I can’t even start to describe how insane this is.
How do they propose to do two SLS launches for a mission when they are only planning one every couple years? And why in the world would they need one to launch crew?
Category Archives: Space
Sanctuary In Space
It’s (at long last) coming to an end. The notion that space can be a sanctuary from weapons has always been a unicorn fantasy, that survived for far too long from the sixties. Space is just a place.
Doug Mohney Attempts To Educate Colebatch
The American Spectator has published a response, but Colebatch remains clueless.
It's a strange world in which we have to explain the advantages of private enterprise over Chinese communism to "conservatives" at @AmSpec.
— US Rocket Academy (@RocketAcademy) January 7, 2015
Reusable Rockets
CNES is getting in on the action:
Eymard was asked whether CNES is not in the position of having spent two years to catch up to SpaceX with a lower-cost expendable rocket in Ariane 6, only to find that SpaceX has moved to a partially reusable model that cuts costs even further.
“We don’t want to be in the position of appearing to follow in their footsteps all the time,” Eymard said. “But we admire what they are doing and we think it helps put pressure on all of us to do better.”
SpaceX, Blue, ULA, now the Europeans. But NASA insists on building a giant throw-away vehicle.
It's funny (or sad) that everyone is getting the reusable rocket religion except for NASA, who irrationally gave up on it after X-33 fiasco.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 5, 2015
J. R. Thompson said that "X-33 proved that reusability doesn't work." Which was, of course, totally illogical. It just proved X-33 wouldn't.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 5, 2015
SpaceX is attempting to land a stage, ULA and CNES looking into reusability. NASA continues to build unneeded giant expendable rocket.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) January 5, 2015
New Exoplanets From Kepler
…are the most earth-like yet.
Sounds like all we need is a warp drive now.
Conservative Commentary On Space Policy
My commentary on that stupid misfire at The American Spectator last week.
[Tuesday-morning update]
I have more thoughts over at Ricochet.
[Bumped]
How Deep Can A Space Patent Suit Go?
On the eve of SpaceX’s first barge landing attempt, some thoughts from an IP attorney on the status of Blue Origin’s fly-back patent.
Jerry Pournelle
…is home,recovering from his stroke, and coming home Friday. His advice not to get one is good, if you can follow it. Here’s to a rapid recovery.
A New Amazon Review
Robert Graboyes, of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, notes the similarities between spaceflight and health care.
A Gravity Lab
A concept for doing it on the cheap.
One problem I see in the near term is that NASA plans to use Dragons as lifeboats, so I’m not sure when one would become available on orbit.
[Update a while later]
Actually, I think that a cargo Dragon meets the requirements for this much better than a crew Dragon. It’s an on-orbit mission only, so there’s no need for couches, which just take up room. It can’t be used for a lifeboat, because it has no docking adaptor (at least currently), so NASA wouldn’t miss it. Even a Dragon V2 would need an ECLSS upgrade, so might as well just put it in the cargo version. It would have a lot less value to NASA than a V2, so it would be easier to get it from them. All they’d be giving up is the cargo return (which they could even get when the mission was over, months later, if they wanted).