SpaceX

[Sigmetnow]

—- Less Starlink: Tonight’s launch scrubbed!

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/9/21, 7:48 PM
Now targeting Thursday, March 11 at 3:13 a.m. EST for launch of Starlink – taking some additional time for pre-launch checks

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1369450029174390791
0813 UTC

SpaceX Prepares to Launch Starlink v1.0 L20 Mission

In total, the L20 mission will bring the number of operational v1.0 Starlink satellites launched to 1,203.
The booster assigned to this mission is B1058-6, the same booster that launched Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station on the Demo-2 mission in May 2020, the first time SpaceX ever flew humans. …

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/spacex-launch-starlink-v1-l20/

—- Meanwhile, back at Port Canaveral

Julia (@julia_bergeron) 3/9/21, 1:08 PM
The tugs are lending extra support to OCISLY with B1049-8 on deck. Extra lines have been thrown to ease tension on the secondary tow line in place after the main line failed. Patience is today's word.
Fleetcam: #youtu.be/gnt2wZBg89g

Recovery overview:
SpaceX evolving fairing recovery plans, taking advantage of Octagrabber in pursuit of rapid reusability
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/spacex-fairing-recovery-octagrabber/

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1369349425710129152
3 photos

—- Starship

Michael Baylor:
SpaceX teams may begin proof testing Starship SN11 as early as this evening in Boca Chica. If testing begins by Wednesday, it would be by far the fastest turnaround from rollout to testing.
   nextspaceflight.com/starship/
Michael Baylor  3/9/21, 6:16 PM
  The road has been closed in Boca Chica for testing this evening.
Michael Baylor  3/9/21, 7:06 PM
  Pad is clear. NSF will go live if it turns out to be a cryogenic proof test and not an ambient proof test.

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1369439466767679496

—-

Austin Barnard:
Just prior to SN11 being placed onto the launch mount, SpaceX employees lowered down each and every landing leg. Testing them, so unlike during the SN10 flight; they will hopefully deploy properly this time.
https://twitter.com/austinbarnard45/status/1369353962269274113
[⬇️ Photo below; others at link]
Elon Musk:
SN10 engine was low on thrust due (probably) to partial helium ingestion from fuel header tank. Impact of 10m/s crushed legs & part of skirt. Multiple fixes in work for SN11.
Chris B - NSF:
This is a tricky one given that I believe said helium pressurization was added to the CH4 header tank to mitigate what happened with SN8. That's why it's a test program, of course.
Elon Musk:
Fair point. If autogenous pressurization had been used, CH4 bubbles would most likely have reverted to liquid.
Helium in header was used to prevent ullage collapse from slosh, which happened in prior flight. My fault for approving. Sounded good at the time.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1369382210894237705
*ullage:  the “empty” space above the liquid in a tank, barrel or bottle

—- SpaceX Air Force contracts awarded

Tyler Gray:
Just in: #SpaceX and #ULA have been awarded launch contracts by the US Air Force as part of the NSSL Phase 2 solicitation.
ULA gets USSF-112 & USSF-87 for $224.3 million.
SpaceX gets USSF-36 & NROL-69* for $159.7 million.
*You can’t make this up.
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2530911/source/GovDelivery/
https://twitter.com/tylerg1998/status/1369419705933561864
Tyler Gray:
…  SpaceX is able to bid lower than ULA for the same amount of missions - that’s mainly why the amounts differ.

—- NASA astronaut added to April Soyuz ISS flight

William Harwood:
Roscosmos confirms that NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will join cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov for launch aboard the Soyuz MS-18/64S spacecraft on April 9; Vande Hei replaces cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov
~ Roscosmos says on its webpage (via Google translate) that Vande Hei was added to the Soyuz crew "at the urgent request of the American side" and that his seat was arranged through Houston-based Axiom Space; no details were provided

https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1369418621848608770

Without Vande Hei, this would have been the first time in 21 years that a Soyuz crew consisted solely of Russian cosmonauts.
“It is expected that the flight will serve as the landing vehicle for a Russian actress and film director Klim Shipenko who will launch to the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-19 and spend approximately a week in space in order to film a movie.” — Wikipedia

Expedition 65/66
In 2020 it was announced that Vande Hei would be making a second space flight, as a flight engineer onboard Soyuz MS-18, and be part of ISS Expedition 65/66.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_T._Vande_Hei

Soyuz MS-18
It has been said that NASA is looking for a seat on this mission via seat exchange, the soyuz would act as a backup if there are any problems with the SpaceX Crew-2 spacecraft.

On March 9th, 2021 Roscosmos announced that, at NASA's request, they would alter the existing flight plan to include Mark Vande Hei instead of Sergei Korsakov in the main crew and Anne McClain instead of Dmitriy Petelin in the backup one effectively extending US astronauts's flights on Soyuz spacecrafts for at least another flight.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_MS-18

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Mary:
SpaceX is celebrating tonight at Boca Chica.
➡️ https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1369820796126982146
30 sec: fireworks
Mary:
I could also hear Rocket Man playing, so cool. Enjoy your evening SpaceX Boca Chica team.

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 3/10/21, 6:43 PM
It looks like SpaceX has scrubbed today's planned cryogenic proof test with Starship SN11. The pad was cleared for a bit, but teams presumably ran into issues, as they returned to the pad without any signs of testing.
nextspaceflight.com/starship/
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1369796155161284608
Michael Baylor:
The next attempt could occur as early as Thursday. The window is noon to 8 pm local time.

Mary (@BocaChicaGal) 3/10/21, 10:07 AM
Progress continues at the orbital launch pad as a propellant tank is being installed. A second propellant tank is waiting to be installed.

https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1369666197885747207
⬇️ Photo below.

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 3/9/21, 8:15 PM
With Starship SN11 at the launch site, Super Heavy BN1 now has the High Bay to itself. A Thrust Ram rig is being prepared, potentially for use with BN1 testing.
Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Theo Ripper (@theoripper).

SpaceX Boca Chica - Preparations for Super Heavy test campaign - YouTube
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfNNJQ-cOMg&feature=youtu.be

Brady Kenniston (@TheFavoritist) 3/10/21, 3:56 PM
SpaceX is installing propellant & consumables storage tanks at the orbital site in preparation for full stack testing later this year. Last night, Starship SN11 survived its first ambient temp pressure tests.
Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal)

SpaceX Boca Chica: Orbital Launch Site's Tank Farm Takes Shape
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgzt99RdJDQ&feature=youtu.be 

Boca Chica road closures are scheduled through Friday this week.

—- Other dates:

March 11: Falcon 9 • Starlink V1.0-L20
Launch time: 0813 GMT (3:13 a.m. EST)

March 13: Falcon 9 • Starlink V1.0-L21
Launch time: 1006 GMT (5:06 a.m. EST)

March ??: Falcon 9 • Starlink V1.0-L22
Launch time: TBD

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

—- SLS Green Run 2

NASA’s Artemis Program (@NASAArtemis) 3/10/21, 2:07 PM
Mark your calendars
We are targeting Thurs., March 18 for the second hot fire of the @NASA_SLS core stage at @NASAStennis.
This hot fire is the last test before the #Artemis I core stage is shipped to @NASAKennedy for assembly and integration: go.nasa.gov/38pJ7cg 

https://twitter.com/nasaartemis/status/1369726503047598086

—- Poll!  16 hours left; Vote at the link.

Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 3/10/21, 2:24 PM
Which happens first:
• Green Run, part 2
• SN11 flies
• Starlink 20, 21 & 22 fly
Eric Berger:
Not an easy call, to be honest. Would probably go with Green Run, but it's close.

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1369730909965017091

—-
Launch of asteroid deflection demonstrator slips to November
The backup launch window opens Nov. 24 and extends to Feb. 15, 2022. The mission will still launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/03/09/launch-of-asteroid-deflection-demonstrator-slips-to-november/

[Sigmetnow]

Eric Berger
While you were sleeping last night, SpaceX launched its 7th mission of 2021. This keeps the company on pace for a record 35 launches this year as it builds out its Starlink internet constellation.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1369993109216579601

Webcast clips at the links:
SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/11/21, 3:14 AM
Liftoff!
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1369924673631219715

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/11/21, 3:23 AM
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1369926878497181696
76th successful recovery; 6th for this booster!

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/11/21, 4:19 AM
Deployment of 60 Starlink satellites confirmed
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1369941067416567808

Watch a replay of the entire webcast at:  https://www.spacex.com/launches/index.html

[crandles]

SN11 cryo test done
Possible static fire of SN11 today (announcements to clear pad by 8am CST)

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

< Fireworks at the spacex boca chica build site... the good kind!

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/11/21, 7:47 AM
Celebrating a year of great work by the SpaceX team!

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1369993285096329217

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight)3/12/21, 9:33 AM
SpaceX could make a static fire attempt this morning in Boca Chica, Texas.
wenhop.com 

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1370382469627736065

SpaceX Starship holds up under pressure, lines up Raptor engine test fire
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-sn11-pressure-tests-static-fire/amp/

Starship SN11 undergoes a cryogenic proof test using liquid nitrogen, ensuring its tanks can hold up to flight temps and pressures. Also tested are SN11's reaction control system thrusters!
Video from Mary (@BocaChicaGal) & the NSF Robotic Camera Team
➡️youtu.be/4CrlY1H-d0Q

—-

Mary:
Booster BN1 section on the heavy duty stand has been moved into the high bay. Booster stacking time soon?!! 

https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1370115296627982338
Photo at link.

—- SN10 flight review

Mary's cool slow-motion SN10 video gives us insight of the speed of the runaway composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) after Starship smashed to the ground.
➡️ https://twitter.com/jdeshetler/status/1370037211987468289
< The only thing it is missing is @elonmusk walking away from it putting his sunglasses on. 

Clip at the Twitter link; full vid here:
Starship SN10 10km Test Flight, Landing, and Explosion
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXUS321oZ4


—- Starship windows

Erc X :
The new large upper windows as seen in recent DearMoon renders, located on the Activity Deck. Question is if they still plan on using Transparent Metal?
➡️ https://twitter.com/ercxspace/status/1369791827071664137
At the link: Images of that big window section in the nose of the Starship.

