#starship
if it’s a great SciFi show or not is up for debate. The title is great. The intro is fantastic. The cover design is great.
The plot is (at least partly) pretty confusing and the show ends with an open ending … (it was saved once, by Jeff Bezos himself, and the makers probably hope for more funding? So far not in sight.)
“The Expanse is a 10 book (9 novels & 1 short fiction collection) science fiction series from James S.A. Corey, the pen name for a collaboration between Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.
The books are numbered here in publication order, which is the order recommended by the authors. There is also an alternative chronological order.”
“James S. A. Corey is the pen name used by collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, authors of the science fiction series The Expanse.” (src)
What was nicely designed is the different groups with their different accents (most noticeable “The Belters“, humans, that were born in low gravity and grew up in low gravity, thus unable to adapt to high-gravity planets like Earth or Mars (so the story goes), are doing all the “dirty” work like mining asteroids, they have a “pirate” slang that sounds “Caribbean” to me, “Bossman”, but many words might originate from other languages than English, like “Beratna” (“Bratna” means brotherhood in Russian)).
“Fun” fact: low gravity isn’t healthy either
So when the Belters have a hard time adapting to high gravity environment (as can be seen, when astronauts return from space missions, being unable to lift their own weight, bone density decreased and so on).
Staying in space WITHOUT artificial gravity (which can simply be made by a spinning wheel as shown by Kubrick 1968 classic “2001: A Space_Odyssey”) – for longer – might come with multiple unwanted consequences:
- loss in bone matter:
- “high amount of calcium found in astronaut’s blood during spaceflight (much higher than on Earth) reflects the decrease in bone density, or bone mass. This drop in density, known as disuse osteoporosis, leaves bone weak and less able to support the body’s weight and movement upon return to Earth, putting the astronaut at a higher risk of fracture.” (src: NASA)
- blood clots:
of course: the daily “radiation” weather forecast, are just as important as proper shielding of the space craft and a save-rooms for Astronauts.
btw: not a big fan of SpaceX’s “diver” with “heath-shield-tiles” approach of landing the Starship (It is very risky, and failed the SpaceShuttle, why should it work this time? If one tile comes off… boom. (only difference, StarShip might sustain heat-tile loss a bit longer because of stainless-steel hull.. but still… at high speeds, the atmosphere becomes a cutting torch, really want to risk that?)
Why not do it as with Falcon 9 and have multiple retrograde burns to slow down descent through atmosphere?
(this user here says, “because it would need too much fuel”, with orbital refueling, that would not be a problem right?)
Links:
what scifi goodies might still be out there, that man has never seen before?
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/browse/movies\_at\_home/genres:sci\_fi?page=2
#linux #gnu #gnulinux #opensource #administration #sysops #space #expanse #cosmos #startrek #scifi #gravity #spacex #starship
Originally posted at: https://dwaves.de/2022/04/29/the-expanse-very-well-made-intro-astronauts-need-artificial-gravity-starship-landing-vs-falcon9-landing/
[video width=”810″ height=”440″ mp4=”https://dwaves.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Intro-The-Expanse.mp4″\]\[/video\]
if it’s a great SciFi show or not is up for debate. The title is great. The intro is fantastic. The cover design is great.
The plot is (at least partly) pretty confusing and the show ends with an open ending … (it was saved once, by Jeff Bezos himself, and the makers probably hope for more funding? So far not in sight.)
“The Expanse is a 10 book (9 novels & 1 short fiction collection) science fiction series from James S.A. Corey, the pen name for a collaboration between Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.
The books are numbered here in publication order, which is the order recommended by the authors. There is also an alternative chronological order.”
“James S. A. Corey is the pen name used by collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, authors of the science fiction series The Expanse.” (src)
What was nicely designed is the different groups with their different accents (most noticeable “The Belters“, humans, that were born in low gravity and grew up in low gravity, thus unable to adapt to high-gravity planets like Earth or Mars (so the story goes), are doing all the “dirty” work like mining asteroids, they have a “pirate” slang that sounds “Caribbean” to me, “Bossman”, but many words might originate from other languages than English, like “Beratna” (“Bratna” means brotherhood in Russian)).
“Fun” fact: low gravity isn’t healthy either
So when the Belters have a hard time adapting to high gravity environment (as can be seen, when astronauts return from space missions, being unable to lift their own weight, bone density decreased and so on).
