Space and Science BS Thread

Can you reduce cost and increase service? NASA seems to have thought so, in the last few admins. And it seems to have been correct. CLP has had a bunch of failures but no more so than, say.. surveyor.

So, in which sectors do we have a great head start? Well .. one is pushing the limits of reusability. You know, the ones with the big shiny rockets. Another sector is satellite mass production. Which, yes, the shiny rocket company, but also those taking advantage of that low cost launch by launching their own constellations for earth observation. Even their smallsat hobbit themed competitor is doing the same strategy. Economies of scale, yo.

 

If we want to expand and grow industry cutting the budget in half isn’t a good start. The shiny rocket company is just a small portion of the number of industries we’ll need to expand.

 

Anyone know the latest on Dreamchaser?

 

It easier to be ok with budget cuts when you factor in how much SpaceX has reduced the launch cost.

 

Cuts means projects abandoned, even ones with payloads ready to launch or already on orbit. We won’t have anything to send up without an industry to make the stuff. Elon himself admitted it will take a wide array of companies to develop what’s needed to go and survive out there. Shiny big rocket company doesn’t exist without NASA assistance to get started. Crew and cargo Dragon don’t exist without NASA contracts. We need a lot more of it to flesh out orbital infrastructure, lunar orbital and surface habitation.

 

Didja know CAPSTONE is still going?
https://www.nasa.gov/smallspacecraft/capstone/

 

Last I heard it’s sitting in Florida doing final tests and waiting on a ULA Vulcan plus 4SRB’s and a 2-engine Centaur but their next launch will be for the DOD so maybe in the fall? It could launch on anything with enough thrust and a 5 meter fairing so F9, FH, Arian 6, Neutron.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/03/dream-chaser-pre-flight-milestones/
I wonder if it could get any Gateway resupply missions.

 

I think with the levels of corruption and the fact Musk isn’t much of a fan of stopping at the moon before going to Mars, Gateway and SLS will be canceled before year’s end.

SLS is the hugest, most visable pork barrel project and for it not to be identified for efficiencyization is absurd, but then again, these are some pretty absurd time.

Thanks for the DC update

 

Regardless of Elon’s desires the moon represents a nearby location where we can practice IRL conditions only days away as well as build and expand without cluttering Earths orbit. Gateway may not get sent even though most of the pieces have already been built but I strongly believe that something will and they’ll need cargo and crew supply missions. The moon is just too well situated not to develop it. And if we didn’t you know who would and that makes it even more imperative to build a presence there.

 

Agree! I hope you’re right.

 

Not sure the heat shield is spec'd for lunar return.

Atermis 2/3 will likely run as scheduled since it's all built and stuff, imho. (Also Issacman made sure to have the crew of Atermis in the room during his hearings). Everything after that though... eh. Sunk cost fallacy.

 

Probably not but given the time frames involved it’s like saying Starship isn’t spec’d for orbital reentry. In both cases it’s not there yet. Also, a slow boat return trajectory can be more easily applied to resupply missions obviating the need for the upgraded heat shielding Orion needs. Dragon isn’t rated outside of earth orbit either yet something will need to do the job, preferably several somethings like we have now only even more so. In any case, Starship, as often as it flies is still years away from being able to do anything for anyone other than Spacex and at best maybe putting up Starlink satellites this year and that only if the next few flights go much better than the last few since all IRL testing of orbital maneuvering and reentry has been at a standstill since flight 6. We won’t know if they’ve fixed the issues until it stops breaking bad and neither will they because that’s how they find out.

 

There's more than SpX using the flatpack form factor these days.

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/update...acture-and-tailored-for-large-constellations/

So even if it's just Pez only, I think other folks will adapt if launch is that much cheaper per unit. Also, not just starlink, but also starshield could be pez'd which would also be revenue generating.