April 14, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Video of the explosion during a recent Centaur stage test
According to the tweet by ULA CEO Tory Bruno, “Hydrogen leak. H2 accumulated inside the rig. Found an ignition source. Burned fast. Over pressure caved in our forward dome and damaged the rig.” They still need to locate the source of the leak.
- China’s spaceport deal with Middle East nation Djibouti has been cancelled
The deal had been announced in January. I suspect Djibouti was pressured by the U.S. to cancel, since we have so many military bases there.
- Firefly touts its project to build a medium-lift launch vehicle, larger than its Alpha rocket
The link however only shows pictures of the construction of the buildings where the rockets will eventually be built.
- Road closure notice for Boca Chica on April 17th, with back up dates on April 18th and 19th
I do not think this is for the launch itself, but for the wet dress rehearsal countdown and static fire test SpaceX said it would do before launch.
- Russian movie, The Challenge, shot on ISS, to be released in 20 countries
The list kind of indicates the allies (or potential allies if the U.S. continues to screw up) for the new Chinese/Russia axis: “China, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and North Macedonia, Palestine, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE, Iran and Sudan.”
Readers!
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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:
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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.
- Video of the explosion during a recent Centaur stage test
According to the tweet by ULA CEO Tory Bruno, “Hydrogen leak. H2 accumulated inside the rig. Found an ignition source. Burned fast. Over pressure caved in our forward dome and damaged the rig.” They still need to locate the source of the leak.
- China’s spaceport deal with Middle East nation Djibouti has been cancelled
The deal had been announced in January. I suspect Djibouti was pressured by the U.S. to cancel, since we have so many military bases there.
- Firefly touts its project to build a medium-lift launch vehicle, larger than its Alpha rocket
The link however only shows pictures of the construction of the buildings where the rockets will eventually be built.
- Road closure notice for Boca Chica on April 17th, with back up dates on April 18th and 19th
I do not think this is for the launch itself, but for the wet dress rehearsal countdown and static fire test SpaceX said it would do before launch.
- Russian movie, The Challenge, shot on ISS, to be released in 20 countries
The list kind of indicates the allies (or potential allies if the U.S. continues to screw up) for the new Chinese/Russia axis: “China, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and North Macedonia, Palestine, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE, Iran and Sudan.”
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. 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.
The license has been issued. It’s up to SpaceX now.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/green-light-go-spacex-receives-a-launch-license-from-the-faa-for-starship/
Current plan is for launch attempt on Monday, with backup windows all week. They decided last week that another WDR was not necessary.
All: Less than a few minutes after I posted this edition of quick links, I got the FAA email notice. I just finished writing up the post and published it.
Neat video.
https://twitter.com/enezator/status/1646822535156187136?s=46&t=cvJVjKrHicguREb6KCkTAg
Link broken
Jeff Wright: There is no link broken in this quick space links. The links in the comments also work.
Please be more specific.