SPACE - random thread about space stuff

[Zaxxon]

More deets (but mostly speculation).

[Daehawk]

Maybe not put gas in the tank unless you want to start it.

[Zaxxon]

https://johnedchristensen.github.io/WebbCompare/

[jztemple2]

https://johnedchristensen.github.io/WebbCompare/

Maybe because I'm getting old and cynical, but in spite of actually having been an astronomy major for a year in college, I find all the excitement over pictures with a bit more resolution not as exciting as other folks find them. We're still looking at objects that no one alive nor for the foreseeable future will ever be able to visit.

Still, they do look pretty.

[Isgrimnur]

The Verge

Hubble eXtreme Deep Field image, released in 2012. There are more than 5,500 galaxies visible in this image. Over the course of a decade, researchers gathered 50 days’ worth of observations of one concentrated area, resulting in an exposure of 2 million seconds (more than 23 days).
…

While Hubble’s deep fields took days (if not weeks) of exposure, JWST was able to capture this image after just 12.5 hours.

[Kraken]

https://johnedchristensen.github.io/WebbCompare/

Maybe because I'm getting old and cynical, but in spite of actually having been an astronomy major for a year in college, I find all the excitement over pictures with a bit more resolution not as exciting as other folks find them. We're still looking at objects that no one alive nor for the foreseeable future will ever be able to visit.

Still, they do look pretty.

We're gathering radiation our eyes can't see that's been traveling for over 6 billion years and looking in detail at objects which might no longer exist. We took the spectrum of an exoplanet's atmosphere -- not so terribly long ago we had no proof that exoplanets even exist. We're going to learn a ton about the origin and nature of the universe. You're definitely old and cynical.

[jztemple2]

You're definitely old and cynical.

Just letting all you youngsters know what you have to look forward too
So, folks want to speculate on how much of a delay to the SpaceX Starship's first orbital flight that little bang is going to cause?

[Zaxxon]

So, folks want to speculate on how much of a delay to the SpaceX Starship's first orbital flight that little bang is going to cause?

There had been talk of an August launch attempt. I'll go first and say that'll now be late September, based on exactly nothing concrete.

[jztemple2]

[Zaxxon]

This is of course not at all comparable, but I LOLed...

[Isgrimnur]

First telescope: 1608

First neuroimaging technique: 1880s

[Kraken]

So, folks want to speculate on how much of a delay to the SpaceX Starship's first orbital flight that little bang is going to cause?

There had been talk of an August launch attempt. I'll go first and say that'll now be late September, based on exactly nothing concrete.

Depends on whether they lost a lot of those 33 Raptors. Engines are their main production bottleneck. Figuring out the fault is kinda important, too, but they seem to be very good at collecting and analyzing data.

[jztemple2]

So, folks want to speculate on how much of a delay to the SpaceX Starship's first orbital flight that little bang is going to cause?

There had been talk of an August launch attempt. I'll go first and say that'll now be late September, based on exactly nothing concrete.

Depends on whether they lost a lot of those 33 Raptors. Engines are their main production bottleneck. Figuring out the fault is kinda important, too, but they seem to be very good at collecting and analyzing data.

Unless something has changed, I'm remembering that it is supposed to be a SpaceX Starship configured as the moon lander to allow the Artemis astronauts to walk on the moon. So I'm sure that NASA is keeping a close watch on anything that might impact Starship development, like a delay in the first orbital flight.

[Carpet_pissr]

https://johnedchristensen.github.io/WebbCompare/

Maybe because I'm getting old and cynical, but in spite of actually having been an astronomy major for a year in college, I find all the excitement over pictures with a bit more resolution not as exciting as other folks find them. We're still looking at objects that no one alive nor for the foreseeable future will ever be able to visit.

Still, they do look pretty.

We're gathering radiation our eyes can't see that's been traveling for over 6 billion years and looking in detail at objects which might no longer exist. We took the spectrum of an exoplanet's atmosphere -- not so terribly long ago we had no proof that exoplanets even exist. We're going to learn a ton about the origin and nature of the universe. You're definitely old and cynical.

I’m with Kraken, this is amazing (to me). Add to the wonder the fact that it uses a blob of gravity like an extension tube on a camera lens to see even farther, and…mind blown.

We are literally looking at images from 6 billion years ago. Closest thing to time travel we’ll ever get I guess.

[LawBeefaroni]

You do realize that all these Webb images are fakes created from stills used in the production of Buck Rogers In the 25th Century from the early 80s, right?

When Webb was in ESA custody to be loaded onto the Ariane 5 rocket, they hacked the electronics to send fake images to NASA while diverting the real images to themselves. They don't want us to know what is really out there. This just an extension of the work done by the Catholic Church, the Templars, the Rosecrucians, and others to keep the truth from us. If we get full knowledge of the universe and realize our higher selves they can no longer keep us as chattel, and it terrifies them to their core.