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/11/21, 8:12 AM
Transparent aluminum (ALON) might be cool

< was the Transparent Aluminum developed by Plexicorp by any chance?

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (7/10) Movie CLIP - The Miracle Worker (1986) HD
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkqiDu1BQXY

Chris B - NSF:
Folk may recall the scene from Star Trek IV, but that movie was made in the 1980s.
ALON is real.
Good video on that:
Transparent Aluminum - Star Trek Technology is now Real
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DduO1fNzV4w

~ Not inexpensive, but windows on your spacecraft are rather important! 

—- In space… nobody complains about wearing a mask.
Voyager Station Will Be The First Space Hotel Set To Start Construction In 2026

Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC), a space construction company founded Gateway Foundation members that include former NASA staff, engineers, pilots, and architects, who plan to build a space hotel called ‘Voyager Station.’ The Voyager Station’s design is based on space habitat concepts imagined by one of the most prominent rocket scientist in history - Wernher von Braun. Voyager Station will be a ring-shaped hotel that spins like a Ferris wheel to create artificial gravity. As it rotates, the centrifugal force will simulate a moon-like gravity level. It will be the largest artificial object orbiting our planet, with a 650-foot-wide (200 meters) diameter. The Station will be comprised of 24 habitat modules, each section will be 65 feet long and 40 feet wide (20 by 12 meters). OAC says the Station will have 'escape shuttle planes' docked between each module to escape during emergency situations. As seen in the illustration above, it will also feature a docking port for larger spacecraft like SpaceX's Starship. The company’s President and CEO John Blincow told reporters the Station is set to begin construction until 2026, due to Covid-19 related delays. They aim to have a space-ready hotel orbiting Earth as soon as 2027. …

https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/space-hotel

⬇️ Image below from “Starship Users Guide”, March 2020
Think they can fit all the pieces for one module in one Starship payload bay?

[Sigmetnow]

—- Falcon Booster moves to east coast

Michael Baylor:
Falcon booster B1063 is being moved east to help with the launch cadence from Florida.
This will help with the recent loss of B1059. B1063 has been freed up after the extended delay to the DART mission from Vandenberg.

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1370400469479161860

—- Neutron: aiming at the satellite constellation market

Ars Technica:
Rocket Lab will directly challenge SpaceX with its proposed Neutron launcher arstechnica.com/science/2021/0… by @SciGuySpace

Elon Musk:
Falcon 9 is almost always at max capacity. When it has “spare” performance, it flies back to land, which costs much less than using a droneship.
Our fundamental constraint is mass to orbit per unit time. Last year, SpaceX launched roughly double payload mass of rest of world.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1369918893771395078
Eric Berger:
Interesting, thank you Elon.

Rocket Lab will directly challenge SpaceX with its proposed Neutron launcher
Eric Berger - 3/10/2021

Beck said he believes the future of the launch industry lies in constellations, be it mega-constellations or smaller clusters of satellites. Beck estimates that 80 percent of all future launches will be satellites that are bound for constellations. "It's pretty simple math," Beck said. While Electron is useful for getting small satellites into precise orbits, a bigger rocket is needed to become a player in the constellation satellite market.

To better understand the ideal size of a new rocket, Beck looked across the history of launch and determined that the average payload size for all rockets was about 4.5 tons. This falls between the small launch category, which generally can loft about 1 ton or less to orbit, and medium-lift rockets, which have capabilities ranging from about 12 to 20 tons. The most commercially successful medium-lift rocket currently flying, the Falcon 9, can lift as much as 22.8 tons to low-Earth orbit in fully expendable mode. …

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/with-the-neutron-booster-rocket-lab-shows-its-not-afraid-of-taking-on-spacex/

——
Critics take aim at SpaceX’s Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper and other satellite constellations
March 11, 2021
https://www.geekwire.com/2021/critics-take-aim-spacex-starlink-amazon-kuiper-satellite-constellations/amp/

Critics of the critics say: not so fast.
“Collision risk legitimate concern. The rest are not. No one proposes to stop global shipping because visible ships clutter our ocean horizons. Space commerce will create visible clutter of night sky. Decades from now, most will consider visible spacecraft neutral or beautiful.”
https://twitter.com/donaldfr/status/1370080415248097284

“A viable solution to the current injustice of global rural broadband deployment emerges and narrow interest elites oppose it. Figures”
https://twitter.com/drpeck66/status/1370075672719233024


The thread at this link calculates about 1,000 “close approaches < 1 km” a week involving Starlink satellites:
https://twitter.com/profhughlewis/status/1367499742058528776
If true, then since Starlinks are not crashing or falling out of the sky... it would appear they are, as they are designed to be, expertly capable of handling their interactions, using their on-board orbital object database, their detect-and-avoid software, and their krypton ion thrusters for propulsion.


—- Seats to the ISS
The Russian explanation behind NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hai joining the April Soyuz flight to the ISS — arranged by Axiom Space, not NASA — suggests the arrangement was an expedient one to avoid political conflicts. 

Translated:

“This is a flight that brings the cosmonaut launch cooperation into a new system. If earlier we launched American astronauts, and they paid us good money, now there is barter: we will launch an American, and they will provide us with a chair in 2023. All this is free. And Rogozin, apparently, says so, because he no longer counts on some kind of cooperation with the United States in the future, so he can criticize NASA and SpaceX as much as he wants.”

В Институте космической политики объяснили, почему США не будут платить РФ за полёты астронавтов
https://govoritmoskva.ru/news/266449/

[crandles]

each section will be 65 feet long and 40 feet wide (20 by 12 meters).

Think they can fit all the pieces for one module in one Starship payload bay?

Well I am thinking 20m is less than 22m, but 12m is not less than 8m.

Maybe those modules will be inflatable a la Bigelow BEAM attached to ISS?

Can't see a dreamchaser and such a module fitting so that suggests at least 48 launches

[Sigmetnow]

each section will be 65 feet long and 40 feet wide (20 by 12 meters).

Think they can fit all the pieces for one module in one Starship payload bay?

Well I am thinking 20m is less than 22m, but 12m is not less than 8m.

Maybe those modules will be inflatable a la Bigelow BEAM attached to ISS?

Can't see a dreamchaser and such a module fitting so that suggests at least 48 launches

But since this is the Orbital Assembly Corporation, maybe they have developed a way to weld or fit pieces together in space?  (Musk has suggested that a larger-diameter Starship will be built in the future, but I think these folks are designing with the 8m payload bay in mind.)

Two overlapping C-shaped halves, each 6 meters wide, might fit. (The renderings suggest the modules are not completely round.) And yeah, the end-cap (airlocks?) will be smaller in diameter, so they could fit in the narrower section of the payload bay.

I hadn’t thought of the inflatable angle.  But perhaps, like the Russian space suits (and pressurized doors on aircraft), the modules’ internal pressure helps the separate pieces form a tight seal against the vacuum of space.  Will be fascinating to see what they do.

[Sigmetnow]

—- Next Starlink launch
B1051-9 will become the first Falcon booster to conduct nine flights.

SpaceX (@SpaceX) 3/12/21, 9:05 PM
Targeting Sunday, March 14 at 6:01 a.m. EDT for Falcon 9's next launch of 60 Starlink satellites. The first stage booster supporting this mission has completed eight flights to date spacex.com/launches 

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1370556528323751938

—-
President and CEO of ULA:

Tory Bruno:
Economic sustainability needs a average flight rate across its (whole) fleet of around 10 and a relatively short recycle time of around 6 weeks or better.
https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1248612557029437441

Michael Baylor:
SpaceX is consistently achieving this recycle time metric with the exception of a few cases where customers have reserved certain boosters. A booster will fly for the tenth time this spring. Boosters averaging 10 flights over their lifespan seems inevitable within a few years.

So what happens when even by ULA's standards, reuse makes sense?

I think the other factor here is that reuse does not scale well to ULA's flight rate. The return on investment takes a long time when you only fly 8-10 times a year and boosters are extremely expensive when you only build them once a year or less (see SLS).
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1370562296624287744

—- Starlink AF test
SpaceX prepares for Air Force test connecting an aircraft to its Starlink satellite internet

   •   SpaceX is preparing to further test its Starlink satellite internet in a demonstration for the U.S. Air Force, the company revealed in a request to the Federal Communications Commission.
   •   The company disclosed it is working with Ball Aerospace for this test, with the contractor providing antennas necessary to connect to "tactical aircraft."
   •   The Starlink test is under the Air Force Research Laboratory's Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, for which Ball was awarded a contract in August.
…

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/03/12/spacex-prepares-for-air-force-test-of-starlink-satellite-internet.html


—- Starship
The Brownsville TFR surface to space for Monday has been cancelled, but another for Tuesday has been added.
https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.jsp

—-
Austin Barnard:
SuperHeavy has begun stacking!
https://twitter.com/austinbarnard45/status/1370420031348178944
⬇️ Photo below. The link also has a closeup of the top.

—-
The first Super Heavy, BN1, is closer to completion as its methane tank is stacked on its engine section. Meanwhile propellant is delivered to the launch site.
SpaceX Boca Chica: Super Heavy BN1 Methane Tank Stacked on Engine Section
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eo-ihnPo1o&feature=youtu.be
  so tall!  At beginning: distant shot, then a closeup pan from the top down.

—- SN10’s green flash

Jack Beyer:
I'm curious what this green flash is, if it were Falcon 9 the no brainer answer would be TEA-TEB - but Raptor just uses spark ignitors. It was visible during engine ignition for SN10's flip maneuver, specifically when the third and final engine lit.
https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1370222228701392896
⬇️ Photo below.

Elon Musk:
Green flame in this context means engine is burning internal components made of copper. This is usually followed by a RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly).

[crandles]

But since this is the Orbital Assembly Corporation, maybe they have developed a way to weld or fit pieces together in space?  (Musk has suggested that a larger-diameter Starship will be built in the future, but I think these folks are designing with the 8m payload bay in mind.)

Two overlapping C-shaped halves, each 6 meters wide, might fit. (The renderings suggest the modules are not completely round.) And yeah, the end-cap (airlocks?) will be smaller in diameter, so they could fit in the narrower section of the payload bay.

I hadn’t thought of the inflatable angle.  But perhaps, like the Russian space suits (and pressurized doors on aircraft), the modules’ internal pressure helps the separate pieces form a tight seal against the vacuum of space.  Will be fascinating to see what they do.

I thought the rendering looked like they might be inflatable - rounded corners like with BEAM. At 9m long perhaps 2 dreamchasers can be launched on 1 starship. If 12m across inflatable shrinks by a factor of 3 or more then perhaps two or three could be launched with 1 starship launch.

There is clearly lots more structure and assembly to do even with the modules being launched as single items.

[Sigmetnow]

—- Mission completed this morning

William Harwood (@cbs_spacenews)3/14/21, 7:07 AM
F9/Starlink 22/V1-L21: Starlink deploy on time; all 60 satellites are moving away and beginning to spread out after a successful boost to orbit; SpaceX has now launched 1,325 Starlinks in the company's ongoing campaign to field a planned constellation of thousands

https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1371055400511012872
B1051-9 launched and landed successfully — becoming the first Falcon booster to conduct nine flights!
⬇️ Booster history and latest flight screengrab images below.

—-

—- Neutron: aiming at the satellite constellation market

Ars Technica:
Rocket Lab will directly challenge SpaceX with its proposed Neutron launcher arstechnica.com/science/2021/0… by @SciGuySpace

Elon Musk:
Falcon 9 is almost always at max capacity. When it has “spare” performance, it flies back to land, which costs much less than using a droneship.
Our fundamental constraint is mass to orbit per unit time. Last year, SpaceX launched roughly double payload mass of rest of world.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1369918893771395078 ...

Further comments:

< Falcon 9's turnaround time has been decreased phenomenally. As the demand grows, do we expect to see its turnaround time to get much shorter (24hrs)? Or by the time we reach that kind of demand SpaceX would've transitioned to Starship which will have ~ >1 hour of turnaround time?

Elon Musk:
If 2021 manifest is met, SpaceX will do ~75% of total Earth payload to orbit with Falcon.

A single Starship is designed to do in a day what all rockets on Earth currently do in a year.

Even so, ~1000 Starships will take ~20 years to build a self-sustaining city on Mars.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1369933283174318082

Reddit discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/m2p9de/elon_musk_if_2021_manifest_is_met_spacex_will_do/

Eric Berger:
With this morning's Starlink mission SpaceX has launched a rocket, on average, every [nine] days in 2021. If you don't know much about rockets, know this: Such a cadence is jaw-dropping for an orbital rocket, especially a large one.

Newer companies with smaller rockets or suborbital systems often make claims in news releases or investor presentations about such a flight rate, but it is extraordinarily difficult to achieve. Be wary. It's taken an exceptional company, SpaceX, two decades to reach this point.

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1371065184484274185

—-
3.14  — Happy pi day, nerds!
—-

—- Starship

Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) 3/13/21, 4:43 PM
Super cool to see Starship thermal protection tiles applied by hand today. I wonder how long until this is an automated process.

➡️ https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1370853087410278407
At the link: 30 sec vid: two workers on a lift, quickly pressing the last of a large section of tiles into place onto the side of a Starship. White material on the back of the black tiles looks adhesive, may be insulation, note the studs to hold tiles in place.⬇️

[Sigmetnow]

I thought the rendering looked like they might be inflatable - rounded corners like with BEAM. At 9m long perhaps 2 dreamchasers can be launched on 1 starship. If 12m across inflatable shrinks by a factor of 3 or more then perhaps two or three could be launched with 1 starship launch.

There is clearly lots more structure and assembly to do even with the modules being launched as single items.

OK, looks like an inflatable core, covered with hard “thermal control and meteorite protection” sections on the exterior, and an aluminum pressure wall inside.
That would be quite packable in a Starship!

https://voyagerstation.com/building-voyager

I’m not surprised at all to see a “Stephen Colbert” module in the video.

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship
Possible static fire today per Mary:
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1371229431172378625

NEW from the FAA: The FAA has authorized the SpaceX Starship SN11 flight. BUT the SN10 mishap investigation remains open. Could see a static fire as early as today.
<  Certainly sounds like the FAA is attempting to align with SpaceX's test cadence!
~ Will help, too, when the new regs come into effect on Sunday.
< What does the streamlined process actually do, heard you guys talk about it, but how will it help @SpaceX ?
AChA: Essentially like increased cadence, more accomodations for experimental testings, etc.

https://twitter.com/wapodavenport/status/1371459563124318208


- Starship SN11 prepares for Static Fire/Flight.
- Super Heavy BN1 Ground Testing.
- BN3 and SN20 targetting orbital flight - (subject to change, especially the schedule!).
Starship SN11 prepares to fly as SpaceX pushes for Orbital flight this summer
Chris Bergin March 15, 2021

Starship SN11 is preparing to conduct a Static Fire test Monday ahead of a potential flight as early as Tuesday. Forever subject to change due to numerous considerations – ranging from weather, hardware parameters, and paperwork approval – SN11 will mark the final test of this iteration of Starship before the program moves into the next phase of testing.

Following SN11’s flight, SpaceX will move on to SN15, 16, and 17, alongside testing with Super Heavy prototypes BN1 and BN2, before shooting for an orbital launch with SN20 and BN3. In typical SpaceX-style, that orbital launch has an astonishing – and unlikely – “by July 1” target. At the very least, this target portrays SpaceX’s Starship drive to push the vehicle into operation. …

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/starship-sn11-spacex-orbital-flight-summer/

Test tank SN7.2

Mary:
Starship SN7.2 is headed back to the production site at SpaceX Boca Chica.

➡️ https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1371464710072250368
At the link: 15 sec. vid, sad foggy background. Some fun replies to the tweet.

[Sigmetnow]

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 3/15/21, 1:27 PM
Starship SN11. Aborted Static Fire.
➡️youtube.com/watch?v=sMn9K1…   [ https://t.co/b0PWS32ND0 ]

➡️ https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1371513512078499854
[Webcast clip at the Twitter link.]

Chris B - NSF:
Extended the window to 3pm local time (if they are able to recycle today).

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight)3/15/21, 2:59 PM
Starship SN11 Static Fire test moved to Tuesday following aborted test today.

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1371536674510016515

“From the surface up to Unlimited” TFR for Tuesday is cancelled.
Similar TFRs for Wednesday and Thursday were posted today.

—- Falcon 9 Booster returns to port

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 3/14/21, 2:01 PM
Falcon 9 B1058 sailing into Port Canaveral on JRTI.
Octagrabber with the firm grip of the booster.
Humans for scale.
➡️ https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1371159505837424649
30 sec fleetcam clip

Richard Angle (@RDAnglePhoto) 3/15/21, 12:06 PM
The #Falcon9 soaks in some sunset rays a few hours after arriving back to Port Canaveral following its 6th successful flight and landing! #SpaceX will now get B1058 ready for its next launch in the coming months (weeks?)!
https://twitter.com/rdanglephoto/status/1371493080805818369
⬇️ Photo below:  NASA “Worm”, toasted. Other booster photos at the link.

—- DearMoon

Michael Sheetz
The @dearmoonproject initial screening process has begun, with an emailed questionnaire asking for more information from interested candidates – including two short answer questions:
➡️ https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1371534715484827654
[Images at the link.]

Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) 3/15/21, 2:53 PM
Yesterday, dearMoon project leader Yusaku Maezawa shared that the mission received "about 1 million pre-registrations"

Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) (@yousuckMZ) 3/15/21, 4:12 AM
【 #dearMoon UPDATE 】
We've received about 1 million pre-registrations from ALL 249 countries and areas in the WORLD!
The invitation email for the selection process will be sent out soon.
We will ask your passion, vision, and thoughts on the lunar trip in the next step.
https://twitter.com/yousuckmz/status/1371373622795792388

—- Europa Clipper launcher
From Feb 11:
NASA to use commercial launch vehicle for Europa Clipper
https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,2582.msg300625.html#msg300625

Now:

Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 3/15/21, 11:48 AM
Rep Brian Babin has asked for the "torsional load analysis" that NASA used to reject flying the Europa Clipper on SLS. By all means, please make it public. I've seen the conclusions. It's a devastating indictment of excessive shaking during an SLS launch.
republicans-science.house.gov/sites/republic…

Eric Berger:
The shaking is less pronounced for heavier missions, and therefore is not as much of a factor for large payloads like the Orion spacecraft stack. But for a relatively small payload like Clipper, the torsional loads were about three times higher than comparable rockets.

< Is this an objective investigation? Or Babin seeking to potentially shoot down NASA's decision?
Eric Berger:
I suspect Babin's motivations are to shoot NASA's decision down. But I can't speak for him. Regardless, it would be great to get this analysis into the public domain, so I wish him well!
> Since SLS is funded with taxpayer money, on a cost plus basis, and this is not a national security issue, this information should indeed be made public.

< I'm sorry, but what does Brian Babin, a former Dentist turned Politician, know about a Torsional Load Analysis, FEA, or any of the engineering decisions made by career engineers at JPL? Is he going to be like "A ha! I found a mistake in your Lateral Shear Stress Analysis!"
<> Is this the part where they try to disprove math?
<< I’m sure they can up-sell a premium package that shakes less
>> I'm guessing he'll push for a follow up study to try to determine what it would take to bring SLS vibration within the limits of what EC can handle.

