An interesting interview of one of the most fascinating men of the 20th century. I saw him at ISDC, and he is holding up well mentally, though he’s been physically frail for decades.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
Well, the comments have certainly drifted on this one.
Chris Davenport has an in-depth story on the coming age of American human spaceflight. I’d note that in the future, one will not need to learn to speak Russian to go into space. That will be a relic of a happily bygone era.
As one of the few remaining moon walkers, I admire him, which is why it saddens me to see him regurgitating pro-SLS propaganda. I’m in the last throes of a proposal, or I’d take it apart, but maybe someone else will.
That’s quite a hed and URL of this NYT story about private space facilities. I don’t know why it would require fifteen weeks of training, though. I think that’s more likely to put wealthy people off than the price tag.
[Wednesday update]
Alan Boyle (unsurprisingly) has a better story about it.
[Bumped]
A couple of user experiences, here and here.
[Update a few minutes later]
Slightly related: SpaceX is going to attempt a second-stage entry with a giant party balloon.
Doug Messier is less than impressed with Peter’s latest announcement. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time (the 1990s).
An interesting story, with bonus fairing halves. I should drive down there some time and check it out myself.
[Update a few minutes later]
Also, a new hangar facility, control tower and rocket garden at KSC.
Tanya Harrison has the story. As always, a reminder that people who want to settle Mars should hope that we don’t find life there.
Some advice from Scott Hubbard. But here is the problem:
…the new administrator must provide NASA and the rest of the world much more clarity on the brief statement issued by Vice President Pence and the newly revived Space Council that the United States will “lead the return of humans to the Moon.” Studies of the future of human space exploration have for decades emphasized that Mars is the target of greatest interest for reasons of science and exploration.1–4 The last initiative that attempted to include both human landings on the Moon and eventually Mars, the so-called Constellation program, collapsed from its own budgetary (over) weight.
Two points: First, the assumption that human spaceflight is about “science and exploration.” I’ve written about this error at length. Second is the notion that Constellation collapsed because it was attempting to do both the Mars and moon. It wasn’t seriously trying to do either. NASA wasn’t seriously trying to do either.
Georg von Tiesenhausen died on Sunday, at the age of 104. He was the last of von Braun’s rocket team. Amazing that he lived so long after what he went through in his youth.