To read this post please scroll down.

 

Readers! A November fund-raising drive!

 

It is unfortunately time for another November fund-raising campaign to support my work here at Behind the Black. I really dislike doing these, but 2025 is so far turning out to be a very poor year for donations and subscriptions, the worst since 2020. I very much need your support for this webpage to survive.

 

And I think I provide real value. Fifteen years ago I said SLS was garbage and should be cancelled. Almost a decade ago I said Orion was a lie and a bad idea. As early as 1998, long before almost anyone else, I predicted in my first book, Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, that private enterprise and freedom would conquer the solar system, not government. Very early in the COVID panic and continuing throughout I noted that every policy put forth by the government (masks, social distancing, lockdowns, jab mandates) was wrong, misguided, and did more harm than good. In planetary science, while everyone else in the media still thinks Mars has no water, I have been reporting the real results from the orbiters now for more than five years, that Mars is in fact a planet largely covered with ice.

 

I could continue with numerous other examples. If you want to know what others will discover a decade hence, read what I write here at Behind the Black. And if you read my most recent book, Conscious Choice, you will find out what is going to happen in space in the next century.

 

 

This last claim might sound like hubris on my part, but I base it on my overall track record.

 

So please consider donating or subscribing to Behind the Black, either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. I could really use the support at this time. There are five 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. Takes about a 10% cut.
 

3. A Paypal Donation or subscription, which takes about a 15% cut:

 

4. Donate by check. I get whatever you donate. Make the check payable to Robert Zimmerman and mail it 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.


SpaceX launches 46 Starlink satellites, reuses 1st stage for 11th time

9:00 am

Capitalism in space: SpaceX this morning successfully reused a Falcon 9 first stage for the eleventh time, putting 46 Starlink satellites into orbit.

The 2022 launch race:

7 SpaceX
2 China
2 Russia
1 Virgin Orbit
1 ULA
1 India
1 Europe (Arianespace)
1 Northrop Grumman

Genesis cover

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

8 comments

8 comments

  • Jay
    February 21, 2022 at 9:42 am

    Good, the more satellites the better. I am getting my Starlink dish at the end of the week.

  • geoffc
    February 21, 2022 at 10:08 am

    So that is 2 cores at 11 flights completed. 2 at 10. Those 4 cores, having flown 42 times, 38 reuses, is more than all of SpaceX launches the previous year.

    Reuse can work. Who knew? Maybe someone should tell ULA and ESA?

    Interesting tidbit, they mentioned that on the last 14th flight (so 28 fairings) they recovered 93% of them, which is 26. 26/28 recovered fairings is mighty fine. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. I missed the details on how many have reflown (I think she said around 30+ but do not remember the exact number)>

  • JhonB
    February 21, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    Jay, what magic do you do to get your dish? I have been waiting for over a year now. Comcast has been pretty good so I am planning to cancel Starlink and get my money back. I could always sign up for Starlink later and maybe get cheaper and better equipment.
    Let us know how it works for you.

  • Jay
    February 21, 2022 at 4:36 pm

    JhonB, actually I have been waiting for a year and one half now. My coworkers have had theirs for over a year and they signed up a month before I did!
    A fellow ham radio operator got his email the same time as I. So there must be a big batch of dishes going out.

    I know there are two guys here on BtB that have it: Markedup2 and I forgot the other, but he lives on the other side of Washington State. I will definitely give a report once I get it operational.

  • Steve Golson
    February 21, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    Jay, that was me. I’ve had Starlink for just over a year, and I’m a very happy customer. Back in Feb 2021 Bob published a brief review I wrote.

    JhonB, it all depends on your location. Some places can order Starlink and get immediate shipment. Others (like you) not so lucky. There are a limited number of customers supported in any given Starlink “cell”, which is 10–15 miles across. You may have to wait for additional satellites to be launched, or more ground stations to get built. Good luck!

  • William
    February 22, 2022 at 9:18 am

    JohnB
    Where are you that Comcast is good? I am not aware of any place people like it

  • Col Beausabre
    February 22, 2022 at 12:01 pm

    William, In his case Starlink is a total failure. I’m surprised that people put up with a wait of a year and half. My attitude is, you want my money, you provide service tomorrow. You start taking money when you are ready to provide service. To me the most infuriating words in the world are, “Real soon now”. And as far as Comcast goes, it’s service is obviously better than no service.

  • JhonB
    February 23, 2022 at 12:46 pm

    William, Comcast has been my only choice for the past 40 years or so. I hate comcast, but, I moved to my current home in 2018 and I can count on one hand where my internet has gone out for more than a few minutes. And when it had, Their app was aware of it and gave me a ETA for when the service would be back up. I hate, I mean absolute hate Comcast because when something goes wrong, I would rather stick two red hot butter knives in my eyes than deal with their customer service.
    But for some odd reason, I have not had to for quite a while. I signed up for Starlink just so I could kiss their ass goodbye. But I have been getting lighting fast and uninterpreted service them for quite some time. So, maybe switching to an unknown with a much slower advertised speed, might be cutting off my nose to spite my face.
    I live in Southwest Florida and like everywhere else I have lived, they are the only game in town.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *