[Bonus] Starship Explodes (Again) // Moon Lander Failed (Again) // Voyager Switching Off Instruments (Again)
Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands safely on the Moon, Athena… doesn’t, and another lunar mission goes missing. NASA shuts down more instruments on the Voyagers, and Europa Clipper makes a flyby of Mars. Starship explodes again. And in the free Patreon edition, how Vera Rubin could find another flyby target for New Horizons.
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Comments (22)
I have always wondered why moon Landers cannot easily survive the ultra cold, long lunar night? I thought engineers could easily solve that, eg. just by having some kind of chemical heater simply activated once sunlight has returned, warms up the battery and then primary electronics could wake up, recharge the batteries and warm up any other systems that are still too cold to operate. Insulation, etc. I realize it's more weight, therefore more cost, but it seems to be reported on as a near impossible feat, baring a nuclear reactor or enough fuel that can provide a lot of heat for the whole long lunar night.
Elon’s Starship blew up? Could be karma.
Just found the TV series Firefly and really enjoying it. Seems more than a coincidence that the blue ghost company is also called Firefly.
Note the logo for the company. Also, one of their engines was named "Reaver"
Do you have any plans to offer the voting on Patreon so we can vote on the bonus question? I really liked the New Horizon report! Pluto photos for the win!
ARIANE 6 ??? Nothing ???? It's perhaps not impressive but it's important news : it means Europe is definitely back in the game !!
We'll mention it next week, we just had too many stories to cover this week and it was already feeling spaceflight lopsided.
I have been hoping for more targets for New Horizons for aaaages! really hope they pull it off!
Me too. I'll try to chat with Alan Stern about it.
Question regarding Voyagers: What prohibits them from using instruments less often but on a schedule? Isn't it possible to turn instruments off, collect power, then turn on for a measurement, send data and repeat?
The Voyagers do have batteries, but they could never support the full spacecraft, just to smooth out its operations. And they're almost 50 years now and severely degraded too.
Could Space X have screwed up the release or something else to screw up two out of three of the satellites??
I don't see how that's possible. They were all released into the proper trajectory, and suffered totally different problems.
Curious about any plans to put a receiver/rebroadcasting satellite between the earth and moon . . . . or in a lunacentric orbit, if such a thing were practical. I know the lunar gateway is supposed to do this, but that might not even happen.
As you say, that'll be Gateway's job, but if that doesn't come together, I can envision a smaller relay satellite doing that task, or just direct communications with Earth. It's communicating with the far side that's the challenge.
Fraser, is something bad about to happen to your channel and Universe Today?
It already happened to Universe Today. https://www.universetoday.com/
I'm guessing there are cats on the moon playing with the landers.
Big changes?! Oh my! I have had my fill of changes ("you know who" has been wreaking havoc in the White House). Hopeing for the best, but 25 years is a long time to do what you do.
This is good news, probably. https://www.universetoday.com/
OH YOU TEASE!!!!
Here's the sneak preview, new site, no ads. https://www.universetoday.com/