I prefer the comments of Elon Musk:
"I'm the chief engineer, so I'd just like to say if it goes right, it's credit to the SpaceX-NASA team. If it goes wrong, it's my fault."
Valerie Thomas was the director of the Landsat image processing programs. These are the satellites which revealed so much about the wonderful world we live on, and give us the tools to save lives and conserve wildlife more effectively. She retired in 1995 after 31 years
@NASA
An SLS vendor blocked me for asking why a cover was being milled from a multi-ton bit of aluminum when it could be [sheet metal/composite] part.
I'm glad we're going back to the moon, but I'm worried it will be unsustainable until we deal with the skeletons of Apollo contractors.
"Senior agency officials have told us that at current cost levels the SLS program is unsustainable and exceeds what NASA officials believe will be available for its Artemis missions."
There's an entire generation of engineers shaped by the work SpaceX has done. The world has been changed for the better by the determination and grit of 0.0003% of people.
Ad astra!
Elon's sentiments today are exactly right : "I'm the chief engineer of this thing so I'd just like to say that if it goes right, it's credit to the SpaceX-NASA team, if it goes wrong, it's my fault." I wish this attitude was more common (and applied to situations like a pandemic)
This is your friendly reminder that regardless of your opinion on [billionaire's name here], [space company name here] is made of awesome people who put in a lot of work because they care about the future of humanity.
The latest on the NSSL Phase 2 awards (with ULA, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin in the running), per
@AF_SMC
's Launch Enterprise director Col. Rob Bongiovi:
"We remain on track for a Phase 2 contract award this summer; however, it won’t happen before the end of June."
This was the first refurbished booster I got to work on at a the cape. It might still be my favorite Falcon 9 flight ever. I put a lot of work into this rocket.
NASA awards Aerojet Rocketdyne $AJRD with a contract worth up to $600 million to develop the Orion Main Engine, for up to 20 new engines – with the first six Orion missions featuring refurbished engines from the Space Shuttle program.
NASA press release:
Hi folks, I'm going to make a video series about the rocket engine I'm working on. The first video goes over how I picked a propellant and a thrust level. The next episode will talk about injector design. Check it out!
Liquid Rocket Engines 1 : Design
I suggest devoting our entire Mars-DSN bandwidth budget to downlinking launch video from the rover. The public relations revolution would probably be bigger than getting the samples back.
If President Trump is offering free rides on Dragon 2 for people who irritate him sufficiently, I may need to revise my policy about political comments on social media.
I bought a couple spools of Toray T800S carbon fiber and the vendor "included a few extra at no additional fee" and man I hit the lottery. What should I do with 40 lbs of carbon tow?
I'm going to watch Captain America: The First Avenger tonight because I want to see someone wearing tights punch nazis. It's going to be really therapeutic.
ChemicalForce on YouTube got this amazing shot of NTO droplets suspended above a watch glass of hydrazine on a blanket of combustion products.
Pretty cool stuff!
Blue Origin has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office over NASA’s selection of SpaceX in the Human Landing System competition. “NASA has executed a flawed acquisition for the Human Landing System program and moved the goalposts at the last minute,” it said.
This is catastrophically bad for the environment. Nuclear power is a key part of our sustainable energy future. Nuclear fission is demonstrably safer than alternative baseload power sources like coal.
This is a BIG deal - the first of Indian Point's nuclear reactors is shutting down this month & New York State is moving toward a 100%
#RenewableEnergy
future!
Be sure to check out
@Beyond_IP
and their incredible campaign!
#BeyondIndianPoint
@lrocket
Seriously! The most generous explanation I can give for this is that the machine shop had capacity and their composites shop was booked out for the next 100 years or so...
It's machined? From billet? Yikes! $$$!!!! Off the top of my head better ways: bent sheet metal, carbon layup, or the Russian favorite, leave it open. That must be on the machine for *days*
Only 3 - out of tens of millions vaccinated. Science is triumphant, our viral foe is at our mercy. Now we must martial the societal will to vaccinate every single person in every corner of every land on this planet.
The moon wasn't designed to be landed on. 33 engines weren't meant to go on one rocket. People didn't evolve to live and work in space. We can imagine and build futures that are better than what we are dealt. It belongs in a museum.
Gatens: ISS wasn't designed to be taken apart. Think about cables (i.e. electrical) that run through it and would have to be disconnected. Would be like trying to take the bathroom out of your house.
Comm check absolutely has to be one of the most stress inducing phrases I've ever heard over a crew comm net.
Glad to hear a response. My heart will start again with parachute deployment.
Her legacy is one of the longest running Earth data collection programs, providing the baseline data we'll need to understand and fight climate change.
After years of studies in preparation for launch of a robotic Mars Sample Return mission in 2026, NASA has settled on a solid-fueled design for a miniature rocket with a first-of-its-kind purpose: Launching a payload from Mars for a trip back to Earth.
Friendly reminder that there's still a pandemic on and indoors gatherings between vaccinated individuals do not require masks. We're tested and podding together. Be responsible!
To be quite honest, a year ago I couldn't imagine 1000 people watching slightly-too-in-depth videos about rocket engines, let alone 10,000. As sincerely as it can be said, thank you!
We have so many procedurals about legal/medical drama, I think TV is really missing the aerospace bus here. The first several episodes write themselves, cults, cave submarines, hat eating, propellant drinking, and that's before you even get to the launches.
As I go to sleep tonight, I'm posting the first time I ever saw
@SpaceX
up close. It was 2010, I was 14, and Falcon 9 was about to fly for the first time.
I was given a hat during this trip. I'll be wearing this hat tomorrow. I'm so proud of the work I did there. Godspeed Dragon!
It's been a long time since I worked on any of my hobby liquid engine projects, but this weekend I've gotten redundant tank weight sensors and main propellant valves installed. Next up is the Fill/Drain legs!
It's not quite out-of-this-world, but maybe it's the next best thing. The California Science Center is making the home of the Space Shuttle Endeavour available for weddings.
"The Absolutely Never Been Better State of the Aerospace Industry!"
Also a call to arms to Space Twitter to utilize that 'Block and Report' button. If you're a person who does hiring stuff, maybe also make sure your co-workers are never subjected to these trolls.
Last night we closed out the rail interference for Lumineer's upcoming flight! Today we're working on reaction wheel controller design.
PC:
@XylaFoxlin
I'm so excited to see the station growing again up on
@Space_Station
!
A new science module,
A new 6-way docking module,
and
@Axiom_Space
coming up a little down the road.
I've got most of the parts for my upcoming RCS flight. A ton of integration work left to go, some tube and fitting welding, and three bulkheads that need milled.