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.
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.
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.
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.
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.