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1371488500902727687
Babin’s district is in Houston, Texas

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship high altitude TFR’s cancelled

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 3/16/21, 11:27 AM
With all Temporary Flight Restrictions for flight canceled, Starship SN11's flight date is firmly TBD after an aborted static fire test on Monday. The next static fire attempt could occur as early as Wednesday, pending road closures.
wenhop.com

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1371845469748477953


—- SpaceX bid on a NASA mission, apparently not using Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy 
SpaceX bid on launch of NASA cubesat mission
Jeff Foust March 16, 2021
https://spacenews.com/spacex-bid-on-launch-of-nasa-cubesat-mission/

Reddit reacts:
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/m68amq/spacex_bid_on_launch_of_nasa_cubesat_mission/


—- Starship launch license amended

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 3/15/21, 7:55 PM
SpaceX's FAA launch license for Starship has been modified to require a safety inspector to be present for launches.
forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topi…   

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1371610941813448705
⬇️ Helpful if SpaceX needs an on-the-spot decision needing FAA approval….

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 3/16/21, 12:53 PM
And there is now a new target launch date (Friday) for Starship SN11, per updated Temporary Flight Restrictions. Still need a good static fire first.
tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html 

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1371867251717017605

Chris B - NSF:
Mystery work spotted by Mary (@BocaChicaGal) taking place at SpaceX Boca Chica. Workers are adding legs (up to six now) to a black structure (which itself is a bit of a mystery).
NSF Starship Discussion:  forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?boar…
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1371861576521777160
⬇️ Photo below.
[Water deluge sound suppression system is a good guess.]

RGVAerialPhotography (@RGVaerialphotos) 3/12/21, 9:48 AM
A cutout can be seen on top of the high bay roof, possibly for gantry crane installation.
https://twitter.com/rgvaerialphotos/status/1370386241296949251
⬇️ Photo below. And check out the white Moonship nosecone mockup.

—- Two Falcon boosters return

Michael Seeley (@Mike_Seeley) 3/16/21, 7:47 PM
#SpaceX #Falcon9 booster B1051-9 returns, while booster B1058-6 watches from shore.
We're going to need a bigger port.
Also, 9+6=15. 15 flights to space and back for these 2 boosters. I hope they're getting frequent flier miles. …
https://twitter.com/mike_seeley/status/1371971366153564160
⬇️ Photo.  Another at the link.
< Those two boosters have more flights between them than there have been Ariane V flights in 4 years.

—- SLS Green Run #2

Eric Berger:
Still targeting Thursday afternoon.
 
NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) 3/16/21, 3:55 PM
The countdown for the Green Run hot fire test has begun. Test teams at @NASAStennis have powered up the avionics, the brains of the SLS rocket, within the #Artemis I stage. The @NASAArtemis blog has the latest updates HERE >> go.nasa.gov/30N5T9J 

https://twitter.com/nasa_sls/status/1371913062572294151
(Drone GIF at the link.)


—- Hubble telescope: possible SpaceX rescue?
Software reset. Now using backup motor to open and close the aperture door.
Hubble returned to operational service, showcases exoplanet’s second atmosphere
written by Chris Gebhardt March 16, 2021

Atmospheric drag is also lowering Hubble slowly over time.  Unless the spacecraft were to be re-boosted, it will naturally reenter the atmosphere sometime in the 2030s — with the exact date dependent on solar activity, which affects the thickness of Earth’s atmosphere and thus the drag imparted to Hubble that lowers its altitude.

While unlikely, the possibility remains that a Crew Dragon or Orion mission could service the telescope again.

In June 2020, John Grunsfeld, former astronaut/Hubble servicing spacewalker and former associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, encouraged a study on a such a mission, saying: “I wouldn’t preclude the possibility, because we have the capability coming online in the next ten years, that you could send a repair mission up to Hubble. We have the technology to go back to Hubble.” ...

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/hubble-return-service-exoplanet-second-atmosphere/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) 3/17/21, 7:50 PM
Still no road closures for a Starship SN11 static fire. Not looking too promising for a Thursday attempt thus far. Will update if something changes.
cameroncounty.us/spacex/   

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1372334519030751235

—-

Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) 3/17/21, 7:51 PM
The new Bridge Crane for the High Bay has arrived for installation at SpaceX Boca Chica. Meanwhile, Starship SN11 is waiting for its next Static Fire attempt.
Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer).
➡️youtu.be/vt2Qt89IWeY

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1372334822996254725

—- Starship | SN10 | High-Altitude Flight Recap
➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6ppby3JC8&feature=youtu.be
90 sec. SpaceX vid. New views.
   Michael Baylor:
SpaceX flew a Starship prototype two times in less than 10 minutes, then decided not to highlight that record turnaround time?

—- SpaceX Sea Fleet

3/17/21, 1:47 PM
A NEW RECORD: 2 boosters (1051-9 & 1058.6), 1 droneship OCISLY, 1 Fairing half, 2 practice Dragon Capsules, 2 fairing ships (Chief & Tree) & Go Quest all together for 1 port shot I got today from above. Its never happened before & maybe never happen again. #SpaceX

https://twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/137224321160807219      
⬇️ Photo below.  Other aerial shots at the link.

—- Introducing the Shelia Bordelon, SpaceX's new fairing recovery ship and probable replacement for Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief.
https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1372515347870416899

Greg Scott (@GregScott_photo) 3/18/21, 8:54 AM
New SpaceX Fleet ship? The Shelia Bordelon arrived in Port Canaveral early this morning & parked in #SpaceX dock space. Could this be the replacement for Ms Chief & Tree? Nice wide deck, crain on the rear for fishing items out of the water...hmm. …

https://twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/1372531928876916739?s=21
< The ship is called Bordelon? as in... @BoredElonMusk 
⬇️ Photo below; closer shots at the link.

—- Dragon XL

Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) 3/17/21, 5:14 PM
NASA released new illustrations of SpaceX's Dragon XL spacecraft, which the agency last year awarded with a contract to deliver cargo to the lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon:
⬇️ Images below; more at the link. Article link below.

Michael Sheetz:
SpaceX will use Falcon Heavy rockets and a new spacecraft variation called "Dragon XL" to send cargo to NASA's lunar Gateway—an orbiting spaceship that is key to the agency's #Artemis program—with $7 billion up for grabs:
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1243613766748647426
> What I need to know is if it is reusable, how it gets back, how it gets restocked and then sent back to Gateway. Or if it is just discarded.
>> Per NASA's requirements document: "The Logistics services provider shall transport the Logistics Module to a government-approved safe and stable end-of-mission disposal orbit or other government-approved disposal location."
   "Rationale: Disposal orbit must comply with the NASA requirements for minimizing orbital debris around the moon and in the vicinity of Earth-moon Lagrange Points."
   If a Logistics Module will have a secondary mission, beyond the scope of the Logistics Module mission (for NASA or for commercial purposes) the contractor and NASA will determine the approved orbital disposal location that will effectively complete the Logistics Module mission.
  Source is NASA's requirements document: forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topi…
> Makes sense though because until we have a large rotational station with fab and ag tech, the only way to ship supplies is from the ground, which means the XL is just disposable junk.   Or, Musk collects them with Starship and brings them back, just to make fun of NASA.

SpaceX's most powerful rocket will send NASA cargo to the moon's orbit to supply astronauts
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/03/27/nasa-picks-spacex-for-lunar-orbit-missions-with-dragon-xl-falocn-heavy.html


—- SLS Green Run #2

Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) 3/18/21, 7:38 AM
NASA says its has concluded a pre-test briefing and will proceed with fueling for a second SLS core stage hot fire test today. Window for the test firing opens at 3pm ET (1900 UTC). 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2021/03/18/green-run-update-test-teams-gives-go-to-proceed-with-tanking/

[Sigmetnow]

- SLS Green Run #2 fired successfully for 8 minutes, full duration!

- Meanwhile, at Boca Chica, SpaceX thought this would be a great time to stack the first Super Heavy booster, BN1.
The crane lifted the top section through the hole in the High Bay roof, and the bottom section was moved sideways underneath of it. 
⬇️ Screen grabs below from ➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0X0womVi7w (is still live).

- TFRs for SN11 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been posted, removed, posted again, and removed again.  So: ???

—-

Christian Davenport  @wapodavenport 3/17/21, 10:42 PM
I'm hearing that former Senator Bill Nelson of Florida could be nominated for NASA Administrator as early as tomorrow. Still unconfirmed but sources say that's the direction the White House is headed. 

https://twitter.com/wapodavenport/status/1372377735465734145         
Lots of comments in the replies.  Nelson is a political choice, knows the workings of Congress, but has a history of pushing for SLS.

—-
NASA has begun a study of the SLS rocket’s affordability [Updated]
One issue up for grabs: Should work on the Exploration Upper Stage continue?
Eric Berger - 3/15/2021

For example, although SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket does not have as much lift capacity as the SLS rocket, it has the advantage of being already in use and costing about one-tenth as much per flight. Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance are also developing heavy-lift rockets that are intended to deliver components of a Human Landing System to lunar orbit.

Perhaps most significantly, SpaceX is continuing a flight test campaign of its Starship Launch System, which may make its first orbital flight in the next 12 months. This is a launch vehicle that could potentially out-lift the SLS rocket, be reusable, and cost a fraction of the price. If SpaceX succeeds in getting Starship into orbit, there would be little technical justification for continuing government subsidization of the less capable SLS booster, which is expendable and costs much, much more.

Proponents of the SLS rocket are not blind to this. Some believe SpaceX will not succeed with its Starship program, and indeed myriad technical challenges remain. Others think NASA could find ways of making the SLS rocket more competitive, and that is one point of this study. ...

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/nasa-has-begun-a-study-of-the-sls-rockets-affordability/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship: First Super Heavy Booster: BN1

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 3/18/21, 7:15 PM
First Super Heavy Booster

... Booster 1 is a production pathfinder, figuring out how to build & transport 70 meter tall stage. Booster 2 will fly.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1372688191803768840
⬇️ Photo below.
Think they will use a crane attached to the top of the booster for safety on the Roll-lift?

Kerbal Space Academy (@KSpaceAcademy) 3/19/21, 9:39 AM:
Super Heavy Booster BN1 was stacked yesterday, as seen in this 3+ hour time lapse. The top of the crane and segment it lifted were moving a LOT... more apparent when the video is sped up.

More video from @BocaChicaGal and Robot Friends:
https://t.co/LjRpdWysWG 

➡️ https://twitter.com/KSpaceAcademy/status/1372905512036143110
1min time lapse at the Twitter link. Gotta love the external elevator!

