September 24, 2024 Quick space linksCourtesy 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.
As this is an open thread, I must add that the lack of any political or cultural posts recently is entirely because I am presently sick of reporting about this stuff. When you have a big long term player in the Democratic Party, Leon Pannetta, make the utterly stupid comment that Israel’s very targeted attacks on Hezbollah is “a form of terrorism” — essentially endorsing this murderous Islamic terrorist organization — and yet approximately half of Americans apparently still consider the Democratic Party to be a viable option, it seems somewhat pointless to attempt to change these people’s minds. Too many leftists no longer have the ability to think. They are wedded to their party, and will support it no matter how infantile or childless or dangerous or violent it gets.
Enough. Back to Jay’s links about space:
- Stoke Space touts its growing inventory of built hardware
The image shows four engines, two partly assembled, and what looks like a tank dome. The company is clearly making some progress, but as Jay notes, it is not yet “hardware rich. That distinction is given when you have multiple assembled test articles.”
- Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for accelerating China’s space endeavors
He is essentially touting this major success under his leadership, in order to strengthen his hold on the government. It’s what power-hungry politicians always do, whether they run a communist or a democratically-elected government.
- Haiyang spaceport plans to build a new semi-submerged ship to provide a more compatible sea-launch platform
It hopes to have it launched by the end of ’25.
- Viasat wins U.S. Air Force contract to make aircraft antennas for communicating with satellites
Contract is for $33 million.
- On this day in 1930 astronaut John Young was born
He “flew in space six times (twice each during the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs), and served as an astronaut longer than anyone to date: 42 years.”
- Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day India’s Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter entered orbit around Mars
Its planned mission was for six months. It operated for eight years.
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.
As this is an open thread, I must add that the lack of any political or cultural posts recently is entirely because I am presently sick of reporting about this stuff. When you have a big long term player in the Democratic Party, Leon Pannetta, make the utterly stupid comment that Israel’s very targeted attacks on Hezbollah is “a form of terrorism” — essentially endorsing this murderous Islamic terrorist organization — and yet approximately half of Americans apparently still consider the Democratic Party to be a viable option, it seems somewhat pointless to attempt to change these people’s minds. Too many leftists no longer have the ability to think. They are wedded to their party, and will support it no matter how infantile or childless or dangerous or violent it gets.
Enough. Back to Jay’s links about space:
- Stoke Space touts its growing inventory of built hardware
The image shows four engines, two partly assembled, and what looks like a tank dome. The company is clearly making some progress, but as Jay notes, it is not yet “hardware rich. That distinction is given when you have multiple assembled test articles.”
- Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for accelerating China’s space endeavors
He is essentially touting this major success under his leadership, in order to strengthen his hold on the government. It’s what power-hungry politicians always do, whether they run a communist or a democratically-elected government.
- Haiyang spaceport plans to build a new semi-submerged ship to provide a more compatible sea-launch platform
It hopes to have it launched by the end of ’25.
- Viasat wins U.S. Air Force contract to make aircraft antennas for communicating with satellites
Contract is for $33 million.
- On this day in 1930 astronaut John Young was born
He “flew in space six times (twice each during the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs), and served as an astronaut longer than anyone to date: 42 years.”
- Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day India’s Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter entered orbit around Mars
Its planned mission was for six months. It operated for eight years.
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
On politics,
I hear you, Bob, and certainly understand your frustration. Continued support of the Democrat Party by everyday Americans (without their own special reasons for the Party’s control of our government) is utterly illogical, but it continues nonetheless.
Just know that the articles you write provide your readers with valuable information that they can use when debating their Democrat-supporting friends and family, and that every once in a great while, a mind may be changed.
Thank you.
I really love the guys at Stoke–at last Bono’s designs have an adherent.
They are a true New Space company…working very hard…with no Bezos level funding.
They don’t talk–they make.
Refreshing
It must never be forgotten that Pannetta, a CIA director and Secretary of Defense under Obama, was one of the 51 officials that signed that infamous letter months before the 2020 election that the contents revealed on the Hunter Biden laptop were “Russian disinformation”. Those contents revealed the kickbacks VP Joe Biden and his crackhead son received from the Ukraine. Polls taken after the election revealed plenty enough people would have changed their vote had the truth about that laptop not been suppressed by people like Pannetta. I pray that he and the 50 others will someday be held accountable for that blatant election interference.