Podcast: Neil deGrasse Tyson in the Hot Seat

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Last week’s Real Time with Bill Maher included an interview with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, which did not go very well given the line of questioning. Mr. Maher was trying to entrap Dr. Tyson into some anti-woke politics, but he did not play along.

With all the topics Dr. Tyson could address on the show, it was a waste of time for viewers to witness this ambush. Mr. Maher continues to forget that he is a comedian and his guests come onto the show to have some fun. You can listen to the mess here.

Fortunately, the Overtime show after the main show, which focuses on questions from the audience, finally addressed some space-related questions, including one about Mr. Musk’s plans to go to Mars. Dr. Tyson said the costs, risks, and return on investment do not currently justify such a mission. However, he pointed out that once it becomes a space race with China then it may be something worth pursuing.

It was an interesting answer, and yet it seemed to ignore that we already have decided as a nation to go to Mars under the Artemis program even with the cost, risks, and lack of return on investment. It has a different time-table than Mr. Musk’s vision, but it is a plan that seems to be in place at the moment.

Maybe Dr. Tyson believes that too will be a space race similar to what it going on now with China regarding a Moon landing. It seems more likely than not at the moment.

Anyway, ignore the main show and tap into the Overtime show for some fun space-related discussions.

Space Quote: A Rolls Royce on the Moon?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of a lunar base. (NASA)

“We believe once governments and the Artemis missions have re-established human presence on the moon, commercial services will follow that…every operation on the moon will require power”.

-Statement by Jake Thompson, director of novel nuclear and special projects at Rolls-Royce, in a Financial Times article. Rolls Royce is working on a micro nuclear reactor for use on space missions.

Sixth Test of the Starship and More

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The return of the Starship booster on November 19, 2024. It splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. (SpaceX)

The sixth test of SpaceX’s Starship was a success this past Tuesday, even without the repeated stunt of a tower capturing the booster rocket. The launch from the Starbase pad in Brownsville, Texas allowed SpaceX to test additional features related to the rocket, including igniting one of its Raptor engines while in space. Overall, it was a quick turnaround from another successful test flight last month.

SpaceX also received additional good news this week when it learned that Colorado-based Lunar Outpost selected SpaceX’s Starship as the party to deliver its lunar rover to the Moon. Lunar Outpost is one of several companies working with NASA to ensure a rover is on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis mission. NASA has yet to select one or more companies to build and test the rovers on the Moon.

All of this is good news for SpaceX and NASA, assuming the Starship stays on schedule, NASA funding of Artemis continues, and a new administration in DC continues to support the Artemis approach.

Artemis and More Under a New Administration

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: The Planetary Society.

Will NASA be pulled in a new direction under a Trump administration? The Planetary Society does not think so, as noted in a recent article, “Space in the 2024 Elections: A Space Advocate’s Guide to the U.S. Presidential Election.“

The graphic above highlights the party platforms on space, showing a lot of similarity between the two parties. If you also consider the fact that the Artemis program was started under the first Trump Administration, as well as the close association between Trump and Elon Musk (at the moment), then one sees an even stronger indication that the Moon and Mars will remain a large part of the new administration’s focus.

The article notes:

For former President Trump, maintaining U.S. preeminence is a major component of his campaign rhetoric. To that end, a second Trump Administration would likely view space as a key arena for competition with China, and would therefore prioritize initiatives aimed at maintaining American dominance in the space domain. This could include bolstering programs that accelerate the development of commercial space capabilities, like Artemis and the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Mars Sample Return is an example of a program that offers an opportunity to leverage the burgeoning commercial space industry to accomplish something that no other nation has: returning scientifically significant samples from another planet.

All of this should offer some protection for NASA in a new administration that is already talking about downsizing government and eliminating at least one department. Besides, I doubt a cost-cutting panel headed by Mr. Musk will cut off the hand that feeds him. NASA has been good to SpaceX, and that is likely to continue.

We will see many more papers and opinion pieces on potential changes in the days and weeks to come.

Space Stories: Water Found on Miranda, NASA Still Pondering VIPER Mission to Moon, and the ISS Has Been Leaking for Some Time

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Uranian moon Miranda as seen by Voyager 2 on January 24, 1986. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory: “Uranus’ Moon Miranda May Have an Ocean Beneath Its Surface, New Study Finds“

A new study suggests Uranus’ moon Miranda may harbor a water ocean beneath its surface, a finding that would challenge many assumptions about the moon’s history and composition and could put it in the company of the few select worlds in our solar system with potentially life-sustaining environments. “To find evidence of an ocean inside a small object like Miranda is incredibly surprising,” said Tom Nordheim, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, a study co-author, and the principal investigator on the project that funded the study. “It helps build on the story that some of these moons at Uranus may be really interesting — that there may be several ocean worlds around one of the most distant planets in our solar system, which is both exciting and bizarre.”

—Space News: “NASA Evaluating “Next Steps” for VIPER Lunar Rover Mission“

NASA expects to determine by early next year the next steps for a lunar rover mission it canceled in July amid some confusion over the timing of that decision. Speaking at an Oct. 28 meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said the agency was reviewing responses to a request for information (RFI) the agency issued in August seeking alternative uses for its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) spacecraft.

—Scientific American: “The International Space Station Has Been Leaking for Five Years“

In the hostile conditions beyond Earth, a spacecraft is all that stands between an astronaut and certain death. So having yearslong seemingly unfixable leaks on the International Space Station (ISS) sounds like a nightmare scenario. It’s also a reality, one that a recent agency report calls “a top safety risk.” Amid months of headlines about astronauts stranded by Boeing’s Starliner vehicle and NASA’s announcement of a contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to destroy the ISS early next decade, the ongoing concerns about the leaks come as another reminder that supporting a long-term population in space is a challenge that’s quite literally out of this world.