China’s 2013 missions: another manned flight and a lunar landing.
The competition heats up: China in 2013: another manned flight and an unmanned lunar landing.
Tag: competition
Harry Reid said Thursday that the Democrats intend to raise the debt limit another $2.4 trillion.
The day of reckoning looms: Harry Reid said Thursday that the Democrats intend to raise the debt limit another $2.4 trillion.
Wall Street stocks plummeted today for the second day in a row.
The new America: Wall Street stocks plummeted today for the second day in a row.
I wonder why. What happened two days ago that might have shaken the confidence of the business world?
Sea Launch is considering moving its base of operations out of the United States.
Sea Launch is considering moving its base of operations out of the United States.
Hm. The timing of this story, right after the election, is intriguing, is it not?
Boeing to cut 30 percent of its management ranks.
Boeing to cut 30 percent of its management ranks.
This could be good news for the company. If they do this right, they will reduce their costs without hurting their ability to produce. That they made this announcement today, the day after the election, and that the cuts mostly involve their defense work also suggests it is linked to sequestration, despite the company’s denial.
The tragedy of Eritrea
The article is focused on the destruction by the Eritrean dictatorship of the country’s scientific and medical communities. I see this act of barbarism as merely a symptom of that country’s overall descent into tyranny.
Is GM headed for bankruptcy again?
Sierra Nevada is moving its mini-shuttle, Dream Chaser, into its own facility.
Sierra Nevada is moving its mini-shuttle, Dream Chaser, into its own facility.
This article isn’t really as positive as I’d like. For one, they haven’t even signed the lease for the building. Instead, it appears that the company is using this announcement, and the subsequent media coverage, to pressure the local city council to provide them subsidies. For another, the article mentions that drop tests of Dream Chaser will occur next spring, a significant delay from previous announcements. Both points make things appear far more tenuous than they should be.
A New Jersey town tells a volunteer utility crew from Alabama to go home — because they are non-union.
A New Jersey town tells a volunteer utility crew from Alabama to go home — because they are non-union.
The B612 foundation has signed its first contract for building Sentinel, its private infrared space telescope designed to find asteroids that might impact the Earth.
The B612 foundation has signed its first contract for building Sentinel, its private infrared space telescope designed to find asteroids that might impact the Earth.
One of the major backers has pulled out of a solar energy power plant plan for Africa and the Middle East.
One of the major backers has pulled out of a solar energy power plant plan for Africa and the Middle East.
“We see our part in Dii as done,” says spokesman Torsten Wolf of Siemens, one of 13 founding partners of the consortium, which is also based in Munich. Siemens also said that it will pull out of the solar-energy business altogether. Its decision was made in response to falling government subsidies for solar energy and a collapse in the price of solar equipment. But to DESERTEC’S critics, Siemens’ exit also adds to doubts about the plan, which is expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars. “DESERTEC is an ambitious attempt to do everything at once,” says Jenny Chase, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in Zurich, Switzerland. “I think it’s something that will be achieved organically, bit by bit, which will probably be cheaper, easier and achieve the same results.” [emphasis mine]
The cited reasons suggest some fundamental problems with this particular project. That Siemens is abandoning the solar energy entirely, citing the lose of government subsidies as one reason, also suggests there is something fundamental wrong with the industry itself.
Then again, it could be just like the new commercial space industry. Some companies are willing to take the risks to make the money even without subsidies, while others are not.
For the second time, a Progress freighter has launched and, after only four orbits, docked with ISS.
For the second time, a Progress freighter has launched and, after only four orbits, docked with ISS.
This was the fourth Progress launched this year, the second to follow an abbreviated four-orbit rendezvous with the space station. Russian flight controllers normally implement two-day rendezvous profiles, but they are perfecting procedures for single-day flights for possible use with manned Soyuz missions to shorten the time crews are forced to spend in the cramped ferry craft.
The Russians have used the leisurely two-day rendezvous path now for almost a half century. So, why are they suddenly trying to shorten the travel time to ISS to six hours? Though there are many good engineering reasons, I also suspect it is because they are now feeling the pressure of competition. The shorter travel time probably lowers their costs at mission control. It also makes using the Soyuz for manned flights more appealing. Dragon for example is presently using the two-day rendezvous path. And Dragon will soon become a direct competitor to Soyuz, when it begins flying humans in the next three to five years.
Dragon and its cargo have arrived in California for processing.
Dragon and its cargo have arrived in California for processing.
It appears that NASA is at the moment unconcerned should the investigation into the Falcon 9 engine failure on October 7 cause a delay in the next Dragon supply mission to ISS.
It appears that NASA is at the moment unconcerned should the investigation into the Falcon 9 engine failure on October 7 cause a delay in the next Dragon supply mission to ISS.
The supply cache delivered to the station in early to mid-2011 by the now-retired space shuttle placed the six-person orbiting science lab on a firm footing well into 2013, according to Mike Suffredini, NASA’s space station program manager. “The launch date itself, in January, is not really critical to the program from a supply standpoint,” Suffredini told an Oct. 26 news briefing. “So we have some flexibility.”
In the short run a delay here would not be critical. A long delay, which is unlikely, would however not be good for operations on the station, and illustrates why it is very important to get the Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus cargo capsule up an running as soon as possible.
A new rocket enters the field
A small company, aiming to build a small rocket system for launching nano-sized satellites, has successfully tested its rocket engine. Hat tip Clark Lindsey at NewSpace Watch.
Three points:
» Read more
Dragon has undocked from ISS and is on its way back to Earth
Dragon has undocked from ISS and is on its way back to Earth.
And here’s a nice description of the “creepy” cargo it is bringing back.
Update: Dragon has successfully splashed down. More here.
Hurricane Sandy has forced Orbital Sciences to suspend the engine tests of the Antares rocket.
Hurricane Sandy has forced Orbital Sciences to suspend the engine tests of the Antares rocket.
Sugru: the story of the invention of this ultimate repair tool.
Sugru: the story of the invention of this ultimate repair tool.
Stratolaunch has officially opened its production facility in Mojave.
The competition heats up: Stratolaunch has officially opened its production facility in Mojave.
On Wednesday Richard Branson told an audience of students in Poland that the first paid tourist flight of SpaceShipTwo is at least 12 to 18 months away.
On Wednesday Richard Branson told an audience of students in Poland that the first paid tourist flight of SpaceShipTwo is at least 12 to 18 months away.
That seems about right. This gives them about a year of powered flight tests, all manned but with no paying customers, in order to make sure the system is save for customers.