October 30, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- New startup, Interlune, focused on in situ technology for lunar mining and manned operations
Two of the company’s founders come from Blue Origin, while the third is Apollo astronaut Jack Schmidt, the only actual geologist to walk on the Moon.
- Visual maps showing who has put the most satellites in orbit in 2023, here and here
Not surprisingly, the maps make it obvious how much SpaceX now dominates the space industry.
- An image showing three different next generation Russian manned capsules, all under development
For an assembly production floor, the image shows remarkably little activity, with no workers and very little on the floor itself. Russia might be building these, but I bet the work is going more slowly than anything Blue Origin has done, and that is very slow indeed.
- A map of the lunar surface material displaced by the engine thrust of India’s Vikram lander at touchdown
Good information for calculating the work that must be done to reduce the consequences of take off and landing when near a future base.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the 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. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
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.
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Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- New startup, Interlune, focused on in situ technology for lunar mining and manned operations
Two of the company’s founders come from Blue Origin, while the third is Apollo astronaut Jack Schmidt, the only actual geologist to walk on the Moon.
- Visual maps showing who has put the most satellites in orbit in 2023, here and here
Not surprisingly, the maps make it obvious how much SpaceX now dominates the space industry.
- An image showing three different next generation Russian manned capsules, all under development
For an assembly production floor, the image shows remarkably little activity, with no workers and very little on the floor itself. Russia might be building these, but I bet the work is going more slowly than anything Blue Origin has done, and that is very slow indeed.
- A map of the lunar surface material displaced by the engine thrust of India’s Vikram lander at touchdown
Good information for calculating the work that must be done to reduce the consequences of take off and landing when near a future base.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the 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. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
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.
for BtB’s stringer Jay–
Thank you for compiling these tid-bits. I always look, but I don’t always click.
Reference the Interlune link:
Jack Schmidt- can’t hurt, he is 88 however, just sayin’.
But what on Earth, is this guy talking about??
(from the article)
“We aim to be the first company that harvests natural resources from the moon to use here on Earth,” Lai told an audience of about 400 banquet-goers on Saturday night. “We’re building a completely novel approach to extract those resources, efficiently, cost-effectively and also responsibly. The goal is really to create a sustainable in-space economy.”
It’s going to be something more along these lines…..
Outland (1981)
“Titanium Mining on the 3rd Moon of Jupiter”
https://youtu.be/-J8mOOtS7XI?t=78
wayne: You gotta understand, this guy comes out of Blue Origin. He has sadly been trained to say gobbly-gook that the crowds will eat up, while doing little of substance.