# The Great Ongoing Space Exploration Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [November 16, 2020, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703 "2020-11-16T12:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 46
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/902 "2023-08-24T12:05:47Z")
relevant context: [![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/13DB0/production/_130882318_moon_landings_2x640-nc.png) ](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/13DB0/production/_130882318_moon_landings_2x640-nc.png) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/903 "2023-08-24T22:00:43Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > it also seems remarkable that the russians (who tried to steal the thunder from india by a rushed launch, just to take “first dibs”) failed. It’s even sadder because they were last there 47 years ago and all of a sudden they have to beat India by a couple of days. It’s just a matter of time before we see Putin at a Trabant ribbon cutting ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/904 "2023-08-25T00:57:58Z")
wrong thread ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/905 "2023-09-12T15:12:44Z")
Well this looks promising: > **[Tantalising sign of possible life on faraway world](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66786611)** > > Nasa's James Webb Telescope may have discovered a molecule thought only to be produced by life. Of course it’s potentially terrible news if you believe in the great filter theory. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/906 "2023-09-14T19:37:52Z")
This looks as good a thread as any to post this :- > **[Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Huge plasma arc wins](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-66807814?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA)** > > Winning images of the amazing parts of our Universe go on display in London. The one of Mars & the Moon is pretty amazing ! [![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/55BC/production/_131084912_our_moon_mars-set_72dpi.jpg) ](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/55BC/production/_131084912_our_moon_mars-set_72dpi.jpg) I assumed it was taken from a moon orbiter, but it was taken from Texas ! ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/907 "2023-09-14T19:55:45Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Of course it’s potentially terrible news if you believe in the great filter theory On a sub-Neptune, too. Interesting. The article calls these one of the most common planets out there, but of course because of the way we look for exoplanets these larger worlds will be overrepresented. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/908 "2023-09-15T04:48:13Z")
Weird that there’s been no livestream or anything, but apparently Firefly Aerospace made orbit, or at least past stage separation: > > > Jordan Noone 🇺🇸 @theJordanNoone It was part of the DoD responsive space program: > **[Firefly’s Alpha launches VICTUS NOX rapid response mission - NASASpaceFlight.com](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/09/firefly-victus-nox/)** > > Texas-based small launch company Firefly Aerospace jumpstarted its 2023 campaign with the launch of FLTA003… It’ll be good to see if they actually hit the desired orbital parameters or not. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/909 "2023-09-15T09:49:31Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > I assumed it was taken from a moon orbiter, but it was taken from Texas ! That is incredible. I suppose mars would never be that big from the orbit of the moon but a super zoomed in shot would make the distant object look a lot bigger. I’ve been to this exhibition in previous years - some incredible shots combined with the odd “what’s so good about this?” which is my usual reaction in a photography exhibition. But all the ones in that article looked fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/910 "2023-09-15T14:57:42Z")
Very weird: > **[Small moonquakes caused by Apollo lunar lander module, study finds | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/world/moonquakes-apollo-17-scn/index.html)** > > The Apollo 17 lunar lander module left behind by US astronauts on the moon’s surface could be causing moonquakes, or small tremors, a new study revealed. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/911 "2023-09-20T00:31:11Z")
This isn’t great: > **[Electron fails during Capella Space launch](https://spacenews.com/electron-fails-during-capella-space-launch/)** > > A Rocket Lab Electron failed during a launch of Capella Space radar imaging satellite Sept. 19. Any one failure of a rocket is not a sign of disaster. Everyone has failures. The problem is that Rocket Lab has had 4 failures out of 41 launches. The prior failure was about 20 launches ago. Depending on how you want to account for things, Electron is only about 90-95% reliable. That’s not a great position to be in if your company is already in a fairly fragile state. Especially when SpaceX’s rideshare program is so cheap, going to new orbits, and where the launcher hasn’t had a single failure in the past _230_ flights. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/912 "2023-09-24T14:33:27Z")
