February 27, 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.
- Gilmour’s demo payload on the first launch of its Eris rocket will be a jar of Vegemite
Launch is scheduled for March 15, 2025, and if successful will be the first private launch by an Australian company, from Australia.
- Astroforge has issues communicating with Odin asteroid probe launched yesterday
It appears, with the help of ham radio operators they have a plan to fix the issue. More here.
- Vast touts the testing of “trace contaminant control system” to be used to scrub its Haven-1 environment
They also plan to use this same system on future Haven modules.
- AST SpaceMobile wins $43 million contract from the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency
It appears the contract is to upgrade its phone-to-satellite satellite technology for secure military use.
- A map showing the part of the Moon captured by one of Blue Ghost’s recent lunar orbital movies
The region was in the southwest quadrant of the Moon’s far side.
- On this day NASA pilot Bill Dana flew the experimental HL-10 lifting body to 90,030 feet
It is that lifting body design that Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser uses, as well as the military’s X-37B. The Soviets also copied it and did the only lifting body orbital test flights. It only took almost a half century for someone in the U.S. to finally utilize it as a method for returning from space.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. 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.
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.
- Gilmour’s demo payload on the first launch of its Eris rocket will be a jar of Vegemite
Launch is scheduled for March 15, 2025, and if successful will be the first private launch by an Australian company, from Australia.
- Astroforge has issues communicating with Odin asteroid probe launched yesterday
It appears, with the help of ham radio operators they have a plan to fix the issue. More here.
- Vast touts the testing of “trace contaminant control system” to be used to scrub its Haven-1 environment
They also plan to use this same system on future Haven modules.
- AST SpaceMobile wins $43 million contract from the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency
It appears the contract is to upgrade its phone-to-satellite satellite technology for secure military use.
- A map showing the part of the Moon captured by one of Blue Ghost’s recent lunar orbital movies
The region was in the southwest quadrant of the Moon’s far side.
- On this day NASA pilot Bill Dana flew the experimental HL-10 lifting body to 90,030 feet
It is that lifting body design that Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser uses, as well as the military’s X-37B. The Soviets also copied it and did the only lifting body orbital test flights. It only took almost a half century for someone in the U.S. to finally utilize it as a method for returning from space.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. 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.
OMG, Gilmour are permitted to be launching a biological weapon payload – Vegemite!
My first thought was similar: everyone freaks out any time we talk about launching probes fueled with radioactive isotopes, and now they want to put a payload of Vegemite on an untested prototype launcher!?!?!
Dream Chaser is closer to X-38/HL-20/BOR-4 and a hair closer to X-24 than HL-10.
The Spaceplane currently aloft stems from X-37/X-40/OSP studies in SLI as I recall.
Great article called “Superelastic alloy that functions in extreme temperatures could aid space exploration.”
That from Tohoku University along with an article called “Unraveling how a magnetic twist induces one-way electric flow.”
Curtin U is behind the article “Sound waves create permanently water-repellant glass.”
These articles–as well as as a report on how ISS is overly sterile–all at phys org
I didn’t realize Bill Dana actually got to space.
https://youtu.be/i6ckW7uRRNw?feature=shared
I tried Vegemite once. With any luck, that jar will burn up on reentry.
Varda’s Winnebago-2 spacecraft has successfully re-entered and landed in Australia. The vehicle looks intact, so hopefully the payload survived and is OK.
“I tried Vegemite once. With any luck, that jar will burn up on reentry.”
I’m Australian. I agree with you.
NASA has been having communication problems with Lunar Trailblazer as well, alas. Seems to be a power issue.
It’s intermittent, so I have hope that it’s fixable. This mission can tell us a good deal more about water presence on the Moon.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/trailblazer/2025/02/27/nasa-working-to-reestablish-communications-with-lunar-trailblazer/
Joe Rogan Experience Episode 2281
Elon Musk
https://youtu.be/sSOxPJD-VNo
3:11:07
I am eating Vegemite on toast as I type.