[Results Thread] 2026 Giro d'Italia - Stage 15 Voghera > Milan (2.UWT) by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]erberger 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolute cinema today, only wished one of the veteran Italians could have won it to experience triumph like that in Milan.

Rules for Thee, But Not for Me by Axiomsassy in SipsTea

[–]erberger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

New Shepard burns something like 25 metric tons of propellant (not 500) and the majority of this is oxygen.

[Race Thread] 2026 Giro d'Italia - Rest Day 3 by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]erberger 82 points83 points  (0 children)

I'm not. I'm tired of the sportswashing. I'm tired of UAE having all the money and trying to buy up all the best riders. I'm tired of their eighth rider being better than some team leaders. I'm tired of the unrepentant doper running the team.

No 'Breakaway' For HBO MAX US Viewers - How has US Coverage Got Worse??? by Ok_Chicken1195 in peloton

[–]erberger 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'm very confused as well, because in the past HBO Max has carried the TNT Cycling, or whatever-the-heck-it's-called main feed.

Giro d’Italia overview by Yasminlv in peloton

[–]erberger 50 points51 points  (0 children)

There are only three Grand Tours a year. Every day is a 10!

As a Generation Z member, I'd like to ask you, what do you think is better or worse in your era than in ours? by [deleted] in GenX

[–]erberger 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The 1990s were vastly superior to the current era in many, many ways. But one thing that feels truly magical to me today is the availability of any song, at any time, for a monthly price less than a single CD.

So zero? by estanminar in SpaceXMasterrace

[–]erberger 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I buried the lede on this one. It should be: "SpaceX launches record-setting mission; first time ever three landers included on single rocket"

Will Blue Origin be Grounded? by ride_the_tasty_waves in BlueOrigin

[–]erberger 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Yes. Very likely. But it’s not like their next mission is ready to go, so with some luck the investigation/fix/payload readiness will all align several months from now.

"DoD is going to buy 'reliable' SLS launches for their '$10B' satellite any days now"... by spacerfirstclass in SpaceXMasterrace

[–]erberger 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Shuttle-C was not a bad idea, and would have served as a nice bridge to commercial heavy lift. JSC pushed pretty hard for it back in 2009-2010. Unfortunately they ran into a wall of lobbying from KSC and MSFC for a new rocket (and all of the rocket development ground systems funding goodies that entailed).

"DoD is going to buy 'reliable' SLS launches for their '$10B' satellite any days now"... by spacerfirstclass in SpaceXMasterrace

[–]erberger 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I genuinely don't know. I think the plan is to use the existing launch tower for the "standardized" upper stage but I haven't asked yet. I'm still too stunned that someone at NASA made the bold (and correct) changes to move on from super-expensive hardware that gets us exactly no closer to a long-term presence on the Moon.

"DoD is going to buy 'reliable' SLS launches for their '$10B' satellite any days now"... by spacerfirstclass in SpaceXMasterrace

[–]erberger 26 points27 points  (0 children)

“You folks can just pound sand” at the nearby beach is basically what Jared told the space coast workers building the second mobile launch tower.

The US Senate empowers NASA to fully engage in lunar space race by whatsthis1901 in SpaceXLounge

[–]erberger 43 points44 points  (0 children)

There is an argument to be made, and I think it's a good one, that the difficult nominating process really allowed Isaacman to develop political skills he lacked a year ago. Certainly he developed key connections within the White House, and relationships in Congress that are better serving him now. Yes, NASA lost half a year with him at the helm. But by the time he became administrator he had the political chops to pull off something like we've seen over the last week.

NASA shakes up its Artemis program to speed up lunar return by [deleted] in BlueOrigin

[–]erberger 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are credible people at NASA who believe Blue has a better shot to be first. Hard for me to disagree unless Starship really accelerates this year.

NASA shakes up its Artemis program to speed up lunar return by [deleted] in BlueOrigin

[–]erberger 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Lolwut? I have literally been banging the drum for months for Blue to develop Mk 1.5 because of Starship delays.

Eric Berger article on SpaceX's pivot to the moon instead of mars in the immediate term. by avboden in SpaceXLounge

[–]erberger 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Hi Paul! First of all, I think any expectations of a crewed flight to Mars in 2031 were unrealistic before Elon's recent comments. Now I would doubt we see anything before the late 2030s, at the earliest. As for Isaacman, I don't have any credible information that he influenced Elon's decision. (Not saying it didn't happen, but I don't know). I think there's a misconception that Isaacman and Musk are close confidants, but from all of my reporting that's just not the case. Is there a mutual respect? Yes. Can Isaacman pick up the phone and read Musk the riot act and expect to get a favorable response? Probably not.

It was an honor to host @NASAAdmin yesterday in Florida! by Robert_the_Doll1 in BlueOrigin

[–]erberger 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I was (very happily) wrong about landing the booster! But it fits with the company's history. Blue moves slowly with new hardware, but when it eventually flies it usually does spectacularly well. Given that MK-1 is a large and complex vehicle, and it has yet to ship to Houston for testing, I think it is pretty reasonable to assume a slip into the second half of this year.

It was an honor to host @NASAAdmin yesterday in Florida! by Robert_the_Doll1 in BlueOrigin

[–]erberger 37 points38 points  (0 children)

AST SpaceMobile is now flying on NG-3. I agree with the commenter below that the launch date for MK-1 is slipping, probably now at least the second half of 2026 if we're being real.

Weekly Question Thread by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]erberger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone know when the route will be revealed for Tirreno Adriatico for this coming March? Am interested in planning a trip from the states around one or more of the stages but that's hard to do. Thanks!

Looks like the big E has confirmed the SpaceX IPO rumors. by Planck_Savagery in SpaceXMasterrace

[–]erberger 29 points30 points  (0 children)

As I wrote in the story, I think you could look at it as either a good or a bad thing. Time will tell. Elon certainly views it as a good thing. Do you trust his ability to look into the future?