August 17, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- New images of the floor of Blue Origin’s BE4 rocket engine production facility in Alabama
Jay sent me a video of this same production facility in April. Compare the visuals in that video at around 42 seconds with today’s image. That nozzle on the platform appears to be the same nozzle in both shots, unmoved in four months. Moreover, the floor seems as inactive now as then. If I was ULA this data would make me very very worried about getting the engines I need for Vulcan on the scheduled required.
- China releases a photograph of part of Valles Marineris, taken by its Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter
The image covers a very large area. For high resolution close-up images of various features within this picture, see these cool images from July 2021, September 2021, May 2022, and July 2022.
- SpaceX lifted nearly 10 times as much mass to orbit as China in the second quarter 2023
The graph illustrates how false the notion has always been that you must have a heavy lift rocket to get a large amount of mass to orbit. All you really need is a cost-effective and efficient reusable rocket that can launch frequently, such as the Falcon 9. Heavy lift would be nice, but if it isn’t reusable and cost effective, it just won’t do the job.
- Russia and ESA are negotiating a new agreement for the use of Europe’s robot arm on Russia’s part of ISS
The arm is there already and installed. I wonder what they are negotiating.
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.
- New images of the floor of Blue Origin’s BE4 rocket engine production facility in Alabama
Jay sent me a video of this same production facility in April. Compare the visuals in that video at around 42 seconds with today’s image. That nozzle on the platform appears to be the same nozzle in both shots, unmoved in four months. Moreover, the floor seems as inactive now as then. If I was ULA this data would make me very very worried about getting the engines I need for Vulcan on the scheduled required.
- China releases a photograph of part of Valles Marineris, taken by its Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter
The image covers a very large area. For high resolution close-up images of various features within this picture, see these cool images from July 2021, September 2021, May 2022, and July 2022.
- SpaceX lifted nearly 10 times as much mass to orbit as China in the second quarter 2023
The graph illustrates how false the notion has always been that you must have a heavy lift rocket to get a large amount of mass to orbit. All you really need is a cost-effective and efficient reusable rocket that can launch frequently, such as the Falcon 9. Heavy lift would be nice, but if it isn’t reusable and cost effective, it just won’t do the job.
- Russia and ESA are negotiating a new agreement for the use of Europe’s robot arm on Russia’s part of ISS
The arm is there already and installed. I wonder what they are negotiating.
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
Musk himself thinks HLLVs are necessary…bigger volume and more savings.
Jeff,
A very smart an successful man still doesn’t have all the answers all the time. I remember the ravings about the FH before it flew, and the flight rate clearly doesn’t match those expectations. The SH/SS may or may not meet expectations as it becomes operational.
Robert wrote: “Heavy lift would be nice, but if it isn’t reusable and cost effective, it just won’t do the job.”
This has always been the case. The Saturn V was not reusable, was expensive, thus not cost effective, and was why Congress decided we couldn’t afford the Apollo missions any more nor most of the follow-on Apollo Applications Program.
With the renewed popularity of the small satellite (popular in the 1960s), Heavy launchers are not necessarily better. However, if we want to build a large space station or haul a lot of propellant into low Earth orbit for a mission to the planets, then Heavy Lift may be more than just nice, it may be the better way to go.
Starship may seem like it will take over everything, but I suspect that we will still need other sizes of reusable, cost effective launch vehicles, too.
_______________
John hare,
I suspect that a limiting factor for both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy is the fairing size. Falcon Heavy is not used for Starlink launches even though it can carry more mass to orbit, because SpaceX cannot fit more of this second generation of Starlink into the fairing. SpaceX even has a reduced-size Starlink in order to launch on Falcon 9. A larger version is slated to fly on Starship.
“The arm is there already and installed. I wonder what they are negotiating.”
The arm was provided under an agreement controlling it’s use in various ways, for example it couldn’t be used for military purposes. And ESA has the ability to shut the arm down remotely. Operations of the arm are supposed to be coordinated through ESA ground controllers, and they haven’t been made available because of the Ukraine issues. Russia has claimed it’s’ hackers can override this if necessary, but that would be a stupid thing to do assuming they actually can, so they’re trying to negotiate first.
Edward,
It is odd to me that in the years of development of the FH, and more years of operational service that a larger fairing has not been developed. If hat is the absolute limiting factor, skipping it seems shortsighted.
John hare,
The Falcons are not supposed to launch this generation of Starlink. SpaceX had intended for Starship to do this job.
My recollection is that SpaceX was going to enlarge the fairing for some mission, but I haven’t heard whether that is coming along. I found this old article on the topic:
https://spaceexplored.com/2021/08/22/spacexs-new-falcon-heavy-extended-payload-fairing-will-not-be-recovered/
Space Explored is a good site…not just propaganda
O/T Vacuum testing
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hrLyzpTV7GU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.nasaspaceflight.com%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt