Tag: commercial
Mars One only had about 4,000 applicants, not 200,000
In the heat of competition: The private Mars One project that claims it will fly people to Mars on a one-way trip, got only 4,227 applications, not 200,000 as they originally reported.
The link does a good job outlining the many questions and problems this project has, which I have always believed was nothing more than a publicity stunt that will go nowhere.
In the heat of competition: The private Mars One project that claims it will fly people to Mars on a one-way trip, got only 4,227 applications, not 200,000 as they originally reported.
The link does a good job outlining the many questions and problems this project has, which I have always believed was nothing more than a publicity stunt that will go nowhere.
Akilah Hughes – Every youtube video ever
An evening pause: Hilarious video on the banality of much of youtube and our modern culture from Akilah Hughes.
Air Force asks private companies to develop new rocket engines
The competition heats up: The Air Force has issued a request for proposals for the development of new rocket engines to replace the Russian engine used on the Atlas 5 rocket.
The press release is a little vague in that it seems to be calling for the development of this new engine, but it could also be interpreted as calling for the development of an entire rocket system. The amount of money involved is too small for this, however, so I suspect we are only talking about engine development here.
Meanwhile, they will continue to issue launch contracts to ULA and SpaceX while they wait for this new engine to be developed. Note also that this sure is a good deal for ULA, getting the Air Force to pay for upgrades to its Atlas 5 rocket.
The competition heats up: The Air Force has issued a request for proposals for the development of new rocket engines to replace the Russian engine used on the Atlas 5 rocket.
The press release is a little vague in that it seems to be calling for the development of this new engine, but it could also be interpreted as calling for the development of an entire rocket system. The amount of money involved is too small for this, however, so I suspect we are only talking about engine development here.
Meanwhile, they will continue to issue launch contracts to ULA and SpaceX while they wait for this new engine to be developed. Note also that this sure is a good deal for ULA, getting the Air Force to pay for upgrades to its Atlas 5 rocket.
ULA to trim management by 30%
The competition heats up: In order to make itself more efficient and competitive, ULA has decided to cut its management by 30%.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno has said ULA must shrink to remain successful under reduced U.S. military budgets and with Elon Musk’s SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) being certified to compete against ULA for national security mission launches. “To achieve that transformation, we are reducing the number of executive positions by 30 percent and offered a voluntary layoff for those interested on the executive leadership team,” said ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye. “It is important for ULA to move forward early in the process with our leadership selections to ensure a seamless transition and our continued focus on mission success.”
This news should be looked at in the context of a proposed Senate bill that requires the Air Force to significantly cut funding to ULA.
Not only would the bill cut an annual $1 billion payment from the Air Force to ULA, it would put severe restrictions on the number of Russian engines ULA could use in its Atlas 5, which in turn will limit the number of launches the Air Force can buy from the company.
The competition heats up: In order to make itself more efficient and competitive, ULA has decided to cut its management by 30%.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno has said ULA must shrink to remain successful under reduced U.S. military budgets and with Elon Musk’s SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) being certified to compete against ULA for national security mission launches. “To achieve that transformation, we are reducing the number of executive positions by 30 percent and offered a voluntary layoff for those interested on the executive leadership team,” said ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye. “It is important for ULA to move forward early in the process with our leadership selections to ensure a seamless transition and our continued focus on mission success.”
This news should be looked at in the context of a proposed Senate bill that requires the Air Force to significantly cut funding to ULA.
Not only would the bill cut an annual $1 billion payment from the Air Force to ULA, it would put severe restrictions on the number of Russian engines ULA could use in its Atlas 5, which in turn will limit the number of launches the Air Force can buy from the company.
Steve Martin – The Crow
An evening pause: Here’s Steve Martin, Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, and Brittany Hass playing a song written by Steve Martin.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
LightSail deployment scheduled for Tuesday
Assuming all goes well with the orbital preparations today, LightSail will perform its test deployment on Tuesday at 11:44 am.
If successful, this deployment will achieve several significant engineering firsts, the most important of which will be to have demonstrated that a cubesat can be used for such a task. Proving that fact will increase their commercial usefulness for future space endeavors.
Assuming all goes well with the orbital preparations today, LightSail will perform its test deployment on Tuesday at 11:44 am.
If successful, this deployment will achieve several significant engineering firsts, the most important of which will be to have demonstrated that a cubesat can be used for such a task. Proving that fact will increase their commercial usefulness for future space endeavors.
Highlights from the just completed 2015 robotics conference in Seattle
Link here. The impression I get is of a very vibrant commercial industry now making a lot of money developing robots for a gigantic range of industrial and commercial uses. Most are industrial, but it is very clear that this technology is very steadily easing its way into public use.
Link here. The impression I get is of a very vibrant commercial industry now making a lot of money developing robots for a gigantic range of industrial and commercial uses. Most are industrial, but it is very clear that this technology is very steadily easing its way into public use.
LightSail reboots and restores communications
The Planetary Society’s solar sail engineering cubesat test LightSail has rebooted its computers and re-established communications with Earth.
The mission’s primary mission is to test the engineering design of the deployment of the solar sail. They will now be able to proceed with this deployment.
The Planetary Society’s solar sail engineering cubesat test LightSail has rebooted its computers and re-established communications with Earth.
The mission’s primary mission is to test the engineering design of the deployment of the solar sail. They will now be able to proceed with this deployment.
India’s spaceplane prototype to fly by August
The competition heats up: The first test flight of India’s prototype scaled-down version of a reusable spaceplane is expected by late July or early August at the latest.
It appears the Modi government is accelerating development of this mini-shuttle, which is essentially India’s version of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser. If they build it first, it will mean they will have the chance to grab the business that Sierra Nevada has been hoping to grab.
The competition heats up: The first test flight of India’s prototype scaled-down version of a reusable spaceplane is expected by late July or early August at the latest.
It appears the Modi government is accelerating development of this mini-shuttle, which is essentially India’s version of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser. If they build it first, it will mean they will have the chance to grab the business that Sierra Nevada has been hoping to grab.
New flights from SpaceShipTwo will likely not happen for years
In the heat of competition: A variety of unnamed sources are saying that Virgin Galactic’s new SpaceShipTwo will will likely not fly for years.
This quote is especially telling:
As to when that commercial service might actually be ready, one former Virgin Galactic employee told Newsnight: “I can’t say whether it will be two years or whether it will be five… They have a huge, huge, way to go.”
So is this quote from Doug Messier, quoted in the article:
“This program’s claimed four lives already and it’s had four powered flights and they haven’t gotten anywhere near space in 10 years.”
When summed up, as Messier does, Virgin Galactic’s effort sure sounds disappointing, doesn’t it?
In the heat of competition: A variety of unnamed sources are saying that Virgin Galactic’s new SpaceShipTwo will will likely not fly for years.
This quote is especially telling:
As to when that commercial service might actually be ready, one former Virgin Galactic employee told Newsnight: “I can’t say whether it will be two years or whether it will be five… They have a huge, huge, way to go.”
So is this quote from Doug Messier, quoted in the article:
“This program’s claimed four lives already and it’s had four powered flights and they haven’t gotten anywhere near space in 10 years.”
When summed up, as Messier does, Virgin Galactic’s effort sure sounds disappointing, doesn’t it?
Carrie Underwood – Different Drum
An evening pause: For a long time I tried and failed to find an original performance of this song by Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, but could never find it. Carrie Underwood, however, does a great Ronstadt imitation at Ronstadt’s 2014 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Hat tip Danae.
ESA and Airbus Safran agree on deal to build Ariane 6
The competition heats up: Airbus Safran have come to an agreement with the European Space Agency on building Ariane 6, Europe’s next commercial rocket.
The key part of the deal is that ESA and Arianespace will be ceding ownership of the rocket to Airbus Safran.
The French government is likely to approve the sale of CNES’s 34-percent stake in the Evry, France-based Arianespace launch service provider to Airbus Safran Launchers at about the same time as the Ariane 6 development contract is signed.
With that sale, Airbus Safran will control Arianespace, which means they will also own the rocket they are building for Arianespace. This is fundamentally different than the situation with Ariane 5, which Airbus built for an Arianespace owned and run by the many-headed ESA. The result was a bloated government-run operation that never made a profit.
Now Airbus will own it instead. They have already indicated that they will trim the costs at Arianespace. More importantly, with ownership will come the freedom to compete effectively in the much more competitive launch market created by the arrival of SpaceX. No need to get permission from ESA to do things.
The competition heats up: Airbus Safran have come to an agreement with the European Space Agency on building Ariane 6, Europe’s next commercial rocket.
