It is very fascinating to me. I am terribad at growing stuff on Earth so my interest does not carry any expertise in this subject. But I like reading about it and learning.

I went to a NASA Social out at KSC for CRS-20 and we got to meet some of the scientists working on the plant growth mechanisms.


This is called a PONDS module (with me being a crappy hand model), NASA did a feature on it back in 2020 here: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-shape-of-watering-plants-in-space

Next batch of starlinks scheduled to go up this afternoon from Vandenberg. Been windy all week which has been causing the launch to get pushed to the right. Still pretty windy today but not as much so as earlier this week.

So the Vandenberg launch went off today. Was watching the replay when I got home. Did anyone catch the LO2 catching fire and spraying flames when the umbilical separated from the 2nd Stage at liftoff?

Edit, you can see it clearly again at T+8 when they pan to a wider shot showing the vehicle clear the tower

Tim has a new tour down at BC with Elon up today.

bmks270 said:

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TexAgs91 said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

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That's pretty awesome. So that means that food can be grown on surface in a controlled environment greenhouse if we wanted to build settlements up there.

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Sounds like it. They were pretty weak, but they did grow. Obviously it would have to be indoors and heavily filtered sunlight or artificial light.

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Maybe we can get plants to evolve to not need an atmosphere and just grow on the surface of the moon just with sunlight and soil. I suspect the nutritional value of the soil to be low and need for CO2 may big too big of leap, but a planted moon would be cool!

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It's more than just no atmosphere. It's temp swings of 300 degrees above zero to 300 degrees below zero. The vacuum of space and the radiation all of which aren't real conducive to plant life. Like nortex said, we can get plants to grow in pure silica. Every middle school kid has grown beans in plastic baggies and wet paper towels. These plants that grew in the lunar soil were small stunted and not real viable. Long way to go to be growing crops in lunar soil. But at least they did germinate.

nortex97 said:

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Tim has a new tour down at BC with Elon up today.

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Thanks. Been waiting for this.

Back-to-back Falcon 9 launches of Starlink within 24 hours, completing SpaceX's 19th and 20th launches of the year pic.twitter.com/6C3vntNSzN

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 14, 2022

"I was very happy when the traditional, big aerospace company Boeing bid. Because I think that was a tough call. And I think if they look back on it, they wouldn't do it again."

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 16, 2022

Quote:

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"Boeing was a dream," Bolden said. "I call them a champion in being willing to accept the risk for a program whose business case didn't close back then. And I'll be blunt. I don't know whether the business case closes today."
Bolden's thoughts were echoed by the space agency's deputy administrator at the time, Lori Garver. Speaking last week at the Ars Frontier conference in Washington, DC, Garver said Congress was "furious" when the Obama administration sought funding for commercial crew back in 2010.
"Boeing entering the commercial crew program meant that you got a lot more support from Congress because they tend to have a very robust lobbying program," Garver said. "I was very happy when the traditional, big aerospace company Boeing bid. Because I think that was a tough call. And I think if they look back on it, they wouldn't do it again."

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How dare Obama look for a new way of doing things and possibly prevent congress critters from funneling limitless quantities of tax payer funds to the military/space industrial complex cronies.

Seems like Obama was doing them a favor?

Politics ruin everything. We just spent 40 Billion on aid to the Ukraine and it sleptwalk through Congress. How many SLS AND Starships could that buy.

Decay said:

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Politics ruin everything. We just spent 40 Billion on aid to the Ukraine and it sleptwalk through Congress. How many SLS AND Starships could that buy.

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That might buy about 6 SLS launches or perhaps 50 starship missions.

lb3 said:

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Decay said:

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Politics ruin everything. We just spent 40 Billion on aid to the Ukraine and it sleptwalk through Congress. How many SLS AND Starships could that buy.

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That might buy about 6 SLS launches or perhaps 50 starship missions.

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Maybe, gotta figure in 10 percent for the 'big guy' and then all of the folks on the House/Senate appropriations/oversight committees with some finger in the nasa budget. Boeing's recent decision to move closer to DC/lobbyists with their executive team was no small coincidence of geography.

Either way, here's to a successful Starliner flight on Thursday.

lb3 said:

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Decay said:

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Politics ruin everything. We just spent 40 Billion on aid to the Ukraine and it sleptwalk through Congress. How many SLS AND Starships could that buy.

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That might buy about 6 SLS launches or perhaps 50 starship missions.

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And just to be clear we're still at ZERO of either. But space is "too expensive" according to basically every politician

edit: I'm at the point where I don't even think SLS is a boondoggle. It's probably one of the most efficient government-run operations we have.

So OFT2 goes off without a hitch and the vehicle performs flawlessly.

What does it fly on next? There's what, 20 AtlasVs in ULA inventory? How many of those are slated for Starliner?

NASA wants/needs two rides to space. Starliners design is better suited for station reboost than Dragon (if Dragon could even do it).

Kenneth_2003 said:

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So OFT2 goes off without a hitch and the vehicle performs flawlessly.

