He won’t stop talking. He used to call me and bend my ear quite a bit. But he means well.
Category Archives: Space
SLS Follies
The latest.
Spending $23,000,000,000 to get to flight 1. https://t.co/MSgbBxjukp
— Ben Brockert (@wikkit) May 15, 2017
Here’s a nice timeline of the mess going back to the original idiotic NASA authorization in 2010.
What a Charlie Foxtrot.
Humans To Mars
In the wake of last week’s conference, the 2017 report is out.
EM-1
It this is true, it’s outrageously hypocritical. A dangerous pointless stunt.
Per the crewed EM-1. The decision's been made. No one's talking, but it's kinda the worst kept secret they will green light it. #SLSHailMary
— Chris B – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) May 8, 2017
[Update a few minutes later]
More thoughts from Doug Messier.
[Update a while later]
Bob Zimmerman is less than impressed.
[Tuesday-morning update]
NASA is probably using crewed EM-1 to cover for a(nother) delay, due to bad hydrogen-tank welds: https://t.co/wyYqQoFLBV
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) May 9, 2017
[Bumped]
Friday-morning update]
Telecon now set for 3pm ET. https://t.co/HA11QImtrC
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 12, 2017
If anything other than "We have decided the risk to crew is not justified by the value of the mission," steam will be coming out of my ears. https://t.co/xNwNxVvuMn
— SafeNotAnOption (@SafeNotAnOption) May 12, 2017
[Bumped again]
[Update just before noon Pacific]
Listen to the press conference live here.
[Update after presser has started]
Emilee Speck is quick to the draw.
[Update a few minutes later]
Chris BerginGebhart has a more detailed story (much of which was probably pre-written).
[Update a while later]
Here‘s Jeff Foust’s take.
[Update mid afternoon]
Eric Berger: Blame the Senate for the schedule delays.
China And Asteroids
This sounds sort of hinky to me (as is usually the case with Chinese space announcements). They’re going to bring an asteroid into cislunar space within a decade, but don’t think they’ll have the technology to process it until four decades from now? And how does getting artificial gravity from a spinning asteroid work, exactly? Also, pretty sure there will be some intense discussions about what kind of liability China will assume under the Liability Convention if they attempt this.
The Latest From The Apollo Cargo Cult
[Friday-morning update]
Bad news for SLS is good new for those of us who want an actual, vibrant space industry.
Masten
They had an oopsie with Xaero-B. Hope it’s not too much of a setback.
[Update a while later]
@rocketrepreneur @spacecom It isn't a sad day. We gained valuable insight and data doing something very unique. Wasn't the first try and is exactly why we test.
— Masten Space Systems (@mastenspace) May 11, 2017
[Update a few more minutes later]
@rocketrepreneur @spacecom We have what will be our largest lander design to date currently under construction at MSFC. We are encouraged about what we are doing next.
— Masten Space Systems (@mastenspace) May 11, 2017
Low-Cost Launch
The military could have it in the next half decade, but it’s going to have to work at it:
Miller argued that taking advantage of the current opportunities is going to require leadership from an organization that doesn’t exist yet in the Pentagon.
“We need an organization that’s not totally there,” he said. “We need an organization that has the right culture to understand private industry and partner with them. It needs to have the right authorities…It needs to have the right leadership and vision to go exercise this plan. We did not find any existing organization that has all the right qualities now, so we recommended creating a purpose-built organization to go execute this strategy.”
Schilling said the study was “not an indictment in any way shape or form” of the work of the Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space Office in New Mexico.
He has to say that, but in fact it is. ORS has been pretty blinkered in its thinking. Of course, it’s not like it’s ever had a huge budget to work with.
[Update a few minutes later]
Funding to defend space systems will be in the next budget:
“Our fundamental challenge is we have to deal with space as an increasingly challenged domain,” he said at a Washington Space Business Roundtable panel discussion in Arlington, Virginia, on national security space priorities in the Trump administration. The problem is that the current systems were not built to withstand attacks, he added.
“What you will see in the budget is measured steps across the enterprise on how we address mission assurance,” he said, without going into details on how much will be proposed.
They will be “measured steps” and the work will take many several budget cycles, beyond the current future year defense program, which projects funding out for five years.
“It took us a long time to build the existing system. It is going to take a significant amount of time to transform it into the mission-assured system that is required in the future,” he said.
Yes. And the sooner they start the better. This is long overdue.
Space Mining
I talked about it with John Batchelor and David Livingston last week.
[Update a few minutes later]
Space mining may be only a decade away. That’s basically what I said on Hotel Mars.
Red Dragon
2018 isn’t happening, but they may send two Dragons to Mars in 2020.
[Update a while later]
Meanwhile, in Michoud…
SLS LOX Dome Dropped And Damaged Beyond Repair https://t.co/TkOkVUAEr7 @NASA_SLS #NASA pic.twitter.com/6daG95g7TX
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 10, 2017
It’s almost metaphorical.
[Update a few minutes later]
@WeHaveMECO so it was a suborbital drop?
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 10, 2017
@WeHaveMECO @SciGuySpace Every drop is suborbital.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) May 10, 2017