#suborbital accelerator

[greatprinceofabraham]

sustainability-times.com

"#SpinLaunch’s unique #satellitedeployment strategy involves a...launch system utilizing a vacuum-sealed chamber & spinning arms for payload acceleration...#SuborbitalAccelerator has...demonstrated it's capabilities"

#KesslerEffect

https://www.sustainability-times.com/energy/china-issues-full-scale-alert-us-spinning-cannon-hurls-hundreds-of-flying-pancake-satellites-into-orbit-in-stunning-tech-leap/

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Military Industrial Complex

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

Summary report of Terran Republic

Homeworld: Terra. Alias: Earth

Territory: 23 Planets 16 Star Systems 54 Orbital Stations 267 Asteroid Mining Operations

Population: 20.9 Billion

Military Threat Level: Red

Technological Level: Yellow

Personal Log from observer Nul Yand

“On the surface the Terran Republic should not even exist.

Their technological level is far below their neighbors such as the Olon Alliance or the Fenrar Empire.

They barely have the means to travel between their worlds and even then it requires months when the previously mentioned governing bodies can do it in days.

The one quality these humans have that has kept them alive for so long is the scope of their military; or more accurately their military industrial complex.

One could be forgiven for equating the two to be one in the same, but the distinction is made quite obvious when dealing with humans.

Their military operates under three branches known as the Fleet, the Army, and the Home Guard.

 The fleet maintains the various orbital and suborbital craft almost completely. This ranges from the kilometer long Kepper Warships to atmospheric attack craft and is the primary partner for the second branch as a means to travel between worlds.

The army is made up of ground forces ranging from standard infantry to heavy mobile assault tanks. During times of war they are the spear tip and conduct numerous covert operations against human aggressors. When these operations are not enough the ground forces are then deployed which conduct full scale planetary invasions or man the numerous defensive forts dotted throughout their territory.

The final branch is the least militaristic of the three but serves a crucial role nonetheless. Home Guard serves as the eyes and ears within the human domain as a sudo military surveillance force. They enforce the laws while also rooting out enemies to said laws such as common gang members to spy’s and collaborators.

All three of these organizations are supplied through what is known as the human Military Industrial Complex.

The MIC is not a single entity but a collection of private corporations, weapon manufacturers, scientific committees, political lobbyists, and countless other unnamed groups who have saw fit not to make themselves known. 

They provide the human military with a near endless supply of weaponry, ammunition, vehicles, ships, and more ensuring that at no time are their forces underequipped.

Research divisions conduct numerous lines of inquiry which include biological and advanced robotics. This has resulted in the military having a wide variety of advanced war machines such as the attack bot 5000, and the UAV dubbed “Seekers” which are capable of tracking down individual targets across an entire planet.

 The biological division has made several advances in medical technology which have equally contributed with the production of Healing Pods which can induce accelerated healing process for even the most injured soldier. On the more questionable front they have also created several strains of lethal viruses to be used against enemy combatants. Rumor is that the Red Vein Plague was one such concoction when the war against the Tumari began taking a turn for the worse against humanity.

With this vast network of resources, the Terran military has been able to adapt to nearly any situation it has faced allowing it to survive even against impossible odds.

When the vast fleet of organic Milnani ships invaded human borders it was expect the human fleets would be wiped out within the first week. The first few engagements resulted in losses, but by the third engagement the humans had deployed new boring missiles that chewed through the thick hide of Milnani ships and dispersed a lethal toxic into the ships bloodstream. Within minutes the ships were violently convulsing as entire portions were torn open from muscle spasms, exposing the passengers to the cold void of space.

When the Tucmal used their advanced weaponry advantage to conquer an outlying colony, the human military dispatched a covert strike team to capture one of the weapon platforms and return it to a research lab on Omega VI. A month later effective shields had been deployed to counteract Tucmal weaponry rendering it useless. A week later the first phase plasma canons were being deployed that could burn through Tucmal armor protecting weapon platforms

When a War Sphere was deployed to obliterate the human homeworld a relay station was deployed to follow it just outside of weapons range. A cryptology team intercepted all incoming transmissions and was able to decipher the communications from the war sphere back to whoever was controlling it thanks to a recently acquired quantum gen III computer and over two dozen alien speakers who had been “invited” to a private facility. The team was able to interject into the transmissions and send a new command to turn around, return to its point of origin, and destroy the planet it came from. They then ordered it to turn off its transmission center so the human command could not be countermanded. In short order the war sphere followed its new directive and returned to its point of origin somewhere in the Ocares Sector.

This shadowy collective has been a backbone of human survival and though many have sought to remove this bountiful source of progress none have been able to completely destroy the MIC. Research groups have been tracked down and their teams wiped out to the man only for another group to take up the notes half a sector away. Factories and facilities obliterated in orbital bombardments were relocated to space stations orbiting no stars in the space between systems off all charts and maps.

It was deemed that only an overwhelming force of unprecedented vastness striking all at once would be sufficient to deal a crippling blow to the MIC. This in of itself however has proved a problem as to gather such a force would almost immediately be noticed and countered before it could even be put into motion.

My recommendation would be to isolate humanity and avoid combat as much as possible.

If conflict is inevitable then it must be prevalent that all significant technology not fall into their hands lest it be deconstructed and used against us.

Only then do we have a slight chance of victory."

[lonestarflight]

Launch of the unmanned Little Joe 5A (Mercury Spacecraft No. 14) vehicle for a suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule.

