January 30, 2024 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.
- Ingenuity’s use of off-the-shelf commercial products will be a game-changer for space engineering
The article provides a nice summary of Ingenuity’s overall future impact, but notes that its use of such products might be its biggest legacy. Their use would significantly reduce the cost of future government space probes, and based on its experience with the helicopter NASA might be more willing to accept their use in the future.
- Explosion heard yesterday in Shanghai was due to a test-to-failure tank test by a Chinese pseudo-company
At least, that is what China is telling us.
- China ignites and operates its first 50-kilowatt nested Hall thruster, proving the ability of two-ring ignition
Jay notes that the University of Michigan tested a 3-channel ion thruster some years ago, suggesting that though China has done good work here, it is still years behind.
- Weather looks good for Rocket Lab’s next launch tomorrow
Right now the launch is targeting a 1:15 am (Eastern) launch tonight. Live stream available here.
- On this date in 1964 Ranger 6 was launched, hitting the Moon as planned but failing to transmit any images during its plunge to the surface
It was the third spacecraft to impact the Moon, and the first in the Ranger program to do so. It wasn’t until Ranger 7 six months later that a mission succeeded in sending pictures back before crashing.
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. 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.
- Ingenuity’s use of off-the-shelf commercial products will be a game-changer for space engineering
The article provides a nice summary of Ingenuity’s overall future impact, but notes that its use of such products might be its biggest legacy. Their use would significantly reduce the cost of future government space probes, and based on its experience with the helicopter NASA might be more willing to accept their use in the future.
- Explosion heard yesterday in Shanghai was due to a test-to-failure tank test by a Chinese pseudo-company
At least, that is what China is telling us.
- China ignites and operates its first 50-kilowatt nested Hall thruster, proving the ability of two-ring ignition
Jay notes that the University of Michigan tested a 3-channel ion thruster some years ago, suggesting that though China has done good work here, it is still years behind.
- Weather looks good for Rocket Lab’s next launch tomorrow
Right now the launch is targeting a 1:15 am (Eastern) launch tonight. Live stream available here.
- On this date in 1964 Ranger 6 was launched, hitting the Moon as planned but failing to transmit any images during its plunge to the surface
It was the third spacecraft to impact the Moon, and the first in the Ranger program to do so. It wasn’t until Ranger 7 six months later that a mission succeeded in sending pictures back before crashing.
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
Ingenuity was a great example of how to do something in space on the cheap (relatively). We do the same thing at Quub. Buy off the shelf, build like you know it will fail, and have robust systems to survive the failures. So far it has worked for us.
From the article on ingenuitiy’s engineering, I did not realize that the helicopter was so light. The whole thing, including rotors, motor, etc. is less than 2 kg mass. Here on earth, it weighs about 4 pounds. Of course, on Mars with much lower gravity, it weighs less but the mass is still the same..