Rocketplane and NASA Want Hawaii as a Prime Location for Business

This coming Thursday, August 21st, representatives from through out the world will be coming to Hawaii’s State Capitol to push Space Venture here in Hawaii.

Rocketplane Global is already taking reservations for $250,000 per flight.

Rocketplane Global will discuss Hawaii’s potential as a commercial launch site. Hawaii’s location near the equator makes our state an ideal sit to support commercial space launch. In fact, Hawaii is the only state in the country from which payloads may be launched into orbit, polar or equatorial, without flying over populated areas.

Here is the program’s highlighted topics courtesy of the Hawaii House Blog.

9:20 a.m. Aerospace Industry in Hawaii: The Big Picture
*Jim Crisafulli – Director, Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development
*The Honorable George R. Ariyoshi – Former Governor; U.S. Advisor, Japan-U.S. Science, Technology & Space Applications Program

9:40 a.m. Enabling the Next Frontier: Our National Vision for Aerospace
*Elliot Pulham – President & Chief Executive Officer – The Space Foundation
*David Kerr – Director of Partnership Management, Joint Planning & Development Office/FAA
*Chris Moore – Program Executive for Technology Exploration Systems Mission Directorate – NASA Headquarters
*Charles Smith – Chief, Space Technology Division – NASA Ames Research Center

10:45 a.m. Building Bridges: Hawaii as a Catalyst for Multinational Partnerships
*Frank Schowengerdt – Director – The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, U.S. Vice Chair – The Japan-U.S Science, Technology & Space Applications Program
*Michael Crosby – Interim Vice Chancellor for Research – University of Hawaii at Hilo
*Jim Grady – Chief Strategy Officer – Alliance for Commercial Enterprises and Education in Space
*John Strom – Program Manager for Aerospace – Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Vice President for Business Development – Enterprise Honolulu
*Chris Moore – Program Executive, Exploration Technology Development – NASA Headquarters
*Bill Larson – Chief, Applied Sciences Division – NASA Kennedy Space Center

1:00 p.m. Innovating the Next Frontier: Dual-Use Applications in Aerospace
*Joe Lehman – Director, Government Affairs – Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
*Timothy Dolan – Business Development Executive – Raytheon Honolulu Field Office
*Rick Holasek – President – NovaSol
*Ken Cheung – Science & Technology Manager – OCEANIT
*Daron Nishimoto – R&D Space Superiority Program Manager – Trex Hawaii
*John Benzie – Technical Director – Pacific Missile Range Facility (Kauai)
*Lt. Col. Scott Hunt – Manager, Space Situational Awareness Program – Maui Air Force Research Laboratory
*Keith Knox – Boeing LTS Chief Scientist – Air Force Maui Optical & Supercomputing Site (AMOS)

2:30 p.m. The Heavens in View: Pioneering Astronomy & Planetary Geosciences
*Nick Kaiser – Associate Director for National Telescope Projects – U.H. Institute for Astronomy

*Peter Mouginis-Mark – Director – U.H. Institute for Geophysics & Planetology

*Jeff Taylor – Lunar Scientist – U.H. Institute for Geophysics & Planetology

3:30 p.m. Reaching for the Stars: NextGen Aviation & Commercial Space Launch
*Ramsey Pederson – Manager, Aviation Development – University of Hawaii
*Chuck Lauer – Vice President for Business Development – Rocketplane Global
*Luke Flynn – Director, Hawaii Space Grant Consortium & Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory – University of Hawaii

4:15 p.m. Training the Next Generation: Aerospace Education in Hawaii
*Wayne Shiroma – Co-Director, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory – University of Hawaii
*Joe Ciotti – Director, Center for Aerospace Education – Windward Community College
*Robert Fox – Chairman, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy – University of Hawaii at Hilo
*Jim Dator – Director, Hawaii Research Center for Future Studies – University of Hawaii at Manoa
*Art Kimura – Director, Future Flight Program – Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, University of Hawaii

5:00 p.m. Special Presentation: In the Shadow of the Moon
Introduced by Nainoa Thompson – President, Polynesian Voyaging Society

Here is the trailer from In the Shadow of the Moon:

Anyone have $250,000 I can borrow;)

Second Superferry Will Not Use Barges

The second superferry that is currently being built in Alabama is being designed a bit different.