"It was an attempted re-test of the failed Little Joe 5 flight. The mission used production Mercury spacecraft #14 atop a Little Joe booster rocket. The mission was launched March 18, 1961, from Wallops Island, Virginia. The LJ-5 failure sequence was repeated when capsule escape rocket again ignited prematurely with the capsule remaining attached to the booster. In this flight however, a ground command was sent to separate the capsule from the booster and escape tower. This allowed the main and reserve parachutes to deploy and the capsule was recovered with only minor damage. It would be used again on the subsequent Little Joe 5B mission, in a third attempt to achieve mission objectives. The Little Joe 5A flew to an apogee of 7.7 miles (12 km) and a range of 18 miles (29 km). The mission lasted 5 minutes 25 seconds. Maximum speed was 1,783 miles per hour (2,869 km/h) and acceleration was 8 G (78 m/s²)."

Date: March 18, 1961

NASA ID: S61-01372

[pkmnspacehistory]

A Primer/Overview of Space History

(obviously, I can't go into super high detail on everything, that'd put me out of a job. this is just a general overview for people reaching out from other timelines or from the past or whatever)

Ok, here's basically how we got to where we are:

Pre-industrial times: gunpowder developed and used for fireworks in ancient Hisui, eventually used to augment arrows and such.

Early 1900s: Primitive liquid fueled rockets and the equations describing them start appearing in various regions; beginning of speculation regarding space

Late 1940s/Early 1950s: Following a series of regional conflicts, interregional diplomacy causes deconstruction of already contracted militaries over time, funds dedicated to infrastructure and rocketry.

1957: First artificial satellite

1958: URSA (Unovan Rocketry and Space Agency) founded in wake of accelerating rocket development, successor agency to Unovan Aeronautical Advisory Council (UAAC)

1958-1961: Suborbital and orbital flights carrying pokemon in preparation for crewed missions

1961: First human in space

[some other milestones here]

1969: First crewed lunar landing

Beginning of "Space Boom"

1976: Tranquility Station established in the Sea of Tranquility

1970s-Early 1980s: Development and proliferation of space shuttle and reusable Nova rockets

2000: First humans in Mars

Early 2000s: development of fully reusable/single stage rockets for rapid refurbishment and reflight

2014: Rainbow Bay founded

2024: First humans on Ceres.

Bit of a lot to take in, but trust me, this is truncated

[seyemvertisepra]

Up until relatively recently in its natural history, Centauri Prime was the homeworld of not one but two sapient species, close cousins who diverged around 550,000 earth years ago. This other species was referred to by Centauri ancestors as the Xon, a word whose meaning is lost to apocrypha. This is the origin of the Centauri species' original name for itself, "Ahnxon" or "Not Xon" as the ancients viewed themselves as weaker creatures living in a frightening world where their predatory cousins held dominion over their lives.

The average Xon male stood around 7 feet in height, a considerable advantage over the average male Centauri height of 5'7". Obligate carnivores, they possessed notable meat sheering dentition and the ability to unhinge their jaws, something still observed recessively in their modern Centauri descendants. Their skull structure was more readily compared to their crocodilian like ancestors, giving them the appearance of a slight reptile "snout."

Like most members of their family, males possessed the usual six prehensile reproductive organs. Unlike the Centauri, these were more highly developed, with an extra digit evolving on each. It is believed that Xon may have used their pachiri for manipulation and grasping far more often, which aided them as predators and in navigating their more heavily forested habitats. They are believed to have been used as a threat display on occasion. Xon crests were long and laid flat on their backs, with three or four sets of quilled hair in sections, giving them a tiered appearance.

Female Xon are mysterious, as nearly all written examples describe lone wandering males who occasionally joined together to execute pack hunts.

The only clue to their existence is the occasional discovery of incredibly small Xonoid remains found deep in the impenetrable forests of the western mainland. These individuals would have stood only three feet in height fully grown and are often attributed to Centauri mythology around Whisper Folk, strange tiny women who built Creche-cities in the forest and shied away from interaction with the outside world.

It is well known that male Xon frequently interacted with Centauri Claves and Creches, with Claves favored for pack hunting and hybrid instances existing in both. The modern Centauri population contains an average Xon admixture significantly greater than that seen in humans with Neanderthal ancestors, with the highest admixture existing in the Zapata culture and mainland Centauri coming in second.

The rapid acceleration of Centauri society and its ability to defend itself began to show damage to the Xon population as early as 1500 years ago, with the last full-blooded individuals living just prior to the foundation of the Republic 200 years ago. During this time, they were often treated as second class citizens when they did manage to interact with Centauri, believed to be less intelligent and naturally violent. Individuals were often held captive for research aimed at pushing them further towards the edge of extinction.

The last major Xon population center was wiped out in a single cataclysmic event; the launching of the first suborbital Mass Driver, which was aimed at their then-home in the western continent of Eachnke. This devastating attack tore the continent itself apart, and the newly founded Republic declared the Xon race to have been obliterated in the process. High content hybrids continued to live on the mainland for some time but were mostly eventually driven out or killed, the survivors settling on the ruptured Eachnke to form the Zapata culture.

The violence between the two species has left a permanent mar on the epigenetic health of modern Centauri and is thought by many to be the catalyst for their developing xenophobia and warlike attitudes. They retain many traits associated with prey animals, such as heightened fear responses; they have a tendency to sleep in groups and an intense instinctive fear of having the stomach exposed that can induce panic attacks for many.

[elmalo8291]

1. Hydra-Class Multipurpose Recreational Pod

Purpose: Recreation, Exploration, Personal Transport

Use Cases: Nexus hangar travel, spacewalks, underwater dives, zero-G parks

Features:

Shape-shifting Hull: Uses memory metal and reflective armor to shift between space-capable, underwater-capable, and pressurized environments.

Single or Dual Occupant: Can hold 1–2 people comfortably; optional neural plug-in for Iron Spine control.