Staying in space WITHOUT artificial gravity (which can simply be made by a spinning wheel as shown by Kubrick 1968 classic “2001: A Space_Odyssey”) – for longer – might come with multiple unwanted consequences:
- loss in bone matter:
- “high amount of calcium found in astronaut’s blood during spaceflight (much higher than on Earth) reflects the decrease in bone density, or bone mass. This drop in density, known as disuse osteoporosis, leaves bone weak and less able to support the body’s weight and movement upon return to Earth, putting the astronaut at a higher risk of fracture.” (src: NASA)
- blood clots:
- “The changes to circulation caused two astronauts to develop small blood clots, which could have been fatal. Fortunately, though, the man and woman affected came to no harm.”
- 09.05.07: “Cardiovascular System Gets ‘Lazy’ in Space; New Study Gets Blood Flowing on Station” (src: NASA)
of course: the daily “radiation” weather forecast, are just as important as proper shielding of the space craft and a save-rooms for Astronauts.
btw: not a big fan of SpaceX’s “diver” with “heath-shield-tiles” approach of landing the Starship (It is very risky, and failed the SpaceShuttle, why should it work this time? If one tile comes off… boom. (only difference, StarShip might sustain heat-tile loss a bit longer because of stainless-steel hull.. but still… at high speeds, the atmosphere becomes a cutting torch, really want to risk that?)
Why not do it as with Falcon 9 and have multiple retrograde burns to slow down descent through atmosphere?
(this user here says, “because it would need too much fuel”, with orbital refueling, that would not be a problem right?)
#linux #gnu #gnulinux #opensource #administration #sysops #space #expanse #cosmos #startrek #scifi #gravity #spacex #starship
Originally posted at: https://dwaves.de/2022/04/29/the-expanse-very-well-made-intro-astronauts-need-artificial-gravity-starship-landing-vs-falcon9-landing/
one more step for mankind
IN NO WAY shall the accomplishments of the year 1969 be belittled, OR the Space Shuttle ($1.5 billion per flight), but imho what is happening NOW at NASA is a complete waste of money.
Instead of designing a re-usable rocket from scratch, they build a Saturn V like rocket called SLS (with 1990s parts) that is supposed to take people to Moon and Mars for “only” $2billion per launch.
NASA MUST BE KIDDING!
This catastrophic waste of taxpayers money can be explained in one sentence: “Trump’s controversial NASA chief, Jim Bridenstine, narrowly confirmed”
Estimates are that a Starship flight will be ~$2Million per launch.
At the same time there is pressure & lobbying going on from Boing & others to not give SpaceX the whole pie of money for future space missions 🙈
What is ESA doing on this topic?
nationalism & political fallout: So every country needs it’s own space station now?
Just to proof a point “because we can, if we throw a lot of money and resources at it”. Well, yes every country could do that then, but does it make sense? Can not a lot of money be saved by working together?
China already has it’s own space station in orbit, usually manned by three persons.
The ISS came into trouble, because Russia’s space agency Roscosmos supplied boost to the ISS via Soyuz to keep it up in orbit.
Without regular boosts, the ISS is designed to “deorbit” (break down and dissolve in a fiery melt down in Earth’s atmosphere).
Next to supply & person transport, SpaceX could take over that task too. (any craft with fuel left over)
“The (ISS) station was formed after a Russian space module joined with an American module in 1998.”
Another milestone in ending the cold war 1.0 and coming to a (more or less) peacefull cooperation between the two rivaling countries.
“Construction was completed in 2011”
“According to NASA’s report in July 2020, a total of 242 individuals from 19 different countries have managed to travel to the ISS” (src: republicworld.com)
“But the station will require fuel and maintenance to continue operations. In December 2021, the Biden administration announced it would continue ISS cooperation through 2030.”
“Private companies like Axiom Space and Blue Origin are currently developing their own replacement stations, and Roscosmos plans to launch its own station in 2025. The Indian Space Research Organization indicated in 2019 that it may skip the ISS entirely, with plans to launch a 20-tonne space station.” (src: inverse.com)
#linux #gnu #gnulinux #opensource #administration #sysops #renewable #reusable #space #starship #saturnv #spacex #nasa #moon #mars #rockets
Originally posted at: https://dwaves.de/2022/03/22/human-space-travel-to-moon-and-mars-one-more-step-for-mankind-reusable-renewable-rockets-are-the-way-to-the-space-future/
one more step for mankind
IN NO WAY shall the accomplishments of the year 1969 be belittled, OR the Space Shuttle ($1.5 billion per flight), but imho what is happening NOW at NASA is a complete waste of money.
