Short Takes – 6-18-24 – Space Geek Edition

Warp drives could generate gravitational waves. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “If they've figured out how to construct and use a warp drive, even with all of its seeming impossibilities, their activities might create gravitational waves that our future observatories could detect, even in other galaxies. But for now, it's all theoretical.”

Things that almost go boom. SpaceReview.com article. An interesting story from the history of rocket science. Pull quote: “Every organization eventually learns the lesson of systems engineering. They learn that one part of a complex machine can affect another part in unforeseen ways. They learn that someone has to be responsible for the entire system and aware of its individual components so that they do not interfere with each other. And they learn that communication, and procedures for communicating, are important for success. The earlier they learn this lesson the better. Skip it and rockets blow up.”

The rush to return humans to the Moon and build lunar bases could threaten opportunities for astronomy. TheSpaceReview.com article. Nice discussion about potential astronomic observations from the Moon. Pull quote: “In 2024, the International Astronomical Union put together the working group Astronomy from the Moon to start defining which sites astronomers want to preserve for their work. This entails ranking the sites by their importance for each type of telescope and beginning to talk with a key United Nations committee. These steps may help astronomers, astronauts from multiple countries and private interests share the Moon.”

Astroscale’s space junk inspection satellite snaps a close-up photo of a discarded rocket stage. TechCrunch.com article. Interesting photo, I wonder how good their best pictures were. Pull quote: “In addition to the images, ADRAS-J is also collecting data on the object, like its spin rate and the overall condition of the structure. In the next phase of the mission, Astroscale is aiming to execute even more controlled close approach maneuvers, including flying around the object, to capture additional images of the upper stage. At the end of the mission, ADRAS-J will transition to a safe orbit to avoid collision with the piece of space junk.”

HyImpulse Signs Agreement to Launch SL1 Rocket From Australia. EuropeanSpaceFlight.com article. Pull quote: “On 6 June, Southern Launch announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HyImpulse for the launch of additional SR75 missions from Koonibba. The agreement also included provisions for the pair to explore the possibility of launching orbital flights aboard the HyImpulse SL1 rocket from Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex on the south coast of Australia.”

Starliner’s Return Delayed Again: What’s Next for the Spacecraft? SciTechDaily.com article. Pull quote: “NASA and Boeing teams also prepared plans for Starliner to fire seven of its eight aft-facing thrusters while docked to the station to evaluate thruster performance for the remainder of the mission. Known as a “hot fire test,” the process will see two bursts of the thrusters, totaling about a second, as part of a pathfinder process to evaluate how the spacecraft will perform during future operational missions after being docked to the space station for six months. The crew also will investigate cabin air temperature readings across the cabin to correlate to the life support system temperature measurements.”