—
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight):
The first Super Heavy prototype booster, BN1, has been stacked in the High Bay. This pathfinder booster will undergo ground testing at the suborbital launch site.

SpaceX Boca Chica: Super Heavy Booster BN1 Stacked


—- SpaceX sea fleet

Gavin Cornwell. @SpaceXFleet:
It's Shelia Bordelon's first day on the job and she is learning the basics. Should see them play with the fairing half on deck tomorrow.
Expecting this ship to debut on the Starlink V1 L22 mission.         

Kyle Montgomery (@Kyle_M_Photo):
An orange fast boat was lifted onto and then off of Shelia Bordelon. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX

https://twitter.com/Kyle_M_Photo/status/1372669882102378496
2 photos at the link.

—- New NASA admin: Bill Nelson
It’s official: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/19/president-biden-announces-his-intent-to-nominate-bill-nelson-for-the-national-aeronautics-and-space-administration/

Biden to tap former Senator Bill Nelson as NASA chief
If confirmed, the former senator from Florida would helm NASA’s return to the Moon
Joey Roulette Mar 18, 2021

President Biden has tapped former Democratic Senator Bill Nelson for NASA administrator, according to three people familiar with the decision. Nelson, a politically experienced ally of the administration, would command the space agency as it races to return humans to the Moon, bolsters climate research, and expands its reliance on a flourishing commercial space industry.
A former congressman and three-term US senator from Florida, Nelson would succeed former President Trump’s NASA chief, Jim Bridenstine, whose past experience in Congress proved key in rallying support for the Artemis program, an ambitious campaign to use the Moon as a stepping stone for future astronaut missions to Mars. ...

https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/18/22337787/biden-nasa-chief-choice-senator-bill-nelson

—- SLS Green Run #2
NASA fired up its new rocket for 499.6 seconds on Thursday
The Green Run test may give NASA a green light to proceed with a launch.
Eric Berger - 3/18/2021, 6:29 PM
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/nasa-gets-a-much-needed-win-as-sls-rocket-completes-test-firing/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship
The only currently listed flight-TFR is for Tuesday.
—-

Mary @BocaChicaGal 3/21/21, 9:47 AM
This morning RCS thruster testing was performed on Starship SN11 at SpaceX Boca Chica. #WenHop 

➡️ https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1373632292187430912
 20 sec

Trevor Mahlmann @TrevorMahlmann 3/21/21, 2:21 AM
 sn11 did a spring equinox dance today

➡️ https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1373520044404129792
45 sec:  OMG. Starship flaps to “The Chicken Dance” 


—- SpaceX sea fleet

Gavin Cornwell @SpaceXFleet 3/21/21, 9:45 AM
 It's a gray and gloomy morning but the work never stops and OCISLY droneship is about to depart for the Starlink V1 L22 mission.
NSF Fleetcam: ➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnt2wZBg89g

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1373631787797204992
 Screencap at the link.

Gavin Cornwell (@SpaceXFleet) 7:25 PM · Mar 19, 2021:
Earlier, Shelia Bordelon returned from a day-long fairing recovery sea trial offshore from Cape Canaveral.
Spot the test fairing and check out her fancy moves.
Highlight clips from @NASASpaceflight Fleetcam. Live 24/7 here: https://t.co/C4G89syG4W
➡️ https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1373052974109487104
1 min. vid

Greg Scott (@GregScott_photo) 3/19/21, 7:36 PM
#SpaceX's new Fairing boat, the Shelia Bordelon, pulled back into port late this afternoon after a long day of fairing scoop practice. It was out most of the day offshore dropping the fairing in the wtr & then scooping it back out getting ready for the next Starlink mission #NASA
https://twitter.com/GregScott_photo/status/1373055907391811588
4 photos at the link

—- Next Falcon launches
March 24: Falcon 9 • Starlink V1.0-L22
Launch time: 0858 GMT (4:58 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 23rd batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink V1.0-L22. Delayed from March 21 and March 22.

April 22: Falcon 9 • Crew 2
Launch time: 1011 GMT (6:11 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its second operational flight with astronauts on-board to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. Delayed from March 30 and April 20.
https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/


—- Dragon & Soyuz shift their ISS positions
Their astronauts must be on board, in case a problem prevents the capsule from re-docking
Soyuz crew relocates spacecraft to new space station parking spot
March 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut strapped into their Soyuz spacecraft Friday and moved the capsule to a different docking port on the International Space Station, clearing the way arrival of a fresh crew next month.

Russian commander Sergey Ryzhikov manually controlled the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft during the relocation maneuver. Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins were also aboard the spaceship.

All three crew members launched inside the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft in October, and are scheduled to return to Earth on April 17. The Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft has custom-fitted seat liners for each crew member, and all three were aboard for the relocation maneuver Friday, ready to return to Earth in case of problems reconnecting with the space station.
...
Dragon commander Mike Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Soichi Noguchi and Shannon Walker will climb aboard their Crew Dragon capsule April 5 to perform a similar port relocation maneuver, freeing up the space station’s forward docking port for the arrival of the next Crew Dragon on April 23.

Unlike the Soyuz relocation, the Crew Dragon will undock and dock automatically, with Hopkins and his crewmates monitoring systems and ready to take manual control if necessary. ... 

https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/03/19/soyuz-ms-17-relocation/

—-
Here are five questions we would ask the nominee for NASA administrator
Eric Berger - 3/19/2021

5. Why do you want this job?
It's not clear what Nelson's vision for NASA is, and this is important, because serving as administrator is a difficult and demanding job. Frankly, there is widespread skepticism in the space community about Nelson's motivations. His flight on space shuttle Columbia in 1986 was widely seen as an opportunistic move to advance his political career. Some of his fellow astronauts nicknamed him "Ballast" for the role they perceived he played during the mission.

Bridenstine's nomination, of course, was also met with widespread skepticism in 2017, and he generally overcame those concerns to get high marks from space historians. It's possible that Nelson could rise to the occasion as well, and certainly the space community will be rooting for him to lead NASA forward. But how would he do that? ...

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/here-are-five-questions-we-would-ask-the-nominee-for-nasa-administrator/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Chris B - NSF
@NASASpaceflight 3/22/21, 9:57 AM
STATIC FIRE! Starship SN11 has fired up her three engines ahead of a test flight (as early as Tuesday), pending good test data (looked/sounded good!)

Status:
Starship SN11 returns to pre-launch testing - Super Heavy BN1 rollout to follow
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/starship-sn11-returns-super-heavy-bn1-rollout-follow/

Live: 
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyj5HDz62pE

➡️ https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1373997275593248769
Webcast clip of the SF at the Twitter link.

TFRs: Surface up to Unlimited, Brownsville TFRs are currently listed for this week for Tues, Wed, and Thurs.
Per wenhop.com, the next primary road closure is for Wednesday.


——-
Europe is starting to freak out about the launch dominance of SpaceX
The Falcon 9 has come to dominate commercial satellite launches.
Eric Berger - 3/22/2021

Economic ministers in France and Italy have now concluded that the launch market has changed dramatically since 2014, when the Ariane 6 and Vega-C rockets were first designed. According to a report in Le Figaro newspaper, the ministers believe the ability of these new European rockets to compete for commercial launch contracts has significantly deteriorated since then.

The primary cause? SpaceX. Thanks to its reusable, low-cost Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX has been able to slash prices for large commercial satellites that could be lofted by the Ariane 6. Whereas Europe's Ariane vehicles once played a dominant role in launching geostationary satellites, they've lost considerable market share since 2014. Moreover, through its rideshare program for the Falcon 9, SpaceX also threatens to take missions away from Vega-C, which has a lift capacity of about 1.5 tons to polar orbit.

As the newspaper reports, Europe now lags behind SpaceX in other key ways. Because of its partnership with NASA, SpaceX can now launch astronauts. French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, in fact, is a mission specialist on the Crew-2 mission due to launch next month. He will likely be the first of many European astronauts to reach space on a SpaceX vehicle. Europe also presently has no answer to the Starlink megaconstellation that SpaceX is in the midst of launching—either in the capacity to build hundreds of satellites a year or affordably get them into orbit. ...

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/european-leaders-say-an-immediate-response-needed-to-the-rise-of-spacex/

Eric comments on Twitter:

The problem faced by Europe (and everywhere else) when it comes to launch is that they're at least 5-10 years behind SpaceX and the Falcon 9.

So what do you do now? Emulate the Falcon 9? Or design a vehicle to compete with Starship? There are no good choices.
 
The response in China has been to stimulate a "commercial" launch industry that takes government technology, emulates SpaceX, and innovates. I'd suggest a better approach for Europe would be to foster a more commercial approach, too, rather than an institutional solution.

The proposal is to start discussions on technology that would be ready to fly in 2030.

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1374025877416214528


—- SLS
NASA, Boeing reviewing terabytes of SLS Core Stage data from full-duration Green Run static fire
written by Philip Sloss March 21, 2021
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/reviewing-sls-data-green-run/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starlink launch tonight/tomorrow am

SpaceX @SpaceX 3/23/21, 4:18 PM
Falcon 9 launch of 60 Starlink satellites is targeted for tomorrow, March 24 at 4:28 a.m. EDT from SLC-40 in Florida → spacex.com/launches

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1374455508405424128
 
—- Starship

Michael Baylor @nextspaceflight 3/23/21, 2:08 PM
The road closure for Starship SN11's test flight on Wednesday has been canceled. The earliest possible flight date is now Thursday, per road closures.
wenhop.com

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1374422892121788422

Jack Beyer @thejackbeyer 3/22/21, 6:04 PM
Starship SN11 fight termination system. Gotta love the red REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tags on what I’m guessing are the safety pins. @NASASpaceflight

https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1374119897995821061
⬇️ Photo below.

