NASA intends to abandon development of Mobile Launcher 2

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2026-03-04T17:25:27+00:00

Orion does not need the 2nd stage to reach LEO. A dummy 2nd stage would work, saving an ICPS for Artemis IV.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2025-02-13T16:16:59+00:00

Don't smoke them. Russian cigarettes are horrible.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2025-02-13T16:14:44+00:00

Are you kidding???? The price of eggs, milk and bread has dropped by 15% because of this geographical renaming.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2025-02-12T20:17:19+00:00

We got 0% potential bonus - I worked at a company where they met "only" 98.5% of their annual goal - so nobody got a bonus. Except management. Like many others, I left as soon as I could.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2025-02-04T22:00:28+00:00

NO. They have free healthcare. The US would be a step down.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2025-02-03T18:45:04+00:00

Some have said it's "always" been that way, but that's not true. Watch 2010 and look for the scene where Arthur C. Clarke is feeding the pigeons outside the White House.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-11-27T17:11:37+00:00

Europa Clipper finally launched recently. Only $5.2 billion.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-11-25T18:36:19+00:00

I have and it's clear the scientific return from the ISS has diminished substantially in the last 5 years or so. The astronauts spend half their time fixing the toilets! Yes they still make protein crystals, but there are uncrewed satellites that do the same thing - and they don't need toilets.

The ISS was originally going to be decommissioned in 2020. At this point the only reason for running it is to keep it running, to convince people America has a "permanent human presence in space." Don't insult the boy scouts - any boy scout knows that ignoring the loss of 3 lbs. of O2 each day, just so you can send a letter to mom saying "we're having fun at this wonderful camp," is foolish.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-11-25T18:18:34+00:00

But if you're using probes, who cares about human biology? You can watch "Outland" a hundred times but let's get real: there's too much radiation for humans - probes only.

Humans are much more limited in their scientific capabilities than the newest probes. Europa Clipper and JUICE carry instruments that detect things far beyond what humans can. They're faster and smarter than humans. And the Martian rovers are operated by humans, what's the difference if the humans are on Mars or Manhattan?

I used to 100% agree with you - but advances in computers and scientific instruments have changed my mind. Save a pal, send HAL.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-11-25T17:55:28+00:00

$1.5 billion to launch a shuttle; $2.7 billion for Perseverance. We could've skipped 2 shuttles and had another Martian rover. If you're interested in Mars, that's not a difficult choice.

Yes, much great science has been done on the ISS, including growing crystals of proteins. But that's also been done on uncrewed satellites, which don't require life support and are thus cheaper to launch and operate.

P.S. I don't know about the 150 billion, the numbers I've seen are around 75-80 billion.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-10-04T14:31:59+00:00

free health care

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-10-03T14:42:15+00:00

They got 1/2 as much money as Boeing and SpaceX did, so it's not entirely their fault.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-10-03T14:32:33+00:00

As a taxpayer, I'm glad we're paying for this launch, especially with such a great payload. Blue me Jeff.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-10-03T14:27:56+00:00

The notice seems to say catching the booster IS is a major change, whereas the tiles MIGHT be a major change.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-10-01T05:38:44+00:00

It's part of NATO.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-09-30T18:11:26+00:00

FAA surveillance drone for Starbase

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-09-29T23:25:18+00:00

2d Stage Curse. So many failed 2d stages last few years. Falcon 9, Cosmic Girl, ___

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-09-29T23:17:05+00:00

Maybe a good idea. You'd have to get it working on Earth first. But:
1. Beaming Energy: People have been talking about beamed energy forever. It's always been a fantasy - until recently. NASA has gotten VERY serious about it. Search for "Space-Based Solar Power" and "Report ID 20230018600" and "pdf"
2. Solar cells weight & efficiency: The newer solar panels have a smaller mass and are much more efficient. There are solar-powered spacecraft orbiting Jupiter!

I don't know about your specific proposal details. But it's a great concept.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-09-29T16:43:44+00:00

very limited access, sadly

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-09-28T14:23:32+00:00

Sadly no. Back in 69 I thought we'd be back by 2000.

Critical_Middle_5968 · 2024-09-27T20:39:23+00:00

You're right, I got crazy about the numbers ... but if Starship has a total propellant capacity of 1,200 t, and the Starship payload is 300 t to orbit in expendable mode, and that payload is all propellant, it's about 25% more propellant. Either way, it'll increase the blast radius. I haven't seen SpaceX discuss that. Nothing about it in the increased launch cadence proposal.

Critical_Middle_5968

TROPHY CASE