September 24, 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.
As this is an open thread, I must add that the lack of any political or cultural posts recently is entirely because I am presently sick of reporting about this stuff. When you have a big long term player in the Democratic Party, Leon Pannetta, make the utterly stupid comment that Israel’s very targeted attacks on Hezbollah is “a form of terrorism” — essentially endorsing this murderous Islamic terrorist organization — and yet approximately half of Americans apparently still consider the Democratic Party to be a viable option, it seems somewhat pointless to attempt to change these people’s minds. Too many leftists no longer have the ability to think. They are wedded to their party, and will support it no matter how infantile or childless or dangerous or violent it gets.
Enough. Back to Jay’s links about space:
- Stoke Space touts its growing inventory of built hardware
The image shows four engines, two partly assembled, and what looks like a tank dome. The company is clearly making some progress, but as Jay notes, it is not yet “hardware rich. That distinction is given when you have multiple assembled test articles.”
- Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for accelerating China’s space endeavors
He is essentially touting this major success under his leadership, in order to strengthen his hold on the government. It’s what power-hungry politicians always do, whether they run a communist or a democratically-elected government.
- Haiyang spaceport plans to build a new semi-submerged ship to provide a more compatible sea-launch platform
It hopes to have it launched by the end of ’25.
- Viasat wins U.S. Air Force contract to make aircraft antennas for communicating with satellites
Contract is for $33 million.
- On this day in 1930 astronaut John Young was born
He “flew in space six times (twice each during the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs), and served as an astronaut longer than anyone to date: 42 years.”
- Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day India’s Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter entered orbit around Mars
Its planned mission was for six months. It operated for eight years.
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.
As this is an open thread, I must add that the lack of any political or cultural posts recently is entirely because I am presently sick of reporting about this stuff. When you have a big long term player in the Democratic Party, Leon Pannetta, make the utterly stupid comment that Israel’s very targeted attacks on Hezbollah is “a form of terrorism” — essentially endorsing this murderous Islamic terrorist organization — and yet approximately half of Americans apparently still consider the Democratic Party to be a viable option, it seems somewhat pointless to attempt to change these people’s minds. Too many leftists no longer have the ability to think. They are wedded to their party, and will support it no matter how infantile or childless or dangerous or violent it gets.
Enough. Back to Jay’s links about space:
- Stoke Space touts its growing inventory of built hardware
The image shows four engines, two partly assembled, and what looks like a tank dome. The company is clearly making some progress, but as Jay notes, it is not yet “hardware rich. That distinction is given when you have multiple assembled test articles.”
- Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for accelerating China’s space endeavors
He is essentially touting this major success under his leadership, in order to strengthen his hold on the government. It’s what power-hungry politicians always do, whether they run a communist or a democratically-elected government.
- Haiyang spaceport plans to build a new semi-submerged ship to provide a more compatible sea-launch platform
It hopes to have it launched by the end of ’25.
- Viasat wins U.S. Air Force contract to make aircraft antennas for communicating with satellites
Contract is for $33 million.
- On this day in 1930 astronaut John Young was born
He “flew in space six times (twice each during the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs), and served as an astronaut longer than anyone to date: 42 years.”
- Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day India’s Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter entered orbit around Mars
Its planned mission was for six months. It operated for eight years.
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.
On politics,
I hear you, Bob, and certainly understand your frustration. Continued support of the Democrat Party by everyday Americans (without their own special reasons for the Party’s control of our government) is utterly illogical, but it continues nonetheless.
Just know that the articles you write provide your readers with valuable information that they can use when debating their Democrat-supporting friends and family, and that every once in a great while, a mind may be changed.
Thank you.
I really love the guys at Stoke–at last Bono’s designs have an adherent.
They are a true New Space company…working very hard…with no Bezos level funding.
They don’t talk–they make.
Refreshing
It must never be forgotten that Pannetta, a CIA director and Secretary of Defense under Obama, was one of the 51 officials that signed that infamous letter months before the 2020 election that the contents revealed on the Hunter Biden laptop were “Russian disinformation”. Those contents revealed the kickbacks VP Joe Biden and his crackhead son received from the Ukraine. Polls taken after the election revealed plenty enough people would have changed their vote had the truth about that laptop not been suppressed by people like Pannetta. I pray that he and the 50 others will someday be held accountable for that blatant election interference.