[Max Peck]

I like this side-by-side comparison of Webb and Hubble imagery.

[jztemple2]

SpaceX is preparing to celebrate its commercial resupply service mission contracted with NASA with its 25th launch on Thursday night.

SpaceX’s famed Falcon 9 rocket will send the company’s Dragon spacecraft heading to the International Space Station with supplies and experiments once it lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

The launch window opens at 8:44 p.m. EDT, but if it is pushed back, the next chance might be 8:18 p.m. EDT, Friday, July 15, stated SpaceX.

[jztemple2]

SpaceX is preparing to celebrate its commercial resupply service mission contracted with NASA with its 25th launch on Thursday night.

SpaceX’s famed Falcon 9 rocket will send the company’s Dragon spacecraft heading to the International Space Station with supplies and experiments once it lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

The launch window opens at 8:44 p.m. EDT, but if it is pushed back, the next chance might be 8:18 p.m. EDT, Friday, July 15, stated SpaceX.

That Falcon 9 launch really rattled the windows and stuff on the shelves of our house. I wonder how loud a Starship Booster with thirty-three Raptor 2 engines will sound/feel?

[jztemple2]

NASA, Roscosmos reach agreement on 1st crew swaps of the commercial space era

After months of negotiation, and amid the backdrop of geopolitical tensions on the ground, the space agencies in both the U.S. and Russia reached an agreement to resume crew swaps on future spaceflights to the International Space Station.

The agreement comes one day shy of the 47th anniversary of the historic first handshake in space between Apollo astronaut Thomas P. Stafford and cosmonaut Aleksei A. Leonov. It also happened to come out the same day that the Kremlin declared that Dmitry Rogozin was being removed as the head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

On Friday, NASA confirmed in a statement that a new deal with the Russian space agency, Rosocosmos, had been reached with the first of these integrated crew missions happening as early as Sept. 21. That is when NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will serve as a flight engineer aboard the Soyuz MS-22 as part of the Expedition 68 crew.

[Hrdina]

NASA, Roscosmos reach agreement on 1st crew swaps of the commercial space era

After months of negotiation, and amid the backdrop of geopolitical tensions on the ground, the space agencies in both the U.S. and Russia reached an agreement to resume crew swaps on future spaceflights to the International Space Station.

The agreement comes one day shy of the 47th anniversary of the historic first handshake in space between Apollo astronaut Thomas P. Stafford and cosmonaut Aleksei A. Leonov. It also happened to come out the same day that the Kremlin declared that Dmitry Rogozin was being removed as the head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

On Friday, NASA confirmed in a statement that a new deal with the Russian space agency, Rosocosmos, had been reached with the first of these integrated crew missions happening as early as Sept. 21. That is when NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will serve as a flight engineer aboard the Soyuz MS-22 as part of the Expedition 68 crew.

I'm sure that totally had nothing to do with Rogozin getting the axe that same day.

[jztemple2]

Another interesting article by Space.com, NASA's head warned that China may try to claim the moon — two space scholars explain why that's unlikely to happen

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently expressed concerns over China's aims in space, and in particular, that China would, in some way, claim ownership over the moon and stop other countries from exploring it. In an interview with a German newspaper, Nelson cautioned that "we must be very concerned that China is landing on the moon and saying: 'It's ours now and you stay out.'" China immediately denounced the claims as a "lie".

This spat between the administrator of NASA and Chinese government officials comes at a time when both nations are actively working on missions to the moon —and China has not been shy about its lunar aspirations.

In 2019, China became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. That same year, China and Russia announced joint plans to reach the South Pole of the moon by 2026. And some Chinese officials and government documents have expressed intentions to build a permanent, crewed International Lunar Research Station by 2027.

There is big difference between China — or any state for that matter — setting up a lunar base and actually "taking over" the moon. As two scholars who study space security and China's space program, we believe that neither China nor any other nation is likely to take over the moon in the near future. It is not only illegal, it is also technologically daunting — the costs of such an endeavor would be extremely high, while the potential payoffs would be uncertain.

Legally, China cannot take over the moon because it is against current international space law. The Outer Space Treaty, adopted in 1967 and signed by 134 countries, including China, explicitly states that "Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means" (Article II). Legal scholars have debated the exact meaning of "appropriation", but under a literal interpretation, the treaty indicates that no country can take possession of the moon and declare it an extension of its national aspirations and prerogatives. If China tried to do this, it would risk international condemnation and a potential international retaliatory response.