Holo-Recreation Suite: Provides immersive environments (virtual forests, waves, or gravity games) by projecting augmented reality overlays.

Thrusters & Micro-Propulsion: Compact ion thrusters for in-space drifting or quick movement in zero-G; hydrojets for water propulsion.

Docking Spines: Auto-dock to Nexus systems magnetically; also latch onto ships and floating docks.

2. Pelican-Class Atmospheric Entry Shuttle

Purpose: Ship-to-Planet, Planet-to-Ocean, Emergency Evac

Use Cases: Deploying from Nexus or PSV to ground or sea

Features:

Retractable Wings and Airfoils: For smooth gliding through planetary atmospheres and heavy weather.

Buoyant Hull: Floats on water like a lifeboat; deploys underwater drones and opens rear hatch for swimming or diving missions.

Iron Spine Helm: Optional spinal port allows a single pilot to control via reflexive interface.

Crew Size: 4–10 passengers or light cargo; also usable for sporting events or training flights.

3. Tetra-Class Personal Suborbital Skiff

Purpose: High-speed space commute, ship-to-ship taxi

Use Cases: Transferring between fleet vessels, Nexus interior transit

Features:

Ultra-Compact Cockpit: Minimalist design, accommodates one pilot.

Hardlight Canopy: Viewscreen with Iron Spine HUD overlays and AI navigation.

Reflective Skin: Highly defensive against laser and plasma threats.

Hybrid Fusion Drive: Burst acceleration for docking or dogfighting sports.

Custom Mods: Recreational racers often mod these for grav-ball, zero-G jousts, and orbital chase games.

4. Leviathan-Class Amphibious Hovercraft

Purpose: Water-to-Land recreation, Transport over terrain

Use Cases: Operating from planetary base camps, oceanic settlements

Features:

Air-Cushion Undercarriage: Glides across land, sea, or ice using magnetic repulsion or air pressure.

Spinal Sync Cabin: Connects to user’s exo-suit or suit’s spinal plug.

Pleasure Deck Options: Convertible roof with water jets, hammocks, and holo-projection games.

Articulating Skirts: Adjust for terrain, allowing access to beaches, forest floors, and ocean floors.

5. Echo-Class Void Kayak

Purpose: Personal sport craft for void or ocean

Use Cases: Silent movement for exploration, recreation, or stealth recon

Features:

Anti-Grav or Hydrodynamic Hull: Choose environment and switch modes on command.

One-Person Rec Interface: Paddling is optional—AI and spinal sync can navigate with minimal input.

Survival-Grade Armor: Can act as an emergency escape craft; stores rations, water, air, and medical kit.

Nexus Dock-Ready: Nestles into Nexus storage pods, easily deployable in a “fleet” for crew leisure time.

Would you like schematics or visual mockups of one of these next, or want to design the Nexus recreational deck where these all plug in?

[enterprisewired]

Jeff Bezos Envisions Blue Origin Surpassing Amazon’s Success

Source: cnbc.com

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A Bold Prediction for Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and space exploration company Blue Origin, has made a bold declaration about the future of his aerospace venture. At The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Bezos predicted that Blue Origin would eventually surpass Amazon, valued at $2.3 trillion, as his most significant business accomplishment. “I think it’s going to be the best business that I’ve ever been involved in, but it’s going to take a while,” Bezos remarked, highlighting the long-term vision for the company he founded in 2000.

Unlike Amazon, which rapidly grew into an e-commerce and cloud computing giant, Blue Origin is still in its developmental stages. The company has not disclosed a valuation, and Jeff Bezos remains its sole owner and financier, funding operations through sales of his Amazon stock. While admitting that Blue Origin is “not a very good business yet,” Bezos reinforced his confidence in the company’s potential to redefine the aerospace industry.

Navigating Challenges in Space Exploration

Blue Origin, often perceived as a rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has faced challenges and delays in recent years. Dave Limp, the current CEO and a former Amazon executive, joined the company at the beginning of 2024 with a mandate to accelerate progress. Despite setbacks, including slower-than-expected advancements compared to SpaceX, Blue Origin continues to pursue ambitious goals.

The company has been conducting suborbital spaceflights for tourists and research purposes, with notable milestones such as Bezos himself traveling to space. Its portfolio includes developing rockets, spacecraft, space stations, and lunar landers. The next major objective for Blue Origin is launching its New Glenn rocket into orbit, a milestone that Bezos indicated is “very, very close” to being achieved.

Despite the competition, Jeff Bezos was complimentary of SpaceX, calling them “very good competitors.” This acknowledgment underscored the rivalry between two of the most prominent private players in the space industry, each vying to push the boundaries of space exploration.

Bezos on Competition and Politics

In a broader discussion about the industry and its players, Bezos also addressed concerns about political favoritism. Referencing Elon Musk’s close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, Bezos expressed optimism that Musk would not misuse political influence to benefit his companies or disadvantage competitors. “I take at face value what has been said,” Bezos remarked, signaling a focus on fair competition in the space sector.

While Blue Origin continues to chart its path, Jeff Bezos’ vision signals his commitment to fostering innovation in space exploration. He believes that the company’s groundbreaking projects could eventually rival or even surpass the transformative impact of Amazon, marking a new frontier for one of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. Whether Blue Origin achieves this lofty goal remains to be seen, but Bezos’ confidence underscores the high stakes and ambitions driving the modern space race.

