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Today, September 28, 2008, a rocket developed by the private startup company SpaceX was launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific, and eight minutes later passed above the International Space Station.

Although NASA is quite capable of putting rockets into space, and Burt Rutan’s cleverly designed space plane Space Ship One previously reached the edge of space, this is the first privately owned company to develop and launch a rocket into space. It was actually the fourth attempt by SpaceX, which has pursued the goal with admirable persistence.

Here’s a video:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To-XOPgaGsQ

Finally NASA has some private competition (and a new supplier, since NASA is a customer of SpaceX).  As Burt Rutan, designer of Space Ship One, has explained, the rise of a private space industry is very important for the future of space exploration:

Link: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/burt_rutan_sees_the_future_of_space.html

SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk, who also founded a company that merged with Paypal and is chairman of electric car company Tesla Motors. SpaceX’s vision is to make space transportation ten times cheaper and more reliable. SpaceX’s rocket already is far less expensive than any equivalent government program: just $7.9 million. A portion of the rocket is designed to be reused after each launch, reducing potential cost further.

The door to space has just opened a bit wider …

A series of interviews with journalists has revealed how unprepared Sarah Palin is to be President. The silver lining in Sarah Palin’s candidacy must be that it has allowed comedian Tina Fey to impersonate her so hilariously. It’s probably not sufficient reason to place the country at risk, but it’s a close call.

Sketch #1: Palin & Hillary

Link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/34465/saturday-night-live-palin–hillary-open#s-p1-st-i1

Sketch #2, 9/27/08: Palin & Kouric

Link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/36863/saturday-night-live-couric–palin-open

Sketch #3, 10/5/08: Biden vs. Palin debate

Link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/37730/saturday-night-live-vp-debate-open-palin–biden

And then there’s the Matt Damon analysis: “It’s like a really bad Disney movie…”

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6urw_PWHYk

Jon Stewart’s hilarious comparison of Bush’s speech on the current economic crisis and Bush’s speech in 2003 on the Iraq war:

Video: http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=186052&title=clusterf#@k-to-the-poor-house

The current economic crisis is far more proven, as Warren Buffett has opined, than the once apparent threat of weapons of mass destruction, but Stewart is hilarious none the less.