Merry Christmas!

Today is the day that we remember especially that God came to be with us as a child of humble origins, to show us forgiveness and grace, kindness and love, a reminder that we are all capable of living out such things. Rejoice!

CRS. We has it.

Announced today: SpaceX was one of two companies awarded the Commercial Resupply Service contract by NASA, meaning that we will be replacing the Space Shuttle on cargo missions to the ISS after the shuttle retires in 2010. We share the contract with Orbital Science Corp. We have been contracted 12 missions for $1.6bil. (Orbital got 8 missions for $1.9bil).

http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20081223

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/dec/HQ_C08-069_ISS_Resupply.html

For now it is just cargo, but I look forward to the day when SpaceX joins America, Russia, and China in the great adventure of manned space exploration.

Oh yeah, and it's about to get really busy...

work

home

kaaaaaaaa!

heard an amazing version of Carol of the Bells in the background music at Rite-Aid, of all places...

...and now I want to Mazurkaaaaaaaaaa!

It was the Rite-Aid custom radio channel. anyone know how to find out what they play on Rite-Aid radio??

need hope.

Wal-mart. Toys R Us. A car cut in half on the 110 last night. I had to pick my way slowly through the wreckage. Mumbai. Oh God Mumbai. A suicide.

death death death...murder

murder is worse than death.

Keith Olberman Special Comment on Prop 8

Hey folks,

Please, please watch this video:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27652443#27652443

-Edwin

More on Gay Marriage, Christianity, Morality

OK, I'm just going to barf a link at you, but only because it's such a good read, no matter where you stand on gay marriage, faith, morality, politics, etc.

I know, I know, bad manners...bon appetit:
http://dmeroit.blogspot.com/2008/09/proposition-8-part-two.html

Thanks to commenter switchtoicqkyo for sending me this link. I am reposting it on the front page for those who would otherwise miss it by not looking in the comments.

Halloween Dance

My Joe the Plumber costume got me a dance with this very lovely Sarah Palin, so I'll call it a success. Way to target the *swing* vote. Zing! Click the photo for a link to Rusty's Rhythm Club, one of the finest swing and lindy establishments in LA. Do check them out if you're in the area. Bill Nye also approves.

Restore Marriage: no on Prop 8

half formed thoughts, but strong feelings:

I'm a Christian, although for this post some will doubt, and yes that terrifies me, but I have to say something. I am voting no on Prop 8 precisely because I want to restore marriage and give it back it's meaning. In my heart this is how I must vote.

Prop 8 is a political issue, not a moral or spiritual one, and it's being used to divide voters and believers, the way Pharisees used the the Roman tax against Jesus. So if you want marriage to mean something more than political grandstanding, I suggest no on Prop 8.

and I believe that the whole anti-gay element in the church is in fact very deviant from Christ and Christianity.

i wrestle with this issue a lot

but in the end I keep coming to the conclusion that Jesus would be standing on other side from the church, with the homosexuals

while the church tries to rally against an easy target in order to unify its influence over its members the way bullies pick on kids.

and for us to AMEND our CONSTITUTION to exclude a class of people sounds like the most unchristian thing I have heard.

is homosexuality ruining family values and marriage in America? I point you to Desperate Housewives and Trading Spouses (among other heterosexual masterpieces) for the answer.

My coworker just got married, but faced the reality that CA voters would probably just null her marriage in a few weeks. She asked where all the money was coming from to break up her marriage. It broke my heart to tell her it was my church.

The meaning of marriage is that love can last, that two people can, by the strength of real caring love, publicly and privately commit to one another selflessly so as to become a greater whole. It is the belief that against other things, love is the greatest, and that against prevailing odds love will persevere. Proposition 8 flies in the face of this. Yes for marriage. Yes for gay marriage. No on prop 8.

Bill Nye the Lindy Guy

Please, consider the following:


No kidding. I just ran into Bill Nye at a lindy hop. He's the real deal. We talked about control systems and launching rockets. Then he had to go for a cha cha.

Christmas In Twain

Christmas 'Eve'

Christmas morning

While looking through old photos, I found these two from college. I bet some of you were there. A bunch of us in the dorm realized we missed the old (and new to some) custom of waking up at sunrise on Christmas morning, so we redid it in my room right before winter break. The night before, Christmas "eve", twenty four people crammed into a single room, got a tree and decorated it, placed gifts for each other and for donation, pulled out some carols, and shared a potluck of classic Christmas goodies, hot cider and cocoa. And on the morning of December 9th, we all woke up early (a feat for college students, you know) crammed back into the room and opened our gifts amidst smiles, laughs, and hugs. Afterward, we took the donations down to the local gift drive. It was one of the best and warmest memories of my life.

Sunset

hmmm...I'll let it speak for itself.
Hope you enjoy it too.

I'm Home!

I’ve moved in to my new place and am finally feeling at home. Let me introduce you to my new housemates, who are all wonderful: Casey, Jessica, and James.

