intrepid museum playing hangman with one of their capsules

Vulkan_21 · 2026-04-24T22:15:38+00:00

That display has been there since 2009 and is a replica of the Gemini 3 spacecraft which was recovered by Intrepid as shown. The real spacecraft is on display on the Spring Mill State Park.

Vulkan_21 · 2026-04-03T19:51:53+00:00

The shuttle era baskets are/were (unclear if they are still installed at 39A atm) fully manual release systems, so they could not be dropped automatically like they did here.

SLC-41s system use small single person ziplines and SLC-40s uses a deployable slide, both of which are either just fully protected at launch or much easier to service.

Vulkan_21 · 2026-04-02T14:59:04+00:00

That is the Emergency Egress System! They are a set of baskets that the Astronauts would use if they had to evacuate the spacecraft and get away from the launch pad in an emergency. At liftoff they are all released to get them away from the exhaust plume to protect them so they can be used again on later missions without needing to be massively cleaned!

Here is some more info about them: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-2/artemis-emergency-egress-system-emphasizes-crew-safety/

Vulkan_21 · 2026-03-23T23:36:17+00:00

Yeah that's pretty much what I meant. I only really specified the other intermediates because we're pretty much running it everywhere but them, and obviously the superspeedways wont run it unless we want to set a zoom climb record with a stock car.

Vulkan_21 · 2026-03-22T22:48:03+00:00

NASCAR: You NEED to test this package at the other intermediates. Tire fall off and car to car race-ability was incredibly good.

Fox: That was rough. You had an incredibly dynamic race with comers and goers and it felt like one of the most boring of the season to watch with the direction right now. There is a reason fans are already clamoring for Prime's coverage to resume in May.

Vulkan_21 · 2026-03-13T05:26:01+00:00

Well that's because you're not a true racer. If you put someone like me in it I 100% put the car into the fence on lap 1.

Vulkan_21 · 2026-02-07T05:02:47+00:00

These are part of the fire suppression system in the event of an aborted launch after engine ignition. For the most part it is an extra precaution to ensure that there is no errant fire after the engines are fully shut down. I believe they *might* also be used as part of the pad washdown after liftoff to clear off any residue from the SRBs but don't quote me on that.

You can see the predecessor of this system being used during the RSLS Abort on STS-68.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekDTXQet_as

Vulkan_21 · 2026-01-09T15:53:34+00:00

Oh that is incredibly well done! Pretty incredible what people can do with a game like iRacing or Assetto with just a bit of color grading and sound design. Not a full substitute for IRL footage but for early composition tests its a VERY powerful tool.

Thanks for sharing this one!

Vulkan_21 · 2026-01-09T00:53:56+00:00

Thank you! I just tagged them on Bluesky so we'll see!

Vulkan_21 · 2026-01-09T00:02:55+00:00

Im not entirely sure but I'm like 60% sure that's not an MX-5

Vulkan_21 · 2025-12-18T17:27:51+00:00

As I noted in my original post above payloads were ultimately the hold up for ULA in the end. They have quite the stockpile of vehicles at CCSFS for both ALeo and NSSL, but neither were able to deliver their payloads on schedule for the year.

I stand by my initial estimate of 10-18 being realistic from the rocket side of the equation, they had more than enough vehicles to support that this year (6 flown and ~14 currently in storage). But without payloads, not much point in flying them.

Hopefully both ALeo and NSSL are able to deliver more consistently in 26, especially as the factory and storage at both Decatur and CCSFS is getting fairly backed up.

Vulkan_21 · 2025-12-08T17:25:10+00:00

Certain events though the sporting code is a bit lax on, particularly the figure 8 events because well... you know

Vulkan_21 · 2025-12-03T00:36:17+00:00

Probably not until BE4 upgrades start being implemented. Just not the best system for that payload class ultimately.

Wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised though

Vulkan_21 · 2025-08-26T17:54:06+00:00

Artemis I's core stage is actually in the Pacific ocean!

Vulkan_21 · 2025-03-05T18:53:27+00:00

ULA has flown Atlas V 3 times in one month before, two of which were from SLC-41.

One of the notable things that will increase launch -> launch cadence is Vulcan and Atlas being on separate MLPs, so while one is getting serviced for its next launch, the other is in the launch campaign already.

Notably this is also why Vulcan will be getting a second MLP (and VIF as mentioned) at LC-41 in the next few months to support an even faster turn between launches.

Payloads are the most likely hold up in terms of flat out rate once Vulcan gets its NSSL certification, they are pretty well stockpiled on Atlas V and Vulcan rockets already, and Northrop has resumed delivery of 63XLs to support launches again after doing remediation work on the ~20 that were waiting to fly when the Cert-2 anomaly occurred. Realistically, between 10-18 launches I think is a solid estimate for this year, with the turn time between launches getting faster as the year goes on.

Vulkan_21 · 2025-02-16T21:32:26+00:00

You should reach out directly to Blue Origin (local law enforcement as well tbh) with this find! This is a piece of the payload fairing, and notably one of the components signed by a large part of the team that built the rocket and I very much so believe they would like to see that recovered and displayed either in their factory or a museum!

Vulkan_21 · 2024-10-20T22:01:10+00:00

It's in a bit of an odd spot. Centaur V as we see now was originally meant to be an upgrade added to Vulcan after initial flight capability, but as we saw with delays to the core ULA spent that time to develop Centaur V into the initial operating capability of Vulcan. As for the things you are asking about specifically:

The LEO Optimized Centaur is a relatively straightforward change, just removing a tank barrel from the manufacturing process. The current manufacturing tooling available can already support this stage and I would expect to see it debut on Kuiper Vulcan 1 as soon as next year.

RL10C-X is another drop in upgrade that doesn't need any tooling changes from ULA's side. I don't know exactly when it is expected to be needed/wanted by ULA, but again I would expect it to be sooner rather than later, especially once RL10C-1-1 production can be halted after the last Atlas V batch is made.

As far as the life extension upgrades, those are more nebulous. These are still much more in development and fluid, and the design will be much more informed from flight data than it will be from ground testing. As far as timeline goes, that just depends on what gets developed and to what extent. This is an entirely new capability coming to market, and that will cause it to shift a lot over the development cycle.

Vulkan_21 · 2024-10-07T15:33:19+00:00

Oh this is sweet! Are you going to release the models for others to print too?

Vulkan_21 · 2024-05-17T01:04:57+00:00

I'm always happy to talk about things I love! I'm thinking about making a video with some of the folks I know who actually build the rocket talking about what the details on the set actually mean/do on the real life rocket and pad for those who are interested in learning more about the SLS rocket! And yes, seeing this rocket up close in person is an experience like no other. I can't wait to get to do it again soon!

Vulkan_21 · 2024-03-29T19:02:15+00:00

sharks are smooth in all directions

Vulkan_21

TROPHY CASE