December 9, 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.
- Rocket Lab ships Neutron’s reusable fairing and upper module to Wallops Island launch site
Both have apparently passed qualification and acceptance testing. The spring first launch of Neutron seems increasingly likely.
- China touts a new Long March 12 being transported to the launchpad
This expendable version has already flown three times. The 12A version will try to land the first stage, with its first launch scheduled before the end of the month, with a launchpad static fire test occurring two days ago.
- The Air & Space Museum shows off the color global view of the Earth taken this week in 1972 by an astronaut on Apollo 17
It would be years before the U.S. had another spacecraft in a position to get a similar color view.
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.
- Rocket Lab ships Neutron’s reusable fairing and upper module to Wallops Island launch site
Both have apparently passed qualification and acceptance testing. The spring first launch of Neutron seems increasingly likely.
- China touts a new Long March 12 being transported to the launchpad
This expendable version has already flown three times. The 12A version will try to land the first stage, with its first launch scheduled before the end of the month, with a launchpad static fire test occurring two days ago.
- The Air & Space Museum shows off the color global view of the Earth taken this week in 1972 by an astronaut on Apollo 17
It would be years before the U.S. had another spacecraft in a position to get a similar color view.
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


The capsule fleet
https://x.com/DrChrisCombs/status/1996318412448932333/photo/1
On robotics
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-infant-framework-robots-interact.html