[nmsc-market-pulse]

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 $𝟐𝟔 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟎, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝟏𝟒% 𝐂𝐀𝐆𝐑

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: https://www.nextmsc.com/commercial-rockets-market/request-sample

According to Next Move Strategy Consulting, the worldwide 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 size is predicted to reach $𝟐𝟔 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 by 2030 with a 𝟏𝟒% 𝐂𝐀𝐆𝐑. As the global space industry expands, commercial rocket companies are playing a pivotal role in driving accessibility and affordability for a wide range of space-based applications.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭:

1. 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢: The prospect of space tourism is becoming a reality, with several companies actively developing rockets capable of carrying passengers to suborbital and orbital destinations. This emerging sector is attracting significant investment and public interest.

2. 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Competition among commercial rocket providers is intensifying, leading to accelerated innovation and cost efficiencies. Companies are vying to capture market share by offering reliable launch services tailored to diverse customer needs.

3. 𝙀𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: There is a growing emphasis on reducing the environmental footprint of rocket launches through advancements in propulsion technology and sustainable fuel alternatives. These efforts are aligning with global initiatives aimed at minimizing the impact of space activities on Earth’s environment.

𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩, attributed to the innovations and developments by major space companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬

Boeing

Virgin Galactic

Sierra Nevada Corporation

Northrop Grumman

Skyroot Aerospace

National Remote Sensing Centre, a part of Indian Space Research Organisation

IN-SPACe

The commercial rockets market is poised for continued expansion as governments, private enterprises, and academic institutions collaborate to explore new frontiers in space. Investment in research and development, coupled with strategic partnerships, is expected to drive further growth and shape the future of commercial space transportation.

[sunaleisocial]

First NASA-Supported Researcher to Fly on Suborbital Rocket

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/first-nasa-supported-researcher-to-fly-on-suborbital-rocket/

First NASA-Supported Researcher to Fly on Suborbital Rocket

For the first time, a NASA-funded researcher will fly with their experiment on a commercial suborbital rocket. The technology is one of two NASA-supported experiments, also known as payloads, funded by the agency’s Flight Opportunities program that will launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket system on a flight test no earlier than Thursday, Aug. 29.

The researcher-tended payload, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, seeks to understand how changes in gravity during spaceflight affect plant biology. Researcher Rob Ferl will activate small, self-contained tubes pre-loaded with plants and preservative to biochemically freeze the samples at various stages of gravity. During the flight, co-principal investigator Anna-Lisa Paul will conduct four identical experiments as a control. After the flight, Ferl and Paul will examine the preserved plants to study the effect of gravity transitions on the plants’ gene expression. Studying how changes in gravity affect plant growth will support future missions to the Moon and Mars.

The university’s flight test was funded by a grant awarded through the Flight Opportunities program’s TechFlights solicitation with additional support from NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences. This experiment builds on NASA’s long history of supporting plant research and aims to accelerate the pace and productivity of space-based research.

The other Flight Opportunities supported payload is from HeetShield, a small business in Flagstaff, Arizona. Two new thermal protection system materials will be mounted to the outside of New Shepard’s propulsion module to assess their thermal performance in a relevant environment, since conditions will be similar to planetary entry. After the flight, HeetShield will analyze the structure of the materials to determine how they were affected by the flight.

Flight Opportunities, within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, facilitates demonstration of technologies for space exploration and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight providers. Through various mechanisms, the program funds flight tests for internal and external technology payloads.

To learn more, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/space-technology-mission-directorate/

[panache-academy]

Soaring into the Future: Upcoming Trends in the Aviation Industry

The aviation industry has always been at the forefront of innovation, continually pushing the boundaries of technology and service. As we move further into the 21st century, several emerging trends are reshaping the landscape of aviation. From sustainable practices to digital transformation, let's explore some of the most exciting upcoming trends in the aviation industry.

Sustainable Aviation:

Environmental sustainability has become a top priority for the aviation industry. With increasing concerns about climate change and carbon emissions, airlines and manufacturers are investing heavily in sustainable aviation solutions. This includes the development of biofuels, electric aircraft, and carbon offset programs. In the coming years, we can expect to see a greater emphasis on eco-friendly practices throughout the aviation sector.

Digital Transformation:

Technology is revolutionizing every aspect of the aviation industry, from passenger experience to operational efficiency. Airlines are adopting advanced digital solutions such as mobile check-in, biometric identification, and AI-powered customer service bots. Additionally, big data analytics is being used to optimize flight routes, improve fuel efficiency, and enhance maintenance procedures. As digital transformation continues to unfold, air travel will become more seamless, personalized, and efficient.

Urban Air Mobility (UAM):

As urbanization accelerates and traffic congestion worsens in major cities, there is growing interest in urban air mobility solutions. Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, also known as flying taxis, are being developed to provide fast, efficient transportation within urban areas. Companies like Uber, Joby Aviation, and Volocopter are leading the charge in this emerging market. In the near future, we may see a network of aerial taxis operating in cities around the world, offering commuters a convenient alternative to traditional ground transportation.

Supersonic Travel:

After decades since the retirement of the Concorde, there is renewed interest in supersonic air travel. Several companies are developing next-generation supersonic jets capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound. These aircraft promise to significantly reduce travel times for long-haul flights, making the world more accessible than ever before. While regulatory and technical challenges remain, the dream of supersonic commercial air travel may soon become a reality.

Space Tourism:

Space tourism is poised to become the next frontier in the aviation industry. Companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are working on commercial spaceflight ventures that aim to take paying customers on suborbital or orbital journeys beyond the Earth's atmosphere. As space technology advances and costs decline, space tourism could become a reality for a broader segment of the population in the coming years, opening up a whole new era of travel and exploration.

Conclusion:

The aviation industry is undergoing a period of rapid transformation, driven by technological innovation, environmental sustainability, and changing consumer preferences. From sustainable aviation practices to the rise of urban air mobility and the possibility of space tourism, the future of aviation holds immense promise and excitement. By embracing these upcoming trends, the aviation industry is poised to enter a new era of innovation, connectivity, and accessibility. By embracing these upcoming trends and investing in aviation training in Vadodara, individuals can become part of this dynamic industry's growth and evolution.

