April 24, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who sent them on time but are being posted late because the creator of this website dropped the ball.
- A detailed analysis of Amazon’s proposed Kuiper constellation
Lots of great potentialities, but as always with Bezos space-related companies, little actual achievement, as yet.
- Global map of Mars produced by Tianwen-1 orbiter images
More significant is the announcement that Zhurong remains in hibernation mode.
- China’s space agency makes three rocket engines available for its pseudo-companies to buy
It also claims it can produce 300 engines per year.
- Another outsider’s perspective on the Starship/Superheavy test launch
I agree with Jay, her analysis is very refreshing, with exactly the right outlook.
- NASA considering shifting New Horizons from Kuiper Belt observations to solar observations, sooner that expected
The article is written entirely against this change, which if approved would occur in October 2024 instead of 2025. Though the New Horizons team is doing good research, they have not yet found another Kuiper asteroid target that New Horizons can get close to, and NASA management might be thinking the spacecraft could be better used studying the Sun from these distances.
- Celebrating the anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, 33 years ago today
The link shows video of the launch of Discovery, carrying Hubble.
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.
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Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who sent them on time but are being posted late because the creator of this website dropped the ball.
- A detailed analysis of Amazon’s proposed Kuiper constellation
Lots of great potentialities, but as always with Bezos space-related companies, little actual achievement, as yet.
- Global map of Mars produced by Tianwen-1 orbiter images
More significant is the announcement that Zhurong remains in hibernation mode.
- China’s space agency makes three rocket engines available for its pseudo-companies to buy
It also claims it can produce 300 engines per year.
- Another outsider’s perspective on the Starship/Superheavy test launch
I agree with Jay, her analysis is very refreshing, with exactly the right outlook.
- NASA considering shifting New Horizons from Kuiper Belt observations to solar observations, sooner that expected
The article is written entirely against this change, which if approved would occur in October 2024 instead of 2025. Though the New Horizons team is doing good research, they have not yet found another Kuiper asteroid target that New Horizons can get close to, and NASA management might be thinking the spacecraft could be better used studying the Sun from these distances.
- Celebrating the anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, 33 years ago today
The link shows video of the launch of Discovery, carrying Hubble.
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.
I am grateful to have found this site as it is filled with interesting space news. My primary interest is astrophotography but everything space grabs my fancy! Over 5000 exoplanets have been discovered and the James Webb Telescope continues to throw a spanner in the works of Scientists the world over. Let’s continue boldly going…..
I’m surprised you haven’t made any mention of the Hakuto-R lunar landing attempt today. There is a live stream which just went active a few minutes ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpR1UUnix3g
David Eastman: Thank you. I will post immediately. Completely forgot.
RE: “Another outsider’s perspective,”
I think what Jessica Kirsh means by: “6) Concrete and rebar debris is no big deal” is the debris left on the pad, not the debris that flew all over the place, possibly including into the engines and engine compartment of the Super Heavy booster 7.
Her comment about SpaceX moving forward despite not having perfection is correct. This is how they get things done quickly. Robert recently reminded us that Starlink’s first demonstration and test satellites were launched despite the Starlink managers warning that they were not the latest and up-to-date design. Musk wanted them flown anyway so that the other concepts and designs could be confirmed (my recollection is that these managers were looking for other work, because their attitude for test and development was wrong for SpaceX’s philosophy). It is why they launched various Starships for landing tests even though SpaceX had next iteration Starships under construction or even completed. SpaceX is willing to learn from what they have right now rather than sit around waiting for the perfect development test unit to be available. This is how they are able to rapidly develop their hardware and methods. It is how, as she noted, “@SpaceX moves fast.”
It is, after all, a development phase of the project.
Jessica spiel is vintage Twitter Muskovite, as expected…’spinning like a press secretary. Who said anything about a fence?
I, personally, view the hole beneath the OLM as *less digging* they’ll need to do for the flame diverter trench and water deluge system installation.
Where did I hear this first?