Space General Space News, Image and Discussion Thread

[AndrewJTalon]

What it says on the tin: Post about cool stuff in space technology advancement, news in space, and cool images from/of/for space. And to start:

Nuclear Reactor for Mars Outpost Could Be Ready to Fly by 2022

A new type of nuclear reactor designed to power crewed outposts on the moon and Mars could be ready for its first in-space trial just a few years from now, project team members said.

www.space.com

An image from Space That Never Was.

And finally:



A NASA documentary on the twelve Gemini missions.

 

[Yokkiziikzekker]

Nuclear Reactor for Mars Outpost Could Be Ready to Fly by 2022

A new type of nuclear reactor designed to power crewed outposts on the moon and Mars could be ready for its first in-space trial just a few years from now, project team members said.

www.space.com

I honestly don't think it will be ready by then, especially if this is more 'throw it at the wall and see what sticks' from NASA

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I honestly don't think it will be ready by then, especially if this is more 'throw it at the wall and see what sticks' from NASA

Same. On the plus side, Elon Musk may just decide to skip ahead and get to Mars first.

 

[Kleio]

Same. On the plus side, Elon Musk may just decide to skip ahead and get to Mars first.

Eh, I'd be leery of expecting anything great out of Musk. Guy seems to promise the world and barely delivers. He's gotten his PR game down pat, but outside of his re-useable rockets he just seems to talk big.

 

[Emperor Tippy]

Eh, I'd be leery of expecting anything great out of Musk. Guy seems to promise the world and barely delivers. He's gotten his PR game down pat, but outside of his re-useable rockets he just seems to talk big.

PayPal, electric cars, rocketry; Musk does tend to deliver what he promises. SpaceX is the dominant space launch entity on the planet and is spending more on spacelaunch related R&D that virtually any other entity that you can name.

Elon's antics are annoying but when it comes to space he does tend to deliver what he promises. Even if projected dates often slip.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

NASA Rehearses Astronaut Launch — and Rescue — with SpaceX, Boeing (Photos)

Also good news.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I really hope I'm not the only one posting.

Russian Soyuz Spacecraft Carrying Humanoid Robot Aborts Docking at Space Station

Something went wrong just before docking.

www.space.com

I'm sure there's nothing to worry about in a situation where a spacecraft carrying a humanoid robot abruptly aborts a docking.

What could go wrong putting a Russian killbot on a spaceship?

 

[Urabrask Revealed]

I'm sure there's nothing to worry about in a situation where a spacecraft carrying a humanoid robot abruptly aborts a docking.

Did the computer explain why they aborted their docking?

Also, what websites do you frequent for this sort of news?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Did the computer explain why they aborted their docking?

Also, what websites do you frequent for this sort of news?

The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft, which is carrying supplies and a humanoid robot called Skybot F-850, was on its final approach to the space station when its automated docking system failed to lock on to its intended docking port: a space-facing module called Poisk. Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, the station's commander, triggered an abort command for the Soyuz at 1:36 a.m. EDT (0536 GMT) after multiple attempts to make the rendezvous with primary and backup systems failed.

"At no point was the crew in any danger," NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said of the station's six-person Expedition 60 crew during live commentary.

The Soyuz is now trailing the space station at a safe distance away in a so-called "race track orbit" that can allow additional docking attempts every 24 hours, Navias said. The next attempt will occur no earlier than overnight Sunday or early Monday (Aug. 25-26).

As for links:

www.space.com

Universe Today

Space and astronomy news

www.universetoday.com

www.spaceflightnow.com

spaceq.ca

 

[AndrewJTalon]

And maybe we're getting closer to having more places to go than just within our own solar system:

Physicists Just Released Step-by-Step Instructions for Building a Wormhole

Traversable Asymptotically Flat Wormholes with Short Transit Times

 

[Husky_Khan]

Of course it's the Italians.

First DJ in Space! Italian Astronaut Spins 'Out of This World' Set in Orbit

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano became the first DJ in space when he performed a set from aboard the space station.

www.space.com

 

[Bacle]

Dreamchaser on Path for Maiden Flight in 2021

This is great news, as Dreamchaser is the closest thing to a true successor to the Shuttle that has come out so far in the US.

 

[Deleted member]

What it says on the tin: Post about cool stuff in space technology advancement, news in space, and cool images from/of/for space. And to start:

Nuclear Reactor for Mars Outpost Could Be Ready to Fly by 2022

A new type of nuclear reactor designed to power crewed outposts on the moon and Mars could be ready for its first in-space trial just a few years from now, project team members said.

www.space.com

An image from Space That Never Was.
A NASA documentary on the twelve Gemini missions.

I actually like the design of that spaceship unlike most conceptual spaceships...

 

[Deleted member]

Dreamchaser on Path for Maiden Flight in 2021

This is great news, as Dreamchaser is the closest thing to a true successor to the Shuttle that has come out so far in the US.

What is her lift system, again?

 

[Bacle]

What is her lift system, again?

She's supposed to be adaptable to a large variety of launch vehicles, IIRC. The main ones I've seen are the Vulcan Centaur and the Atlas V.

 

[Bacle]

<deleted content>
Neat, I knew most of the bits about the safer fuels, more reliable systems, and a bit about where the design came from.

However I didn't realize so many different rockets could fit it. I knew the ESA had been looking at it, but didn't realize Japan had as well.

I expect if the cargo contract goes well, we'll see a man-rated version in the near future.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Two things that popped up in the news for me: NASA will award Boeing a cost-plus contract for up to 10 SLS rockets – Ars Technica

Is this typical fleecing or actually cost effective for these SLS Rockets.

And of course the story dominating social media, at least as far as space is concerned.

NASA Astronauts Wrap Up Historic All-Woman Spacewalk – Space Station

blogs.nasa.gov

Congratulations to Jessica Meir and Christina Koch and the hundreds of men and women who made the apparently first in space history possible.

 

[Deleted member]

@Husky_Khan , no, it makes no sense at all for these rockets. There are already two on order and costs should already be under control for these ten allowing a ffp contract.

 

[Bacle]

<deleted content>
Sounds like the de-orbiting/collecting of space-trash needs a lot more work and funding, on the international scale.

I do not think we could ever see to true Kessler-type situationthat closes off space for a significant length of time; the debris would be knocked down eventually, either by gravity or various brute force methods. However the cost and time period involved in cleaning up a major collision, or collision cascade, could take a while.

Musk really needs to stop trying to use the 'fail-till-you succeed' methodology when it comes to his sats. The more dead junk there is in space, the harder it is to operate in space safely.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Trump Hails NASA Astronauts on 1st All-Woman Spacewalk in History

'You're very brave people," Trump says.

www.space.com