…buys the BS about SLS/Orion, sadly.
Category Archives: Space
The Atlantic, On The ISS
The magazine, that is. I’m still reading it, but this reminded me of the book:
Astronauts never tire of watching the Earth spin below—one wrote of stopping at a window and being so captivated that he watched an entire orbit without even reaching for a camera. “I have been looking at the Earth, from the point of view of a visiting extraterrestrial,” wrote another. “Where would I put down, and how would I go about making contact? The least dangerous thing would be to board the International Space Station and talk to those people first.”
As I note in the book, the ISS would be “…the first line of defense, a picket, in a space-alien invasion.” And note, as always the fascination with watching the earth below, and marvel at the foolishness of people who think there would be no demand for public space travel.
Marsha Ivins
…doesn’t like the asteroid mission.
Some Twitter responses:
@jeff_foust @spacecom I'm looking for an actual argument in her article, but not finding one.
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) December 23, 2014
@planet4589 You know who's the last person I'd ask what our goals in space should be? An astronaut. @jeff_foust @spacecom
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) December 23, 2014
Hate to break it to you, Marsha, but there are no "projects that require heavy-lift rockets." http://t.co/YadDx8bfIX
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) December 23, 2014
Russian Progress In Space
Angara finally flies.
They really need access to a lower-latitude launch site than Plesetsk, though, to maximize its utility.
Orion And SLS
Thoughts on the fiscal challenges, from the Director of the GAO.
If you plan a planetary science mission on assumption that you'll use SLS, you're making a very risky bet.
— Rand Simberg (@Simberg_Space) December 22, 2014
Virgin Galactic’s New Web Site
A lot of the previous hype seems to have gone down the memory hole. As Doug writes, it’s a shame that it took the destruction of a vehicle and death of a pilot to finally get them to tone it down.
The Wright Anniversary
It’s been 111 years. On the centennial, eleven years ago, I wrote three pieces. One at Fox News, one at TechCentralStation (which later became TCSDaily), and one at National Review on line. Unfortunately, the latter seems to have suffered from link rot. I’m trying to find out if it still exists on their server.
[Evening update]
National Review has resurrected my other piece.
Jerry Pournelle
He apparently suffered a minor stroke. From his son, Alex:
Jerry had a small stroke. He is recovering well at a local hospital. Prognosis is good, though they’re running more tests and he’s expected to stay at least another day or two.
“He felt well enough to call Mom [Mrs. Pournelle] from the hospital.
“Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. More updates when we have them.
I saw him a few weeks ago, and he seemed to be doing as well as a man his age who has recovered from a brain tumor could be expected to. Best wishes for a rapid recovery.
Friday’s Barge Landing
Here‘s the SpaceX press release. Note that no government agency is funding them to do this. It’s actual internal R&D, a rarity in this industry, at least up until now. Also, if NASA was doing this, they’d spend billions up front on analysis. In contrast, SpaceX is flying, and failing, and improving, and flying again, and failing and improving. They may not land on Friday, but they’ll be a lot closer to being able to do it.
[Update a while later]
Why the CRS-5 mission could change everything.
Our Dependence On Russian Engines
“Certainly the NDAA places future restrictions on the use of the Russian engines for national security space applications. Our application is in civil space. There’s a long history of U.S.-Russian cooperation in civil space, dating back to Apollo-Soyuz in the 1970s at the height of the Cold War. Since our immediate objective is in civil space supporting the International Space Station, it’s got a slightly different twist or perspective than supporting national security space. NASA already relies on cooperation with its Russian partner in other ways to execute the ISS program [including] crew transport. Certainly it would not make sense to restrict the use of engines manufactured in Russia on a program that’s already inherently dependent on cooperation between the United States and Russia.”
In other words, civil space isn’t important. We cooperated with the Soviets during the Cold War, but we were never dependent on them. I assume this means more INKSNA waivers.