January 30, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Construction on commercial launch tower a China’s Wenchang spaceport begins
This launchpad will apparently be reserved for use by China’s pseudo-companies.
- Europe working to develop its own system for tracking objects in orbit
For decades Europe depended on the American military’s tracking system. Based on this article, it appears it will likely be years yet before Europe’s own system is established, unless Europe decides to hire private enterprise to provide it.
- Arianespace still has three Soyuz rockets in storage in French Guiana
It appears that no negotiations are presently under way to return them, which would likely also require the return by the Russians of the OneWeb satellites it confiscated.
- Engineers at Chinese pseudo-company Landspace repurposed ultrasonic cleaning machine for crayfish for cleaning cooling channels in rocket nozzles
As much as we tend to disparage China’s ability to independently develop new technology — generally stealing ideas from others — this story illustrates that we must also never underestimate it. These are smart people, and they continue to do marvelous things in space, not all of which are copies.
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.
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Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Construction on commercial launch tower a China’s Wenchang spaceport begins
This launchpad will apparently be reserved for use by China’s pseudo-companies.
- Europe working to develop its own system for tracking objects in orbit
For decades Europe depended on the American military’s tracking system. Based on this article, it appears it will likely be years yet before Europe’s own system is established, unless Europe decides to hire private enterprise to provide it.
- Arianespace still has three Soyuz rockets in storage in French Guiana
It appears that no negotiations are presently under way to return them, which would likely also require the return by the Russians of the OneWeb satellites it confiscated.
- Engineers at Chinese pseudo-company Landspace repurposed ultrasonic cleaning machine for crayfish for cleaning cooling channels in rocket nozzles
As much as we tend to disparage China’s ability to independently develop new technology — generally stealing ideas from others — this story illustrates that we must also never underestimate it. These are smart people, and they continue to do marvelous things in space, not all of which are copies.
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.
They are a bright and hardworking people. As I recall-a sliding German shower fixture inspired a Hubble repair instrument. I have wondered if any work on bridge construction or vibration might also be of use with ever larger rockets.
Other message boards gave me headaches about such musings being “off topic.” Those two words are worse than “I can’t” or “not feasible” when it comes to innovation killers. “Energy vampires” Saban calls them.
Reminds me of reading NASA Tech Briefs many years ago. I used to laugh at some of the inventions. They were things that were in common use in manufacturing and the real world. No diversity.
The most unique cross industry reuse of technology I saw (some time ago):
Toilet paper roll handling for packaging was adapted to a shredded wheat biscuit production line.
That Project / Design engineering firm had enough breadth to see how one industries solutions could be used elsewhere.
I was the first to push use of ultrasonic cleaners for extruder parts in my company. I had first used ultrasonic cleaners as a step in the process of restoring old metal miniatures after stripping the paint, it helped remove the paint still stuck in small crevices.
Here is another one I wonder if they have thought about, highly polishing the insides of flow channels and piping in rocket components. A guy I work with does this for air intakes on some cars as a hobby because it increases power by like 5% according to him.