March 20, 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.
- New Horizons detects too much ultra-violet light coming from blank patch of sky
Or to put it more clearly, this is just another example of the uncertainty of science.
- Commercial radar satellite company Iceye assures the Ukraine it will continue to make its orbital data available
I am sure Iceye is being well paid for its data.
- Starlink competitor in the Falklands touts his company as superior
It appears he is trying to hold onto his monopoly, and failing.
- On Gemini 3 this week in 1965 astronaut John Young took out a corned beef sandwich, bought at a local restaurant, and ate it while in orbit
The NASA bureaucracy, mighty pissed off at Young for doing this, imposed new stricter rules thereafter on what astronauts could take on board their flight. Young, who was one of America’s truly great space pioneers, never suffered however, flying two Gemini missions, two Apollo missions, and two shuttle missions.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID 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. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
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.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four 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 or subscription:
4. 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.
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.
- New Horizons detects too much ultra-violet light coming from blank patch of sky
Or to put it more clearly, this is just another example of the uncertainty of science.
- Commercial radar satellite company Iceye assures the Ukraine it will continue to make its orbital data available
I am sure Iceye is being well paid for its data.
- Starlink competitor in the Falklands touts his company as superior
It appears he is trying to hold onto his monopoly, and failing.
- On Gemini 3 this week in 1965 astronaut John Young took out a corned beef sandwich, bought at a local restaurant, and ate it while in orbit
The NASA bureaucracy, mighty pissed off at Young for doing this, imposed new stricter rules thereafter on what astronauts could take on board their flight. Young, who was one of America’s truly great space pioneers, never suffered however, flying two Gemini missions, two Apollo missions, and two shuttle missions.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID 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. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
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.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four 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 or subscription:
4. 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.
As I recall, Young gave the sandwich to Grissom who, after taking one bite, realized the foolishness & put it away. New Horizon‘s blank spot sounds like a great place to point Hubble for 10 days or more. Just to see what‘s out there.
At some point the experiment to see if real food could be eaten in zero g needed to be done. NASA should have claimed it was planned.
Some more good news for Jared Isaacman:
“Nearly 30 former NASA astronauts have signed a letter endorsing Jared Isaacman as the agency’s next administrator, calling on the Senate to consider his nomination as soon as possible.
“The letter, sent to the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Isaacman is “uniquely qualified” to lead the agency and asked them to hold a confirmation hearing for him as soon as possible.”
https://spacenews.com/former-nasa-astronauts-endorse-isaacman-as-administrator/
There are some notable names on this letter.
One of them is Scott Kelly. That might not mean his brother will vote to confirm, but I doubt it hurts the chances of it.
Richard M: This letter might help Isaacman, but it only increases the alarm bells in my brain, as expressed in my essay last week. I can’t imagine any reason for such a letter being drafted unless there are something going on below the radar in the swamp against Isaacman that everyone there knows about but are hoping to overcome.
I recognize that my alarm bells are purely speculative and are very likely very wrong. I just don’t understand why there has been so much of a public push to help Isaacman, when there shouldn’t be a need.
I must also add that many of the astronauts who signed this letter are very probably not allies of Trump, and in fact most are likely very hostile to what Trump is doing in trying to shrink the federal bureaucracy. It almost looks to me as if the swamp has identified Isaacman as a potential ally who will work from the inside to sabotage Trump’s effort in NASA, and is now doing what it can to get him the job.
Call me paranoid, but this is my impression.