The key part of the deal is that ESA and Arianespace will be ceding ownership of the rocket to Airbus Safran.
The French government is likely to approve the sale of CNES’s 34-percent stake in the Evry, France-based Arianespace launch service provider to Airbus Safran Launchers at about the same time as the Ariane 6 development contract is signed.
With that sale, Airbus Safran will control Arianespace, which means they will also own the rocket they are building for Arianespace. This is fundamentally different than the situation with Ariane 5, which Airbus built for an Arianespace owned and run by the many-headed ESA. The result was a bloated government-run operation that never made a profit.
Now Airbus will own it instead. They have already indicated that they will trim the costs at Arianespace. More importantly, with ownership will come the freedom to compete effectively in the much more competitive launch market created by the arrival of SpaceX. No need to get permission from ESA to do things.
The replacement SpaceShipTwo gets its legs
The competition heats up? Virgin Galactic’s replacement SpaceShipTwo has successfully lowered its landing gear for the first time.
I wish them luck, but they will have to do a lot more before I will believe them when they say they are making progress.
The competition heats up? Virgin Galactic’s replacement SpaceShipTwo has successfully lowered its landing gear for the first time.
I wish them luck, but they will have to do a lot more before I will believe them when they say they are making progress.
Sesame Street – Fat Cat Sat Hat
Russian rocket engines ready for shipment to U.S.
The competition heats up: An engine that Russia has developed for its Angara rocket has now been tested and is ready for shipment to the U.S. for use in the first stage of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket.
This new engine will replace the refurbished Soviet-era engines Antares had been using previously that had caused the October launch failure. Note also that since Antares is not a military rocket, it does not fall under the Congressional ban for Russian engines that limits their use on ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket. As the article notes,
On Jan. 16, 2015, RKK Energia, parent company of NPO Energomash, announced that it had reached an agreement with the American company Orbital Sciences Corporation, OSC, on the export of RD-181 engines for the first stage of the Antares rocket, thus replacing the NK-33 engines previously used on the launcher. The contract, worth around $1 billion, was actually signed and ratified by the Russian government in December 2014. According to the document, a total of 60 RD-181 engines would be delivered to OSC beginning in June 2015.
This deal means that Antares will likely be back in business soon, though it will still be dependent on Russian-built equipment, which carries its own risks. It also means that Orbital ATK will not be able to sell Antares to the U.S. military, limiting its marketability.
The competition heats up: An engine that Russia has developed for its Angara rocket has now been tested and is ready for shipment to the U.S. for use in the first stage of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket.
This new engine will replace the refurbished Soviet-era engines Antares had been using previously that had caused the October launch failure. Note also that since Antares is not a military rocket, it does not fall under the Congressional ban for Russian engines that limits their use on ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket. As the article notes,
On Jan. 16, 2015, RKK Energia, parent company of NPO Energomash, announced that it had reached an agreement with the American company Orbital Sciences Corporation, OSC, on the export of RD-181 engines for the first stage of the Antares rocket, thus replacing the NK-33 engines previously used on the launcher. The contract, worth around $1 billion, was actually signed and ratified by the Russian government in December 2014. According to the document, a total of 60 RD-181 engines would be delivered to OSC beginning in June 2015.
This deal means that Antares will likely be back in business soon, though it will still be dependent on Russian-built equipment, which carries its own risks. It also means that Orbital ATK will not be able to sell Antares to the U.S. military, limiting its marketability.
ABBA – Arrival
An evening pause: Performed live at the 2014 Netherlands Military Tattoo, their version of Great Britain’s annual Proms.
Hat tip Danae.
Russian rocket now garden furniture in England
A British businessman has purchased a discarded Russian rocket and installed it in his garden as decoration.
Almost 40ft long and weighing five tonne, the rocket was first flown in 1991 after being built by the Russians in collaboration with NASA at a cost $10 million. For ten years it held the record for the fastest ever made-made machine before it was jettisoned as archaic.
Somehow it ended up at a car auction at South Marston where it was spotted by Mr Sweet while checking out vintage motors. Mr Sweet, who runs the Cirencester-based computer company Zycko, said: “I saw it for sale at a car auction and decided to buy it, not really knowing what I was going to do with it.”
I am curious how the rocket had ended up being owned and offered for sale by a UK company that “specializes in car restorations.” I also wonder if this might be a major new profit center for the struggling Russian rocket industry.
