Dennis Wingo has a guest article at Watts Up With That.
Category Archives: Space
ISDC
Warning for attendees: I’ll be speaking on Friday morning the 16th (assuming I get back from Anchorage on time). I’m bugging them to fix the book title.
A New Commercial Space Blog
This looks interesting. I’ll add it to the blogroll.
Elon’s Announcement
He’s going to say something about SpaceX at the National Press Club at 1 PM. Before I heard the venue, I was speculating on Twitter that it was about recovering the stage, but I don’t think he’d do that at the Press Club. Must be something big. Taking the company public? I thought he’d decided that he couldn’t risk losing control. Commenters are welcome to speculate here.
[Update during presser]
So far just announcing success of soft landing on the ocean. As I guessed last week, it was subsequently destroyed by the waves. Saying that it’s a very positive development for reusability. Next time he’ll get a bigger boat. In principle should be able to refly the same day.
[Update after the presser]
OK, the purpose of the press conference was to announce that SpaceX is filing suit to force the Air Force to compete the block buy for EELV that they just issued to ULA late last year. SpaceX didn’t find out about the contract until the day after last month’s hearing on the Hill. It will be interesting to hear what General Shelton has to say.
[Update a while later]
Oh, the other news: they are definitely planning to fly out of Brownsville, within a couple years. Bad news for Shiloh fans, I guess.
[Update a while later]
In response to the question in comments, yes they could probably launch in Texas and land in Florida with a good performance advantage, though it would slow down turnaround. But it just occurs to me that if they do that, they could probably just refuel there and self-ferry back, if the FAA lets them.
Spacewalks
Some reflections, from Joel Achenbach.
Space Solar Power
whatever you think of its prospects, low-cost launch will certainly improve them.
[Afternoon update]
Space solar power, visualized.
News On The Asteroid Bombardment
The B612 Foundation is going to have a press conference at the Seattle Museum of Flight at 2:30 EDT. It will be live streamed.
Earth II?
My thoughts on the latest discovery from the Kepler data, over at PJMedia.
Earth-Like Planets
by a researcher who says that planets that can accommodate LAWKI aren’t as common as some are saying.Base Camps
Derek Webber writes that in order to advance into the solar system NASA needs to take some lessons from Everest climbers.
Not to mention be willing to lose folks occasionally.
[Update a few minutes later]
Jeff Foust notes that there seems to be an emerging consensus that Mars is the goal, though none on how to do it.
Meanwhile, John Strickland says we need an integrated approach, with robots and humans. to get to Mars. He seems to be focusing on Mars surface water, though. I think we need to trade that with manufacturing propellants at Phobos or Deimos.
My take, as always, is that destinations are less important than capabilities. Put an off-planet space-transportation infrastructure in place, and the entire solar system (including Europa and Enceladus) is opened up to us. But Congress would rather build big rockets.