Starship S33 being is built. Fast speed view of it being transported. 1st of the version/block 2. To be used for test flight 8.
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Fraser Cain’s Year 2 summary of JWST space discovery.
Also year 1 summary in case you missed it or were interested.
3 posts in a row so editing my last with perseverance rover news.
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Best space summary of the week produced IMO.
Lots of things covered including diamonds on mercury, apophis comet, moon lava tubes, Gaia damage repaired, Chandra images, possible signs of life on mars and much more.
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Amazing engineering!! Iterative approach working a treat. Hard to believe that v1 and v3 are the same family of engines.
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Also, look at the thrust numbers…up,up,up…
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Also interesting news that SpaceX is in discussions with Australian / US governments, US military and regulatory bodies on recovering starship off the coast of Western Australia. Talks are centered around protections given starship can be used as a weapon and weapon delivery system. Strict controls and secrecy no doubt.
Also rumors that we might host SpaceX launch facilities in the future and that is also a part of the discussions. Woo Hoo!!
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Not going to lie - first viewing the engine; when did Dyson start doing space?
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It still blows my mind , watching all this modern stuff, that we somehow put men on the moon with 1960’s tech , and early 1970’s Voyager probes are still functioning 1 light day away with 8-track data tapes!!
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It is absolutely ridiculous that both voyagers are still running. Cosmic particles, micro meteors and radiation should have destroyed it long ago.
To be able to achieve what is being attempted now with the SLS & starship moon landing as well as the future lunar station and moon base really has needed technology to expand and develop to a level required to achieve these goals.
Apollo 11 landed a few tones on the moon with little usable payload. Starship will be landing well over 100 tonnes of usable payload.
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For the rest of the astronomy nerds out there, any day now
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Looks like Butch and Suni won’t be returning on starliner. NASA overnight talking about the contingency plan of them returning on SpaceX crew 9 in February 2025. Crew 9 scheduled to go up to the ISS in September with 4 astronauts, but will more likely launch with 2 allowing Butch and Suni to return.
8 day mission will become 8 months. Shades of Gilligan’s Island of a 3 hour tour.
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The difference between the old way of ULA, NASA, Boeing, Arianne Space and the new way from the new kids on the block in SpaceX, Rocketlabs etc.
ULA CEO doesn’t realise or can’t comprehend that the parts he is referring to have been internalized in the engine casing via 3D printing.
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To be fair, most CEOs wouldn’t have a clue how anything engineers built works
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Very true. Possibly why they are getting left behind.
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Now that’s a story as old as time.
Not sure NASA will be left behind, because their mission is a different one, and I don’t see them as being as in competition with them. They’ll just use the new players to achieve their objectives instead.
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Vera Rubin observatory in Chile will receive first light soon.
A few article and vids on it.
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