May 1, 2026 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.
- Axiom touts equipment that will be on its initial ISS modules that will produce thruster fuel for the station
It will use “the Sabatier reaction .. to supplement fuel and reduce the number of necessary propellant resupply missions.”
- NASA documentary from 1962, proposing a manned mission to Mars by the mid-1970s
This is the kind of stuff I watched as a kid. It is audacious, daring, and entirely feasible to the Americans of that time. That they knew almost nothing about Mars or the solar system and had hardly flown more than a handful of manned missions when they made it underlines their daring.
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 or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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.
- Axiom touts equipment that will be on its initial ISS modules that will produce thruster fuel for the station
It will use “the Sabatier reaction .. to supplement fuel and reduce the number of necessary propellant resupply missions.”
- NASA documentary from 1962, proposing a manned mission to Mars by the mid-1970s
This is the kind of stuff I watched as a kid. It is audacious, daring, and entirely feasible to the Americans of that time. That they knew almost nothing about Mars or the solar system and had hardly flown more than a handful of manned missions when they made it underlines their daring.
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 or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. 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
I notice, Richard, that while you’ve discussed glaciers coursing down “riverine” valleys in eastern Hellas, you seem not to have written about Badwater Crater (pic, Wikipedia), whose formative impact appears to have left a splash-apron around it—just as if it occurred in ice-saturated terrain like one sees in high-latitude craters—even though this is the lowest point on Mars, and not at a particularly high latitude (-32.8°).
Michael McNeil: I think you are address me, not “Richard.” And yes, I haven’t written about Badwater Crater. Looks quite intriguing, but at 32.8 degrees south latitude it is well within the range of where craters with glacial fill have been found.
Being in deep Hellas adds interesting additional components: thicker atmosphere, different climate, etc. I just am not qualified to speak on the consequences.
This webpage provides some details about the crater itself. This paper discusses the strange geology found deep in Hellas.
God damn, I called you Richard. Jez! Sorry, Robert.
This is Krafft Arnold Ehricke (1917–1984), who was a German-American aerospace engineer and visionary thinker who played a significant role in the early development of modern spaceflight.
Life
Ehricke was born in Berlin and studied engineering at the Technische Universität Berlin. Early in his career, he worked within Germany’s rocket program alongside figures such as Wernher von Braun.
After World War II, he was brought to the United States under Operation Paperclip, where many German scientists continued their work in rocketry and aerospace.
In the U.S., Ehricke worked for companies including Convair, becoming a key contributor to advanced propulsion systems and space mission concepts.
Major Contributions
Ehricke is best known for:
The Centaur rocket stage
He played a leading role in developing the Centaur, the world’s first high-energy upper stage powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. This technology became foundational for many later space missions.
Advanced spaceflight concepts
He developed early designs for:
reusable spacecraft
orbital infrastructure
long-term lunar and planetary exploration
Systems thinking in space engineering
Ehricke approached spaceflight not just as isolated missions, but as part of a broader, long-term human expansion into space.
Vision and Legacy
Beyond engineering, Ehricke was a strong advocate for humanity’s expansion into space. He formulated the idea of the “Extraterrestrial Imperative,” arguing that human civilization should extend beyond Earth as a natural continuation of its development.
He also articulated the three laws of astronautics, emphasizing that:
human progress is not inherently limited by nature,
space is a legitimate domain of human activity,
and expansion into space fulfills a deeper role of human civilization.
Significance
Krafft Ehricke stands out as both:
a pioneering engineer who contributed to key rocket technologies, and
a visionary thinker who framed space exploration as a long-term human mission.
His work helped shape not only the technical foundations of spaceflight, but also the broader idea that space exploration is an essential part of humanity’s future.
Asteroid trip
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mathematical-framework-asteroid-route.html
On turbulence
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-flight-angles-affect-turbulence.html