I missed this the first time around, about a year and a half ago, but it parallels many of the points that I made in my piece at The New Atlantis about the same time.
[Update late morning]
Airbus seems to be getting serious about space. I don’t see how the centrifuge helps all that much, though. The radius is too small for significant gravity, though it would help a lot to put the plumbing in it.
Some tips, and commentary from Bob Zimmerman.
[Monday-morning update]
OK, the guaranteed excitement didn’t happen today. But to be fair, the guarantee only applied if they actually got to T-0. Anyway, they should be able to resolve the pressurization issue for the next attempt.
[Late-afternoon update]
Go for Monday. SpaceX has gotten their launch license.
That means I have to get up at an ungodly hour to see the launch (window opens at 0500 PDT).
A deep dive.
Expecting the launch license this week, but no guarantees of that.
Thoughts on the classified leaks and the coming offensive in Ukraine.
Amazing CGI.
[Update a while later]
And then there’s this:
Read the thread. Most people think (correctly) that this is nuts.
I’m willing to agree that it’s a religion, but rocks don’t have rights. The moon is just a very large rock.
As soon as next Monday?
I met Ellie at ASCEND in Las Vegas in October. She’s had a bad few weeks, but I’m glad to see she’s on the mend.
People have asked if I will climb again and while it’s hard to think about now, I really do love it so much, and will likely try again, but may explore other sports as well.
“We risk death doing those things but it’s those moments that make you feel alive… What do you think is gonna happen when you go to outer space you’re risking your life? How am I going to get back and rock climb, you are gonna do it with more knowledge, if you are already in that that’s why your femur broke, in the future when you are healthy rock climb all you want,” said Kagy.
She’s tough, and I hope she gets to space.
Looks like the end of the road.
I never thought it was a great business model.
Branson has managed to waste an astonishing amount of Other Peoples’ Money on his space ventures. I weep when I think of what could have been done for just a fraction of it if it had gone to something sensible. For example, Lynx could have flown.
Of course, Stratolaunch was a boondoggle as well, which also never made any sense. Air launch is a niche market for people who want mission flexibility and single-orbit rendezvous, and there weren’t enough of those people to sustain that costly infrastructure.