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?”
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.
- 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?”
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
“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