Category: Points of Information

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Sierra Space successfully completes third test of its inflatable LIFE module

The module is intended for use in the Orbital Reef station that Sierra Space is building in partnership with Blue Origin and others.

 

• Former NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for flying on first SpaceX Dragon manned flight

 

• The flight recorder of Long March 2F is able to sustain 20,000G impact

Make sure you look at the picture of the flight recorder at the link. As Jay notes, “Just so you know, if this hits your house, it is not a box of KFC, but the flight recorder of a Shenzhou spacecraft.”

 

• Using a rocket engine in a very unusual way

 

• Top Soyuz rocket manager claims they have completed design of a methane-burning rocket with a reusable booster

If you believe this is going to be built any time in the near future, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you cheap.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Construction on commercial launch tower a China’s Wenchang spaceport begins

This launchpad will apparently be reserved for use by China’s pseudo-companies.

 

• Europe working to develop its own system for tracking objects in orbit

For decades Europe depended on the American military’s tracking system. Based on this article, it appears it will likely be years yet before Europe’s own system is established, unless Europe decides to hire private enterprise to provide it.

 

• Arianespace still has three Soyuz rockets in storage in French Guiana

It appears that no negotiations are presently under way to return them, which would likely also require the return by the Russians of the OneWeb satellites it confiscated.

 

• Engineers at Chinese pseudo-company Landspace repurposed ultrasonic cleaning machine for crayfish for cleaning cooling channels in rocket nozzles

As much as we tend to disparage China’s ability to independently develop new technology — generally stealing ideas from others — this story illustrates that we must also never underestimate it. These are smart people, and they continue to do marvelous things in space, not all of which are copies.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer. Sorry this is posted late, but Diane and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary hiking and then going to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner.

• Boeing and NASA are now targeting mid-April for first manned Starliner mission

 

• Progress to launch February 9th to ISS

The replacement Soyuz follows ten days later.

 

• SpaceX’s Gwynne Shotwell dropped in at ESA’s Brussels conference this week

From the reporter: “Surely nothing more than idle curiosity.”

 

• Chinese satellite company with links in Luxembourg sanctioned by U.S. for providing Ukraine imagery to Russia

Utterly meaningless, as the company’s operations are almost all in China, it launches on Chinese rockets, and most important it is a Chinese pseudo-company, fundamentally supervised by the Chinese government. They certainly are not going to care about U.S. sanctions.

 

• Short animation of Venus’ atmosphere

No information is provided about the source of this imagery, so for all we know, it is entirely fabricated.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• BepiColumbo and Solar Orbiter release results from their flybys of Venus on August 9-10, 2021

The data mostly provided information about the weak magnetosphere that surrounds Venus

 

• Roscosmos chief in discussions about developing hydrogen-fueled rocket engine

The engine was first proposed as part of a joint Russian-American project but never finished. The project will likely go nowhere, first because hydrogen is not the smartest fuel to use because it is so difficult to handle, and second because it is unlikely Russia has the capability or money to do it right now.

 

• Two Russian executives sentenced to prison terms for corruption involving rocket engine sales to U.S.

As Jay noted, “The usual graft and corruption in Russia.”

 

• OneWeb satellites on the way to India for launch

 

• Chopsticks now fully attached to tower at Cape Canaveral

The crane that lifted the chopsticks has now released them.

 

• First stage of Vulcan is now vertical at ULA assembly building at Kennedy

Next step, stacking the Centaur upper stage, followed by the payloads. Launch is still aiming for the end of March.