—-
Aerocovers for New Starship Delivered - SN11 in Good Shape after Static Fire | SpaceX Boca Chica 
Starship SN11 looks to be in good shape after an early morning static fire. Its flight test could occur later this week. Meanwhile, aerocovers for a new Starship were delivered to the Production Site.
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA9TXMQlVms

[Sigmetnow]

—- Successful Starlink launch earlier this morning
SpaceX launches 25th mission for Starlink internet network
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/03/24/spacex-launches-25th-mission-to-build-out-starlink-internet-network/

Watch replay here:
➡️https://youtu.be/a15czI9B91c

—- SpaceX sea fleet

Gavin Cornwell
@SpaceXFleet 3/24/21, 10:20 AM
More Fairing Catcher de-rigging on the menu today.
Ms. Chief looks set to lose her communication dishes and the cranes are swarming for Ms. Tree's final two arms.
Live: ➡️youtu.be/gnt2wZBg89g

➡️ https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1374727919029870592
Fleetcam image at the link.

—- Starship
Flight TFRs are currently listed for Friday and Saturday. Road closures for Wed & Thurs have been cancelled.

South Texas weather may be a factor:

The National Weather Service in Brownsville has issued a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect from 9 AM to 6 PM CDT Thursday.
WIND...Northwest 15 to 30 mph gusts near 40 mph.
HUMIDITY...10 to 20 percent, 25 to 30 percent along the immediate coast.
HIGHEST THREAT...All of Deep South Texas.
IMPACTS...any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are occurring now...or will shortly. In general...these conditions include sustained 20 foot winds of 25 MPH or greater...humidity ranging from below 25 percent in Zapata County to below 45 percent along the coast...each lasting for 2 hours or longer... and cured fuels. Humidity below 25 percent in most areas will trigger fire danger at lower wind speeds. Detailed decision tables are found at http://HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV/?N=MAPCOLORS#FIRE.
More Information
...Rapid Growth and Spread of Wildfires Possible Thursday....
.A dry cold front will surge through deep south Texas Thursday morning allowing very low relative humidity values to develop and strong winds to develop in the wake of the front. Explosive spread and growth of any wildfire that are sparked can be expected with extremely dry and abundant fuels.

—- Elon is bored...

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/22/21, 9:14 PM
Strongest argument against aliens

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1374167754404630528
⬇️ Graphs below.

Bored Elon Musk
@BoredElonMusk 3/24/21, 10:55 AM
Due to Mars gravity, inflatable dancing wind men will only need 1/3 the amount of wind. Imagine a world with 3x the number of inflatable dancing wind men.
< Yes but in 1% atmosphere?
Bored Elon Musk:
  Shush

  https://twitter.com/boredelonmusk/status/1374736598126850052

[Sigmetnow]

—- From this morning’s mission

SpaceX @SpaceX 3/24/21, 5:34 AM
Deployment of 60 Starlink satellites confirmed

➡️ https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1374655811146768386
20 sec - good view of sats

—- Starship

Brady Kenniston @TheFavoritist 3/23/21, 11:48 PM
Super Heavy BN1 was moved to the rear corner of the High Bay. After the move, crews hoisted bridge crane pieces to the roof. SpaceX will use it to stack future Super Heavy sections.

Video from Mary (@BocaChicaGal) and the NSF Robotic Camera Team
➡️youtu.be/FFyvgSSnOm8

https://twitter.com/thefavoritist/status/1374568845692796928

—-

Elon Musk @elonmusk 3/16/21, 9:20 PM
SN11 almost ready to fly
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1371994922291765255
 
Elon Musk:
The simulation really struggled to make this look real haha
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1372444955050971142 

⬇️ First image below.

—-
Re: the Ars Technica article quoted above in #1221:
https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php?topic=2582.msg303971#msg303971
 
”Europe is starting to freak out about the launch dominance of SpaceX”

Viv:
 “study competitive launch systems from 2030 onward”
... uh, cool. SpaceX will be setting up Mars Base Alpha by then haha
Opening up European launch market to private companies would prob help. With such an absurd amount of politicians involved, result is stagnation by default
 
Elon Musk:
SpaceX will be landing Starships on Mars well before 2030. The really hard threshold is making Mars Base Alpha self-sustaining.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1374284021379731457

Elon Musk:
SpaceX is developing rockets needed to make life multiplanetary — full & rapid reusability at large scale. Even if SpaceX fails in that goal, the rockets will still be most advanced on Earth.
Starlink‘s purpose is to provide Internet to the least served & to pay for Mars.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1374157805406523397

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship SN11 flight: Friday?
Michael Baylor:
SpaceX is targeting Friday March 26 for Starship SN11's static fire and flight test, per a county road and beach closure notice.
https://www.cameroncounty.us/order-closing-boca-chica-beach-and-state-hwy-4-march-26/

Surface to Unlimited TFRs are listed for Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

—- NASA astronauts visit Boca Chica

Christina H Koch @Astro_Christina 3/23/21, 1:21 PM
Common goals, shared vision. NASA astronauts learning about the SpaceX Starship—one element in a growing worldwide field of deeper space exploration systems with sights on the moon and Mars.
https://twitter.com/astro_christina/status/1374411010262454278
< Honestly, Katie, one of the things I've always thought added to your cool factor was the fact you operate out of Iowa — the future birthplace of James T. Kirk! So the idea that spacefaring is in your future seems like a natural fit. You're in a proven training ground for it!

Photo below.

—- **New Starlink satellite tracker**
Input your location in Settings to see which satellites are in range.  The orange symbols are ground stations — click on them for a photo.
https://satellitemap.space


—- SpaceX Sea Fleet

Julia @julia_bergeron 3/25/21, 9:22 AM
As I suspected, the remaining two arms were removed from GO Ms. Tree overnight. The sisters are now docked side by side where they will continue to restore them to pre-contract configuration.
NSF Fleetcam
➡️youtu.be/gnt2wZBg89g

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1375075645106049029
Screencap at the Twitter link.


—- U.S. Space Politics
Bill Nelson is the next NASA administrator

This week, NASA announced its latest plans to encourage the creation of privately operated space stations that, in the future, could replace the International Space Station as destinations for government and commercial activities in low-earth orbit.

One of Nelson’s last NASA hearings as a senator in 2018 focused on exactly this topic. He and Texas senator Ted Cruz made clear that they had no confidence in the private sector’s ability to replace the ISS as a destination after 2025, and insisted that the station would last past its scheduled end date of 2028. Told that surveyed venture capitalists weren’t willing to invest in a space station, Nelson crowed “if I were trying a jury trial, I would say ‘your Honor, the plaintiff or the defense rests.'” ...]

Shameless Moran. Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran published an op-ed arguing that if the Biden White House fails to endorse the Trump goal of returning US astronauts to the moon by 2024, “there is no doubt we will lose this space race to Russia and China.” It’s a baffling take from Moran, because last year he led the senate appropriations committee that delivered $2.4 billion less than NASA requested to build moon landers, virtually guaranteeing that deadline will be missed. It’s not a great sign for Artemis that Moran is turning the question of going back to the moon into a partisan debate.

https://qz.com/emails/space-business/1987955/


—- UK’s “Project Gigabit” rural internet program
Starlink in talks with UK to become part of $6.9B “Project Gigabit” program
March 24, 2021
Elon Musk’s Starlink seems poised to receive some extra funding as part of “Project Gigabit,” the United Kingdom’s new $6.9 billion internet infrastructure program.
https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-starlink-uk-project-gigabit

OneWeb CEO: Here’s why our product is different than Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/25/onewebs-different-approach-to-satellite-internet-vs-elon-musks-spacex-starlink.html

[Sigmetnow]

—- Deorbiting Falcon 9 second stage causes NW US light show

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 3/26/21, 12:18 AM
The Falcon 9 second stage from the Mar 4 Starlink launch failed to make a deorbit burn and is now reentering after 22 days in orbit. Its reentry was observed from the Seattle area at about 0400 UTC Mar 26.

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1375301028514500615
Map at the link. Videos in the replies.
“I am skeptical that any of it actually hit Vancouver, which is too far north of the track.”

Slower (apparent angular speed) than a meteor or a plane. Distinctive breakup into multiple parallel trails. Classic space debris reentry
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1375305350484738054

The original intention was to deorbit south of Australia in the Southern Ocean.
The stage is about 3 tonnes, 7 metres long 3.6 metres diameter

[Sigmetnow]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal 3/26/21, 9:18 AM
Starship SN11 static fire test has been completed. Data from test will be reviewed and hopefully we will see Starship SN11 fly today.
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1375436971829567489
Clip of SF at the link. Looks and sounds good.

[Sigmetnow]

Mary
@BocaChicaGal 3/26/21, 11:09 AM
I have been officially asked to evacuate Boca Chica by noon today. It’s a Go for Starship SN11 flight attempt this afternoon.
https://twitter.com/bocachicagal/status/1375464984881283075
Photo at the link.
 
NSF is live:
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJXEq9IX1To

[Sigmetnow]

Other live streams:

—-
Chris Hadfield
@Cmdr_Hadfield 3/26/21, 11:20 AM
Looks like a test flight today. I'll be watching:

Nerdle Cam 4K- SpaceX Starship SN11 Launch Live At Boca Chica Starship Launch Facility
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTA0GTgFn5E

https://twitter.com/cmdr_hadfield/status/1375467648587284489

   —-
LabPadre
@LabPadre 3/26/21, 11:30 AM
We also have this live stream from the Raptor Roost that will track the vehicle. #SpaceX #BocaChica #Texas #Starship
 
Watch Live! SpaceX's Starship SN11 10km Launch From Starbase, Texas
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsEQWZWg130

[Sigmetnow]

Per the Cameron County website, testing for today is concluded; road and beach are now open.
Working some technical issues?  Cloud cover too extensive?  Upper level winds?
Forecast: windy tomorrow, isolated thunderstorms Sunday.
There is a TFR for tomorrow, but no road closures or Marine restrictions yet. Monday looks more likely.

—-
After a static fire test Friday, SpaceX is preparing SN11 for a same-day launch
This rocket rolled to the launch pad less than three weeks ago.
Eric Berger - 3/26/2021, 12:36 PM
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/spacex-may-attempt-to-launch-starship-sn11-on-friday/

—- How will Super Heavy Booster land?

