April 27, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Astra to sell propulsion systems to satellite company
Though Astra needs to buy its main upper stage rocket engines from Ursa Minor, it has still developed its own smaller altitude systems which it can (and now has) marketed to others.
- Russia claims it will build a nuclear-powered space tug for use in connection with the Chinese lunar base
Based on Chinese news outlets, it doesn’t appear they are depending on Russia’s tug. According to Jay, “The Chinese were talking about nuclear propulsion a few days ago for their Kuiper probes, but nothing about a joint effort with Russia. If anything, the Chinese will buy the plans and that will be it.”
- Blue Origin celebrates opening of new office in Phoenix
My heart be still. More desk space for Blue Origin managers! That’ll certainly get New Glenn launched sooner.
- China publishes its own analysis of Superheavy/Starship launch
This is all part of China’s design research, whereby you don’t create anything but simply copy what others achieve. To do that well however you need to study what others do very aggressively.
- NASA’s pick to be first black astronaut on Moon decides to denigrate his own mission as well all whites
The astronaut, Victor Glover, invoked a 1970s racist song called “Whitey on the Moon” during an interview. The song strongly implies that the 1960s Apollo missions were simply another expression of the oppression of blacks by the white race.
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 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.
- Astra to sell propulsion systems to satellite company
Though Astra needs to buy its main upper stage rocket engines from Ursa Minor, it has still developed its own smaller altitude systems which it can (and now has) marketed to others.
- Russia claims it will build a nuclear-powered space tug for use in connection with the Chinese lunar base
Based on Chinese news outlets, it doesn’t appear they are depending on Russia’s tug. According to Jay, “The Chinese were talking about nuclear propulsion a few days ago for their Kuiper probes, but nothing about a joint effort with Russia. If anything, the Chinese will buy the plans and that will be it.”
- Blue Origin celebrates opening of new office in Phoenix
My heart be still. More desk space for Blue Origin managers! That’ll certainly get New Glenn launched sooner.
- China publishes its own analysis of Superheavy/Starship launch
This is all part of China’s design research, whereby you don’t create anything but simply copy what others achieve. To do that well however you need to study what others do very aggressively.
- NASA’s pick to be first black astronaut on Moon decides to denigrate his own mission as well all whites
The astronaut, Victor Glover, invoked a 1970s racist song called “Whitey on the Moon” during an interview. The song strongly implies that the 1960s Apollo missions were simply another expression of the oppression of blacks by the white race.
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 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
Capt Glover’s invocation of the 1970’s “Whitey on the Moon” is unfortunate. I hoped a Navy Captain, fighter pilot and astronaut would be more mature and recognize the privilege that his nation has bestowed upon him as a Naval Officer, pilot and astronaut.
I had a hunt through the link and other links, this is all I found in terms of a quote of what he said:
“Honestly, I started listening to [the poem] in the car to talk with my colleagues about it,” Glover said during the interview. “I live in the America that sent me to space, told my grandfather he couldn’t fly during the Korean conflict when he was enlisted, but he got to sit and watch me fly. We live in a very complicated country.”
That sounds like he’s saying there are opportunities that exist today for black people that weren’t available for past generations, which I think a reasonable observation.
Perhaps there’s something else in the interview I didn’t find, but what I see sure doesn’t look like a denigration of NASA today or his mission.
I the video interview that is at the link, obviously not the video causing this fuss, he’s absolutely gushing about how honored and thrilled he is to be selected.
Andrew W – Watch the movie Devotion. Based on the 2015 book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos, The book and movie which retells the comradeship between naval aviation officers Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner during the Korean War. It is also a great story of the F4U Corsair fighter plane.
The back story is also the story of the Navy ramp up of pilots for Korea.
During WW II the need for pilots drove the Navy (and Army Air Corps) to allow enlisted pilots. At the end of the war, almost all enlisted were stripped of their aviation pilot flight status. Korea came along and the Navy needed more pilots (so did the fledgling USAF). Sadly, Capt. Glover’s grandfather was caught in the refusal of the Navy to accept enlisted pilots (Black or otherwise).
In 1946 the Aviation Midshipman Program was designed by Vice-Admiral Holloway, Chief of Naval Personnel (and future CNO), and was referred to as the “Holloway Program.”. It was to provide the U.S. Navy with an additional source of officers to augment the Naval Academy and the ROTC programs with regular officers vice reserve officers.
This new program was combined with the existing from WW2 Navy V-5 Aviation Cadet Training which commissioned reserve aviation officers for service. When President Truman’ issued Executive Order 9981, desegregating the military,
Admiral Holloway directed that Black college graduates were eligible. Ensign Brown was the first (but not the last graduate of the program). While the Navy and USAF would begin to integrate their pilot ranks, for a variety of reasons, good and bad, the Services were determined to purge themselves of enlisted pilots.
This is how Ensign Jesse Brown came into VF-32 aboard USS Leyte (CV-32). Brown died in a crash following an attack against a North Korean bridge where he single handedly crippled the bridge.
Watch the movie, it is a good one.
Life is significantly more complicated than slogans and I expect a brother naval officer like Capt Glover to know the whole story.
Robert, thanks for the bandwidth to say my peace.
As Wayne says: I’ll just throw this in here.
From ‘Bloom County’ [Berkeley Breathed]
Oliver is taken over by his alter-ego rapper, much to the dismay of his father.
“I seen the Moon
All White and Pretty
Like the Hiney
o’ Conway Twitty”