Space. The Final Frontier.

[tomterp]

Chunks of spacecraft all over the Mojave desert. 

[imref]

$500 million loss, not to mention plans to launch their service in 2015 are probably off.

[tomterp]

$500 million loss, not to mention plans to launch their service in 2015 are probably off.

Yeah, I heard they hoped to use this flight to support their FAA approval request. Back to the drawing board.

Tough week for commercial space ventures. 

[imref]

Philae has successfully landed on comet 67P

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/world/comet-landing-countdown/index.html

And it has its own twitter account:

http://twitter.com/Philae2014

[HalfSmokes]

sort of successfully http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

[JCA-CrystalCity]

sort of successfully http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30026398

I love that they say comet is shaped like a rubber duck.

[imref]

Japanese rocket set to launch at 11:22 eastern:

http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/12/02/hayabusa-2-launch-mission-status-center/

mission will collect asteroid samples and return them to earth.

update - launch successful.

Next event to watch - NASA's test of the Lockheed Martin Orion Space capsule on Thursday.  Launch window opens at 7:05 EST for 39 minutes.  The plan is to orbit at 3,400 miles (highest ever orbit for a vehicle designed to carry humans), then return safely to earth around 11:30 PM. 

http://space.io9.com/heres-what-to-expect-during-the-first-orion-test-flight-1654607626/+AnnaleeNewitz

[imref]

Orion launch doesn't appear to be happening this morning, first it was a wind issue, now a problem with a fuel valve.

[The Chief]

Pretty neat:

http://www.distancetomars.com/

[imref]

Pretty neat:

http://www.distancetomars.com/

awesome, thanks for sharing.

[Galah]

Golly, that was a pretty launch!

[imref]

live video from Orion - http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/12/02/orion-eft1-mission-status-center/

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Thanks - I think I know how I'll be spending my day

[mitlen]

She's on her way back for splashdown.    ETA   11:29 AM EST

[imref]

She's on her way back for splashdown.    ETA   11:29 AM EST

one of the big goals of this flight was to test impact of passing through the van allen radiation belt, NASA is concerned that the radiation could damage electronic components.  I guess there are a lot more electronics on this flight than the last one 27 years ago.

[mitlen]

one of the big goals of this flight was to test impact of passing through the van allen radiation belt, NASA is concerned that the radiation could damage electronic components.  I guess there are a lot more electronics on this flight than the last one 27 years ago.

Saw a piece on the news the other night.    They were interviewing Senator Shelby of Alabama about the technology being used for this "mission".    Some question whether it's an appropriate use of funds (as opposed to new technology).     Interviewer asked him if this technology is nothing more than a continuation of the Apollo, Space shuttle jobs program rather than a search for better ways to do things.   He said he wouldn't have voted for it if it were a jobs program.    Alabama has no interests in this as a jobs program.   

I have no dog in the fight but it was an interesting discussion.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Can't vouch for the veracity of this, but I heard somewhere that the average smart phone has more computing power than went into any of the Apollo launches. 

one of the big goals of this flight was to test impact of passing through the van allen radiation belt, NASA is concerned that the radiation could damage electronic components.  I guess there are a lot more electronics on this flight than the last one 27 years ago.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

  Alabama has no interests in this as a jobs program.   

I have no dog in the fight but it was an interesting discussion.

If I were running against him, I'd be sure to run an ad in Huntsville about this.

[mitlen]

Can't vouch for the veracity of this, but I heard somewhere that the average smart phone has more computing power than went into any of the Apollo launches. 

I remember a story (urban legend perhaps) from the '80's that any of the newer, high end cars at that time had more power than the Apollo crafts.    Makes sense that today's phones have more.     Didn't Armstrong stick land that sucker (final few meters)?

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I believe Boeing has (or had) a rocket plant in Mississippi, didn't know about Alabama.

How the hell do they get people to move to those places?

Saw a piece on the news the other night.    They were interviewing Senator Shelby of Alabama about the technology being used for this "mission".    Some question whether it's an appropriate use of funds (as opposed to new technology).     Interviewer asked him if this technology is nothing more than a continuation of the Apollo, Space shuttle jobs program rather than a search for better ways to do things.   He said he wouldn't have voted for it if it were a jobs program.    Alabama has no interests in this as a jobs program.   

I have no dog in the fight but it was an interesting discussion.

[mitlen]

I believe Boeing has (or had) a rocket plant in Mississippi, didn't know about Alabama.

How the hell do they get people to move to those places?

Huntsville was a space place.

[mitlen]

Why is Three Dog Nights' "Circle For a Landing" ear-worming me?

[mitlen]

11 minutes to splash   ...  re-entry showtime.

[mitlen]

I remember sitting in an auditorium in junior high, watching (with classmates on a 19" black and white TV) as Alan Shepard did his 15 minute ride.    It's still cool as hell.

[imref]

that was awesome, i kept waiting for Tom Hanks to emerge though.

Anyone know if the next launch will be with humans, or if there's going to be another test?

update - next launch is 2018, an unmanned flight that will circle the moon.  First manned mission is planned for 2021.