I’m attending AIAA ASCEND tomorrow through Thursday (ad in left column). I’ll take the laptop, but not sure how much time I’ll have to blog. It’s a very busy schedule, with multiple sessions in parallel.
Category Archives: Space
With Little Fanfare
Falcon 9 has returned to flight after only a couple weeks:
Watch Falcon 9 launch 23 @Starlink satellites to orbit https://t.co/WT1fkM0Byl
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 27, 2024
They’ve made launch routine.
Rights For Rocks
Presumably, these rights would apply to space rocks as well. Let me be the first to represent them: I declare their right to be made useful.
Commercial Space Conundrum
How does NASA get more competition against SpaceX?
Challenger
Jeff Foust reviews what looks to be an interesting new book on NASA’s safety culture.
55 Years
It’s not too late to do a ceremony to commemorate the first landing on another world. Download here.
The GOP Platform
…and space.
Space Solar Power
A good review on the state of the technology.
This doesn’t make much sense, though: “…the hardware itself will have to be deorbited when it reaches end-of-life. ‘ESA has a Clean Space Initiative. Anything that we’re sending to space, we have to think about the whole lifecycle, cradle to grave,’ Caplin said.”
It’s loony tunes to think that we’d deorbit something that size from GEO. It will be repurposed in some way in space, or at least go to a graveyard orbit.
The Falcon Failure
SpaceX issued the following statement regarding the mishap on the Falcon 9 upper stage that occurred during last night's Starlink 9-3 mission: pic.twitter.com/PRiLPBTXLi
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) July 12, 2024
I can obviously understand the need for an investigation, and if SpaceX wants to do it with the FAA, that’s fine, but the FAA should have no say in when it flies again; that would be them doing mission assurance, which is not part of their charter. NASA, Jared Isaacman, or any of SpaceX’s other customers can decide when and whether they trust the vehicle, but FAA advisement should be just that. There was no public danger from this event (other than potential Starlink debris falling to earth), or reason to think there would be from any future similar failure.
The Latest SpaceX “Scandal”
Too much “bro” culture?
If true, this story reminds me of Lincoln's remark when told that Grant drank too much. "Find out his brand of whiskey, and send a case to all of my generals." But it did say they joked about it, not necessarily that they did it. https://t.co/nkequTPnM2
— Rand Simberg (@Simberg_Space) July 11, 2024