October 24, 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.
- Everyday Astronaut asks great question: Why is NASA spending $700 million for developing new SLS upper stage when ULA’s Centaur-V is available for only $120 million?
Tim Dodd seems baffled, but then he is young and hasn’t lived through decades of NASA pork that accomplishes nothing. That new upper stage is just more of the same.
- NASA astronaut shows off Orion’s bathroom
Talk about overkill for a capsule. No wonder Orion is too heavy for almost every rocket available.
- Startup Apex to fly a commercially-developed space-based interceptor demo on its own dime
The company hopes the mission will convince defense contractors and satellite companies to buy its product.
- A rehash of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser project
No real news, though overall the article underlines the failure of Sierra Space to get off the ground. It also provides evidence to explain why NASA abandoned Dream Chaser as an ISS cargo craft.
- Blue Origin touts the delivery of its 30th BE-4 engine to ULA
This gives ULA enough engines for at least fifteen launches of its Vulcan rocket, which is about the number of launches the company hopes to do in 2026
- In 2010 NASA analyzed what museums to send shuttles to and ranked Houston low
So what? These bureaucratic rankings meant nothing. All that mattered for choosing the cities that would get shuttles were political considerations, and Obama wished to reward blue states.
- Video of the demolition of one of the service towers for the Zenit rocket at Baikonur
Zenit was built by the Ukraine, now banned by Russia from Baikonur. Russia now wants to use this launchpad for its new Soyuz-5 rocket. Kazakhstan, which owns the site, has been resistant. It is unclear if this demolition means Kazakhstan has changed its mind.
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.
- Everyday Astronaut asks great question: Why is NASA spending $700 million for developing new SLS upper stage when ULA’s Centaur-V is available for only $120 million?
Tim Dodd seems baffled, but then he is young and hasn’t lived through decades of NASA pork that accomplishes nothing. That new upper stage is just more of the same.
- NASA astronaut shows off Orion’s bathroom
Talk about overkill for a capsule. No wonder Orion is too heavy for almost every rocket available.
- Startup Apex to fly a commercially-developed space-based interceptor demo on its own dime
The company hopes the mission will convince defense contractors and satellite companies to buy its product.
- A rehash of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser project
No real news, though overall the article underlines the failure of Sierra Space to get off the ground. It also provides evidence to explain why NASA abandoned Dream Chaser as an ISS cargo craft.
- Blue Origin touts the delivery of its 30th BE-4 engine to ULA
This gives ULA enough engines for at least fifteen launches of its Vulcan rocket, which is about the number of launches the company hopes to do in 2026
- In 2010 NASA analyzed what museums to send shuttles to and ranked Houston low
So what? These bureaucratic rankings meant nothing. All that mattered for choosing the cities that would get shuttles were political considerations, and Obama wished to reward blue states.
- Video of the demolition of one of the service towers for the Zenit rocket at Baikonur
Zenit was built by the Ukraine, now banned by Russia from Baikonur. Russia now wants to use this launchpad for its new Soyuz-5 rocket. Kazakhstan, which owns the site, has been resistant. It is unclear if this demolition means Kazakhstan has changed its mind.
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
So, in an emergency, it appears that two people could sqeeeeeeze into the toilet compartment. Will they have duct tape to seal the door, if necessary? How about a Starlink phone to communicate? Would they flip a coin to see who is left outside the bathroom?
And finally, the life support system has not been tested in outer space. How about the toilet!
I am going to rename the WC in my house “The Orion” as they are about the same size. Seriously, that seems like a huge amount of empty space. I am a reminded of the saying that a camel is a horse designed by a committee.
Well remember, Orion is purported by NASA to be a viable Mars spacecraft .
I don’t know about you, but, in a crowded house of spouse, children and grandchildren, the bathroom is a place of quiet and privacy. You would REALLY need that if you were locked up in Orion with 3 other people for 8 months getting to Mars.
Doubting Thomas wrote “Orion is purported by NASA to be a viable Mars spacecraft”
This has always been one of NASA’s most ridiculous lies. See my essay from 2016:
The Lie that is Orion
Sir – My eye roll emoj didn’t print. Insane to even claim it is a Mars vehicle.
Centaur is the last gasp of balloon tanks. What is being worked on is a bit more sturdy thank you very much.
I wonder if the BE-4 will ever look as clean as Raptor 3? Actually I don’t wonder… talk about a load of spaghetti!