Scroll down to read this post.

 

Readers!

 

The time has come for my annual short Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

For this two-week campaign, I am offering a special deal to encourage donations. Donations of $200 will get a free autographed copy of the new paperback edition of Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, while donations of $250 will get a free autographed copy of the new hardback edition. If you desire a copy, make sure you provide me your address with your donation.

 

As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given 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.

 

Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. 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.


SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launches NOAA weather satellite

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket today successfully launched a NOAA weather satellite, completing its first flight in 2024 and its tenth flight overall.

The two side boosters completed their first flight, with both landing back at Cape Canaveral. The core stage was allowed to fall into the ocean.

The leaders in the 2024 launch race:

67 SpaceX
28 China
8 Russia
8 Rocket Lab

American private enterprise now leads the world combined in successful launches, 78 to 42, while SpaceX by itself still leads the entire world, including other American companies, 67 to 53.

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. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. 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

7 comments

  • David Eastman

    It’s amazing that a Falcon Heavy launch wasn’t even on my radar as something I should watch. Although I really do want to get to Florida to see one live.

    Tim Dodd (The Everyday Astronaut) has posted his two part interview/tour of Star Factory and the Superheavy launch site taken the day before IFT-4. Part one (star factory): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFqjoCbZ4ik, part two (launch pad tour, and post-launch interview with Elon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InJOlT6WdHc

    The view from the pad looking up at the full stack is just amazing, the photos I’ve seen from remote sites just doesn’t capture the scale, not even close.

  • John

    Cool video of GOES getting deployed. The background looks familiar.

    https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1805782454495855078

  • geoffc

    @David The view of the launch vehicle from up close is even more surreal when as Tim pointed out, there is nothing to compare against for scale.

    And the 3 boosters in the Mega Bay? More lift capacity there than probably half of all the Apollo launches.

    Then the Raptor room with rows and rows of Raptors waiting to be mounted. SN’s in the 380’s…

  • Jeff Wright

    I assume the upper stage will also have to remain in geo’ or can it deorbit?

  • wayne

    NASA coverage of this launch, leaves something to be desired.

  • Edward

    Jeff Wright asked: “I assume the upper stage will also have to remain in geo’ or can it deorbit?

    Upper stages do not circularize to GEO but remain in their Hohmann transfer orbits, and with very little effort they can be de-orbited. SpaceX has been de-orbiting their upper stages for many years.

  • mkent

    ”Upper stages do not circularize to GEO but remain in their Hohmann transfer orbits, and with very little effort they can be de-orbited. SpaceX has been de-orbiting their upper stages for many years.”

    That is true for launches to LEO such as Starlink launches but not for launches like this. This launch left the upper stage in a 16,000 x 35,000 km orbit. It will be up there for thousands of years.

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

No registration is required. I welcome all opinions, even those that strongly criticize my commentary.

 

However, name-calling and obscenities will not be tolerated. First time offenders who are new to the site will be warned. Second time offenders or first time offenders who have been here awhile will be suspended for a week. After that, I will ban you. Period.

 

Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

Leave a Reply

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