What does it fly on next? There's what, 20 AtlasVs in ULA inventory? How many of those are slated for Starliner?

NASA wants/needs two rides to space. Starliners design is better suited for station reboost than Dragon (if Dragon could even do it).

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I think they already have the Atlas Vs allocated for the Starliner missions

Quote:

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edit: I'm at the point where I don't even think SLS is a boondoggle. It's probably one of the most efficient government-run operations we have.

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Ag83 said:

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Quote:

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edit: I'm at the point where I don't even think SLS is a boondoggle. It's probably one of the most efficient government-run operations we have.

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What federal program is better? Education? Social security? DHS? They're all money pits with rapidly disintegrating ROI. I wish our departments could all reach the peak efficiency of only spending a few billion to accomplish nothing. That would put us trillions of dollars ahead of where we are.

lb3 said:

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bthotugigem05 said:

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Either way, here's to a successful Starliner flight on Thursday.

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I'm working OFT-2, mostly as an observer since there is no crew. I like many of the guys on Boeing's team and am pulling for them. They could really use a win right now.

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This is awesome!

Decay said:

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Ag83 said:

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Quote:

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edit: I'm at the point where I don't even think SLS is a boondoggle. It's probably one of the most efficient government-run operations we have.

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What federal program is better? Education? Social security? DHS? They're all money pits with rapidly disintegrating ROI. I wish our departments could all reach the peak efficiency of only spending a few billion to accomplish nothing. That would put us trillions of dollars ahead of where we are.

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Even if none are better, that in no way suggests SLS isn't and hasn't been a boondoggle.

Ag83 said:

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Decay said:

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Ag83 said:

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Quote:

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edit: I'm at the point where I don't even think SLS is a boondoggle. It's probably one of the most efficient government-run operations we have.

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What federal program is better? Education? Social security? DHS? They're all money pits with rapidly disintegrating ROI. I wish our departments could all reach the peak efficiency of only spending a few billion to accomplish nothing. That would put us trillions of dollars ahead of where we are.

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Even if none are better, that in no way suggests SLS isn't and hasn't been a boondoggle.

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You're completely correct, of course. It's just... the magnitudes of waste are staggering to realize.

A NASA spacecraft on Mars is losing power as dust from the red planet collects on its solar panels. Officials expect the InSight lander to cease its science work in July, almost four years after it arrived at Mars. https://t.co/Lu0OABlPtL

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 18, 2022

Falcon 9 launches 53 Starlink satellites to orbit pic.twitter.com/k80YtDCGYu

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2022

Rapier108 said:

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A NASA spacecraft on Mars is losing power as dust from the red planet collects on its solar panels. Officials expect the InSight lander to cease its science work in July, almost four years after it arrived at Mars. https://t.co/Lu0OABlPtL

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 18, 2022

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They couldn't engineer a solar panel wiper?

bmks270 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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A NASA spacecraft on Mars is losing power as dust from the red planet collects on its solar panels. Officials expect the InSight lander to cease its science work in July, almost four years after it arrived at Mars. https://t.co/Lu0OABlPtL

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 18, 2022

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They couldn't engineer a solar panel wiper?

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I think it actually has one. Not sure if it failed, or the dust is just too much for it.

Rapier108 said:

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bmks270 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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A NASA spacecraft on Mars is losing power as dust from the red planet collects on its solar panels. Officials expect the InSight lander to cease its science work in July, almost four years after it arrived at Mars. https://t.co/Lu0OABlPtL

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 18, 2022

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They couldn't engineer a solar panel wiper?

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I think it actually has one. Not sure if it failed, or the dust is just too much for it.

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ran out of washer fluid.
or was it blinker fluid?

If they'd gone with a tiny nuke power source it would still be good to go.

I believe the other rovers had some sort of way to help clear the dust, but one of the contriuting factors to their length of surface is that dust storms actually served to blow away some of the dust and increase the effectiveness of the solar areas.

I support the idea of small nuclear for spacecraft.

The environmentalists might object to contaminating Mars, the future of humanity, with nuclear waste!

Hehehehe.

Jock 07 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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bmks270 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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A NASA spacecraft on Mars is losing power as dust from the red planet collects on its solar panels. Officials expect the InSight lander to cease its science work in July, almost four years after it arrived at Mars. https://t.co/Lu0OABlPtL

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 18, 2022

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They couldn't engineer a solar panel wiper?

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I think it actually has one. Not sure if it failed, or the dust is just too much for it.

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ran out of washer fluid.
or was it blinker fluid?

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Engineer something like canned air for keyboards. Like a leaf blower attached to a retractable arm.

fka ftc said:

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I believe the other rovers had some sort of way to help clear the dust, but one of the contriuting factors to their length of surface is that dust storms actually served to blow away some of the dust and increase the effectiveness of the solar areas.

I support the idea of small nuclear for spacecraft.

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The two big rovers use radioisotope thermoelectric generators so they'll have power for years.

Mars Insight is a stationary lander.

Every time I see this thread with > 6-10 posts in short period I come running to see if FAA has green lit Starship orbital launches... no joy on this today.