, is a different animal. Because the moon is tidally locked to Earth (the same side always points toward us as it orbits), nights there lasts a full 14 days. Instead of the sun coming back out every twelve hours, it's gone for two weeks at a time 2/

Okay, nuclear reactor on the Moon.

First things first. The majority of our inner solar system long term exploration and research has historically been powered by solar panels because it's free and plentiful energy.

The ISS, most satellites, they all run off solar power. 1/

[Sigh] I have to talk about the nuclear reactor on the moon tomorrow, don't I?

Yes the world is on fire and America is falling to the dumbest fascists who ever existed but our Brewers are three games up on the Cubs with the best record in baseball and please just let me fucking have this...

NASA awarded Westinghouse a contract to develop their Fission Surface Power project back in January just before Trump took over. It's very promising.

That said, five years seems optimistic for even a competent administration. Especially since the delivery vehicle, Elon's Starship, keeps exploding.

So how long before Trump sends the National Guard into Chicago to "retrieve" the TX Dems?

Dan Mullen chose to end his life long ago just as you have, stalker.

Needless to say, if Biden had said this even once much less repeatedly, it would have been all the media talked about for weeks. It would be a chapter title in Tapper's book.

But Biden didn't say it, or anything nearly as stupid. Trump did, and he always gets a pass.

"Prices will go down 500%, 1,000%, 1,500%!" is the sort of thing you expect to hear from a 4 yr old who understands the words, but not their meaning.

Trump has moved on from numbers that are just wrong ($2 gas) to numbers which are mathematically impossible.

Flower break. 🌱

I get that.

Not gonna lie. This whole being a fan of the best team in all of baseball thing is pretty cool.

New experience. Would recommend.

Guess who just became a control group?

Over the last 45 mins, a member of the cult stalking and SWATTing our family has been successfully spoofing both my and Niki's phone numbers.

They have been calling people, pretending to be us and attempting to extract personal information of people close to us.

We are not calling. Do not answer.

Can confirm.

No one was awaiting this monstrosity.

"Gandalf... yes. That is what they used to call me. Gandalf the Gray. That was my name.

I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now.

At the turn of the tide."

Live Updates: After a Weak Jobs Report, Trump Says He’s Firing That Agency’s Commissioner

There's no longer any reason to believe any numbers coming from Trump's regime. Not on jobs, inflation, unemployment, trade, or GDP.

He's cooking the books to hide the collapse. Just as he did for years in his businesses to defraud taxpayers, lenders, and investors. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

Recall Issued After High Noons Vodka Seltzers Mistakenly Labeled As Celsius Energy Drinks The mistake is the result of High Noon receiving empty Celsius cans from a packaging supplier that Celsius also uses, a company spokesperson said.

As oopsie doodles go, this is a pretty big one. Imagine being a truck driver thinking you're downing energy drinks only to blow a 0.2 BAC: www.huffpost.com/entry/high-n...

Hey, everybody. I found the same measuring stick Trump's been using.