January 31, 2025 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.
- Boeing’s VP Mark Nappi has left his Starliner position for an advisory role before retiring later in February
This is only one of many management changes that have been going on in Boeing’s space division. Expect more to come.
- Rocket Lab ships its newest Archimedes engine for testing at Stennis
The new engine is for its new Neutron rocket, which the company hopes to launch for the first time this year.
- SpaceX installs the chopsticks on its second launch tower at Boca Chica
It appears they want this second tower available soon to support Starship/Superheavy test flights.
- Another new Chinese pseudo-company, Astronston, that is going to use chopsticks to catch its rockets
It also apparently stole SpaceX artwork created by Alex Svan
- ISRO completes preliminary design of new methane-fuel engine
It plans to use it on its new larger NGLV rocket, necessary for its planned manned space station program.
- Modified to fix the issues that caused the Apollo 13 failure, the mission initially had its own problems
They had difficulty docking the Apollo capsule to the lunar module, requiring six attempts and firing the thrusters to force the docking latches to catch.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
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.
- Boeing’s VP Mark Nappi has left his Starliner position for an advisory role before retiring later in February
This is only one of many management changes that have been going on in Boeing’s space division. Expect more to come.
- Rocket Lab ships its newest Archimedes engine for testing at Stennis
The new engine is for its new Neutron rocket, which the company hopes to launch for the first time this year.
- SpaceX installs the chopsticks on its second launch tower at Boca Chica
It appears they want this second tower available soon to support Starship/Superheavy test flights.
- Another new Chinese pseudo-company, Astronston, that is going to use chopsticks to catch its rockets
It also apparently stole SpaceX artwork created by Alex Svan
- ISRO completes preliminary design of new methane-fuel engine
It plans to use it on its new larger NGLV rocket, necessary for its planned manned space station program.
- Modified to fix the issues that caused the Apollo 13 failure, the mission initially had its own problems
They had difficulty docking the Apollo capsule to the lunar module, requiring six attempts and firing the thrusters to force the docking latches to catch.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Re: SpaceX second tower chopsticks – I CANNOT WAIT for the day that two SuperHeavy / Starship launches occur, simultaneously, or just close together. As always, Robert Heinlein is smiling.
Not clear on what launch this is from but Russian rocket parts falling to the ground and knocking out power
https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1885685998660772173
The piece of space debris that fell on Russia might have been Russian, but could easily have had some other national origin. Perhaps there was enough of the object left to settle that issue. If the object was of Western or Japanese origin, we’ll likely hear about that. If it was Russian or PRC, not so much.
From the first piece, a missing verb: it ought to be either “that are going on” or “that have been going on,” depending on your preferred tense.
Boobah: Thank you. Fixed.
“Astronston” has got to be the worst name ever for a space-related company! Terrible!
David M. Cook: Agreed. “Astronston” is even harder to pronounce than the names of most of those pharmaceuticals advertised endlessly on TV and the Web these days.
I hope there is some truth to this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o6S9CKdLBi4&t=2s&pp=2AECkAIB