May 28, 2025 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 Lab acquires Geost, a payload provider for the military
The company continues to diversify across the entire commercial space landscape.
- Sierra Space wins NASA contract to study using its LIFE inflatable modules on the Moon
The modules were originally conceived to fly on Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef commercial space station. NASA now wants to see if they can be adapted for planetary colonies.
- Starship in orbit yesterday, as photographed from Namibia in Africa
As noted at the link, a substantial tail had already formed as the spacecraft dropped into the atmosphere uncontrolled.
- This week in 2012 the first SpaceX cargo Dragon was berthed at ISS
And at that moment capitalism, freedom, and competition took over.
- On this day in 2002 NASA announced that Mars Odyssey had discovered enormous amounts of near surface ice on Mars
And yet, almost a quarter of a century later news organizations (excluding Behind the Black) still think Mars lacks water and is nothing but a dry desert.
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.
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 Lab acquires Geost, a payload provider for the military
The company continues to diversify across the entire commercial space landscape.
- Sierra Space wins NASA contract to study using its LIFE inflatable modules on the Moon
The modules were originally conceived to fly on Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef commercial space station. NASA now wants to see if they can be adapted for planetary colonies.
- Starship in orbit yesterday, as photographed from Namibia in Africa
As noted at the link, a substantial tail had already formed as the spacecraft dropped into the atmosphere uncontrolled.
- This week in 2012 the first SpaceX cargo Dragon was berthed at ISS
And at that moment capitalism, freedom, and competition took over.
- On this day in 2002 NASA announced that Mars Odyssey had discovered enormous amounts of near surface ice on Mars
And yet, almost a quarter of a century later news organizations (excluding Behind the Black) still think Mars lacks water and is nothing but a dry desert.
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.
Nice picture of Elon’s Comet
“Rubio Announces Aggressive Crackdown on Every Chinese Student in the U.S.”
“Amid allegations that Chinese students have infiltrated at least one American university to act as spies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said visas for Chinese students are being revoked.”
“’Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,’ Rubio said in a statement posted to the State Department’s website.”
“’China exploited our visa system for decades to advance the priorities of the Communist Party,’ the official said.”
“They sent students to our best colleges and research universities. Many of these so called guests in our country arrived with one purpose — to steal our intellectual property on Beijing’s behalf.”
https://www.westernjournal.com/marco-rubio-announces-aggressive-crackdown-every-chinese-student-us/
The horses are out of the barn, Marco…you and the NAFTAs left the doors wide open for decades.