May 8, 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.
- Stoke Space shows off the interior of its Nova rocket’s first stage tank
The company is “putting the finishing touches on our integration campaign,” which suggests it is getting very close to that first launch. No date has been set however.
- On this date in 1992 the space shuttle Endeavour launched on its first mission.
The mission captured and repaired the Intelsat-6 F3 communications satellite, in one of the most daring captures of the entire shuttle program. The original plan to catch didn’t work, so the crew ended up sending three astronauts out in the cargo bay to grab and hold it while one got it attached.
- On May 8, 2004 the European Space Agency (ESA) did the first helicopter drop glide test of Phoenix, a prototype of a proposed orbital and reusable launch vehicle
Dropped from 8,000 ft by a helicopter, it landed precisely and without incident after a GPS-guided 90 second glide. More than two decades later, ESA has done nothing to follow up this test flight.
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.
- Stoke Space shows off the interior of its Nova rocket’s first stage tank
The company is “putting the finishing touches on our integration campaign,” which suggests it is getting very close to that first launch. No date has been set however.
- On this date in 1992 the space shuttle Endeavour launched on its first mission.
The mission captured and repaired the Intelsat-6 F3 communications satellite, in one of the most daring captures of the entire shuttle program. The original plan to catch didn’t work, so the crew ended up sending three astronauts out in the cargo bay to grab and hold it while one got it attached.
- On May 8, 2004 the European Space Agency (ESA) did the first helicopter drop glide test of Phoenix, a prototype of a proposed orbital and reusable launch vehicle
Dropped from 8,000 ft by a helicopter, it landed precisely and without incident after a GPS-guided 90 second glide. More than two decades later, ESA has done nothing to follow up this test flight.
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
“Norwegian police have carried out an operation at an address in Northern Norway. A woman from China has been arrested and will be remanded in custody on Friday. … The operation is due to suspicion that a Norwegian-registered company is functioning as a cover for Chinese intelligence that intends to download satellite data which could harm Norway’s security if it became known to a foreign state”
(https://en.highnorthnews.com/arctic-living/northern-norway-chinese-citizen-arrested-for-aiding-attempted-espionage/1110927)
It’s Andøya Spaceport that was the target. Various militaries are on-site now, firing missiles all over the place.
In other news
https://www.kbb.com/car-news/tesla-recalls-cybertruck-because-wheels-may-fall-off/
Jeff Wright,
The potential problem is limited to 173 vehicles. That smacks of a substandard batch of parts delivered by a single supplier. Hardly the end of the world for a company that delivered over 1.75 million vehicles last year. This recall is notable mainly for being one of the 2 – 3% of Tesla recalls that actually requires a visit to a repair facility to fix. Most Tesla “recalls” are handled by over-the-air software upgrades.
Eric Berger: “In news that should shock no one, NASA has moved the “Starliner-1” mission from June 2026 on its internal calendar to “under review.” This is an uncrewed cargo demonstration flight. Since we’ve heard very little about this, a slip into 2027 seems more likely than not.”
https://x.com/SciGuySpace/status/2053872982724845852
I mean, is anyone surprised by this?
Richard M: I reported this last week. Berger is slow here.