December 2, 2025 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Great photo of 3I/ATLAS taken by astronomers using a Texas ground-based telescope
The image is one of the best of the comet’s tail. As noted at the link, “Comet 3I/ATLAS appears relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets, therefore providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical star system.”
- New rumors circulating today suggest that the Zhuque-3 launch could be back on for December 3
According to Jay, the airspace closures have been updated to reflect this date, but nothing as yet been confirmed by China. My guess is that the new bosses now supervising China’s pseudo-rocket companies first demanded a delay so they could “review” things, and were quickly made to realize a long delay made no sense.
- China touts the ongoing construction of a new antenna to be used in its own Deep Space Network for communicating with interplanetary missions
This antenna appears essential especially for its Chang’e-7 lander to the Moon’s south pole, targeting a launch next year.
- On this day in 2018 InSight’s air pressure sensor and seismometer captured the vibrations from the Martian wind
The press release claimed we were hearing the wind of Mars, but that’s bunk. The sounds recorded were from vibrations on the solar panels from that wind.
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. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Great photo of 3I/ATLAS taken by astronomers using a Texas ground-based telescope
The image is one of the best of the comet’s tail. As noted at the link, “Comet 3I/ATLAS appears relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets, therefore providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical star system.”
- New rumors circulating today suggest that the Zhuque-3 launch could be back on for December 3
According to Jay, the airspace closures have been updated to reflect this date, but nothing as yet been confirmed by China. My guess is that the new bosses now supervising China’s pseudo-rocket companies first demanded a delay so they could “review” things, and were quickly made to realize a long delay made no sense.
- China touts the ongoing construction of a new antenna to be used in its own Deep Space Network for communicating with interplanetary missions
This antenna appears essential especially for its Chang’e-7 lander to the Moon’s south pole, targeting a launch next year.
- On this day in 2018 InSight’s air pressure sensor and seismometer captured the vibrations from the Martian wind
The press release claimed we were hearing the wind of Mars, but that’s bunk. The sounds recorded were from vibrations on the solar panels from that wind.
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


“”Comet 3I/ATLAS appears relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets, therefore providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical star system.””
Uh-Oh….. Time for Avi Loeb to make another announcement.
For Mars colonies
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dynamic-duo-bacteria-mars-versatile.html
Nitric oxide
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chance-discovery-toxic-nitric-oxide.html