November 11, 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.
- On this day in 1967 the ATS-3 weather satellite captured the first color picture of the entire daylight side of Earth from space
The take-away for all humanity then was the cloud cover, far more than anyone had imagined, and the dominance of the color blue.
- ULA’s CEO touts his growing stock of BE-4 engines
The images show six engines in total, enough for three Vulcan rocket launches. According to an October 24 report, Blue Origin has so far delivered 30 engines.
- Indications in China’s state-run press suggest an empty Shenzhou-22 capsule will be launched on a Long March 2F to bring the Shenzhou-20 crew home
So far nothing official has been announced, nor has that government-controlled media released any details about the damage to the Shenzhou-20 capsule from “space debris.”
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 or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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.
- On this day in 1967 the ATS-3 weather satellite captured the first color picture of the entire daylight side of Earth from space
The take-away for all humanity then was the cloud cover, far more than anyone had imagined, and the dominance of the color blue.
- ULA’s CEO touts his growing stock of BE-4 engines
The images show six engines in total, enough for three Vulcan rocket launches. According to an October 24 report, Blue Origin has so far delivered 30 engines.
- Indications in China’s state-run press suggest an empty Shenzhou-22 capsule will be launched on a Long March 2F to bring the Shenzhou-20 crew home
So far nothing official has been announced, nor has that government-controlled media released any details about the damage to the Shenzhou-20 capsule from “space debris.”
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 or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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


”The images show six engines in total, enough for three Vulcan rocket launches.”
ULA reportedly now has seven fully completed Vulcans stacked up waiting for payloads and an additional 30 Vulcans in various stages of production.
And now we have not one but two dishes down?
It’s like somebody doesn’t want us up there.