[jcmarchi]

Just Because You Can Pay to Have Your Ashes Buried on the Moon Doesn't Mean You Should - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/just-because-you-can-pay-to-have-your-ashes-buried-on-the-moon-doesnt-mean-you-should-technology-org/

Just Because You Can Pay to Have Your Ashes Buried on the Moon Doesn't Mean You Should - Technology Org

Sending human ashes and personal mementoes to the Moon is now possible, but it opens up a maze of legal and ethical conundrums.

When NASA attempted to return to the Moon for the first time in 50 years, more was at risk than just US$108 million worth of development and equipment.

The Moon is smaller than Earth, and this fact is also one of the reasons why its gravity is not sufficient to retain any atmospheric gases near its surface. Image credit: NASA

The agency earned the ire of the Native American Navajo people, who made a bid to stop the launch because of an unusual inclusion in the payload.

The Peregrine lander (which completed its controlled re-entry into the atmosphere late last week) carried human ashes, including those of famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. A commercial partnership also allowed paying customers to send their mementos to the Moon.

As space exploration becomes increasingly privatised and commercial, you can now send your favourite stuff to the Moon. But what does that mean, both ethically and legally?

The Moon open for business

US company Astrobotic owns the Peregrine, which is the size of a small car. It ran into fatal fuel issues shortly after being launched on Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral.

On board are “vanity canisters”. The idea arose in a partnership between the firm and global freight company DHL.

Under the deal, anyone can send two and a half centimetre by five centimetre package to the lunar surface for less than US$500. Apart from size, there were a few other limitations on what each package could contain.

Astrobotic, founded in 2007 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of several US companies providing commercial lunar payload services to NASA to deliver science and technology to the Moon. Peregrine was also carrying scientific instruments from six countries and many science teams.

Perhaps surprisingly, sending ashes into space is not new aboard suborbital and Earth orbital flights.

Two American companies make a business of the service starting at just a few thousand dollars – Celestis and Elysium Space. The practice is embraced by many, including astronauts who have been in space.

A Moon burial (yes, you can buy one) costs more – around US$13,000.

Commercial payloads launched from US soil require approval, but that approval process only covers safety, national security, and foreign policy.

Peregrine, if it had made it, would have marked the first commercial lunar burial. It’s uncharted territory as other worlds become within reach, although it is not the first time it has come up.

NASA pledged to consult in the future after an outcry from the Navajo when, 20 years ago, it carried some of Eugene Shoemaker’s ashes to the Moon aboard the Lunar Prospector probe. Like many other indigenous cultures, the Navajo Nation considers the Moon sacred and opposes using it as a memorial site.

However, NASA said in a press briefing it had no control over what was on Peregrine, highlighting the gaps between commercial enterprise and international space law.

A legal minefield

Another question concerns the rules in individual nations on where and how human ashes can be located, handled, and transported and how those could extend to space. For example, in Germany, ashes must be buried in a cemetery.

With space privatisation accelerating, the ethical and legal maze deepens.

The Outer Space Treaty (OST) declares space the “province of all mankind” while banning national appropriation.

It fails, however, to address what private companies and individuals can do.

The recent Artemis Accords, signed by 32 nations, expand protection to lunar sites of historical significance. But these protections only apply to governments, not commercial missions.

And no one owns the Moon to grant burial rights, or any other world or celestial body.

The treaty requires states to authorise and supervise activities in space. It requires ��due regard” for the interests of other states.

Many countries have space law that includes grounds for refusing payload items not in their national interest, for example Indonesia and New Zealand.

Nations apparently without such consideration, including Australia and the US, may need to consider expanding this template with the emergence of the commercial world in a traditionally governmental arena.

Where to draw a line?

Earth’s orbit is already clogged with defunct satellites and, further out, items like Elon Musk’s Tesla.

According to space archaeologist Alice Gorman, we have already spread space probes across other worlds, including the Moon, Mars, Titan, and Venus, but much may be treasure rather than junk.

For example, the Apollo astronauts left official mementos, such as a plaque marking the first human footsteps on the lunar surface. Some have left personal ones, too, like Apollo 16’s Charles Duke, who left a framed family photo.

However, sending a clipping of your hair or the ashes of your pet dog to the Moon may not qualify as culturally and historically important.

The problem, therefore, is where we want to place a line in the sand as we step out into the cosmos onto the shorelines of other worlds.

We cannot turn back the clock on private space enterprise, nor should we.

But this failed mission with ashes and vanity payloads exemplifies the unexplored questions in the legal and ethical infrastructure to support commercial activities.

It is worth pausing for thought on future commercialisation such as mining asteroids and the eventual colonisation of space.

Source: UNSW

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[lonestarflight]

Cancelled Missions: SA-11 through SA-14 (AS-106 through AS-108) Saturn I Block II

"September 1962 NASA planned to fly four early manned Apollo spacecraft on Saturn I boosters. Cancelled in October 1963 in order to fly all-up manned Apollo CSM on more powerful Saturn IB.

Launched: 1965 Winter. Number crew: 3 .

A key prerequisite for these flights was complete wringing out of the launch escape system.

The tentative Apollo flight plan laid out the following unmanned tests before a manned flight would be undertaken:

Pad abort: Two tests to simulate an abort on the pad. These tests would qualify the launch escape system

Suborbital (Little Joe II): Three suborbital tests to qualify the launch escape system and the command module structure. Tests would include maximum dynamic and high altitude conditions.