The primary difference is that the new Ferry will have foldable ramps.

“….So we don’t have to use the barges that are currently in place that have proven to be complicated to use at times with the severe weather, it causes limitations,” Superferry representative Dietrich Giles said….

This is not the second ferry, however a ramp similar to it is being built on the next superferry coming to Hawaii.

Much easier for strikers to board and unboard ;)

JAL Announces User Prefered Routes (UPR) From Japan to Kona

I just noticed that JAL has started a trial of UPR from Japan to Kona.

From August 11 2008, the JAL Group starts trials of User Preferred Route (UPR) for flights between Japan and Hawaii. If adopted on Hawaii routes, this flight path planning system will enable the airline group to reduce both its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, helping to reduce its fuel bill as well as its environmental footprint…..

…The airline group will start trials of UPR for scheduled flights serving on 4 routes between Japan and Hawaii: Narita – Honolulu, Narita – Kona, Osaka – Honolulu, and Nagoya -Honolulu. UPR will also be trialed on any extra scheduled flights operated during peak holiday periods, and on charter flights operated between Japan and Hawaii. In total, the JAL Group operates approximately 4700 one-way flights per year on these routes.

If User Preferred Route were used on all of its flights operating between Japan and Hawaii, the JAL Group has estimated that it could potentially reduce its fuel consumption by about 3.4 million lbs (1.93 million liters, 9600 oil drums), resulting in a CO2 emissions reduction of 4,700 tons and a reduction in fuel costs of 180 million yen per year.

This can only be good news for Kona residents that recently saw the tourism drop with the Cruise Lines leaving.

Hilo Boy Po’ai Suganuma Knocked Out in the First

In last nights main event on Showtimes Elite MMA Hilo Boy Po’ai Suganuma got knocked out at 2:34 in the first round by Jared Hamman.

….After trading several shots to open the bout, it appeared Suganuma was again getting the better of the blows. The tide turned quickly as Hamman landed two straight rights that wobbled his opponent.

Suganuma grabbed on to Hamman’s leg, but a barrage of hammer fists dropped Suganuma to the canvas. Hamman landed a few more blows to his motionless opponent, and the bout was halted at 2:34 of the first round…..

Here is Hamman’s interview after the fight:

Tribune Herald has More on the Duke Sabedong Story…

I blogged about Duke Sabedong’s death the other day. John Burnett has a more thorough story today in the Tribune Herald.

Here is the video I posted on the other blog. I noticed the Tribune used the same photo I used, however you can’t watch a video on a paper newspaper. ;)

Hawaii Resident Found in Contempt on “National” Dog Napping Case

I wrote about this on one of my older blogs when it happened.

The women has now been found in Contempt

A judge yesterday declared a Hawaii woman in contempt of court for trying to abscond with a dog at the center of a family ownership squabble…..

….In March, police arrested Margareta Doughty, 61, of Ocean View, Hawaii, for violating a court order over ownership by not returning Dux to the couple…..

…Margareta Doughty will have to pay at least $12,000, an amount that has been spent on the contempt portion of the case – preparing for the trial and communication to Hawaii….

….We need to enforce the judgment in Hawaii,” Black said of future action. “This is a very expensive golden retriever”…..

….Margareta, a breeder, sued her son and daughter-in-law in November 2006 over breeding and ownership rights of Dux, whom they jointly owned…..

For the rest of todays story, click here.

Cruise Ships… Continued

Yesterday, I wrote about the recent cruise ship ruling.

Today, the Advertiser, has a follow up story on it.

The problem I see now… is that with the rising cost of fuel, who is going to be able to afford to pay for the fuel surcharges for a “cruise” to Hawaii?

I wonder when/if the cruise lines will rethink about coming back to Hawaii…. or has the profit margin in coming to Hawaii shrank so much with the cost of oil…. that this ruling is now “mute”?