Osiris Rex landing soon Video: > **[OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return (Official 4K NASA Broadcast)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdwyqctp908%2F)** > > Watch a spacecraft deliver an asteroid sample to Earth! Our OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Expl... Brian ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/913 "2023-09-24T15:12:34Z")
Woot – Landed safely. Looks fairly close to a road. Given that this is an active range, need to check for munitions and such. Brian ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/914 "2023-09-24T17:36:44Z")
There is a thread devoted to just this mission > [@NASA planning to get sample from an asteroid Tues (with spacecraft OSIRIS-REx)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nasa-planning-to-get-sample-from-an-asteroid-tues-with-spacecraft-osiris-rex/923357): > > If all goes well it will happen. Japan did this once . [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/bennu-top-ten](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/bennu-top-ten) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/915 "2023-09-24T20:13:51Z")
I was probably following that, but forgot about it. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/916 "2023-09-26T05:11:35Z")
Dave Limp taking over Blue Origin: > **[Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to replace CEO Bob Smith with outgoing Amazon exec...](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/25/blue-origin-ceo-bob-smith-out-replaced-by-outgoing-amazon-exec-dave-limp.html)** > > Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin will replace CEO Bob Smith with outgoing Amazon exec Dave Limp, CNBC has learned. [![](https://i0.wp.com/www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/rocket.jpg?w=936&ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/rocket.jpg?w=936&ssl=1) Reports are that John Flaccid was also in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/917 "2023-09-26T17:40:20Z")
I hear Gen. Buck Turgidson is with US Space Command these days. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/918 "2023-09-26T21:42:59Z")
Of course all those rockets are targeted at the secret lair of the Evil Emperor Wang the Perverted. [Flesh Gordon - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesh_Gordon) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/919 "2023-09-27T23:41:30Z")
Jokes aside, I’m very far from believing that Dave Limp has a chance at turning things around for Blue Origin. Bob Smith was of course among the worst possible choices for CEO, unless the goal of BO was to speedrun their way to bloated aerospace contractor without ever passing through a golden period of being renowned for their engineering prowess. If so, Smith was a great choice. I don’t actually hold it against Limp that he has no aerospace experience. I don’t think that’s necessarily a prerequisite. And he does, as they say, _ship_. Some of his products at Amazon were huge money-losers (see: Alexa), but that’s more a function of the fundamentals of the product than the product itself. Not his problem if the business model behind Alexa was idiotic. He still shipped. Still–I just don’t see him coming in and really doing the necessary restructuring and fat-trimming needed. Blue Origin has almost as many employees as SpaceX (11,000 vs. 12,000), and their total product lineup is a (grounded) suborbital craft and an engine they’ve shipped three of (last I checked). SpaceX, meanwhile: - Flies \>60 orbital missions a year - Supports two partially reusable orbital vehicles - Is developing another fully reusable one - All of which using engines that they’ve developed and built - Has their own manned orbital craft that supports both NASA and private missions - Maintains 4 launch pads - Builds and launches thousands of satellites per year - Builds and ships hundreds of thousands (maybe millions now) of Starlink user terminals per year - Which are also totally state of the art (from the laser links to the phased array terminal) - And a bunch of stuff I’m not thinking of Smaller providers like Rocket Lab do a lot less, but they are also commensurately smaller. So they also deserve respect in how much they accomplish for the resources they have. It’s only Blue Origin and the rest of oldspace that have armies of people while accomplishing so little. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/920 "2023-10-03T15:34:02Z")
Switching for a moment to unmanned space exploration I found this rather interesting article in one of my news feeds. > **[A Lunar Mission Spots Its Failed Brethren - Eos](https://eos.org/articles/a-lunar-mission-spots-its-failed-brethren)** > > Data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have been instrumental in pinpointing where other Moon-bound spacecraft have crashed. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/921 "2023-10-03T17:08:16Z")
Excellent work by the FCC: > **[US issues first ever fine for space junk to Dish Network](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66993647)** > > Dish Network will have to pay $150,000 for failing to move an old satellite far enough away from the Earth. It’s not a big fine and this sort of fine will not be dealt out by the Chinese or the Russians to their own agencies who are some of the worst offenders, but it’s good leadership and sets an important precedent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=47)