Granted, reaching orbit is all about going sideways fast, but…
Looks impressive, though (video is cued):
And a nice view of the plowed (ploughed) field. Video is cued
The sad, lonely little launch pad - there’s a childrens’book in there somewhere.
Kessler syndrome, anyone?
Math teachers: Tip phone sideways to properly orient the axes for greater comedic effect
Rocket scientists: the axes are already oriented correctly since the x-axis is always the intended direction of motion.
My kids: Dad, your jokes suck.
Giant spaceships they say…
This drag sail could prevent spacecraft from turning into long-term orbiting junk. We spoke to its inventors ahead of launch
Space-flight researchers are ready to test a prototype drag sail that could one day be used to prevent spacecraft turning into hazardous junk stuck for years in Earth’s orbit.
[…]
Cracks characterized as superficial by Russia have been discovered in the nation’s portion of the International Space Station.
There’s no word yet if these fissures in the Zarya module have caused, or will cause, any air leaks, though there is a concern they could widen.
“Several such places with non-perforating cracks were found in the Zarya module," Vladimir Solovyov, head of the Russian segment of the space station and a former cosmonaut, told the state-run news agency RIA Novosti this week.
[…]
South Korea says 2022 moonshot on track, will test interplanetary internet and search for water
South Korea’s first lunar expedition is on track for lift-off in August 2022.
The country’s Ministry of Science and ICT updated the nation on the progress of the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter – an effort to place a satellite around Luna.
The Ministry made a fuss about the successful integration of ShadowCam, an instrument provided by NASA that will peer into permanently dark spots on the Moon in the hope of finding useful material.
The Orbiter will also carry equipment to conduct experiments in Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN), one of the protocols the InterPlanetary Networking Special Interest Group (IPNSIG) hopes will make data networks possible across the solar system.
[…]
I’m expecting lousy ping times, for some reason.
Branson (in a) pickle: FAA grounds Virgin Galactic flights after billionaire’s space trip veered off course
America’s aviation safety officials have grounded Virgin Galactic flights after its rocket trip that took company founder Richard Branson up into the heavens for a few minutes went off course.
[…]
As reported by the New Yorker, about a minute after SpaceShipTwo was released from its mothership, the pilots were warned by their cockpit systems that they were not on the trajectory required to, once the rocket finished firing, glide back to their landing point on Earth as intended. SpaceShipTwo was simply not climbing steep enough.
The pilots had the choice of either aborting the flight before reaching space or correcting their trajectory. They chose the latter, which caused them to leave their FAA-allotted airspace for nearly two minutes, out of a 15 minute flight, during descent.
And by leaving its airspace, SpaceShipTwo entered an area of other aircraft; if any were around, they likely wouldn’t be expecting a glider to appear.
[…]
It looks green for me.