They all work at SpaceX with me, so we commute together. Casey is in Dynamics, Jim in Propulsion, and Jess and I are in Avionics. You might remember them from a July 08 post as the house of crazy rocket scientists who jump in the ocean under a full moon at 4am.

This weekend Jim and Jess and I went out for dim sum together, after which we went up to Griffiths park and hiked around the observatory at the top of Mt. Hollywood (yes, that Mt. Hollywood). After a nice hike, we spend the rest of the afternoon at the observatory.

So here’s my new address:

200 Marine Av.

Manhattan Beach, CA 90622

If you’re ever in the area, please come on by. We would love to have you stay with us.

SpaceX is Orbital! (Video Update)

Flight 004 Mission was successful. We are officially a spacefaring company.

My project on the flight also worked. Updates and video: www.spacex.com. Thanks for the support.

Cheers, everyone.




Update: It's on video.

I Am Moved...again.

Note: this is a post from about two weeks ago.

That photo...that's my apartment, looking a lot like it did 2 months ago, with exception that this time I have one desk in addition to the sleeping bag on the floor.

Yup. I am moving again. But that's not a bad thing. I am moving in with some excellent friends into a house by the beach. Cozier place with more people around, the cure to my empty nesting.

Facebook

An odd thought dawned on me.

We will be the few to remember a time without wedding videos and baby pictures on Facebook.

We're growing up.

Going Upstream

The priest at church related an interesting parable story:

A man standing by a river noticed a man drowning, jumped in, rescued him, and brought him back to shore. Minutes later, again he saw a man coming downstream, drowning. He jumped in and rescued him too. After a third time, the man stood by the shore with the three that he had rescued. They saw another man coming downstream and called out, "why don't you save him!?" The man replied, "you do the same. I'm going upstream to find out why people keep falling in the river!"

The message is clear, but acknowledging that the message is clear is also acknowledging that there is a difficult, practical mission that we as people need to carry out in how we address the problems we see in the world. I wish I could say I know just what to do and have the courage to carry it out, but I don't. But I'm working on it.

Also, someone stood up in church and asked the priest in church, "What should we do come November", and he replied:

"You had better inform your conscience. The church says that you have an obligation to inform your conscience and vote as each of you truly believes is right."

Thank you, Fr. Barry.

Politics and Salvation (AARGH!)

I was reading an article about a pastor in a Christian church today, and it angered me. Here is what he had to sayabout a previous election:

"I'm not going tell you who to vote for, but if you vote for this particular person, I question your salvation. I'm sorry."

I'm not going to post who he was talking about, because it really doesn't matter. (If you want to know, just read the article. Hey, you might have voted for him! Also, if you do, keep in mind that this is the rather liberal Huffington Post) Just the mere notion that people might be voting out of fear to save their own personal eternal hindquarters instead of for the good of the people of their country and the world really makes me queasy. I wish I could say that it was just this one particular pastor, but I have heard the same things in person coming from pastors at churches I have been to. To think some pastors think that they can make people vote one way or another with stuff like this! I just wish they weren't so right.

And how about this:
"I hate criticisms towards the President, because it's like criticisms towards the pastor -- it's almost like, it's not going to get you anywhere, you know, except for hell. That's what it'll get you."

As a Christian, I have to say, this is not what salvation is about! God gave us salvation so that we could do the right thing (or at least try to, to the best of our ability) without worrying about gaining someone's approval, and without the weight of the mistakes of the past dragging us down. This is what I believe. Salvation was never meant to be earned. It was given first so that everything else we do could be a response in gratitude and goodwill and grace, not a duty or a debt. (I assure you, alliteration absolutely accidental)

So before my God, I will say that this election, I will make my choice and vote for the candidate that will best serve the world and all its people with the gifts that the United States has been given, regardless of what it means for my personal salvation. Why can I say this? Because, God, you did the same in Jerusalem 2000 years ago.

Religious people everywhere, have faith, be a part of your religious community, listen critically to your pastors and councilors, but when it comes to thinking, remember that God gave you your own mind too.

note: yes, this is Pastor Ed Kalnins from the childhood church of Rep. VP candidate Gov. Sarah Palin. But this post is about the pastor, and salvation and politics, and not Gov. Palin. I like to believe that anyone we would put in the candidacy is fully capable of thinking for themselves. Same goes for Sen. Barack Obama and Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Evaluate them yourselves on the merits of their own thoughts and actions.

Sky. Purple.

Woah. The twilight night sky in LA is purple today. Like a dark periwinkle.

Moving

Found this from my journal, random thoughts while I was moving to LA back in June:

packing is really difficult
each item has a story, and many must be left behind
the most precious things I carry with me in my heart, still it is hard
I should work to collect the things that cannot be taken away or left behind: memories, skills, experiences, etc.
each of these things, at some time meant the world to me, and invention, my first computer, a project, poetry, pictures, etc, but now they are tossed away as trash
how do i feel about this

hoarding comes from a fear of the future
the belief that each moment will be the best it will ever be
a doubt that the future can only get better
this, an idea of an investment in the past.
keeps us going back, history repeating
because we feel invested, we do not leave the past, even if it is the wrong path
have faith that the future holds great things!
let each moment be the best, better than the last, and not as good as the next, but still each precious

Beautiful

I have always believed that it is good for people to be told what others find beautiful in them.

