Tonight, NASA launches the COLBERT treadmill into space. Presented without comment (except CURSE YOU STEPHEN COLBERT!) here’s Colbert’s NASA report:
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Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He's written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic and fights the abuse of science, but his true love is praising the wonders of real science.
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August 24th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
if only I had the power of Colbert, I would become Shiva destroyer of polls.
August 24th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Oh Phil, you sooooo wanna be on that show, don’t you?
[Can't say I blame you.]
@Northernskeptic
You may never be able to attain Colbert’s abilities. But if you work hard and stay focused, one day, you may just give PZ Myers a run for his money.
August 24th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Like Stephen’s responses to Manilow and Tony Bennett:
COLBEEERT!!!
J/P=?
August 24th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
The Chemist Says
Oh Phil, you sooooo wanna be on that show, don’t you?
–wouldn’t Phil have to… say, write a book for that?
August 24th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
If you can’t get on Colbert to publicize your paperback edition, then fire your publicist! (Either that, or get your mutual friend Neil deGrasse Tyson to put in a good word.) With a nickname like “The Bad Astronomer” the first half of the interview almost writes itself.
August 24th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Oprah, call Dave!
August 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I don’t even see the humor
August 24th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Hey waitaminute! Where’s the canned laughter? Now I’m all confused about what’s funny and what’s not.
No, seriously: Seeing/hearing the skit in “raw” form like this felt somewhat odd. It’s weird how I’ve become conditioned to expect built-in audience feedback…
August 24th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Wait a sec – ‘Tranquility’ is the new name for node 3?
I thought ‘Serenity’ won the poll – after Colbert.
After all, NASA already has a Tranquility Base* albeit currently unmanned and not too active.
Hmm … Sorry Colbert but I didn’t find that terribly funny.
Go Discovery & crew both aboard and back at mission control, I’m wishing you all the best for a successful launch – & landing – & o’course, everything that happens in between as well!
Unfortunately, if what I read briefly as a comment on the prev. thread is correct, launch has been postponed due to bad weather. Anyone want to provide an update here?
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* For those who don’t already know – the descent stage of the Apollo 11 lunar module.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Stevor, this is the live blog of the launch:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/launch_blog.html
August 24th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
theMark: I agree about the oddness, but his standard laugh track isn’t canned. His show is filmed in front of a live audience… you must know this?
It’s like watching the movie version of And Now For Something Completely Different after watching a bunch of Flying Circus episodes. I must make laughter all by myself…
August 24th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
@ 10 gruebait : Thanks!
From there, the latest news is :
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Launch Scrubbed Due to Weather
Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:58:17 PM UTC+0930
This launch attempt has been scrubbed due to weather. Conditions just did not improve with enough time to continue the countdown. The launch team is setting up for a 24-hour scrub turnaround.
“Well, C.J., the vehicle and operations were cooperating, but weather unfortunately did not,” Launch Director Pete Nickolenko told Discovery Commander Rick “C.J.” Sturckow.
Launch is scheduled for 1:10 a.m. Wednesday.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:57 am
That must have been as wierd for him to keep plugging on in the face of deathly silence as it was for us to watch. I liked the jokes, mainly, but (pardon the pun) they seemed strained in vacuuo
August 25th, 2009 at 7:58 am
I like that Colbert still tries to make it out that he is pulling the boosters from under NASA, while he in fact seems to openly enjoy following space exploration. Sheer audacity!
August 25th, 2009 at 8:37 am
@Kevbo
That deserved its own David Caruso meme.
August 25th, 2009 at 9:01 am
How can anyone not find that video hilarious? Here’s a quote that is absolute gold, when Colbert congratulates NASA on their many scientific discoveries in the last year:
“Dramatic pictures of Cassini, finding water on Mars, and your dramatic discovery of an administration that believes in science.”
August 25th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Okay that last line is pretty funny! Not to mention very true.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Not funny!
Not funny at all!
August 25th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I’d be happier with the administration if Ares wasn’t getting the ax.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Call me a victim of Pavlovian responses, but I need background laughter to enjoy comedy.
August 25th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I don’t get Stephen Colbert. I’m English though, is it American humour or is he just really not funny? :\
August 25th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Colbert’s comedy definately is one of the more obscure kinds and harder to grasp. It’s a heavily sarcastic parody of a phenomenon apparently (and thankfully) unique to America, so it’s easy to see how it would be difficult for foreigners to grasp. Even Americans often have trouble getting it because they miss the sarcasm, because they actually think like his character, or because they simply don’t consider that kind of thing funny (what he’s parodying is in reality a serious threat to political discourse in this country.)
I can actually only take Colbert for so long myself, though I recognize the comic genius behind it.
I really do think he should have Phil on. He might not be as sexy as six-timer Neil DeGrasse Tyson, but it’d still be a hell of a show.
August 26th, 2009 at 7:58 am
I think Phil, if/when he gets on, should hit Colbert in the face with a pie.
Colbert’s schtick is getting old. He needs fresh writers.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Stephen Colbert is the Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar of comedy. I hope Phil gets to go on the show one day.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Lets write letters to NASA saying the next space telescope be named the Phil Platt telescope I think he deserves the honor