Category Archives: Space

Virgin Galactic’s test flight

Posted on December 13, 2020 | Comments Off on Virgin Galactic’s test flight

The rocket failed to ignite. I do like the fact that the makers are going to be the first passengers.

Via Instapundit

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New Shepard does it again

Blue Origin’s vertical landing in West Texas this morning after a NASA test flight to orbit of equipment for future precision moon landings.

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Posted on October 13, 2020 in Science/Engineering, Space

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Watching a piece of history

Posted on May 23, 2020 | Comments Off on Watching a piece of history

President Trump and Vice-President Pence plan to go see SpaceX launch a pair of veteran astronauts to the ISS station on Wednesday, the first launch of people from our soil since 2011.

They will ride in a Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 heavy off old Pad 39A in Florida. Pity it’s not in South Texas, where SpaceX is planning to do launches.

With the president in attendance, and running for re-election, a lot is riding on this in addition to the two astronauts. Good luck to all.

UPDATE:  Weather abort. Next window to try be Saturday afternoon.

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Wright brothers

Posted on December 17, 2019 | Comments Off on Wright brothers

Don Suber on Twitter: “116 years ago today, America’s Wright Brothers flew the first airplane. Within 66 years, America landed a man on the moon. No other nation has in the 50 years since.”

But the winds of Kitty Hawk are blowing in China and India, who are likely to be next. NASA talks about returning, after killing two shuttle crews, but seems happiest with its steady fed funding.

No mention of these white boys’ anniversary on Google’s cartoon, not until a woman or minority is discovered to have participated I suppose.

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The Expanse expands

Posted on December 15, 2019 | Comments Off on The Expanse expands

Season 4 is up and running. As usual, with my poor hearing, the story gets less of my attention than the special effects. The show’s claim to being really scientific, however, gets blown up every time we hear a rocket engine burning somewhere or an explosion in space. Really now.

Must not remember the old horror movie poster line: In space, nobody can hear you scream.

Via Amazon

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Posted in Obsessions, Science/Engineering, Space

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Starship prototype

Posted on October 1, 2019 | 3 comments

Turns out that Elon Musk’s SpaceX isn’t just about shipping people and goods to NASA’s space station, but, some day, a trip to a nearby star. Not sure why he built this, near Boca Chica in the Rio Grande Valley on the Texas-Mexico border, when we haven’t even gone back to the moon yet, much less Mars.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, Texana

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India goes for Luna

Posted on July 14, 2019 | Comments Off on India goes for Luna

Blast off of an Indian orbiter, a 1.4-ton moon lander and a 56-pound robot mobile rover on the far side of the moon is today, seven months after the Chinese put a lander on the far side of the moon.

These landers are preparation for manned explorations, including establishment of moon bases, however small at first. Trump reportedly is (take that for what it’s worth) angry that NASA isn’t moving faster on putting Americans back on the moon by 2024.

NASA is a biiiggg bureaucracy—with lots of paperwork—which moves at a snail’s pace. I’m betting on the first base being Chinese.

Via Science Alert & PJMedia

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