/r/SpaceX Masterrace
@SpaceXMR 3/26/21, 12:09 PM
Super Heavy doing the flip maneuver #SpaceX reddit.com/r/SpaceXMaster…
[parody site. At the link: Render image of the SS flip redone as a SH.]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk  3/26/21, 2:10 PM
@SpaceXMR Heavy comes in more like a javelin. Similar to Falcon 9, but caught by the tower vs landing on legs.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1375510416994967552


—- HLS down-select update

Eric Berger
@SciGuySpace 3/26/21, 11:21 AM
Asked NASA for an updated timeline on the Human Landing System contract awards: "NASA anticipates making up to two firm-fixed price contract awards for Option A following the conclusion of the base period no later than April 30, pending budget availability.”

https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1375467980801335297

—- SpaceX Sea Fleet

Gavin Cornwell
@SpaceXFleet 3/26/21, 5:20 AM
Shelia Bordelon has returned from her first fairing recovery mission with what appears to be two intact fairing halves that were lifted from the water.
No tarp, but maybe they forgot to pack them

Kyle Montgomery
@Kyle_M_Photo 3/26/21, 5:13 AM
Shelia Bordelon has returned to Port Canaveral with two fairing halves that she lifted out of the water with her crane. They look intact, but are not tarped. #SpaceXFleet#SpaceX

https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1375375412163973120
4 night photos

—- More on last night’s Falcon second stage reentry
A Falcon 9 rocket making an uncontrolled reentry looked like an alien armada
by @SciGuySpace
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/a-falcon-9-rockets-second-stage-just-burnt-up-over-seattle/

—-
While awaiting the SN11 flight today, NSF Live caught this shot of weights being added to two transporters, joined by a bridge, being prepared to roll Super Heavy Booster BN1 out to the pad.
⬇️ Screencap below.

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Michael Baylor @nextspaceflight 3/27/21, 1:36 PM
Status for a Starship SN11 launch attempt on Monday:
- FAA approval ✅
- Temporary Flight Restriction ✅
- Village evacuation notice
- Marine hazard zone posted
- Road closure scheduled
- Official confirmation from SpaceX ✅

3 down, 3 to go

wenhop.com

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1375864280503885829

Brownsville TFRs are listed for Monday and Tuesday, March 29 and 30.

—-

Brady Kenniston @TheFavoritist 3/27/21, 12:45 AM
Two connected Transporters have weights installed. These are typically added prior to a large vehicle move. Meanwhile, Starship SN11 scrubs its flight attempt for further checkouts.
Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal) & NSF Robotic Camera Team

youtu.be/e84ukuH5pDA
 

https://twitter.com/thefavoritist/status/1375670162981064704
⬇️Screencap below.

—- No peeking!
Naughty Naughty – SpaceX Encrypts Starship SN11 Video Feed As Amateurs Try To Access Telemetry
https://wccftech.com/naughty-naughty-spacex-encrypts-starship-sn11-video-feed-as-amateurs-try-to-access-telemetry/

—- Starlink
SpaceX Fed Up With DISH’s “Desperate” Arguments Against Starlink

Astonishingly, DISH repeatedly claims that SpaceX has not stated for the record how it transmits to a given point on the Earth just days after SpaceX stated on the record that the data SpaceX provided to DISH "actually reflects the way SpaceX operates its system." But having already paid for its flawed technical analysis, DISH cannot take yes for an answer. ...

https://wccftech.com/spacex-fed-up-with-dishs-desperate-arguments-against-starlink/


—- SLS

Chris G - NSF @ChrisG_NSF 3/27/21, 11:40 AM
With #GreenRun complete, Kennedy's @NASAGroundSys is aligning schedules for Orion & various #Artemis1 flight hardware elements with an anticipated Core Stage arrival in late-April... followed by 10 months of work until launch.
Article from Philip Sloss⬇️

https://twitter.com/chrisg_nsf/status/1375835171144994818

EGS synchronizing Artemis 1 Orion, SLS Booster preps with Core Stage schedule
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/egs-aligns-artemis-1-schedule/
by Philip Sloss March 27, 2021

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship

Michael Baylor
@nextspaceflight 3/28/21, 11:56 AM
SpaceX is targeting between 12 pm and 5 pm Central on Monday for Starship SN11's flight test, per road closures.
wenhop.com

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1376201651715854336

—-
Integration Tower Prepared for Concrete Pour | SpaceX Boca Chica
As Starship SN11 undergoes additional checkouts ahead of flight, crews waste no time preparing the Orbital Launch Site for its next concrete pour. Meanwhile, Super Heavy parts are spotted in an out of the tents at the Production Site.
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LKO9CsRB6Y
      
—-

Brendan
@_brendan_lewis 3/26/21, 5:56 PM
The current status of SpaceX's Starship & Superheavy prototypes. 26th March 2021

https://twitter.com/_brendan_lewis/status/1375567483952762881
⬇️ Image below. (Other folks don’t like the new black BG, either.)

—-
How to Predict when Starship will Launch | NSF Explains
Visual clues begin about 35 minutes before T-0, if no holds occur.
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj9SZzQcznY
⬇️ Screencap below.
   
—- Suez Canal from the ISS

Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
@KudSverchkov 3/27/21, 1:51 PM
One of the most discussed news is the incident in the #SuezCanal. One of the world's largest container ships #EverGiven has blocked one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Specialists are making every effort to restore shipping.
You can see it now from the @spacestation: 

➡️ https://twitter.com/kudsverchkov/status/1375868087749246977
3 photos at the link

—- NASA wants companies to develop and build new space stations, with up to $400 million up for grabs
Michael Sheetz

NASA this past week unveiled the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) project, with plans to award up to $400 million in total to as many as four companies in the fourth quarter of 2021 to begin development on private space stations.
...
NASA last year estimated that the Commercial Crew program alone is estimated to have saved the agency between $20 billion and $30 billion, while funding development of two spacecraft, rather than just one. While Boeing has yet to complete development testing, suffering an extended setback after its first uncrewed Starliner capsule launch in December 2019 failed due to multiple anomalies, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is now flying NASA astronauts operationally.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/27/nasa-commercial-leo-destinations-project-for-private-space-stations.html

—- How "Star Trek" actress Nichelle Nichols changed NASA
The TV series "Star Trek" predicted everything from tablet computers to flip phones and a diverse space program. "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-host Michelle Miller has the story of how "Star Trek" actress Nichelle Nichols played a key role in NASA's effort to recruit both people of color and the first female astronauts, more than four decades ago.
MAR 27, 2021
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-star-trek-actress-nichelle-nichols-changed-nasa/
8 min vid

[Sigmetnow]

—- SN11 flight today?
Earlier:

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/26/21, 4:28 PM
Standing down SN11 until probably Monday. Additional checkouts are needed. Doing our best to land & fully recover.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1375545176324734978

—-
Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/28/21, 2:12 PM
Possible Starship flight tomorrow afternoon
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376235871989551105

Article:
Starship SN11 hopeful for Monday – Super Heavy BN1 rollout to follow
written by Chris Bergin  March 28, 2021
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/starship-sn11-returns-super-heavy-bn1-rollout-follow/

—- Livestreams up now
NSF:
LIVE: Starship SN11 Test Flight - YouTube
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCUGKZFIcxk
SpaceX is set to launch the Starship SN11 prototype to an altitude of approximately 10 kilometers. A launch attempt is possible in the afternoon local time on Monday. However, as with testing, there is always a chance that teams could decide to stand down and try again on a different day.

LabPadre:
Nerdle Cam 4K- SpaceX Starship SN11 Launch Live At Boca Chica Starship Launch Facility 
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wq4PtqvKyc

—- Recent video from Boca Chica

Chris B - NSF
@NASASpaceflight 3/28/21, 6:22 PM
As Starship SN11 awaits launch, the Forward Dome Section for Super Heavy Prototype BN3 has been spotted at the Production Site.

Video & Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Theo Ripper (@theoripper).
➡️youtu.be/IUZWR6pkK7A

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1376298670509936645

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk
3/29/21, 11:33 AM

FAA inspector unable to reach Starbase in time for launch today. Postponed to no earlier than tomorrow.
...
Possible Starship flight tomorrow afternoon

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376558233624666120

[gerontocrat]

Since Musk's SpaceX is really all about Life on Mars, here is a question.

Will humans survive a round trip to Mars in nil gravity, and will a human survive a normal life span on Mars in 38% earth gravity?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56559494
Long spaceflights and endurance swimming can 'shrink the heart'

Spending very long periods of time in space has something in common with extreme endurance swimming: both can cause the heart to shrink.

That's the conclusion of a study that compared the effects of astronaut Scott Kelly's year in space with a marathon swim by athlete Benoît Lecomte.

Both remove the loads on the heart that are usually applied by gravity, causing the organ to atrophy.

Exercise wasn't enough in either case to counteract the changes to the heart.

The study was led by Dr Benjamin Levine, professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and is published in the journal Circulation.

The research has implications for very long-duration journeys in space - such as the expeditions to Mars which Nasa plans to mount in coming decades.

"One of the things we've learned over many years of study, is that the heart is remarkably plastic. So the heart adapts to the load that's placed on it," Professor Levine told BBC News.

"In spaceflight, one of the things that happens, is you no longer have to pump blood uphill, because you're not pumping against gravity."

Scott Kelly spent 340 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to allow scientists to study the effects of long-duration flights on the human body.

On 5 June 2018, Benoît Lecomte embarked on an effort to swim the Pacific Ocean, having previously traversed the Atlantic.

He swam 2,821km over 159 days, eventually abandoning the attempt.

Swimming for very long periods also changes the loads placed on the heart by gravity because the person is in a horizontal position rather than vertical.

Lecomte swam an average of 5.8 hours per day, sleeping for around eight hours each night. This meant that he was spending between nine and 17 hours each day in a supine state.

Scientists sometimes use bed rest studies to simulate spaceflight because lying down eliminates the head-to-foot gradient that places a load on the heart. But Prof Levine said water immersion for long periods in a prone position is an even better model for time spent in orbit.

