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Category Archives: Space
BFR And Space Solar Power
Thoughts from Brian Wang. Keith Henson has been pushing Skylon for this for some time. As noted in comments, for a project of that scale, it would probably make more sense to use lunar materials than to launch it all from earth.
The Space Frontier Act
It’s nice to see bipartisan action on this useful bill, but I don’t see it as doing much about the frontier. And I’m glad that they’re finally taking OCST out of the FAA, something I’ve been advocating for a quarter of a century, ever since Gore buried it there.
The Latest NASA OIG Report
I haven’t read it yet, but I question the assumptions.
Terraforming Mars
There’s not enough CO2 there. Doesn’t seem like a problem to me; just import carbon and oxygen (and hydrogen) from carbonaceous asteroids in the belt. And of course, they have to throw this in:
If you believe it’s possible to terraform Mars, you also must believe in human-caused climate change, because it’s the same process. Even if it’s impossible to terraform Mars, it’s clearly possible to areoform the mid-latitudes of Earth. Because people are doing it.
Ummmmm…no. We’re not.
Meanwhile, Tim Fernholz says we’re going to have to be careful to not contaminate the water there.
Coming Into Port
Pauline Acaline got some nice telephotos of JRTI and Mr. Steven coming into the port of Los Angeles after retrieving the latest Falcon 9 Block 5 and half of the fairing. It’s amazing how clean those rockets are coming back with the new design.
Happy Birthday To NASA
It’s sixty years old today.
I think it’s earned an early retirement.
[Via Gail Heriot, with the usual stupidity about “Muslim outreach” in the comments]
Regulating Space Activity
I oppose the Senate version of this bill.
I think that Commerce should be in charge, and I’ve said in the recent past, keep the FAA’s head in the clouds.
The First Block 5 Reuse
Take that, STS. When they demonstrate the one-day turn, that will be history making.
[Sunday-morning update]
Commenters are noting that the one-week turnaround was for the drone ship, not the booster.
Congress Tells USAF To Consider Reusables
Eric Berger has the latest.
@SciGuySpace Part of that history was the idiotic policy in the early 90s of telling USAF to use expendables, and assigning reusables to NASA, which resulted in the disastrous X-33 and X-34 programs, which "proved" that reusables couldn't be done.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) July 27, 2018