June 12, 2023 Quick space links
After a week break BtB’s stringer Jay returns!
- Astra shareholders agree to reverse stock split in order to prevent its stock from being delisted
In other words, if you owned one share that share could end up being equal to somewhere between 1/5th or 1/15th of one share. The goal of such a reverse split is to raise the value of one share to higher than a dollar, the minimum the stock market was insisting on or it would delist Astra.
- On June 7th astronauts on Tiangong-3 installed a new xenon tank for the propulsion system on the Tianhe module
The tank was apparently brought up on the most recent Tianzhou freighter, and transported to its proper place through the airlock on the Mengtian module.
- The upper stage from 2016 North Korea rocket launch burned up over the Southern Ocean on June 9, 2023
According to the link, there are now only three North Korean objects remaining in orbit, all from launches years ago.
- Stoke Space successfully completes another static fire test of its revolutionary engine design
Rather than building large engines releasing their energy through a single large nozzle, Stoke releases the energy through a ring of small nozzles. This test demonstrated the ability to adjust the thrust in different places on the ring, thus simulating the gymballing of a normal nozzle to steer the rocket.
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.
After a week break BtB’s stringer Jay returns!
- Astra shareholders agree to reverse stock split in order to prevent its stock from being delisted
In other words, if you owned one share that share could end up being equal to somewhere between 1/5th or 1/15th of one share. The goal of such a reverse split is to raise the value of one share to higher than a dollar, the minimum the stock market was insisting on or it would delist Astra.
- On June 7th astronauts on Tiangong-3 installed a new xenon tank for the propulsion system on the Tianhe module
The tank was apparently brought up on the most recent Tianzhou freighter, and transported to its proper place through the airlock on the Mengtian module.
- The upper stage from 2016 North Korea rocket launch burned up over the Southern Ocean on June 9, 2023
According to the link, there are now only three North Korean objects remaining in orbit, all from launches years ago.
- Stoke Space successfully completes another static fire test of its revolutionary engine design
Rather than building large engines releasing their energy through a single large nozzle, Stoke releases the energy through a ring of small nozzles. This test demonstrated the ability to adjust the thrust in different places on the ring, thus simulating the gymballing of a normal nozzle to steer the rocket.
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.
Stoke is bringing back the plug nozzle design of Phil Bono
http://www.astronautix.com/b/bono.html