A British businessman has purchased a discarded Russian rocket and installed it in his garden as decoration.
Almost 40ft long and weighing five tonne, the rocket was first flown in 1991 after being built by the Russians in collaboration with NASA at a cost $10 million. For ten years it held the record for the fastest ever made-made machine before it was jettisoned as archaic.
Somehow it ended up at a car auction at South Marston where it was spotted by Mr Sweet while checking out vintage motors. Mr Sweet, who runs the Cirencester-based computer company Zycko, said: “I saw it for sale at a car auction and decided to buy it, not really knowing what I was going to do with it.”
I am curious how the rocket had ended up being owned and offered for sale by a UK company that “specializes in car restorations.” I also wonder if this might be a major new profit center for the struggling Russian rocket industry.
NSF to help fund the development of implantable antennas
What could possibly go wrong? The National Science Foundation (NSF) is providing funding for the development of an implantable antenna for health care, including the possibility for “long-term patient monitoring.”
The project is being financed in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of Korea to create a high frequency antenna that can be permanently implanted under a person’s skin. “Antennas operating near or inside the human body are important for a number of applications, including healthcare,” a grant for the project said. “Implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and retinal implants are a growing feature of modern healthcare, and implantable antennas for these devices are necessary to monitor battery level and device health, to upload and download data used in patient monitoring, and more.”
The grant said that an implantable device could be used for “long-term patient monitoring” and “biometric tracking,” or using technology to verify a person’s identity.
Without any doubt there are many very useful applications for such an implantable device. Monitoring battery life on pacemakers is an obvious one. There will be a problem, however, if anyone but the patient can do the monitoring. I can see too many possible misuses occurring should it be in anyone else’s hands. At a minimum, there are big privacy concerns.
What could possibly go wrong? The National Science Foundation (NSF) is providing funding for the development of an implantable antenna for health care, including the possibility for “long-term patient monitoring.”
The project is being financed in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of Korea to create a high frequency antenna that can be permanently implanted under a person’s skin. “Antennas operating near or inside the human body are important for a number of applications, including healthcare,” a grant for the project said. “Implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and retinal implants are a growing feature of modern healthcare, and implantable antennas for these devices are necessary to monitor battery level and device health, to upload and download data used in patient monitoring, and more.”
The grant said that an implantable device could be used for “long-term patient monitoring” and “biometric tracking,” or using technology to verify a person’s identity.
Without any doubt there are many very useful applications for such an implantable device. Monitoring battery life on pacemakers is an obvious one. There will be a problem, however, if anyone but the patient can do the monitoring. I can see too many possible misuses occurring should it be in anyone else’s hands. At a minimum, there are big privacy concerns.
ISS module rearrangement a success
Astronauts and ground controllers today successfully used the space station’s robot arm to relocate one of the station’s modules to a different port in order to facilitate the future arrival of two American cargo freighters and two American manned ferries.
The link provides a very detailed explanation of what was done and why.
Astronauts and ground controllers today successfully used the space station’s robot arm to relocate one of the station’s modules to a different port in order to facilitate the future arrival of two American cargo freighters and two American manned ferries.
The link provides a very detailed explanation of what was done and why.
Solar sail experiment stymied by software crash
The Planetary Society’s LightSail solar sail test mission, launched as a secondary payload on last week’s Atlas 5 X-37B launch, has fallen silent because of a software problem.
The communications problem occurred before the mission could achieve its main engineering goal of testing the deployment of the solar sail. They still hope to regain communications, but time is limited as the cubesat is in a low orbit that will decade relatively quickly.
The Planetary Society’s LightSail solar sail test mission, launched as a secondary payload on last week’s Atlas 5 X-37B launch, has fallen silent because of a software problem.
The communications problem occurred before the mission could achieve its main engineering goal of testing the deployment of the solar sail. They still hope to regain communications, but time is limited as the cubesat is in a low orbit that will decade relatively quickly.
Air Force finally certifies SpaceX
The competition heats up: The Air Force on Tuesday certified SpaceX to permit it to bid and launch military payloads.
This puts big pressure on ULA, which no longer has a monopoly on all military launches. In order to gain contracts they are going to have to compete, lowering their prices to match SpaceX’s.
The competition heats up: The Air Force on Tuesday certified SpaceX to permit it to bid and launch military payloads.
