Category Archives: Space

Artemis

Posted on March 18, 2018 | Comments Off on Artemis

The Martian author Andy Weir has done it again with Artemis, a police procedural on the moon. The characters are sharply drawn and engaging but the real star is the Artemis moon city and the precisely correct life therein and thereout on EVAs. Makes me want to visit, if not actually live there. Can’t wait for his next one.

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Posted in Library, Science/Engineering, Space

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Loonies won’t miss water

Posted on July 28, 2017 | 2 comments

“The nearly ubiquitous presence of water in large and small lunar pyroclastic deposits adds to the growing evidence that the lunar mantle is an important reservoir of water,” the team writes in the study.

Yay! Let’s hear it for Lunar colonies. And get with building them ASAP.

Via ScienceAlert

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space

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Reprising The Expanse

Posted on April 18, 2017 | 3 comments

Been rehashing the episodes of The Expanse, since I own them now. Taking them in sequence from the first to the most recent, the 12th 13th of Season 2. Liking the characters more and wondering how far the SyFy channel will take the show.

Like as far as the the sixth novel, Babylon’s Ashes, which I just finished? It’s about the Belters war against Earth and Mars. Pretty good. No spoilers here. Wondering what’s next in the novel series, more on the colonized solar systems, I presume.

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Posted in Flickers, Library, Space

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Interstellar

Posted on March 22, 2017 | Comments Off on Interstellar

This Matthew McConaughey space story is a good one, discounting the time talk which gets a little mystical at, uh, times. And confusing. But if you just roll with the punches, it carries you along nicely. Even the almost three hours passes swiftly.

Loved the school principal and teacher emphasizing the rewriting of textbooks to eliminate the Apollo missions, including the landings on the moon. Settled science and politics, as it were. For the good of the people, don’t you know.

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Posted in Flickers, Science/Engineering, Space

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The Expanse 2

Posted on March 18, 2017 | Comments Off on The Expanse 2

Roughly a year after watching the first season of this syfy concoction, I have embarked on season 2. It has three more episodes than 1.

The graphics, the hardware and the CGI are still cool. And the actors the same—even to the introduction of Bobby Draper, who is comelier than my mind’s eye view of her from the books, but that’s show biz.

Still worth the pittance it costs, $2.99 per 40-minute episode. And I see that it is making enough money from its 600,000 fans to go into production for a season 3. All to the good.

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Posted in Flickers, Science/Engineering, Space

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China says testing EM drive in orbit

Posted on December 26, 2016 | 2 comments

Science fiction maven Jerry Pournelle says reports of Chinese orbital success with the fuel-free electromagnetic spacecraft drive rank up there with the importance of Sputnik 1 in its day.

Others have their doubts about anything the ChiComs claim and that, despite tentative NASA ground confirmation of the EM drive’s usefulness, it’s any more than a new cold fusion hoax. Stay tuned.

Via Instapundit.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Science/Engineering, Space

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Mars in 70 days

Posted on November 9, 2016 | 7 comments

“The results of NASA’s tests on the ‘impossible’ EM Drive have been leaked, and they reveal that the controversial propulsion system really does work, and is capable of generating impressive thrust in a vacuum, even after error measurements have been accounted for.”

This is propulsion without fuel. Mars in 70 days instead of 18 months. No bulky fuel tanks marring the design of your space vehicle. Moreover, no explosive fuel to worry about. Leaving the problem of shielding from cosmic rays to be resolved, but with considerable new incentive to do so.

Via Instapundit.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Science/Engineering, Space

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