Instead of designing a re-usable rocket from scratch, they build a Saturn V like rocket called SLS (with parts from 1969) that is supposed to take people to Moon and Mars for “only” $2billion per launch.
NASA MUST BE KIDDING!
This catastrophic waste of taxpayers money can be explained in one sentence: “Trump’s controversial NASA chief, Jim Bridenstine, narrowly confirmed”
Estimates are that a Starship flight will be ~$2Million per launch.
At the same time there is pressure from Boing & others to
#linux #gnu #gnulinux #opensource #administration #sysops #renewable #reusable #space #starship #saturnv #spacex #nasa #moon #mars #rockets
Originally posted at: https://dwaves.de/2022/03/22/human-space-travel-to-moon-and-mars-one-more-step-for-mankind-reusable-renewable-rockets-are-the-way-to-the-space-future/
Starship Super Heavy engine steering test
when? soon… very soon…
“On Black Friday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sent an anxious email to his company’s employees, urging them to work over the weekend on SpaceX’s Raptor engine line and describing the production situation as a “crisis.”” (to SpaceX) (src: theverge.com)
Starship Super Heavy engine steering test-2021-12-18
Starship Super Heavy engine steering test-2021-12-18
[video width=”486″ height=”482″ mp4=”https://dwaves.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Starship-Super-Heavy-engine-steering-test-2021-12-18.mp4″\]\[/video\]
#linux #gnu #gnulinux #opensource #administration #sysops #space #starship #raptor #engine #spacex
Originally posted at: https://dwaves.de/2021/12/19/starship-super-heavy-engine-steering-test/
Blue Origin Rolls Out Test Article For Next-Gen Rocket
By any metric you care to use, this is a very exciting time for America's space program. NASA is refocusing their efforts towards the Moon and beyond, SpaceX is launching routine crew and cargo flights to the International Space Station with reusable rockets, and if you've got deep enough pockets, there are now multiple companies offering suborbital pleasure trips requiring little more than a few hours worth of training. It's taken longer than many people had hoped, but it seems we're finally making the confident strides necessary to truly utilize space's vast resources.
But things are just getting started. A new generation of massive reusable rockets are currently being developed, which promise to make access to space cheaper and faster than ever before. We've seen quite a bit of SpaceX's Starship, thanks in no small part to the dramatic test flights that the media-savvy company has been regularly live streaming to YouTube. But Blue Origin, founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, has been far more secretive about their New Glenn. That is, until now.
GS1 under construction in Florida.
On November 8th, Blue Origin rolled out their GS1 simulator for the New Glenn's first stage. This stand-in for the real rocket will never fly, but it's designed to perfectly recreate the dimensions, center of gravity, and mass, of the real thing. Ground teams will use the GS1 to practice safely transporting the booster, which is approximately half the length of the Saturn V, from their production facility to Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) at Cape Canaveral. It will also be used to test the fit and function of various pieces of ground support equipment, and eventually, the second stage stacking procedure.
For the uninitiated, it might seem like this is a lot of fuss over what's ultimately just a hollow metal tube. But the introduction of a test article such as this has traditionally been a major milestone during the design and construction of rockets and spacecraft, dating back to the "boilerplate" test capsules used during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs; a sure sign that what was just an idea is now becoming a reality.
Practice Makes Perfect
Testing the launch escape system (LES)
As anyone who's worked on a project with many moving parts knows, sketches on paper or CAD models on the screen will only get you so far. Eventually you've got to commit your design, or at least some subset of it, to physical hardware to make sure your components fit and interact in the way you expect. This concept is even more critical when talking about something as monstrously complex as an orbital booster or human-rated spacecraft.
NASA created many test capsules in the early days of their manned space program, which ranged in complexity from inert mass simulators to instrument-laden craft that were actually launched into orbit to collect data on vehicle performance or the space environment. After all, in those early days, there were far more questions than answers. Without the luxury of modern simulation technology, building and flying a dummy capsule was the only real option.
By some accounts, there were at least 50 test capsules constructed for the Apollo program alone. Many of these bore little resemblance to the final Command Module that took the astronauts to the Moon, but that wasn't always the point. Conversely, some were so accurate internally that they were used for astronaut training. While a large number of these capsules have survived into the present day, and can be found in museums all over the United States, several were either destroyed or otherwise lost during testing. Some ended up being cut up for scrap, or rebuilt and reused for another experiment.
