May 15, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Voyager Space to work with Marshall to develop new airlock concept
The company already has a new design working on ISS. This is to develop something even better.
- France’s The Exploration Company hires Blue Origin’s director of human spaceflight, Mark Kirasich, to head up its US operations
Kirasich had a 40-year career at NASA, so they are possibly hiring him to help grease the wheels with the agency.
- Rocket Lab wants to celebrate its up-coming 50th launch by awarding three launch photographers an all-expenses paid trip to capture it
The launch is presently targeting a June launch.
- The launch of China’s Xuntian Hubble-class optical telescope appears delayed until 2027
This is a two year delay. Once launched the plan is to fly it near China’s space station, so that astronauts can easily go to it to do repairs or upgrades.
- Managers in China propose building its lunar research station in three stages
The first stage would be short-term tech development, the second mid-term expansion and collaboration, and the third long-term leadership in lunar resource utilization.
- OneWeb faces regulatory delays in India
Very puzzling as the company is half owned by an Indian. Jay suggests, “They forgot to pay off someone.”
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in the past two weeks has the mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuses to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Voyager Space to work with Marshall to develop new airlock concept
The company already has a new design working on ISS. This is to develop something even better.
- France’s The Exploration Company hires Blue Origin’s director of human spaceflight, Mark Kirasich, to head up its US operations
Kirasich had a 40-year career at NASA, so they are possibly hiring him to help grease the wheels with the agency.
- Rocket Lab wants to celebrate its up-coming 50th launch by awarding three launch photographers an all-expenses paid trip to capture it
The launch is presently targeting a June launch.
- The launch of China’s Xuntian Hubble-class optical telescope appears delayed until 2027
This is a two year delay. Once launched the plan is to fly it near China’s space station, so that astronauts can easily go to it to do repairs or upgrades.
- Managers in China propose building its lunar research station in three stages
The first stage would be short-term tech development, the second mid-term expansion and collaboration, and the third long-term leadership in lunar resource utilization.
- OneWeb faces regulatory delays in India
Very puzzling as the company is half owned by an Indian. Jay suggests, “They forgot to pay off someone.”
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in the past two weeks has the mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuses to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
Amateurs capture Falcon 9 video.
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/05/raw-intercepted-video-of-spacex-falcon-9-upper-stage-in-orbit.html
NASA officials blocking private missions to extend Hubble lifetime?
https://x.com/sciguyspace/status/1791117722635358280?s=46
Hello Bob,
This development might deserve its own special post: NPR has gotten hold of internal emails from NASA that indicate that there is resistance among senior NASA officials to proposals by SpaceX and Jared Isaacman to undertake a servicing/reboost mission of the Hubble Space Telescope.
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/16/1250250249/spacex-repair-hubble-space-telescope-nasa-foia
Eric Berger tweets: “Great story. It appears that a few senior spaceflight officials, including John Grunsfeld, are blocking a private effort to reboost the Hubble Space Telescope and extend its lifetime.” Prodded further, Eric adds: “My sense is that there is a cadre of people at NASA who want to protect the ‘sanctity’ of instruments like Hubble and don’t think non-NASA astronauts should be allowed near them.”
https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1791117722635358280
It does look like NASA is now saying that they will make a public statement of some kind in the coming week.
If I was Jared, I would be working on a Plan B for Polaris 2 in case NASA persists in its apparent NIMBYism where Hubble is concerned. A reasonable alternative would be to do a deal with Vast for an initial crew mission to Haven-1 that involves adding some enhancements to the station via spacewalks.
China wants their Hubble close to their station for just that reason.
When I commented on how wise it was, NSF Jim (Byeman, Charlie X Murphy) bites my throat out on the web.
A lot of folks have a bur on their behinds with regard to Hubble.