…sees a golden age of space entrepreneurship. Thanks to people like him, so do I. We’d previously heard he’d invested half a billion or so, but now he’s saying a billion a year. That’s serious.
Category Archives: Space
Enceladus
Is it the most likely place to look for life in the solar system? I know that Carolyn Porco thinks so. Or at least that it’s a better prospect than Europa. Plus, we haven’t been warned to attempt no landings there.
It’s obviously a lot harder mission than Europa, but it seems like going to Europa to look for life instead of Enceladus is like the guy who went to a different block to look for his lost car keys because the light was better there.
Falcon Heavy
This should be easy, they said. Just glue three Falcon 9s together, they said:
Musk said the rocket cores for Falcon Heavy’s first flight are two to three months away from completion. He emphasized that the first launch will carry a lot of risk, and as such, SpaceX doesn’t plan to carry a valuable payload or payloads with it.
“We will probably fly something really silly on Falcon Heavy because it is quite a high risk mission,” he said.
I’m glad to see that they’re finally coming close. It’s an important development, both technically and politically. Also, the claimed LEO payload is now up to 64 tonnes, so it’s almost the capability of SLS Block 1B.
[Update early afternoon]
If we want bigger telescopes or to go to Mars, we need heavy lift, “experts” say.
Nonsense.
Why The Patriarchy Hates The Moon
I think Sam Kriss had a little too much time on his hands.
North Korea
Some are poo pooing the latest test, but they seem to be continuing to advance their technology. Here‘s a useful backgrounder, via Austin Bay. More here.
Capitalism In Space
Milspace
An interview with Mike Rogers. At the Space Symposium today he announced that he’s going to introduce legislation to create a Space Corps, attached to the Air Force, presumably per Coyote’s recommendation. This was amusing, though:
Is the development of a replacement for the Atlas 5 rocket’s RD-180 moving quickly enough? Is it moving in a direction you’re satisfied with?
Well, it’s not quick enough. I’m very happy that we’re staying after it. My subcommittee, our full committee, this Congress, is committed to not stop until we have an American-made engine that can get our national security space assets launched. And we’re not going to stop. I’m encouraged. I think we’re pretty close to getting a new engine that’s going to be viable.
Pretty sure he wants to engine that will be built in Alabama, even though no rocket manufacturer wants it.
“Now To Make It Pay Off”
Jeff Foust’s take on the SpaceX success, over at The Space Review. I’d like to be surprised that people are surprised, but I’m not. Elon could have regular service operating between earth and Mars, with thousands living there, while NASA is still planning the first flight of SLS, and some people would complain that he’s not building starships.
The Dawn Of Commercial Spaceflight
I’m still trying to put what happened yesterday into historical perspective, but I think it will be one of the top five events of the first sixty years of space history. I wish we’d done it decades ago.
The Harsh Reality Of The Senate Launch System
Bob Zimmmerman has a piece at The National Interest:
So, what should President Trump do? Does he continue to fund Ares/SLS/Orion, which is taking almost TWO DECADES and more than forty billion dollars to design, build, and fly a SINGLE manned capsule, or does he instead shut it down and have NASA buy the products it needs to explore the solar system from multiple competing private companies?
I know what I would do.
So do I.