Orbital (Saturn C-1): Flights SA-6 (with SA-8 as backup) would determine the launch exit environment. SA-7, SA-9, and SA-10 would flight-test components of or the complete emergency detection system. Four manned flights would then commence with SA-11.

By January 10, 1963, MSC and OMSF agreed that an unmanned Apollo spacecraft must be flown on the Saturn C-1 before a manned flight. SA-10 was scheduled to be the unmanned flight and SA-11, the first manned mission.

Early concept art of the Apollo Block I Command and Service Module separation from the S-IVB.

Image from Space Horizons Vol. No. 1, Issue No. 1 (1965)

By the later summer of 1963 the value of the Saturn I missions seemed increasingly in doubt. The limited payload of the Saturn I meant that only partial systems could be installed. At a September 26, 1963 meeting in Washington, D.C., NASA's scheduling contractor, Bellcomm, was asked to develop an Apollo mission assignment program without a Saturn I.

Bellcomm quickly responded, recommending that the Apollo spacecraft flight test program should be transferred from the Saturn I to Saturn IB launch vehicles. The Saturn I program should end with flight SA-10. All Saturn IB flights, beginning with SA-201, should carry operational spacecraft, including equipment for extensive testing of the spacecraft systems in earth orbit. Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight George E. Mueller recommended the changeover on October 26. NASA Administrator James E. Webb's concurrence came two days later. Development of the Saturn IB for manned flight would be accelerated and 'all-up' testing would be started.

No crew assignments were ever made for these flights; the first two groups of astronauts were fully committed to the Gemini program. The third astronaut selection, in October 1963, was simultaneous with the decision to drop the Saturn I flights. Had these flights occurred, they would have run from fall 1965 to the end of 1966, concurrent with the flights of Gemini 5 to 12."

Cancelled missions:

SA-11 (AS-106): planned launch Winter 1965

SA-12 (AS-107): planned launch Spring 1966

SA-13 (SA-108): planned launch Summer 1966

SA-14 (AS-109): planned launch Fall 1966

-Information from Astronautix.com: link

Posted on Flickr by Numbers Station: link

[whumpster-fire]

Like rockets (perpendicular to the direction of travel)

Nitpick time: this only makes sense if you're comparing soft scifi ships with hypothetical "torch ships" that sustain physiologically significant acceleration for the entire flight like Derin mentioned. Manned spacecraft built with current technology generally have stuff that's meant to be used when under acceleration laid out parallel to the direction of travel. I.e. the seats in the Apollo capsules, or Soyuz reentry module, or Orion, or Crew Dragon, or the Space Shuttle, are all oriented so you're facing towards the nose of the vehicle, and when under acceleration you're pushed "backward" into your seat. When the vehicle is vertical on the launch pad, you're lying on your back, and the same thing after the capsule lands.

This is done because these vehicles only accelerate for minutes to tens of minutes at a time, but the peak acceleration can be several times the force of gravity on a nominal launch or reentry. In the event of an emergency the Launch Escape Systems on capsule type spacecraft can exceed 10 gs for a couple seconds IIRC, and the steeper than normal reentry in an abort scenario can also produce g forces that high, plus there's a brief spike of very high acceleration on landing. The human body tolerates those forces better lying on your back than sitting upright: your heart doesn't have to pump blood as far against gravity, and it's easier on your spine.

(the Space Shuttle is a special case: the felt "gravity" was backward for launch, downward for reentry. However, the Shuttle's massive wings allowed it to have a more gradual reentry than most spacecraft and a runway touchdown is gentler than typical capsule touchdowns. The stuff about the LES and abort scenario reentries also doesn't apply because the shuttle was a piece of shit deathtrap didn't have a conventional launch escape system and was really only designed for abort modes where the vehicle could ride its remaining functional engines to a point where it could safely separate from the external tank and/or SRBs in the normal slow, gentle way)

The Apollo Lunar Modules were an exception to this, but the fastest the LEM could possibly accelerate was only about 0.75 g (ascent stage at full throttle with empty propellant tanks), which is low enough that the crew were not just upright but standing up during landing and launch.

The other exception is Blue Origins' suborbital New Shepard Capsule; the seats in it all have the passengers basically lying on their backs, but the passengers' feet are all pointing in different directions and it flies straight up and straight down without major changes in the vehicle's orientation.

[spacenutspod]

