Starship Stories: We Have Heard This Before

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Starship rocket launching on its fourth flight test in Boca Chica, TX. (SpaceX)

The other week, Elon Musk said he was planning to send five uncrewed Starship rockets to Mars in two years, followed by manned flights after that. Why the sudden announcement? It was not clear, but he does have money to burn and also a desire for attention.

In his Twitter/X posting, he said:

SpaceX plans to launch about five uncrewed Starships to Mars in two years.

If those all land safely, then crewed missions are possible in four years. If we encounter challenges, then the crewed missions will be postponed another two years.

Of course, he has yet to prove that the Starship is ready for assist NASA with the Artemis mission to place astronauts on the Moon. The rocket is getting better with every test, but the Starship problems are likely to delay the entire lunar mission. Yet he is already eyeing Mars?

If you read the full post, it appears he is using the Starship announcement to poke at California and Kamala Harris. He also seems to be ready to blame everyone but himself if he cannot meet his self-imposed Mars timetable.

One might ask if Mr. Musk has any idea where his Starship astronauts will be staying under this timetable. I have not heard of any great plans to build the necessary infrastructure to host a colony on the surface of Mars. Does he have a plan?

Mr. Musk had enormous problems meeting his proposed deadline for a Tesla pickup truck here on Earth, and the truck he eventually rolled out has has been less than a stellar vehicle given the hype. So any timetable on a Mars mission seems like mere fantasy at this point.

By the way, if Mr. Musk is so interested in protecting Earthlings from a dangerous future, he already has the ability to tamp down the rage and hate on Twitter/X and cease his calls for civil wars.

It is already in his power to make the Earth a better place to live while we plan for Mars. He just doesn’t seem to be all that interested.

NASA’s Crew-9 Mission on its Way to the ISS

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The launch earlier today of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying tNASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the ISS. (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Earlier today, NASA contractor SpaceX successfully launched the Crew-9 mission towards the International Space Station aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The two crew members should be aboard the station tomorrow to join the rest of the Expedition 72 crew, who arrived at the station as part of two earlier launches.

While some are calling this a “rescue mission,” it is really a planned mission with a truncated crew roster to accommodate the two Boeing Starliner astronauts on the return back to Earth. Nothing to see here folks.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said it best:

This mission required a lot of operational and planning flexibility. I congratulate the entire team on a successful launch today, and godspeed to Nick and Aleksandr as they make their way to the space station…Our NASA wizards and our commercial and international partners have shown once again the success that comes from working together and adapting to changing circumstances without sacrificing the safe and professional operations of the International Space Station.

NASA has become quite flexible this year as it works with its commercial partners.

Crew-9 Mission Grounded by Weather in Florida

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Tropical Storm Helene on Sept. 24, 2024 as captured by the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite. (NASA Worldview)

SpaceX was scheduled to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow, but the approaching Hurricane Helene has delayed the launch until Saturday, September 28.

The Crew-9 mission is down to two crew members – NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov – as a result of the two Boeing astronauts stuck on the ISS being added to the Crew-9 mission. The new combined crew will stay on the station until February 2025 and then return to Earth together.

NASA is in the process of locking down its Florida launch sites until the hurricane passes.

Patience is always needed with launches this time of year, and NASA seems to need a lot of patience these days for reasons beyond the weather.

Image (Credit): Crew-9 mission patch designed by SpaceX. (SpaceX)

Pic of the Week: The First Commercial Spacewalk

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew conducts first private spacewalk. (SpaceX/Polaris)

This week’s image shows the first commercial spacewalk as part of the Polaris Dawn mission launched into space earlier this week by SpaceX. All four crew members were exposed to space as part of the process earlier today, but only two exited the spacecraft. The spacecraft was between 118 to 435 miles above the Earth during the spacewalks.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson posted this comment to Twitter/X:

Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history!

Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA ‘s long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy.

Space Stories: Polaris Dawn Mission Starts, Report Blasts NASA, and Galaxies Are Larger Than We Thought

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NASA: “NASA to Test Telemedicine, Gather Essential Health Data with Polaris Dawn Crew“

NASA researchers will soon benefit from a suite of experiments flying aboard a new fully-commercial human spaceflight mission, strengthening future agency science as we venture to the Moon, Mars and beyond. The experiments are flying as part of the Polaris Dawn mission which launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket earlier today…“Each mission, whether the crew is comprised of commercial or NASA astronauts, provides a key opportunity to expand our knowledge about how spaceflight affects human health,” said Jancy McPhee, associate chief scientist for human research at NASA. “Information gathered from Polaris Dawn will give us critical insights to help NASA plan for deeper space travel to the Moon and Mars.”

—Flying Magazine: “Report to Congress: Shortsighted, Aging NASA Faces Uncertain Future“

A report published Tuesday raises serious questions about NASA’s ability to effectively function as the nation’s preeminent space agency. The 218-page document, assembled by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) at the behest of Congress, warns that NASA is prioritizing short-term missions and commercial contracts over the people and technology that make its out-of-this-world activities possible. Per the report, the space agency’s emphasis on near-term victories and overreliance on private contractors comes at the price of a strained budget, degraded infrastructure, and exodus of talented personnel.

—Astro3D: “Galaxies are Much, Much Bigger Than We Thought“

A shroud of gas stretches up to a million light years around every galaxy and is its first interaction with the wider Universe beyond. For the first time, scientists have photographed this halo of matter and examined it pixel by pixel. If this galaxy is typical, then the study, published today in Nature Astronomy, indicates that our galaxy is already interacting with its closest neighbour, Andromeda.