Some Assembly Required
By the time the Space Shuttle development program was in full swing, the state-of-the-art had improved considerably. NASA was far more confident in their ability to simulate the behavior of the vehicle, to the point that there was famously no test flight of the complete Shuttle "stack" before John Young and Robert Crippen rode Columbia to space on April 12th, 1981.
Enterprise on the launch pad.
But that's not to say they didn't have some help leading up to the first crewed launch. NASA ran an extensive series of Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs) using the Enterprise , a prototype orbiter that was originally intended to be retrofitted for spaceflight until it was determined that it would actually be cheaper to build Challenger from scratch due to changes in the final vehicle design.
These flight tests, which saw the Enterprise dropped from the iconic Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), were designed to characterize how the orbiter would handle while gliding back down to Earth after reentering the atmosphere. When the ALT program was complete, Enterprise went on tour to several NASA facilities for further testing.
It underwent vibratory tests at Marshall Space Flight Center, and later traveled to Kennedy Space Center so it could be used to verify stacking procedures in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Eventually, it even made its way to the launchpad at LC-39 where it was mated to dummy versions of the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for fit checks with the Shuttle's extensive Ground Support Equipment (GSE).
Though Enterprise is certainly the most well-known "dummy" Space Shuttle, it's not the only one. NASA also produced Pathfinder , a test article not unlike Blue Origin's GS1. Made partially out of wood, this inert stand-in for the orbiter was used for less critical training and testing applications.
Pathfinder being used for testing at Kennedy Space Center in 1978.
One Small Step, No Giant Leap
Clearly, Blue Origin's GS1 is in good company as far as the history of American spaceflight is concerned, and it's an excellent sign that the company is making progress with their long-delayed rocket. But while the company would undoubtedly like the press to see this public display of a completed test article as evidence that New Glenn is nearing operational status, the reality is less exciting.
Blue Origin BE-4 Engine
Even if Blue Origin has already built a flight-ready New Glenn, of which there is currently no evidence, the company has yet to complete work on the BE-4 engines that would power the heavy-lift vehicle. These are the very same engines that United Launch Alliance has been waiting on to install into their prototype Vulcan rocket. With two flagship launch vehicles literally unable to get off the ground until the BE-4 is operational, there's enormous pressure on Blue Origin to deliver an engine that's already at least four years behind schedule.
The lack of main engines is bad enough, but there's also uncertainty surrounding the second stage of the New Glenn vehicle. The original plan was for the upper stage of the rocket to be expendable, with only the first stage landing on an ocean-going platform for refurbishment and eventual reflight; closely following the reuse program of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But over the summer it was revealed that Blue Origin intended to design a reusable second stage in an effort to lower operational costs and bring their capabilities better in line with SpaceX's Starship. With so many missing pieces this late in the game, it seems likely that even in the best case scenario, New Glenn is still several years away from entering operational status.
#currentevents #featured #space #be4 #blueorigin #nasa #newglenn #spacex #starship
Marsh Family – Something's Gotta Stop Us (2021)
#Cover of a famous #Starship hit rewritten for #COP26 by my 2nd favorite family in #UK :)
And we've instilled extremes of weather
Species gone forever
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
And if this world doesn't recover
We'll just blame each other!
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m8izf-oXY4
#JeffersonStarship - #Miracles (Official Audio)
SpaceX Lands Starship Prototype - AVweb
SpaceX Lands Starship Prototype
Kate O'Connor
May 6, 2021
2
Image: SpaceXSpaceX wrapped up the fifth high-altitude flight test of its Starship prototype with a successful landing on Wednesday evening. The prototype used for Wednesday’s flight, SN15, is the first to avoid what SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has termed “rapid unscheduled disassembly” during testing. While the testing procedure was similar to that of the four previous high-altitude test flights, the SN15 prototype included some design changes.
“SN15 has vehicle improvements across structures, avionics and software, and the engines that will allow more speed and efficiency throughout production and flight: specifically, a new enhanced avionics suite, updated propellant architecture in the aft skirt, and a new Raptor engine design and configuration,” SpaceX said.
The flight lasted 6 minutes 8 seconds, launching from SpaceX’s facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 6:24 p.m. eastern time. As planned, SN15 reached an altitude of approximately 10 kilometers before performing a flip maneuver to reorient itself for reentry. SpaceX is designing the Starship to carry crew and cargo to Earth’s orbit, the Moon and Mars.
