February 27, 2018 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
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Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I almost caught you cold just listening to you. I hope your feeling better. Looks like they did some digging with the drill since this broadcast
Why launch two payloads at a time, when the whole point is to make the aircraft launch flights cheap and frequent? Nothing would be saved by doing twice at once.
If the aircraft is supposed to be crewed at each air drop launch, wouldn’t that require it to be human rated as a launch vehicle? It is said to be able to carry 275 tons of payload. That’s almost a Soyuz launcher of 300 tons. So it could supply the space station with crew and supplies, if a drop rocket was developed for that purpose.
[Sorry if this became a double post because of a net hickup]
The aircraft Antonov 225 already carries 640 tons, and that’s indoors. I think this Stratolauncher might pave the engineering air road for follow ups that are more competitive. But that it will itself have a difficult time commercially.
If it is piloted by a crew in the aircraft, won’t it have to be certified as a crewed spacecraft for every launch, even communication satellites?
“The aircraft Antonov 225 already carries 640 tons”
That’s the MTOW, PL is 285 tons.
I think air launch does have potential in its reliable first orbit rendezvous abilities, if you want to get something into a particular LEO orbit short notice and within a few hours air launch could do it, in most instances it would be impossible from ground launch.