That hyperlink I've included in the last paragraph takes you, as it does in the original article, to a rather interesting paper submitted at the 69th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Bremen, Germany, 1-5 October 2018. The paper, The Non-Appropriation Principle: A Roman Interpretation, is a look at, well, just look at the abstract at the beginning of the paper to see if you might be interested.

[Daehawk]

LINK

Use your mouse wheel to scroll down.

[Isgrimnur]

link

[Daehawk]

Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope damaged after being smashed by space rock, images show

[Jaymann]

There is a comet passing earth visible right now:

[Daehawk]

Where is that actually viewable?

[Jaymann]

To get a telescope view of C/2017 K2 on Wednesday and Thursday, it might help to use the browser app Stellarium, which assists in locating night-sky objects. The below images show that in the early hours of Thursday, the comet will be located roughly near the star 30 Ophiuchi, which appears to the comet's lower left, and above the globular cluster Messier 10.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technolo ... ar-AAZuuww

[The Meal]

It's in Ophiuchus.

https://mashable.com/article/how-to-see ... -panstarrs

That Washington Post link to the James Webb initial image explainer was phenomenal (well worth whitelisting that site for javascript, even if just temporarily). Thanks for sharing.

[Kraken]

That Washington Post link to the James Webb initial image explainer was phenomenal (well worth whitelisting that site for javascript, even if just temporarily). Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for commenting. I don't click blind links and would've missed it if you hadn't recommended.

[jztemple2]

NASA is working toward three "placeholder" launch dates for Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight around the moon that serves as a keystone in testing for future human missions: Aug. 29, Sept. 2 and Sept. 5. These dates are pending repairs and tweaks, however, to the Space Launch System rocket and related systems in light of results from a "wet dress rehearsal" June 20 that NASA declared a success, officials said in a teleconference with media held on Wednesday (July 20).

[Daehawk]

Mystery on Mars

[Jaymann]

My favorite mars pictures are the ones with squirrels and mushrooms.

[jztemple2]

Teams Press Ahead Toward Artemis I Launch in Late August

Final work continues to prepare the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Artemis I. Teams have identified placeholder dates for potential launch opportunities. They include:

• Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. EDT (Two-hour launch window); Landing Oct. 10
• Sept. 2 at 12:48 p.m. (Two-hour launch window); Landing Oct. 11
• Sept. 5 at 5:12 p.m. (90-minute launch window); Landing Oct. 17

Technicians now are testing the newly replaced seals on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical to ensure there are no additional leaks. The seals were replaced to address a hydrogen leak during the final wet dress rehearsal in June. Following testing, teams will complete closeouts to ready that section for flight.

Engineers are also finishing installation of the flight batteries. Teams installed the batteries for the solid rocket boosters and interim cryogenic propulsion stage this week and will install the core stage batteries next week.

On Orion, technicians installed Commander Moonikin Campos, who is one of three “passengers” flying aboard Orion to test the spacecraft’s systems. Commander Campos’s crew mates, Helga and Zohar, will be installed in the coming weeks.

[Isgrimnur]

[jztemple2]

Gotta justify those billions somehow

[jztemple2]

SpaceX’s next crew launch delayed by booster damage

SpaceX and NASA have delayed the launch of the next U.S. crew flight to the International Space Station from early September to no earlier than Sept. 29, allowing time for ground teams to replace an interstage on the mission’s new Falcon 9 booster after it was damaged during transport.

The Falcon 9 booster stage, riding horizontally on a truck and trailer, struck a bridge during the trip from SpaceX’s factory in Hawthorne, California, to the company’s test facility in McGregor, Texas, where the rocket will be test-fired before continuing on to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.

[jztemple2]

Russia to opt out of International Space Station after 2024

Russia will opt out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, the country's newly appointed space chief said Tuesday.

Yuri Borisov, who was appointed earlier this month to lead the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos, said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia will fulfill its obligations to other partners at the International Space Station before it leaves the project.

"The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made," Borisov said.

Borisov's statement reaffirmed previous declarations by Russian space officials about Moscow's intention to leave the space outpost after 2024.

[Daehawk]

Like they can afford it. Just bluffing as usual.

[Holman]

There's a lot of Russian hardware in the ISS. Are they going to disable it on their way out of the airlock?

[Unagi]

Russia to opt out of International Space Station after 2024

Russia will opt out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, the country's newly appointed space chief said Tuesday.

Yuri Borisov, who was appointed earlier this month to lead the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos, said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia will fulfill its obligations to other partners at the International Space Station before it leaves the project.

"The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made," Borisov said.

Borisov's statement reaffirmed previous declarations by Russian space officials about Moscow's intention to leave the space outpost after 2024.

Honestly don't know how we could seriously rely upon/trust Russia in the near future anyhow, and this isn't the place for that kind of partnership.