Category Archives: Space

Health, Science And Society, Social Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Living And Dying In 3/4 Time

19 Comments

Thoughts on aging, from Glenn Reynolds.

I’m a few years older, but I view things similarly. I, too, have noticed more of my cohorts shuffling off this mortal coil (e.g., Chuck Lauer two or three years ago, and Mark Hopkins a year or so ago, though he had clearly been in poor health for a while).

I hope I have more than another twenty healthy years, but I obviously can’t count on it. And I don’t really know what “retirement” means, other than being able to do what I want to do, as opposed to what I wouldn’t voluntarily do if someone else wasn’t paying me to do it. I don’t golf, or have any hobbies, really, and I want to stay involved in space in what (despite my having lived through Apollo) is rapidly becoming the most exciting period of my life for that industry. I am still trying to make interesting things happen, and generate enough income from it for us to travel and enjoy life more while we have our health.

Business, Media Criticism, Space, Technology and Society

Last Week’s Starship Test

29 Comments

Eric Berger judges it a huge success.

I’m sure they learned a hell of a lot from it, which is the purpose of a test flight. The only failed test is one from which you learn nothing.

Per some of the stupid comments, the notion that Elon is a white supremacist is lunacy, but there is a lot of lunacy in the world these days.

[Update a while later]

More thoughts from Eric, a couple hours after the first column: ” I no longer have any regrets about missing Apollo. I am thrilled to be alive at this very moment in human history.”

I would trade having missed Apollo to be twenty years younger, but it’s not an option. Fortunately, I’ve also almost made it to the the point at which I may be able to live a lot longer, and see a lot more happen.

Administrative, Business, Space, Technology and Society

On The Road Again

6 Comments

We’re driving to Colorado for Thanksgiving, so not much posting before Wednesday. Meanwhile, if you have a subscription, I’m quoted in the Sunday edition of the Times of London. The subject is the race between Jeff’s tortoise and Elon’s hare.

[Update a while later, before hitting the road]

This is the quote from me: “‘It appears Bezos is finally getting serious,’ said Rand Simberg, a space industry consultant. ‘To this point, Blue Origin has looked more like a hobby. Jeff saw himself as the turtle to Elon’s hare — never realising that Elon was really the Duracell Bunny.'”

I actually said “Energizer,” but whatev.

Business, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Tomorrow’s Test Flight

68 Comments

What NASA wants to see.

[Saturday-morning update]

From my X feed:

Successes today: 1) Successful hot-stage separation 2) Got second stage close to planned suborbital trajectory 3) (And really important for next flight) water-deluge system seems to have protected the pad, so nothing preventing next attempt except fixing whatever caused failures

OK, a fourth success today: There seemed to be no engine failures on either stage right up until both were lost, so they’ve gotten over that hump, especially with the 33 Raptors on the booster. Huge success in terms of data gathered for further improvements in hardware/ops.

Question: Why would an FTS be triggered at that altitude/range? What’s the hazard to the ground? This is in fact the first I’d heard that the second stage even had an FTS.4551

Maybe because it was designed to enter intact, and they were concerned it would be an uncontrolled entry and hit someone downrange. I sure hope they’ll take that FTS off for operational flights with valuable cargo (including humans). Aircraft don’t have one.