December 4, 2022 Quick space links
These links are courtesy of myself, as it is Sunday and want to provide them quickly so I can do other things.
- Shenzhou-14 return capsule lands safely
During this crew’s six month mission they installed the station’s last big modules.
- Astronauts install new solar array outside International Space Station
This was the second set of new roll-out panels that essentially replace the station’s older panels.
- SpaceX creates division expressly designed to sell space products to the military
Rocket Lab did a similar thing earlier this week. Both appear to recognize that the American military bureaucracy is very unimaginative. It needs to be catered to like children or it will fail to perceive the value to itself of some products.
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of founder of the Mars Society.
All editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors, with the ebook priced at $5.99 before discount. The ebook can also be purchased direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from me (hardback $24.95; paperback $14.95; Shipping cost for either: $5.00). Just email me at zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
These links are courtesy of myself, as it is Sunday and want to provide them quickly so I can do other things.
- Shenzhou-14 return capsule lands safely
During this crew’s six month mission they installed the station’s last big modules.
- Astronauts install new solar array outside International Space Station
This was the second set of new roll-out panels that essentially replace the station’s older panels.
- SpaceX creates division expressly designed to sell space products to the military
Rocket Lab did a similar thing earlier this week. Both appear to recognize that the American military bureaucracy is very unimaginative. It needs to be catered to like children or it will fail to perceive the value to itself of some products.
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of founder of the Mars Society.
All editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors, with the ebook priced at $5.99 before discount. The ebook can also be purchased direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from me (hardback $24.95; paperback $14.95; Shipping cost for either: $5.00). Just email me at zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
Check out this article decrying this “Huge” new satellites that is now one of the brightest objects in the sky, destroying astronomy.
It is 693 square feet, a fraction of the size of the ISS’s solar array.
Talk about hyperbolic headlines!
https://www.vice.com/en/article/ake8m4/a-huge-satellite-is-officially-one-of-the-brightest-objects-in-the-sky-astronomers-warn
That’s Blue Walker…think a Lower orbit version of the Orbital Antenna Farm.
It (they) will allow your cell phone to be a satellite phone. No 500$ Starlink terminal. Big terminal means smaller sats…smaller means you have bigger sats.
I track satellites regularly using the Heavens-above.com site. I’ve found it quite reliable regarding locations, tracks, times and magnitudes. Blue Walker’s magnitude is never listed as brighter than 3.0 and frequently in the 4s and 5s. The reports in the above link are not in line with observations from the satellite site. Another issue is that satellites are not stationary. They move quickly – depending on time and position above horizon, anywhere from seconds to 5 minutes of visibility. I find it hard to believe they are that disruptive of astrophotography.
https://heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=53807&lat=33.9562&lng=-83.988&loc=Lawrenceville&alt=0&tz=EST
And finally, as Bob has said numerous times, get rid of the issue entirely with space based telescopes.
@Gary… I think it’s wrong to disregard the threat to ground based astronomy from huge satellite constellations, even if this particular one has been over hyperboled. Once they are up, they are up.
Ground based telescopes, especially given adaptive optics, will be the “go to” in astronomy for many years to come. Have you had a look at the bills for Hubble and the James Webb? For most purposes, big mirrors on the ground are here stay for now.
Lee, you have a good point IF we base our costs for space based telescopes on the economics of being put up by government space programs. If we use SpaceX and other suppliers as the basis for costs, that should make the economics much more favorable.
For reference, this:
https://behindtheblack.com/?s=celestron