Category: Points of Information

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.

• South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter detects the strongest gamma ray burst (GRB) so far this century
  Their GRB detector supplements other orbiting GRB survey instruments.

• ESA Comet Interceptor mission to launch in ’29 will be parked in space to await the arrival of a new comet
  Interestingly, the probe could also conceivably rendezvous with an interstellar object, should it be arriving in the right direction. Either way, the goal is to get a good look at a very pristine comet before it passes the Sun.

• Blue Origin releases another short propaganda video, touting how wonderful it is
  I think everyone would much rather have the company announce an actual launch date for the first New Glenn rocket, now approaching five years behind schedule,

• Vast touts the “wet trash” disposal system it is building for its Haven-1 space station
  The module toilets will apparently have eight disposable tanks. As each fills it is sealed and vented to a vacuum to keep the station’s atmosphere free of unpleasant odors.

• This week in 1968 Apollo 8 headed to the Moon, the first time humans ever traveled to another planet
  Want to know more? I hear someone wrote a book about it.

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.

• Samples from the Chang’e-6 mission to the Moon’s far side have provided scientists added detail about its magnetic history
  The tweet provides little information. Go here for more information.

• Stratolaunch’s giant Roc airplane completes another flight test
  No hypersonic Talon craft was seen attached below it, suggesting either none was flown or it had been dropped for a test prior to anyone spotting the plane.

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.

• Astroscale begins work on next space junk removal mission
  The next mission will do further proximity and rendezvous testing in orbit, but do it approaching “large satellite debris” rather than an intact upper stage, as done in the first mission.

• Taiwan studying locations for a possible spaceport, even as it discusses a collaboration with Amazon on space matters
  Not much real information to go on.

• ISRO to attempt a “tethered satellite capture via robotic arm experiment” on next launch
  The launch, using a PSLV rocket, is presently scheduled for December 30, 2024, will launch a payload designed to test autonomous docking. This specific test will involve using a robot arm to capture a tethered cubesat, and is aimed at developing technology for orbital servicing and space junk removal.

• On this day in 1972 Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, completing the last mission to land humans on the Moon
  That was 52 years ago. I wonder when Americans will ever do it again.

• On this day in 1999, the shuttle Discovery launched on the third Hubble repair mission
  The launch had been moved up six months because of gyroscope failures on Hubble that had put it in safe mode. During three space walks astronauts replaced all six gyroscopes on the telescope, putting it back in operation.

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.

• Ispace confirms its Resilience lunar lander will launch on the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander
  The launch is presently scheduled for a six-day window in mid-January 2025.

• Biden administration releases its final space policy for exploring the Moon
  While some proposals have value, it is largely meaningless with a new administration about to arrive.

• On this day in 1965 Frank Borman and Jim Lovell of Gemini 7 splashed down after completing 14 days in orbit
  This flight was the longest ever at the time and proved that humans could live in weightlessness long enough to get to and from the Moon. Borman and Lovell followed this up when in 1968 they crewed the Apollo 8 mission, with Bill Anders, the first mission to actually circle the Moon.