They performed a high-altitude escape test today, apparently successfully, and it carried a lot of experiments. I hope this is their last milestone before flying test passengers.
Category Archives: Space
I’ll Have a Bloody Tongue
I scored a ticket to the VIP gala at KSC Saturday night, to celebrate the 49th anniversary of the first moon landing. I just found out I’ll be seated at a front table with commercial-spaceflight basher Walt Cunningham.
The Need To Settle Mars
A long essay, from James Poulos. I assume that this will be in the same issue mine and Zubrin’s will be.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Scratch that last. This was apparently in the Spring edition. Ours will be in the Summer edition.
Space Is Not A Global Commons
A Twitter thread from the U.S. representative to COPUOS.
A thread on why outer space is not a global commons! #spacelaw #globalcommons #spacepolicy
1) "Global commons" is an ill-defined term. Different people mean different things: some mean "area beyond territorial jurisdiction", others something political, regarding rights.
— Gabriel Swiney (@Monkeybane_DC) July 16, 2018
Jupiter
Has ten more moons, for a new total of seventy nine. I’m old enough to remember when there were only four.
Photocatalysis
…in weightlessness. I think the solution to all of these sorts of problems is to build large spinning spacecraft. We haven’t been doing it only because space access has been too expensive.
Kill The Pork
There is a new petition on line to kill SLS/Orion and LOPG.
Commercial Crew
Brendan Byrne has a story on the latest nonsense. What does “solidify [NASA’s] risk tolerance process mean”? I guess I have to read the GAO report (as though I don’t have enough to do).
Nuclear Renaissance
New reactors are coming, for earth and space. It’s about time.
The NASA Deputy Administrator
I thought that Bridenstine was a great choice. I am aware of no reason to think that this isn’t a terrible one. It will be interesting to hear the rationale from Trump supporters.