This puts big pressure on ULA, which no longer has a monopoly on all military launches. In order to gain contracts they are going to have to compete, lowering their prices to match SpaceX’s.
Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
New world record for longest hoverboard flight
The inventor of a hoverboard designed to be flown by an individual standing on the board has set a new world record, flying more than 900 feet.
Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandru Duru traveled a distance of 275.9 m (905.2 ft) on a propeller-based hoverboard he created himself. The machine was reportedly designed and built over the course of 12 months. “I wanted to showcase that a stable flight can be achieved on a hoverboard and a human could stand and control with their feet,” Duru is quoted as saying to Guinness World Records, which has recognized the feat.
Video of the flight is below the fold. It appears he essentially scaled up a drone to carry human weight.
» Read more
The inventor of a hoverboard designed to be flown by an individual standing on the board has set a new world record, flying more than 900 feet.
Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandru Duru traveled a distance of 275.9 m (905.2 ft) on a propeller-based hoverboard he created himself. The machine was reportedly designed and built over the course of 12 months. “I wanted to showcase that a stable flight can be achieved on a hoverboard and a human could stand and control with their feet,” Duru is quoted as saying to Guinness World Records, which has recognized the feat.
Video of the flight is below the fold. It appears he essentially scaled up a drone to carry human weight.
» Read more
ISS reconfiguration moves forward
In anticipation of the arrival of privately-built manned capsules, NASA will continue the rearrangement of its modules on ISS on Wednesday.
NASA intends to televise the event, if you wish to watch.
In anticipation of the arrival of privately-built manned capsules, NASA will continue the rearrangement of its modules on ISS on Wednesday.
NASA intends to televise the event, if you wish to watch.
UAE establishes space agency
The competition heats up: The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in conjunction with its goal to send an unmanned probe to Mars, has announced the formation of its own NASA-like space agency.
Reading the long official press announcement at the link above will make you realize that a lot of this is public relations fluff being pushed by the UAE’s sheiks. Stripping that away, what I find left is mostly a program to educate students.
The competition heats up: The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in conjunction with its goal to send an unmanned probe to Mars, has announced the formation of its own NASA-like space agency.
Reading the long official press announcement at the link above will make you realize that a lot of this is public relations fluff being pushed by the UAE’s sheiks. Stripping that away, what I find left is mostly a program to educate students.
Corruption in the Russian space industry
A slew of stories in the Russian press today illustrate again the deeply ingrained problems that country has, both in corruption and in its ability to produce a quality product.
- Source says Russian rocket crash caused by human error
- Some 100 space industry officials fired over three years – deputy PM
- First suspect under house arrest over embezzlement in Russia’s space sector
- Audit reveals $1.8 billion financial violations at Russia’s space agency
The last story describes the overall scale of the corruption, which is not confined just to the space sector, but can be found in many industries. The aerospace industry just happens to be the most visible outside Russia, and thus the most embarrassing. Yet,
» Read more
The Dragon launchpad abort test, from the capsule’s point of view
XCOR gets funding from Chinese venture capital firm
The competition heats up: The suborbital space tourism company XCOR has received an influx of capital from a Chinese venture capital firm.
The amount was not disclosed, but the infusion of cash can only help the company move forward on its effort to build a suborbital reusable space plane for carrying tourists.
The competition heats up: The suborbital space tourism company XCOR has received an influx of capital from a Chinese venture capital firm.
The amount was not disclosed, but the infusion of cash can only help the company move forward on its effort to build a suborbital reusable space plane for carrying tourists.
Japan to upgrade its ISS cargo freighter
The competition heats up: Japan has decided to upgrade its HTV cargo freighter to ISS by cutting its weight by 30% and reducing the cost to build it by half.
Without doubt the success of the U.S. in quickly building two private and relatively inexpensive freighters, Dragon and Cygnus, has influenced this decision. The managers in Japan have realized that the HTV is not efficient and could be streamlined, and they are trying now to do it.
Isn’t competition a wonderful thing?
The competition heats up: Japan has decided to upgrade its HTV cargo freighter to ISS by cutting its weight by 30% and reducing the cost to build it by half.
Without doubt the success of the U.S. in quickly building two private and relatively inexpensive freighters, Dragon and Cygnus, has influenced this decision. The managers in Japan have realized that the HTV is not efficient and could be streamlined, and they are trying now to do it.
Isn’t competition a wonderful thing?