May 22, 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.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo capsule
Note that RFA did NOT win a contract for developing this capsule from ESA, as announced today, suggesting ESA rejected it.
- ULA’s CEO shows off images of 21 Vulcan rockets in production
Only one appears to have any engines. All are in various states of assembly.
- Dominican Republic looking into building its own spaceport
Article at the link includes a nice map of the world’s existing and planned spaceports.
- Video of Kuaizhou-11 launch yesterday
Only covers the first 12 seconds. Jay asks, “Anyone else notice the weird gassing at nose cone?”
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
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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.
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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.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo capsule
Note that RFA did NOT win a contract for developing this capsule from ESA, as announced today, suggesting ESA rejected it.
- ULA’s CEO shows off images of 21 Vulcan rockets in production
Only one appears to have any engines. All are in various states of assembly.
- Dominican Republic looking into building its own spaceport
Article at the link includes a nice map of the world’s existing and planned spaceports.
- Video of Kuaizhou-11 launch yesterday
Only covers the first 12 seconds. Jay asks, “Anyone else notice the weird gassing at nose cone?”
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. 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.
“All are in various states of assembly.”
I think we’re being a bit generous here in using the word assembly for those higher serial numbers.
Jay asks, “Anyone else notice the weird gassing at nose cone?”
Yes, and I also notice it appears to use grid fins at the aft end of the rocket. Combined, I would suggest this means it uses gas thrusters in the nose for initial stability, until the grid fins become effective at higher speeds. At very low speeds (subsonic) they are not very effective.
I think it is debatable how effective the nose thrusters /gridfins combo will be with a substantial payload – seems like an unusual combination more typically found in a high-acceleration missile with a (relatively) small tactical warhead.
Ps. But… compared to a gimbaling main engine configuration, the thruster / gridfin combo may well be a winner!
A very interesting article today at phys-
A POTENTIAL NEW DESIGN FOR SPACECRAFT SHIELDS
“Study finds under extreme impacts, metals get stronger when heated.”
Ray,
Yes, they were testing a new RCS system. I was surprised that they started to use it on the ground during the launch. Either testing it out or a glitch?
The spaceport-map image at the linked article is too small to be readable, but the source PDF can be found here:
https://brycetech.com/reports/report-documents/Bryce_Launch_Sites_2024.pdf