Short Takes – 8-7-23

LeoStella super-sizes its platform for small satellites as it takes aim at new markets. GeekWire.com article. Pull quote: “Now there’s a growing demand for a bigger class of small satellites, and LeoStella’s LS-300 bus is designed to serve that demand. The LS-300 design, unveiled in conjunction with this week’s Small Satellite Conference in Utah, can be used for satellites weighing 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms), with half of that mass available for the satellite’s payload.”

Among MAGA extremists, Trump charges draw big talk, small crowds. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “Analysts say that’s partly because of the chilling effect of the Justice Department’s aggressive prosecution of U.S. Capitol rioters, and partly because Trump’s supporters don’t see him as urgently imperiled, a factor that could change should he slip in the polls or face serious jail time. The specter of political violence isn’t gone, the researchers emphasized, but they said the threat now comes from radicalized individuals rather than from the more organized pro-Trump groups that took part in the Jan. 6 attack.”

SpaceX Successfully Runs Starship Test After Explosion During Earlier Attempt. WCCFTech.com article. Pull quote: “Upgrades to the Raptor engines are one of the most important on the Starship vehicle after the first flight attempt in April. While most attention during the test was focused on the world's largest rocket doing cartwheels in the air, Starship's engines continued to turn off as it ascended after liftoff.”

America’s white majority is aging out. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““Immigration is a good thing for America,” said Frey, the Brookings researcher. “You’re going to want a country that’s growing and robust and has a lot of energy and people who will contribute to Social Security and Medicare. And you can’t just count on whites for that.””

NASA can save the Mars Sample Return mission by going commercial. TheHill.com commentary. Pull quote: “SpaceX already plans to send an uncrewed Starship to Mars and back as a precursor for Elon Musk’s dream of sending human settlers to the Red Planet. The Starship would land on Mars and then immediately start converting carbon dioxide and water ice into the rocket fuel it needs to return to Earth. While the rocket ship manufactures the fuel, it can collect the Mars samples that Perseverance has obtained and stored. Indeed, considering that Starship can carry more than 100 metric tons of stuff, it can collect even more samples, perhaps by using AI-enhanced robots.”

Split in U.S. House GOP raises potential for government shutdown this fall. GovExec.com article. Pull quote: ““There’s no doubt that conference (committee) assumes much more importance this year because of what’s happening with these bills. We’re accommodating the wish list of the Freedom Caucus essentially with the cuts in government investments across the board,” Cartwright said, referring to the group of especially conservative House Republicans.”

Boeing Aims to Get Starliner Spacecraft Ready to Fly Next March. Bloomberg.com article. Pull quote: ““We prioritize safety, and we’re taking whatever time is required,” Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun told analysts on a July 26 earnings call. “We’re confident in that team and committed to getting it right.””

Supercapacitor cement could supercharge renewable energy storage. ChemistryWorld.com article. Pull quote: “Bernhard Pichler at Vienna University of Technology in Austria, however, does not dispute the strength measurements, and says that ‘the authors have used an initial water-to-cement mass ratio of 0.42. This allows you to produce regular-strength concrete. In many practical applications, even larger ratios are used… Lower ratios are needed to produce ultra-high performance concretes, but they are used for rather special applications only. Overall, I think this paper is extremely interesting, and it will be influential in my scientific community for sure.’”