November 13, 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.
- Blue Origin’s CEO touts an image of New Glenn’s two upper stage engines, just prior to intergration with the stage
The imagery once again suggests the company is finally getting close to launch, but also suggests it is still taking its time doing so.
- Scientists detect what they think is sulfur in an exoplanet atmosphere, and immediately suggest this might mean volcanoes on the planet
A lot of maybes making any conclusion so uncertain as to be science fiction.
- Coast Guard issues a “Notice to Mariners” for Starship’s 6th test flight on November 18, 2024
All signs point to this launch happening, as planned, and only a month after the last test, proving once again that all previous delays were largely the fault of FAA red tape.
- Video of a static fire test of Raptor-3 engine suggests something not quite right occurred shortly after ignition
The test was at SpaceX’s MacGregor engine test facility.
- Chinese pseudo-company Galactic Energy hints it will use electromagnetic catapult as part of a future launch system
The proof is in the pudding, but if this pseudo-company does this it will a rare original achievement from China, not a copycat idea.
- Assembly of NASA’s next big telescope boondoggle, the Roman Space Telescope, is about to begin
Project officials claim it is on schedule and on budget, but that claim is based on a revised budget and schedule after things went overbudget and behind schedule during the COVID panic,
- On this day in 1980 Voyager-1 made its closest approach of Saturn
The distance was 78,290 miles.
- On this day in 2014 the Philae lander of Europe’s Rosetta probe touched down on Comet 67P/C-G
This link provides a nine-minute video outlining the mission highlights.
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.
- Blue Origin’s CEO touts an image of New Glenn’s two upper stage engines, just prior to intergration with the stage
The imagery once again suggests the company is finally getting close to launch, but also suggests it is still taking its time doing so.
- Scientists detect what they think is sulfur in an exoplanet atmosphere, and immediately suggest this might mean volcanoes on the planet
A lot of maybes making any conclusion so uncertain as to be science fiction.
- Coast Guard issues a “Notice to Mariners” for Starship’s 6th test flight on November 18, 2024
All signs point to this launch happening, as planned, and only a month after the last test, proving once again that all previous delays were largely the fault of FAA red tape.
- Video of a static fire test of Raptor-3 engine suggests something not quite right occurred shortly after ignition
The test was at SpaceX’s MacGregor engine test facility.
- Chinese pseudo-company Galactic Energy hints it will use electromagnetic catapult as part of a future launch system
The proof is in the pudding, but if this pseudo-company does this it will a rare original achievement from China, not a copycat idea.
- Assembly of NASA’s next big telescope boondoggle, the Roman Space Telescope, is about to begin
Project officials claim it is on schedule and on budget, but that claim is based on a revised budget and schedule after things went overbudget and behind schedule during the COVID panic,
- On this day in 1980 Voyager-1 made its closest approach of Saturn
The distance was 78,290 miles.
- On this day in 2014 the Philae lander of Europe’s Rosetta probe touched down on Comet 67P/C-G
This link provides a nine-minute video outlining the mission highlights.
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
It will be interesting to see if SpaceX continues with the flawless execution and engineering progress on flight 6. Elon cannot be spending much time supervising Starship what with all the time on politics. Will SpaceX revert to being a normal rocket company without the customary Elon attention to detail?
The exoplanet announcements are pure garbage. Anyone wetting their pants over such “announcements” needs a life.
“Assembly of NASA’s next big telescope boondoggle, the Roman Space Telescope, is about to begin”
Gonna have to invent some new numerals to express that budget.
Rumors in the wind:
To be clear we are *far* from anything being settled, but based on what I’m hearing it seems at least 50-50 that NASA’s Space Launch System rocket will be canceled. Not Block 1B. Not Block 2. All of it. There are other ways to get Orion to the Moon.
https://x.com/SciGuySpace/status/1856522880143745133 (Eric Berger)
I should have put quotes on that. That is the text of Eric Berger’s post , not my words.
Mr Z feel free to fix, I do not want to misrepresent anything.
sippin_bourbon: Commenter Richard M. posted a link to Berger’s tweet yesterday. And as I said then: Remember, you heard it here first!
Meanwhile over at Blue Origin:
(Seems the Washington Post isn’t the only Bezos business with woke employees suffering from Trump derangement syndrome)
https://nypost.com/2024/11/13/us-news/corey-burke-hacked-father-to-death-after-trumps-election-night-victory/
Yikes
Mitch;
To quote Jeff, “Yikes!”
Like watching a car accident, I had to look.
-Here’s where the media can be factual correct and completely lying, at the same time.
Corey Lizette Burke–
–allegedly premeditatedly hacked her father to death after an argument about turning off the lights in the house.
While this incident did happen sequentially in time after election day, it’s completely unclear whether this had anything to do with DJT or who the Dad supported politically.
(This sounds similar to the guy in Wisconsin who killed and chopped up his 2 parents, because they found out he was lying about going to college. Along with some lesbian-tranny weirdness thrown in for fun.)
I would like to see a complete list of all the medications this girl was taking and her complete psych profile, because I’m 99% sure she has one, and it’s probably a tragically lengthy great read.
For my money– she’s whacked on SSRI’s and has probably taken amphetamines since she was 12.
Mr Z,
I believe you, but I find no such post.
Berger also had an Ars Technica article on changes to space policy.
Your site and browser cache do not play well for me, for some reason.
Posted comments, even my own, do not show timely, or sometimes at all.
I will look later from another device, and they appear. It is mildly annoying, but a small thing in the grand scheme.
The topic of SLS cancellation at this point tho, is going to get interesting.
sippin_bourbon: As for my predictions about the dim future of ISS, posted before anyone else, go here:
Freedom: What Trump’s election will mean for America’s space policy
Richard M first linked to Berger’s tweet six days later.
Yes I read your article.
It was very good.