Apollo 16 Lunar Rover Grand Prix

Melba Roy, NASA Mathmetician, at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland in 1964. Ms. Roy, a 1950 graduate of Howard University, led a group of NASA mathmeticians known as “computers” who tracked the Echo satellites. The first time I shared Ms. Roy on VBG, my friend Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a former postdoc in astrophysics at NASA, helpfully explained what Ms. Roy did in the comment section. I am sharing Chanda’s comment again here: “By the way, since I am a physicist, I might as well explain a little bit about what she did: when we launch satellites into orbit, there are a lot of things to keep track of. We have to ensure that gravitational pull from other bodies, such as other satellites, the moon, etc. don’t perturb and destabilize the orbit. These are extremely hard calculations to do even today, even with a machine-computer. So, what she did was extremely intense, difficult work. The goal of the work, in addition to ensuring satellites remained in a stable orbit, was to know where everything was at all times. So they had to be able to calculate with a high level of accuracy. Anyway, that’s the story behind orbital element timetables”. Photo: NASA/Corbis.

My thoughts on the upcoming IFT-3 flight of Starship-Super Heavy

As of writing (12th of February), IFT-3 is currently scheduled to occur later this month, but it could still easily get delayed.

My prediction is that IFT-3 will probably achieve orbit and will probably conduct an internal propellant-transfer, but that the upper stage (SN28) will probably suffer a failure of some kind during reëntry, either being destroyed or deviating far from its targetted splashdown-zone.

It's safe to say that successful reëntry is unlikely on IFT-3. Here's why:

The Starship upper stage will be the largest reëntry-vehicle ever built.

This reëntry profile (a belly-first reëntry with four fins used for stability) is unique and has never been done before. Starship's belly-first orientation is inherently ærodynamically unstable, which is why it needs constant corrections from the four fins. It could get trapped in a nose-first or tail-first orientation, both of which might be more stable. Else, a loss of control would just result in endless tumbling.

We've already seen heatshield-tiles falling off during IFT-1 and IFT-2. In fact, more fell off the latter than the former due to higher ærodynamic pressures and engine vibrations.

A failure during reëntry would be consistent with the general pattern of testflight-failures established so far. Essentially, each flight is a failure, but less of a failure than the previous one.

Honestly, I don't know what could happen to the first stage booster (B10). SpaceX knows how to do boostback-burns and propulsive landings. It's seemingly just a matter of preventing the vehicle from blowing itself up. Engine reliability will probably determine the booster's success.

It'll be interesting to watch nonetheless.

The fate of the Artemis Programme now depends on the success of these test flights and in SpaceX rapidly developing and utilising this reüsable launch-system. Development has been ongoing for over five years now, and the vehicle has yet to reach orbit. The landing of astronauts on the Moon is scheduled for September 2026. How likely is it that SpaceX will have humans on the Moon in just two and a half years from now?

Can't wait to see Rocketlab recovering first stages! They are made of carbon fibre so they should be a bit more heat resistant than aluminium?

Flight 10 is scheduled for 25 November!

Flight 10 will use S-band telemetry and onboard flight computers to gather data for future first stage recovery.

The first stage will also use a new reaction control system for guided re-entry.

Mars, from pole to pole (ESA’s Mars Express Mission)

!!Important!!

there’s such an unhealthy stigma, especially in academic communities, surrounding taking time off or dropping out. putting education above your health and well-being isn’t okay and should not be the standard. obviously there are positives to school/college/uni, but the environment created by the education system can be so horrifically damaging in so many ways, and demonising stepping away from or leaving it only makes it worse. as much as education is important, your health and well-being are infinitely more so. 

it is okay to take breaks. it’s okay to take a year off. it’s okay to leave if that’s what you need to do. dropping out does not make you stupid, nor does it make you a failure. take care of yourself first and foremost. traditional education is not the only way to learn.

The Milky Way Deconstructed

Christmas Hanukkah in Space: Day 12

Jeff Hoffman of STS-61 demonstrates how a dreidel works in zero gravity and displays his traveling menorah on the first day of Hanukkah, December 1993. Hoffman was the second Jewish American astronaut and the first to spend the holiday in space.

girls after saying something smart: So yeah

JODI BALFOUR as ELLEN WAVERLY For All Mankind, Season 1 (2019-present)