Talking to Pixi today made me realize today that it is not enough to tell people what is beautiful in them, but to make them ask and see what they find beautiful in themselves. It's what I needed to do. A simple thought, but one worth sharing, I think.

She sent me this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQu9D4bjXaU

So, what beauty do you find in you?

Come Hike-Bike-Kayak in San Diego!

This Labor-day weekend. Anyone want to join me? Website here. Eight glorious hours of hiking up the mountain, biking down the mountain, and then kayaking through no less than 7 sea caves in La Jolla. If you come down, there's plenty of room to stay at my place in LA, and in San Diego, I will try to make living arrangements with friends, depending on how many are coming.

Come down for the weekend! And let me know soon. I have to reserve the kayaks.

SpaceX: An Introduction for Me and You Both!

I've moved to LA to work for SpaceX. (www.spacex.com) I started on July 7th, 2008.

In a word, SpaceX is crazy. Everyone here is crazy, what we're doing is crazy, and the CEO is crazy. As you may already know, I am crazy too. SpaceX is trying to get to space and to do so commercially, without the backing of a government or a multi-billion-dollar budget.

For comparison, other aerospace companies told me about 8-9 year product cycles, and 30% chances of projects being cut before launch. When I got to SpaceX, they said, "take the time to get up to speed but don't drag your feet. This project we are putting you on needs to be done by the end of the month." "Why?" "In September, it's in space." A week later, they made me the engineer responsible for the project. Crazy.

We are focused on orbital launch, and eventual inter-planetary travel. Other private space companies have done sub-orbital tourist spaceflight; orbit takes 7 times more energy. So far, only Orbital Sciences has been able to do it, but still for big bucks.

Our smaller launch vehicle, Falcon 1 is for small satellites.

NASA is looking to us and our heavy-lift Falcon 9 and our Dragon crew/cargo capsule to replace the Space Shuttle for ISS missions when the Shuttle gets retired in 2010.

The Space Race. It's back.

Falcon 1 Flight 003, and beyond! (and launch videos)

So as some of you know, SpaceX recently launched it's third Falcon 1 rocket aimed at reaching orbit. Now I did not work on this particular rocket, having started just 2 months ago, but I am working on the next rocket, Flight 004.

Flight 003 did not reach orbit (CEO's message here), failing because of unexpected residual thrust in the 1st stage engine interfering with stage separation. This was a new engine design that could not have been tested in the true vacuum of space until that moment, and there we learned something. Plus, there's a fabulous video:

http://spacex.com/multimedia/videos.php?id=13

With 3 failed launches, SpaceX is still ahead of the game compared to most if not all space programs in history. How many rockets did we fail wondering if Russia would beat us to the moon? However, the catch is that we're trying to do commercially what entire governments have pooled resources to do as a country, so we kinda have to be on top of our game. That's what working at SpaceX is like. It's like the excitement of the whole US-Russia space race all over again.

Our CEO, and indeed, all of us, have made a public declaration to fix the problem, assemble another rocket, and launch flight 004 very quickly. And this time, my project will be on that rocket.

It's gonna be a busy couple of months folks. Stay tuned for more updates, and expect find me looking skyward.

SpaceX

OK, everyone at SpaceX is a little crazy.

Case in point: Friday night, leave work at 10pm and head for a party at my coworkers house.

After some partying, it's 1:30am, time to run outside and jump in the ocean. What follows is 2 hours of swimming in a wonderfully warm open pacific ocean under a beautiful full moon.

Then, after some drying off and some more chillin', we go back to work at 4am.

To be fair, we had to go back anyways since we carpooled, but since we were there, we did some work we still had to finish to free up the weekend.

JaSmix and more!

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see you and dance with you all at JaSmix (weekend of Aug 10th)! I am grateful beyond words. Oh how I have missed you all! You gave me such a warm welcome; it's really nice to have a home to come home to, ya'know? Thank you for the music (the songs I'm singing...), DJ Jason. A shout out to the most fabulous dance partner in the world - that's you, Joy. And to Ella, visiting all the way from Israel - having you back is about the best thing ever.

And that's not all!
Katherine, cheers to France! Paris is one lucky city. Have a great time. Thanks for having me over!
Jackie - Happy Birthdaaaay!
Jason - beautiful hike; quote of the day: "could you guys talk quieter, because you know we're, like, in nature"

Hello World: Edwin has a blog!

Hey Lovely People,

I'm finally getting a blog. With my new life starting in LA, I've got plenty of stories and thoughts I want to share with you, as well as preserve for myself. I can't think of a better way to start a new life than to share it with you, my friends. I've already got a few things saved up, so here comes the deluge!