Starship is getting close to its second Integrated Flight Test (IFT). Booster 9 completed its pre-flight testing and now awaits its partner for the second launch. Since Ship 25 was already tested months ago, this only leaves full stack testing and pending regulatory approval for the second flight. Booster 9 After the initial static fire of Booster 9 on August 6 was not entirely successful, SpaceX performed another fire on August 25. During the first fire, four engines performed a shutdown prematurely, aborting the full static fire after 2.74 seconds, out of the expected duration of just under five seconds. Right after the fire, SpaceX removed the Booster from the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) and rolled it back to the Production Site. After this move, the hot staging ring was installed. This 6-foot-high ring is an extension needed to modify the booster for the hot staging of the upper stage. It features openings to release the exhaust of the six engines below the Ship while the Ship is still attached to the Booster.  For hot staging, the Booster will still have three engines ignited while the Ship engines are already powered up to reduce gravity loss during flight and solve other issues, such as settling fuels in the upper stage.  After the installation of the ring, the Booster was rolled out again. It now featured engine protection around the engines, which shielded them during transport. This has not always been the case for engine transport in Boca Chica, and some engines showed some significant dents in the past. While it is unclear if these dents appeared during transport, it is a possible mitigation against such damages during transport events. The second fire, performed on August 25, appears more successful than the first. According to SpaceX, all 33 engines of the Booster ignited. No other static fire of Super Heavy managed to ignite all engines. Two engines were shut down shortly after ignition, with 33 completing the entire duration of approximately five seconds. Booster 9 static fire from the top of the launch tower pic.twitter.com/AScDvl50ww — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 28, 2023 The new deluge system, the deflector plate, significantly impacted the overall power suppression. In shots from above, published by SpaceX, it can be seen that the flames and thrust are much less powerful when escaping from the OLM than B7’s static fire. Besides some light damage to installments, like a fence close to the launch site, the overall area is in good shape after the test. After this test, Booster 9 performed high-engine static fires, two spin primes, and three cryogenic proof tests. This is much less compared to over 20 tests performed on Booster 7 and shows how SpaceX reduced the testing needed to validate the vehicles. The vehicle is expected to be done with its single-stage test campaign, and next up would be the stacking of Ship 25 on top of it. Status of the Upper Stage Ship 25 has been at the Rocket Garden since it was rolled back in preparation for the first Booster 9 static fire. It performed its first and only Static Fire of all six Raptor engines on June 26, and most of the work on the Ship has been related to thermal protection systems (TPS). While the TPS was mainly completed before the static fire campaign, the Ship still had the crane lifting points attached to it, which are needed to place and remove it to and from the suborbital test stands. Since this is no longer needed, SpaceX started removing the lifting points. Workers finishing the job at Ship 25. (Credit: NSF/Sean Doherty) Once the lifting points are removed, the areas get filled with TPS tiles, as openings or gaps in the heatshield would not allow the Ship to survive the heat of reentry. This process was accelerated once Booster 9 completed its test campaign and has been completed since then. SpaceX also added the company’s logo to the Ship now, similar to how it was done to Ship 24. The serial number print still needs to be added to the Ship if SpaceX will go for a similar branding as Ship 24. Ship 25 has gotten its livery and only has a couple remaining tiles to put on! Hopefully that means we see it roll to the launch site and stacked on B9 soon. @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/NCONywUw1z — Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) August 30, 2023 Next up for the Ship would be the transport of SPMTs back to the launch site and the stacking on Booster 9 shortly after that. Cameron County still needs to list potential road closures for the transport event, but a transport late this week or early next week is likely. Based on the fast time of lift of Booster 9, stacking could be performed in less than 12 hours from the beginning of the initial rollout.  Once the stacking has been performed, the potential path of testing SpaceX might choose remains to be seen. A potential path is performing a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) to fully validate Ship and Booster, ground infrastructure, and countdown software. During this, the vehicle would count to T-10 seconds (if Booster 7 and Ship 24 are repeated) before aborting the simulated launch sequence.  SpaceX workers moving to deploy the Ship lifting pins on Mechazilla's Chopsticks (also, human for scale)! This is in preparation for Ship 25's arrival and full-stack operations! https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5 pic.twitter.com/ARcbsaNrzZ — Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 26, 2023 This would require extensive safety measures, including a significant, flight-like methane load. SpaceX must evacuate Boca Chica village and the surrounding area and implement a flight-like exclusion zone around the launch site. Another less likely, however less demanding, process would be to perform a cryo test of the entire stack. In this test, SpaceX would validate the integrity of the stack since it was moved around a lot since the last tanking. SpaceX might perform both tests, one of them, or none at all, depending on needs and requirements set by themself. As of now, SpaceX still needs to communicate the possibilities.  Regulatory Status While all of this would clear Starship from a hardware site for a second flight, there are still open questions regarding the regulatory parts for the second flight. The FAA still needs to finish the investigation report into the first flight of Starship. See AlsoSpaceX Starship SectionL2 SpaceX/Starship SectionClick here to Join L2 Once this has been cleared, the FAA can decide if it would be safe for Starship to fly again based on available documentation. Neither SpaceX nor the FAA has communicated a timeline for this process, and it is unclear if it aligns with SpaceX’s hardware readiness for flight two. SpaceX, however, has started to brief mariner safety boards about a potential flight on September 8 for Starship. This does not correlate with the FAA report and is likely a placeholder SpaceX hopes for right now. Other restrictions, like flight restrictions, have yet to be filled. SpaceX will also notify residents of Boca Chica before a potential flight to perform an evacuation before the flight. Second Flight and beyond Should SpaceX perform the second flight in September, other vehicles could follow quickly, depending on the damage on the launch site after flight two. Ship 28 and Booster 10 are already advanced in their build and testing campaign, and should the flight not destroy the launch site, another flight this year is achievable from a hardware readiness point of view. (Lead image: Booster 9 Static Fire. Via Sean Doherty for NSF/L2) L2 Members gain full sets (large amounts) of high-resolution daily photos from our photographers. Super high-quality metal prints are also available in our store. For live updates, follow NASASpaceFlight’s Twitter account and the NSF Starship Forum Sections. **Support NSF’s YouTube channel by subscribing and/or joining here** Grab some cool gear along with the ability to support our content: https://shop.nasaspaceflight.com/   The post Ship 25 awaits rollout for full-stack of Starship Flight 2 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

[grayseekerswritinglife]

Tricks & Treats

Chapter Two: Fort Knox

“An Earth military installation?” Thundercracker’s tone was skeptical. “What makes you think Warp would be here?”

“Because the United States humans are known to keep a large repository of gold at this facility,” Starscream explained. He and Thundercracker were in their jet forms, descending from suborbital height. As they sliced downward through the clouds, the bullion depository appeared beneath them: a square white fortress surrounded by rolling green hills.

“Huh,” Thundercracker replied. “D’you think Skywarp knows about it?”

“There’s no reason for him not to,” Starscream retorted. “It’s common enough knowledge.” Privately he, too, was eyeing the base with some skepticism. There were a few military vehicles patrolling the area, including aircraft, but no sign of Skywarp.

