An analysis from Eric Berger.
Category Archives: Technology and Society
Interesting Thread
In response to the rumblings that Boeing, Lockmart, and NG are going to refuse any future fixed-price contracts from NASA.
For decades, Congress has mandated that NASA be a jobs program because that allows Congress to direct the jobs to the NASA centers and LM/Boeing/subcontractor plants in their districts and states. Just look at the PowerPoints created for space projects: EVERY one has a US map…
— David Gump (@SoldTheMoon) October 24, 2024
Oh no!! Anyways… https://t.co/RW1yWOtY27 pic.twitter.com/0JzpRjEs83
— Ken Kirtland IV (@KenKirtland17) October 24, 2024
[Update a few minutes later]
Society if Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman stop bidding on NASA projects https://t.co/1iY2gt5LEg pic.twitter.com/eEJ7OExSkl
— Ken Kirtland IV (@KenKirtland17) October 24, 2024
An Interview With Eric Berger
Inflatables In Space
A good article about them from Leonard David.
Why We Can’t Have Nice Space Things
One of the funny moments during a SpaceX rocket launch was when Elon Musk and the SpaceX team were launching at Vandenberg in California.
— SMX 🇺🇸 (@iam_smx) September 29, 2024
An organization concerned about Seal procreation forced SpaceX to “kidnap” a Seal, strap it to a board, and put headphones on and play sonic… pic.twitter.com/wA5RcqNwLq
[Update a few minutes later
But wait! There’s more!
This story of strangulation by over-regulation from @elonmusk about the government requiring @SpaceX to asses whether their rockets could potentially hit SHARKS and WHALES is side-splittingly hilarious. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/E06XIJm7zy
— Colin Wright (@SwipeWright) October 20, 2024
Violated Arms-Control Agreements
A Monster Telescope
This is the future of serious astronomy.
Is The Dam Breaking?
First Scientific American, and now Michael Bloomberg is calling for an end to SLS/Orion.
He doesn’t seem to think that it’s important to send people, but that doesn’t matter, because Starship could do it anyway. Congress wouldn’t be happy to see China beat us back.
IFT-5 Takes
One day, people will look back on this day and view it in the same light as we now consider the driving of the golden spike that completed the transcontinental railroad. This technology will open up space to settlement and humanity in the same way the iron horse opened the…
— Not-So-OK Boomer (@Rand_Simberg) October 13, 2024
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2024
I don’t want to hear any more of that “we don’t build cathedrals anymore” crap. We build them alright, and they *fly* pic.twitter.com/bJwhu65X1U
— Peter Hague (@peterrhague) October 14, 2024
Yes. Not only is this a huge engineering breakthrough in itself, it stands in dramatic contrast to NASA’s SLS project (think Apollo redux) which is over budget, behind sched, and unlikely to fly enough missions to achieve stated goals. Time for a rethink. https://t.co/tS0IzJJ6Ra
— Jim Meigs (@jamesbmeigs) October 14, 2024
SpaceX did this with 3/4 of Docusign’s headcount btw pic.twitter.com/C5wt1wQtfO
— Sky (@docentdemagogue) October 14, 2024
This is what will matter 1000 years from now.
— Devon Eriksen (@Devon_Eriksen_) October 13, 2024
Not your politics. Not your stupid tantrums about who platformed who on some website. Not your incomprehensible desire to send NASA's entire budget to the third world.
This guy reignited the Space Age.
He spent his own money,… https://t.co/dmDI1regbI pic.twitter.com/jpK3veVJHw
IFT-5 Tomorrow? (Updated)
I just got this press release from SpaceX.
SpaceX is targeting Sunday, October 13 for the fifth integrated flight test of Starship from Starbase in Cameron County, Texas. The 30-minute test window opens at 7:00 a.m. CT.
Residents of Cameron County and those in the nearby area may hear loud noises resulting from the flight test.
At the time of launch, the rocket’s 33 Raptor engines may be audible while firing upon ignition and as the vehicle launches toward space. About eight to ten minutes after liftoff, the Super Heavy booster may attempt, if strict conditions are met, a return to launch site and tower catch on the pad at Starbase. Residents of Cameron County and those in the nearby area may hear one or more sonic booms during the return to launch site.
A sonic boom is a brief, thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other vehicle in the area flies faster than the speed of sound. The sonic boom does not present a health risk and what people experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
SpaceX’s live webcast will go live approximately 30 minutes before liftoff at spacex.com/launches. Live updates will also be available on X @SpaceX.
0700 CDT is 0500 PDT, so I’ll have to get up early.
[Sunday-morning update]
Well, that was pretty amazing. I’d call that a successful catch of the booster, albeit a little fiery. I’m assuming that wasn’t supposed to happen, but they’ll sort it out for the next flight.
Similarly, the explosion of the ship after the water landing probably wouldn’t have happened if it had landed upright on land, so that’s not necessarily an issue. I would think the next goal is to land it intact so they can inspect it to further improve the TPS.
With that buoy view, it's clear that Starship nailed its targeted landing area. Hard to view Starship's fifth flight test as anything but a major success. Things probably accelerate from here.
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) October 13, 2024
[Update a few minutes later]
If they successfully test the doors on the next flight, this means that the vehicle could be operational for Starlink delivery very soon. I wonder why they didn’t do that test this time?