March 20, 2025 Quick space linksCourtesy 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.
- New Horizons detects too much ultra-violet light coming from blank patch of sky
Or to put it more clearly, this is just another example of the uncertainty of science.
- Commercial radar satellite company Iceye assures the Ukraine it will continue to make its orbital data available
I am sure Iceye is being well paid for its data.
- Starlink competitor in the Falklands touts his company as superior
It appears he is trying to hold onto his monopoly, and failing.
- On Gemini 3 this week in 1965 astronaut John Young took out a corned beef sandwich, bought at a local restaurant, and ate it while in orbit
The NASA bureaucracy, mighty pissed off at Young for doing this, imposed new stricter rules thereafter on what astronauts could take on board their flight. Young, who was one of America’s truly great space pioneers, never suffered however, flying two Gemini missions, two Apollo missions, and two shuttle missions.
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 print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
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.
- New Horizons detects too much ultra-violet light coming from blank patch of sky
Or to put it more clearly, this is just another example of the uncertainty of science.
- Commercial radar satellite company Iceye assures the Ukraine it will continue to make its orbital data available
I am sure Iceye is being well paid for its data.
- Starlink competitor in the Falklands touts his company as superior
It appears he is trying to hold onto his monopoly, and failing.
- On Gemini 3 this week in 1965 astronaut John Young took out a corned beef sandwich, bought at a local restaurant, and ate it while in orbit
The NASA bureaucracy, mighty pissed off at Young for doing this, imposed new stricter rules thereafter on what astronauts could take on board their flight. Young, who was one of America’s truly great space pioneers, never suffered however, flying two Gemini missions, two Apollo missions, and two shuttle missions.
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 print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. 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
As I recall, Young gave the sandwich to Grissom who, after taking one bite, realized the foolishness & put it away. New Horizon‘s blank spot sounds like a great place to point Hubble for 10 days or more. Just to see what‘s out there.
At some point the experiment to see if real food could be eaten in zero g needed to be done. NASA should have claimed it was planned.
Some more good news for Jared Isaacman:
“Nearly 30 former NASA astronauts have signed a letter endorsing Jared Isaacman as the agency’s next administrator, calling on the Senate to consider his nomination as soon as possible.
“The letter, sent to the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Isaacman is “uniquely qualified” to lead the agency and asked them to hold a confirmation hearing for him as soon as possible.”
https://spacenews.com/former-nasa-astronauts-endorse-isaacman-as-administrator/
There are some notable names on this letter.
One of them is Scott Kelly. That might not mean his brother will vote to confirm, but I doubt it hurts the chances of it.
Richard M: This letter might help Isaacman, but it only increases the alarm bells in my brain, as expressed in my essay last week. I can’t imagine any reason for such a letter being drafted unless there are something going on below the radar in the swamp against Isaacman that everyone there knows about but are hoping to overcome.
I recognize that my alarm bells are purely speculative and are very likely very wrong. I just don’t understand why there has been so much of a public push to help Isaacman, when there shouldn’t be a need.
I must also add that many of the astronauts who signed this letter are very probably not allies of Trump, and in fact most are likely very hostile to what Trump is doing in trying to shrink the federal bureaucracy. It almost looks to me as if the swamp has identified Isaacman as a potential ally who will work from the inside to sabotage Trump’s effort in NASA, and is now doing what it can to get him the job.
Call me paranoid, but this is my impression.
Your impression may very well be justified.
Jeff Wright: I made it very clear to you many months ago that if you post a comment with three or more links, I will delete it. I pointed out that your habit of sending comments with nothing but long list of links was just a tiny step above spam, and I wanted it to stop.
You keep doing so, however, as if you think this site belongs to you. It doesn’t. I will continue to delete such comments. You want to keep posting them that’s your choice, but you are wasting your time.