“Common to you, maybe,” Thundercracker replied with a snort. “To me, this is just looking like an excellent way to get ourselves shot down.” He banked, accelerating away from Starscream with a roar of thrusters. “If Skywarp had come here, I think there’d be some sign of—”

A loud ‘boom’ echoed from below. One side of the base exploded outward and a dark shape emerged from the hole. It was definitely Skywarp, though he was hunched over and moving with a strange gait, as if he was having a hard time walking.

Thundercracker let out a soft curse. “All right, I take it back. Now what?”

Starscream opened a channel on his comm. “Skywarp! This is your commanding officer. You have no authorization to be here, and I order you to retreat!”

Skywarp’s head jerked up. He stared at Starscream and Thundercracker with a stunned expression, briefly faded from view, and then re-materialized. As he did so, Starscream finally understood why he was walking so strangely. His arms were laden with so many gold bricks that he could barely carry them. More bricks were spilling from his cockpit canopy, which was stuffed to the point where he hadn’t been able to close it properly.

“C’mon Warp,” Thundercracker entreated. “Drop that stuff and let’s get out of here.”

“No way!” Skywarp set off at a stumbling run, heading for the wooded slope behind the base. A tank emerged from the trees, took aim and fired, catching him in the thigh. He stumbled, nearly dropping his load, but veered off in a different direction. A swarm of helicopters swooped toward him as several more tanks converged on his position. The humans were yelling something. Starscream could hear them over Skywarp’s open comm channel, and though he couldn’t make out what they were saying, it wasn’t hard to guess.

“Oh for frag’s sake,” Starscream growled, taking aim. A few well-aimed null-ray blasts neutralized both tanks and helicopters, the latter plummeting groundward as their human occupants ejected using parachutes. “Skywarp, you need to—”

“No! You’ll just take my treats away!”

“So will they,” Thundercracker barked, “unless you—”

A missile struck Skywarp in the arm. He yelped, hopping back a step. One of his heel-thrusters landed on a fallen helicopter and he tripped, falling backwards. Gold went everywhere, the bricks thudding down around him and embedding themselves in the surrounding grass. “No!” Skywarp scrambled for his fallen prize. “These are my treats!” He scooped up an armful. As he struggled to rise, a familiar quintet of planes emerged from the clouds and opened fire, their shots strafing the ground near Skywarp’s feet.

“Great,” Starscream muttered. “The Aerialbots are here. Just what we needed.”

“Drop that gold, Decepticreep!” shouted Silverbolt, the Aerialbot leader.

“Yeah,” called a second Aeriabot, whom Starscream recognized as Slingshot. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you it isn’t nice to take things that aren’t yours?”

“They are mine!” Skywarp shouted back. “Finders, keepers!” In direct contradiction to his own statement, he hurled a gold brick at Slingshot, hitting him square in the nosecone. Slingshot broke formation with the other Aerialbots and transformed. Starscream angled in behind him and hit him with a null-ray blast that sent him tumbling, while Thundercracker attacked the others from above, strafing their wings to ground them. He took out one of Fireflight’s ailerons, and the hapless jet went down, his fellow Aerialbots following him to the ground.

“Ha,” Thundercracker muttered. “So much for amateur hour.”

“Don’t count on it,” Starscream shot back. “They’re going to combine and form Superion, and then we’re really slagged. Skywarp!” he bellowed. “As your commanding officer, I order you to drop that gold and come with us immediately!”

“Just teleport!” Thundercracker put in. “What are you waiting for?”

“I…” Skywarp screwed up his face like a human trying to hold its breath underwater. His form shimmered, and Starscream briefly glimpsed the outlines of the trees behind him before he snapped back into solid reality.

“He can’t teleport,” Starscream said in sudden realization. “He’s stuffed his subspace with so much gold that… Skywarp! Empty your subspace! Drop the gold—all of it—now!”

As if to emphasize his point, the Aerialbots began to regroup. Starscream watched out of the corner of his visual field as the five mechs transformed and combined to form a single, towering figure: Superion. The figure drew a massive gun from its subspace and took aim at Skywarp.

“Drop the gold,” it ordered coolly.

Skywarp glanced from the weapon to the gold, then up at Starscream and Thundercracker. Starscream transformed. “Do it!” he snarled. “As your leader, I—”

Skywarp dropped the gold.

The dense metal bricks hit the ground with a resonant ‘thud.’ Skywarp stared at the pile for a moment.

“And the rest of it,” Starscream prodded. “Come on!”

Skywarp fixed him with a defiant stare. “Will you give me back my stash?”

“Your… what? No! Don’t be ridiculous! Empty your subspace, and—”

“Then no.” Skywarp did that thing with his face again, the thing that made him look as if he was about to explode. His form rippled, becoming transparent, and then—with an ominous noise that reminded Starscream of rusty hinges being wrenched apart—he vanished. Several gold bricks appeared in midair, apparently having been dislodged from his subspace. They hovered for a moment and then, having seemingly rediscovered gravity, plummeted to the grass below.

“Where is he?” Thundercracker asked.

“He’s…” Starscream glanced around, but Skywarp had not reappeared. A thick beam of energy sliced through the air beside him, so close that it singed his wingtip as he dodged away. Superion was firing at them. “Wherever he is, he’s not here.” Starscream transformed back into his jet mode and took off into the sky, Thundercracker close behind. “Let’s make sure we find him before they do.”

~~~~~~~

This was written for @darkstarofchaos​ for the @transform-or-treat​ Halloween gift exchange. There are five chapters of it in all, and I will be posting a chapter a day until Halloween! Many, many thanks to @justawayninja or being my awesome beta. Your suggestions helped me get the story to the next level.