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.
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 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.
- 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.
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 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
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.