August 31, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- China’s pseudo-company Galactic Energy targets September 5th for the first sea platform launch of its Ceres-1 rocket
The tweet says the platform will take off from “Haiyang Spaceport”, but I think all that means is its an ocean platform. Where it will be located at launch is at the moment unclear.
- NASA: “Our Deep Space Network (DSN) is dying because of budget cuts!”
There is no link above because this whining has been amplified by two articles that Jay sent, one in Space News and the other in Ars Technica. Both articles naively buy NASA’s pitch with little or no skepticism, even though NASA has successfully completed some major upgrades of the DSN in recent years, and its own budget will remain stable next year despite deep cuts being pushed by the House in almost all other government agencies. Note too that NASA’s budget now is about 30% higher than just ten years ago, an increase well above inflation.
- Perseverance team touts macro image of “cool textures and green crystals”
The tweet doesn’t say where this image was located, other than to note that this was at one of the core sample locations.
- Short 4-second movie of large impact on Jupiter, captured by an astronomer
No other details provided, such as when this happened, who took the images, were they professional or amateur, and what kind of telescope did they use. It would be useful to know these pertinent facts.
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. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
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.
- China’s pseudo-company Galactic Energy targets September 5th for the first sea platform launch of its Ceres-1 rocket
The tweet says the platform will take off from “Haiyang Spaceport”, but I think all that means is its an ocean platform. Where it will be located at launch is at the moment unclear.
- NASA: “Our Deep Space Network (DSN) is dying because of budget cuts!”
There is no link above because this whining has been amplified by two articles that Jay sent, one in Space News and the other in Ars Technica. Both articles naively buy NASA’s pitch with little or no skepticism, even though NASA has successfully completed some major upgrades of the DSN in recent years, and its own budget will remain stable next year despite deep cuts being pushed by the House in almost all other government agencies. Note too that NASA’s budget now is about 30% higher than just ten years ago, an increase well above inflation.
- Perseverance team touts macro image of “cool textures and green crystals”
The tweet doesn’t say where this image was located, other than to note that this was at one of the core sample locations.
- Short 4-second movie of large impact on Jupiter, captured by an astronomer
No other details provided, such as when this happened, who took the images, were they professional or amateur, and what kind of telescope did they use. It would be useful to know these pertinent facts.
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. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. 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
You are correct – “haiyang” (海洋) means “ocean”
The Perseverance shot is from work during Sols 872 – 876. On Aug 9, UMSF member “Tau” combined a series of shots from many different instruments.
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=8706&view=findpost&p=261233
His processed micro image shows much more than the tweeted image.
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=53671
UMSF member “kymani76” has the rover’s Sol 872 location mapped here:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=53701
I will get more information today about the sea launch. A few months ago they said they were going off shore to launch, but within the territorial waters of the PRC.
How Many People Are Needed to Establish a Colony on Mars? Read this report on a just published study https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-reveal-how-many-people-you-d-need-to-colonize-mars/ar-AA1g7dV0?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=e7496326c6f44a3eb6ad032b68880843&ei=21