Udvar-Hazy @capitalweather

Showy Orchis blooming on the mountain today.

Snow again on the mountain top this morning. 1340 ft elevation in the Bull Run Mountains just south of Middleburg VA. This spot was under a tornado warning before noon yesterday. That cell, and some mushy storms around the region, along with persistent cloud cover helped dissipate the storm potential later in the day. @capitalweather

At 10:30 PM at 1340 fr elevation on Bull Run Mountains south of Middleburg VA. Sure looks like snow cover. But this is an infrared photo which can be deceiving. Will post another non IR at dawn. @capitalweather Unlike post in Purcellville, no snow at lower elevations.

Two photos, just 17 hours apart. South of Middleburg VA at the 660 ft elevation. @capitalweather

About 1 inch on back deck, south of Middleburg VA at 660 ft elevation. @capitalweather

At 1340 ft elevation in Bull Run Mountains, Fauquier County, just south of Middleburg VA @capitalweather

1300 ft elevation on Bull Run Mountains south of Middleburg VA @capitalweather

Traveling with a Nuke Reactor Was Cool Yesterday I was lucky to be invited to join a group to witness the movement of a new design nuclear reactor from California. It was moved in several parts (8 air cargo pallets) on three Air Force C-17s. While not yet fueled, this reactor has already been assembled and tested at operating temperatures and pressures. Next is the fueling at its test site in Utah and initial criticality test by 4 July 2026 - this milestone is the first time this design/reactor would be making energy from fission. While small at 5MW, and requiring refueling approximately every 18 months, this design has promise and is leading other novel designs also coming forward this summer. Those who read my research, know nuclear power is still an American comparative advantage in the global marketplace. And, that it has a place in powering an American maritime revival. Here are a few photos with SecEnergy and Under Secretary of Defence with links to the Department of War and Valar Atomics: @DeptofWar @ENERGY @gCaptain valaratomics.com/ward-250 war.gov/News/Releases/Releas…

Today, we’re exited to partner with the Department of War and Department of Energy on Operation Windlord. Three C-17s will be transporting our Ward250 reactor from March ARB to Hill AFB. Here’s a peek at what it took to bring this operation to life. (Part 1)

Just south of Middleburg VA using 30 seconds on iPhone as the clouds move in at 9pm EST @capitalweather

This is probably one of the biggest discoveries/advancements ever and it’s going to lead to ‘free energy’ microchips. If you want to know more watch my episode about Paul Thibado’s graphene circuit. Link - youtube.com/live/6Drl6Ul-jW4

On Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 11am EDT, @NASA will host a media teleconference with Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy and experts from the Mars Perseverance mission to discuss the analysis of a rock sampled by the rover. Set a reminder: youtube.com/watch?v=-StZggK4…

I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.

Starship Flight 9 was launched on May 27 using Booster 14 (on its second flight and Ship 35. Launch was at about 2336:29 UTC. Booster 14 completed its ascent burn and Ship hot-staged (ignited and then separated) at about T 2m40s.

Now targeting Wednesday, January 15 for the seventh flight test of Starship → spacex.com/launches/mission/…

About 4-5 inches 3 miles south of Middleburg, VA. Models show another 4 inches arriving at this location later today. @capitalweather

Thoughts from Frankfurt airport: As much as I would love to continue beating up the Detroit Auto Unions, it wouldn't be good for America to just let them rot. Trump says he wants to be the President for everyone. That is the right path. You should understand the economics. If Detroit lays everyone off it would mean America would be decimated. That means budgets for entitlements would go dramatically up. And tax revenues to do anything else would dramatically drop. In other words, you'll have a lot of starving people to worry about and you'll have no money to do anything about it. It gets worse. China is coming. This should strike fear in every American. Of course it won't, because they don't see how fast China is moving to electric and autonomous vehicles. Tesla, last week, had a record week of about 16,000 sales in China alone, but its Chinese competitors, like Xiaomi, BYD, and Nio, are seeing big gains too. The other automakers aren't anywhere to be seen because they don't have a good electric/autonomous product. We all need to solve this problem together or our nation will face severe pain, deserved or not. And fast. Uber went from an idea in a Paris Snowstorm to a global business in three years. Autonomous vehicles will change the world at about that speed, and already have in San Francisco. So time is running out. Trump has a big stick to use with @elonmusk: the contracts the government has with Elon's various companies. What if he sold Elon on a new America? One where we all join forces to innovate faster than China? I've visited the auto factories in Detroit and know they are full of hard working people who know manufacturing and, if unleashed by their unions, would be able to build a product worthy of being driven around Shanghai in. But to do that Detroit needs autonomy, and Elon's product leadership, and it only has GM Cruise, which uses LiDARs and is ugly as sin. Uglier than the Cybertruck, even, because it gets people to think the world has gone dystopian. Detroit needs to BOGU (technical term we used at Microsoft, which means to "Bend Over and Grease Up" to denote a situation that would require deferring to someone else for long term advantage). Bring your biggest bag full of cash to Elon Musk to start conversations on a good note and demonstrate your commitment. All automakers soon will need Tesla's autonomy to both compete with China, and cooperate with Tesla on its Robotaxi transportation as a service plans that I predict will eviscerate much of the auto industry. Or, at least, its profits. We need to unite as a country, and fast, to compete with the Chinese that are coming with a $10,000 electric car on the low end and very high tech products at the top end, and autonomy coming soon from a variety of its companies (to the world, not just bigger cities in China). And while we are at it we need a rational national approach to both AI, and its effects, like potential joblessness. AI = autonomous vehicles and robots and much more. Trump has a unique position to bring everyone together. His past behavior was to squander such opportunities. I hope he sees the value here for America and doesn't miss this one. I fear for what happens if he doesn't. EXTRA: We still will have to lay off a lot of people, because the Chinese are now building completely automated factories, so we need a way to quickly retrain people for new jobs, along with social systems to give them the wealth to go to school to get reeducated. But that sounds too much like communism to sell to Trump. What about the GI Bill? It took my dad out of poverty so I can talk to you today (it paid for his PhD after he served in the Army for a few years). I think we could sell Trump on something like that. Anyway, Trump will enter office facing some of the most extraordinary economic challenges of the past 100 years. I hope we don't see anything like the Great Depression but I see that as a possibility if we kill too many jobs too quickly. Let's work together to keep that from happening.