Space and Science BS Thread

https://iss-sim.spacex.com/

SpaceX releases an ISS docking simulator!
Now we can all backseat drive when we watch the docking to the ISS!

 

I’d like to head out there, I’m a little leery of the crowds that may be out there and how the local authorities might be enforcing viewing. Especially with 2 young boys, I’m not really inclined to camp out for a long time before the launch.
as long as it’s a clear day I’ll at least be able to see it from my house.

 

I might upgrade my 7 year old 50” plasma to something a bit bigger for the occasion

 

Costco has LG 55" ones for like $400 now. Its insane. Mucho upgrade from my old 32" which looked like a computer monitor sitting next to it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4L3w8tCi94

 

Easy mode. I knew all that practice in KSP meant something.

More of a paint drying simulator without the kerbals though, heh.

 

My best KSP memory was trying to rescue a stranded Kerbal in space for a mission. I had built a couple of docking ships so I thought I was good to go, but I ended up spearing the Kerbal too fast and killing him. Whoops... at least I got the body!

 

Lotsa good stuff in the weekly ARS Rocket Report including:


Back-to-back U.S. launches this weekend. The commander of the Space Force's wing in Florida says his teams are ready for this weekend's back-to-back rocket launches, possibly breaking a decades-old mission cadence record despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess said he expects about 300 people, military and civilian, will support Saturday's launch of an Air Force X-37B spaceplane from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 41, Florida Today reports.

Fewer people on hand for Starlink launch ... If X-37B flies as planned (and weather is a concern), the Space Force will turn around and support a SpaceX Starlink launch. "That would be about 20 hours, which would break our record of last August of 34 hours," Schiess said of the mission slated to fly around 3:53 a.m. Sunday. About 200 people, including firefighters, security, and launch support, would be on-hand for Starlink's eighth mission. Schiess said the difference in 100 or so staff between Atlas V and Falcon 9 is due to the latter's use of the Autonomous Flight Safety System. (submitted by JohnCarter17)

 

Send your Grads to space:
https://www.spacex.com/classof2020

 

I'm concerned about that LEGO rocket. What are those crazy danes up to now?

 

Woaaaaahhhhh.... this is going to make things interesting with Demo-2

NASA's head of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned — just one week before a historic test flight to send astronauts up in a new space capsule developed by SpaceX.


https://www.npr.org/2020/05/19/8590...W1Hq_faTBuNfHsKRZdaHEiXF50VAEoxL_fiWCiIoR8ACY

 

They must have told him about the aliens

 

Thanks Greg!

An excerpt:
A source familiar with the situation would not characterize the "mistake" other than to say that it involved not following rules or regulations, and that Loverro had been asked to resign.

Geez, must’ve been quite the infraction if he was asked to resign in this day and age.
I’m thinking it was not bailing on the SLS

 

here’s another article that goes into the mistake a little more. Not too far off Jim.

https://arstechnica.com/science/202...ust-resigned-and-the-timing-couldnt-be-worse/

“Not related to Crew Dragon
However, his departure does not seem to be directly related to his work on Crew Dragon. Rather it seems to stem from the recent process during which NASA selected three bids—led by Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX—from among five bidders. In an email to the human exploration staff at NASA on Tuesday, Loverro admitted that he made a mistake earlier this year.”

 

Ooh all the rumors. Really, though, most of the people gossiping about it just reflect on their prexisting opinions.

 

Kinda childish for Loverro to say I made a boo boo but not say what it was. He’s just feeding into the rumor mill...If what it was was truly a mistake with Artemis, we can expect an announcement (and probable lawsuits) in a few months.

In any case, Bowersox is a bad ass and was probably off the Earth longer than Lovarro was in charge. That and his other accomplishments give him credibility...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Bowersox

 

https://arstechnica.com/science/202...uman-spaceflight-resigned-and-why-it-matters/


The article ends with this:

One thing is sure: Jim Bridenstine's already difficult job as the head of NASA has just gotten more difficult. Perhaps he is facing a Kobayashi Maru test?

Does ARS Technica know it’s audience or what?

 

Lol, yeah. A lot of them have been there and forum members for decades.

 

That is a good article.

As for Boeing, they have a lot (maybe too much) of the Artemis work - and they are way behind schedule. A lot of people would not be happy with Boeing having even more of the contract.