Short Takes – 6-10-24 – Space Geek Edition

Virgin Galactic completes final spaceflight before two-year pause. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “It was also the final flight for its current spaceplane called VSS Unity, which it intends to replace with two next-generation "Delta class" ships, currently under construction in Arizona, with test flights due in 2025 before commercial operations in 2026.”

Curvature propulsion and the future of intergalactic space travel. Earth.com article. Broad look at FTL concepts. Pull quote: “The Krasnikov Tube offers several theoretical advantages despite the challenges it presents. Once created, a Krasnikov Tube remains as a permanent fixture in spacetime, allowing for repeated use and creating a reliable interstellar highway.”

Planet’s first hyperspectral satellite is ready to launch. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Slated to join Tanager-1 on a Falcon 9 rocket are 35 optical Earth imaging satellites Planet calls SuperDoves for contributing to the company’s flagship daily, global monitoring service, which uses around 200 satellites in low Earth orbit. SuperDoves are about the size of a breadbox, whereas Pelican and Tanager-1 are roughly the size of a mini fridge.”

NASA puts $10M down on Mars sample return proposals from Blue Origin, SpaceX and others. TechCrunch.com article. Pull quote: “The titles don’t really say very much at all about the respective proposals — for example, it’s no surprise that SpaceX is offering up Starship for a mission to Mars, but how exactly the vehicle will be enabled to collect and return samples is still unclear. That’s the whole point of the study period: to help NASA understand whether there are viable alternative mission designs or mission elements to bring Martian samples home safely.”

Boeing’s Starliner is ready for human flight, but is it too late? TheHill.com commentary. Pull quote: “Eric Berger at Ars Technica wrote a piece that exhaustively explains the results of the first commercial space race. The short answer is that while SpaceX is a small, nimble company that can make and execute decisions quickly, Boeing is large and bureaucratic. Boeing never before and will likely never again accept a fixed price contract in which cost overruns come out of its corporate pocket rather than the United States government.”