Category Archives: Space

Business, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society, War Commentary

A Poor Choice For NASA

16 Comments

This is exactly the wrong person to chart a needed new course:

  • Kshatriya worked within JSC’s mission operations directorate, climbing the ladder from robotics staff to robotics operations lead working on ISS systems.
  • He then served a stint as a Mission Control flight director, where he oversaw cargo and crew missions to the ISS, before becoming deputy manager of the ISS vehicle office.
  • In 2021, Kshatriya moved to Washington, DC, as assistant deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development for the SLS, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems programs.
  • In 2023, he became deputy associate administrator for the Moon to Mars program.

In other words, despite concerns expressed yesterday about China in the Senate clown show, business as usual.

[Afternoon update]

Sorry, first link was wrong, fixed now.

[Update a few minutes later]

(Depressing) thoughts from Bob Zimmerman.

Business, Space, Technology and Society

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

34 Comments

OK, not tomorrow, but next Sunday, for the next Starship attempt.

[Monday-morning update

Stephen Clark has the story on what went wrong on previous flights, and what they’ve done to prevent a recurrence.

But I have no idea what the phrase “human-rated lander” means.

[Sunday-afternoon update]

Less than two hours to go, weather permitting.

[Bumped]

[Tuesday-morning update]

Third time’s the charm?

[Mid-morning update]

[Bumped]

[Afternoon update]

Here‘s the report from SpaceX itself.

[Thursday-morning update]

Plans for the near future:

Versions 1 and 2 were proof of concept; versions 3 and 4 will be the operational ones.

[Update early afternoon]

[Update a few minutes later]

Don’t anthromorphize spaceships; they hate when you do that.