Wow. That’s bad design and bad QC.
a) You shouldn’t be able to install an angular-rate (or any kind of attitude) sensor upside down.
b) The vehicle should be able to sense that it has an upside-down sensor and automatically abort.
It did look like it was having guidance problems in the video, and that would sure explain why.
This looks like a pretty clear-cut claim of sovereignty to me, and thus in violation of the Outer Space Treaty. Protecting the Apollo sites is a problem, but I don’t think that this is the solution. Unless, of course, we want to withdraw, which I certainly wouldn’t complain about.
Anyone know if there was a back-up for Galileo, and if it’s still in existence?
No, NASA has no strategy. And neither does the administration or Congress, when it comes to space policy. We don’t even have a clearly articulated goal.
Today is the last day to comment. We need to try to get crewed space vehicles off the munitions list.
This would revolutionize space exploration. It would allow massively parallel data gathering.
Can we detect them with current telescopes? That assumes they exist at all, of course.
They were supposed to have another test flight in June. Only three days left.
I’m going to be on at 7 PM PDT tonight to talk about space safety.
Steven Wolfe, a former congressional space staffer, has what looks to be an interesting new book out. It has a lot of good blurbs.