Enabling space nuclear systems.
I think history will record that Trump had a much greater effect on space policy than any president since Reagan.
Category Archives: Space
SLS Safety
Some thoughts from Bob Zimmerman.
I’d be concerned if I thought that NASA was really going to use this vehicle for anything serious.
Space Transports
Clark Lindsey has the latest roundup, featuring SN8.
Orion
Six years after its maiden (and only) flight, Eric Berger has some thoughts.
[Update a few minutes later]
From a comment over there:
Probably the most salient points:
A mockup lacking many critical systems flew into space once, six years ago.
The next test flight is basically another mockup, lacking even life support systems.
The first full-up complete vehicle launch is supposed to be with crew trusting their lives to a vehicle which has never been flight tested with systems complete, and also a similarly never-flown service module. Because for all the expense and mass, Orion doesn’t have much duration without a service module.
NASA safety culture at work. Mountains of paperwork instead of actual testing on actual hardware.
Just getting this far on Orion has been 15 years and $24B.
Ridiculous pork capsule to match a ridiculous pork rocket in the SLS.
Yup. It’s a Potemkin space program.
Buttigieg
What does he know about transportation?
I wonder if he knows anything, or cares about space? He’ll be ultimately in charge of launch licensing.
Oopsie
The Expanse
An interesting interview on the challenges and rewards of making a physically accurate SF series.
Chuck Yeager
Homer Hickam remembers him.
The First High-Altitude Starship Test
…coming this week.
Regardless of the outcome, it will be exciting.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
It could be as soon as Friday.
[Bumped]
[Tuesday-morning update]
Today seems to be the day. It’s being covered by NASA Spaceflight.
[Bumped again]
[1440 PST update]
Raptor abort. They aren’t going partway to space today.
[Wednesday-afternoon update]
Fuel is loading, T-26 minutes to launch.
[Bumped]
[Post-flight update]
Well, that was kind of spectacular. As I said, guaranteed to be exciting. The exhaust looked a little weird toward the end. It was greenish, as though it was maybe running fuel rich. If so, Perhaps the thrust wasn’t up to spec, and insufficient to control the landing on final.
[Update a while later]
Elon said that the header tank pressure was low on landing. I’m guessing that this maybe resulted in bubbles in the cooling channels, overheating of the nozzle, and injecting copper into the flow, for that green effect. And reduced thrust, of course, which is why they came in too fast.
[Update Thursday afternoon]
Am I the only person who thinks it would be pretty unpleasant to be in the nose of that thing at final (even with a successful landing)?
The UFO Phenomenon
Is it about to get real?