"Now you take away the head-to-foot gradient and then you put the person in the water, so you adjust that gradient too. It's just about like being in space," said Prof Levine, who is also director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, a collaboration between UT Southwestern and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

Because both men were no longer pumping blood uphill, as Prof Levine puts it, their hearts began to lose mass.

"When we look at the left ventricle [of the heart] we see about a 20-25% loss in total mass over the four or five months that Mr Lecomte was swimming," said co-author James MacNamara, also from the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

"We saw specifically 19% and 27% of mass lost for Captain Kelly over the year."

Exercise, however, counteracts the process of mass loss. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are already subjected to an intense exercise regime to mitigate the muscle and bone wastage that also occurs in orbit.

Even so, this exercise regime wasn't enough to prevent the heart atrophy seen in Captain Kelly.

At the start of the study, researchers had wondered whether the amount of physical exercise Mr Lecomte was doing in the water might be enough to prevent the heart tissue wasting.

"I absolutely thought that Ben's heart would not atrophy. That's one of the nice things about science - you learn the most when you find things you didn't expect," said Prof Levine.

"It turns out when you swim for that many hours a day, it's not like Michael Phelps, he's not swimming as hard as he can."

Instead, Mr Lecomte kicked his legs relatively lightly throughout. "It's just not that much activity. Low levels of physical activity do not protect the heart from adapting to the absence of gravity," said Prof Levine.

The heart adaptations, however, aren't long-term - both men's hearts returned to normal once they were back on terra firma.

But chambers in the heart known as the atria expand in space, in part because of changes in the way fluid passes through. This might lead to a condition called atrial fibrillation, where the heart beats fast and in an irregular manner. It can impair exercise, but might also lead to stroke in some cases.

There's also another risk to this vital organ from space travel. The higher radiation levels in space might accelerate coronary heart disease. Astronauts are screened for atherosclerosis, but they are generally middle-aged when they go into space and scientists know this is a problem that builds with age.

A heart attack is one of the most catastrophic medical emergencies that could occur in space.

Prof Levine is part of a Nasa programme called Cipher that will send another 10 astronauts into space for one-year missions. The researchers will subject the crew members' hearts to a number of different tests and high-tech scanning methods for a more detailed picture of heart function in space.

[Sigmetnow]

Since Musk's SpaceX is really all about Life on Mars, here is a question.

Will humans survive a round trip to Mars in nil gravity, and will a human survive a normal life span on Mars in 38% earth gravity?

Most astronauts do not experience grave physical effects from the typical 6-month stay aboard the ISS. (Kelly’s endurance test was almost a year.). Transit time to Mars should be six months or less — Musk has spoken of three- to four-month trips, eventually.

However, there has also been (fan) discussion of tethering two Starships via a cable (of a feasible length & strength) to create artificial gravity by spinning them slowly around each other for the duration of the Mars trip.  The math seems to work, particularly if gravity is kept to less than 1 earth G, which would make sense, to gradually acclimate travelers to the Martian environment.

Studies aboard the ISS are testing biological substances that “turn off” the genes for the natural wasting syndrome that occurs with muscular non-use and cardiovascular rest.  Folks headed for space will soon likely get an anti-wasting shot along with their weightless training before their trip.

Long-term stays on Mars might involve exercise, booster shots, and perhaps eventually “spa” treatments involving a low-speed centrifuge.  For the near future, the many risks for accidental death on Mars will probably lower life expectancy more than environmental effects such as radiation and low gravity.  Most inhabitants of Mars City will never return to earth (although Musk wants to provide people with transportation back if they want).  It will be fascinating to see how children born on Mars adapt.  Will they be able to visit earth?

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk

3/29/21, 11:33 AM
FAA inspector unable to reach Starbase in time for launch today. Postponed to no earlier than tomorrow.
...
Possible Starship flight tomorrow afternoon
 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376558233624666120

Christian Davenport
@wapodavenport
Given the crazy high cadence of SpaceX Starship launches, you'd think the FAA would have an inspector down there permanently at this point.
 
Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/29/21, 5:43 PM
 That would be great, or possibly via video with full access to telemetry
 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376651308732710914

Michael Baylor
@nextspaceflight 3/29/21, 5:12 PM
Here is the FAA statement in response to today's Starship SN11 launch attempt.
 https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1376643549832179715
⬇️ text image below

"SpaceX must provide adequate notice of its launch schedule to allow for a FAA safety inspector to travel to Boca Chica."

——
  << I mean this is just unprofessional. Literally the whole Internet knew there would be a possible launch today 

So, the FAA is still not in tune with the new pace of rapid rocket production and testing.

====

Michael Baylor
@nextspaceflight 3/29/21, 4:24 PM
The road closure for Tuesday's Starship SN11 launch attempt lasts from 7 am to 3 pm Central.
nextspaceflight.com/starship/

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1376631288879214596

Michael Baylor
@nextspaceflight 3/29/21, 11:56 AM
Status for a Starship SN11 launch attempt on Tuesday:
- FAA license ✅
- Temporary Flight Restriction ✅
- Village evacuation notice
- Marine hazard zone posted ✅
- Road closure scheduled
- Official confirmation from SpaceX ✅
4 down, 2 to go
wenhop.com

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1376563885675749384

[Sigmetnow]

—- More on the FAA Starship launch screw-up

Joey Roulette
@joroulette 3/29/21, 5:38 PM
From a source: SpaceX initially told the inspector, who had been in TX all week waiting for launch, that they weren't launching on Monday, so the inspector flew home. Then SpaceX changed plans late last night saying they're aiming for Monday, while the inspector was in Florida.
https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1376650082460766209
~ The inspector scrambled and flew to Texas today after SpaceX's last-minute update to the FAA last night, per source.  In a statement, an FAA spokesperson said "SpaceX must provide adequate notice of its launch schedule to allow for a FAA safety inspector to travel to Boca Chica."
~ The FAA is requiring an inspector to be on site for Starship tests after SpaceX violated its SN8 launch license in December. Previously, FAA launch-day oversight would usually be done remotely, but now having one on site ensures SpaceX complies with its license.

~ The inspector missed an email SpaceX sent on Sunday. More info on the SN11 predicament from Chris:

Christian Davenport
@wapodavenport 3/29/21, 6:54 PM
So he went home to Fla. On Sunday, SpaceX was able to get road closures and they emailed the inspector to come back. But he didn’t see the email. Finally SpaceX got through to officials on the phone late Sunday night, but by then it was too late to get someone there by today. 2/x
 ~ In an attempt to be more efficient, the FAA has been waiting for SpaceX to complete a static fire, before sending the inspector so that he isn’t just waiting around. 3/x
~ But it’s a fast-moving test program, and they’re swapping out engines and making changes on the fly. And so the FAA put in its statement that SpaceX “must provide adequate notice of its launch schedule.” 4/4

——
—- Launch Crew-2, bring home Crew-1

NASA Commercial Crew
@Commercial_Crew 3/29/21, 6:06 PM
Following the latest in a series of reviews, teams at @NASA & @SpaceX continue to prepare for launch of the Crew-2 mission to the @Space_Station no earlier than April 22 at 6:11am ET.

Additionally, the Crew-1 astronauts are targeted to return on April 28: go.nasa.gov/3wdtrmK 

https://twitter.com/commercial_crew/status/1376657146364968965
 
—- Inspiration4

Thomas Burghardt
@TGMetsFan98 3/29/21, 5:10 PM
In a webinar at @EmbryRiddle, Jared Isaacman says the complete crew of the Inspiration4 mission will be announced tomorrow, including two alumni of ERAU (Jared plus another).
https://twitter.com/tgmetsfan98/status/1376642851459768327

~ Inspiration4 launch is targeted for "mid to late September," says Isaacman.
~ The Inspiration4 crew was at LC-39A and in the Crew Access Arm today.
~ Inspiration4 mission duration is expected to be about 72 hours.
~ Inspiration4 orbital apogee will be about 540 km, reaching just above the current orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope.
~ Isaacman says they're ~60% of the way to the $200 million fundraising goal.
~ Isaacman ends the talk by hoping folks come out for a "great dawn view" of the launch.

—- SLS: Orion
Chris Bergin:
After many years (and many billions of dollars), three Orion spacecraft are in various stages of preparation for flight.
I've rounded up the development history and woes (not all Orion's fault) and the status of Artemis Orion's 1, 2, and 3:

Following troubled childhood, Orion trio preparing for flight
March 29, 2021
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/03/troubled-childhood-orion-trio-preparing-flight/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship?

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 1:38 AM
Tracking to a potential 8am [CT] liftoff

—-
Watching the fog at the moment...


Find your favorite live stream.

NSF is live.
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDL-ZMRHYrE

Everyday Astronaut
➡️https://youtu.be/myVvmb2dF9U

[Sigmetnow]

Eric Berger
⁦‪@SciGuySpace‬⁩
Official SN11 launch stream.

youtu.be/gjCSJIAKEPM
 
3/30/21, 8:51 AM

[SteveMDFP]

Since Musk's SpaceX is really all about Life on Mars, here is a question.

Will humans survive a round trip to Mars in nil gravity, and will a human survive a normal life span on Mars in 38% earth gravity?

Most astronauts do not experience grave physical effects from the typical 6-month stay aboard the ISS. (Kelly’s endurance test was almost a year.). Transit time to Mars should be six months or less — Musk has spoken of three- to four-month trips, eventually.

Though many have crippling symptoms for weeks upon return.  Leg swelling, severe weakness.  Hardly the physical condition for exploring Mars.

In low-earth orbit, the Earth's magnetic field protects from charged particle radiation.  Trips to Mars won't have that protection.  Months of that radiation is a huge barrier to safety.  Coronary arteries seem to be peculiarly sensitive to radiation effects. 

[Sigmetnow]

Michael Baylor
⁦‪@nextspaceflight‬⁩
Starship SN11 came down hard. Debris came flying past the ⁦‪@NASASpaceflight‬⁩ camera near the pad and even appeared to knock it a bit.
 
3/30/21, 9:08 AM
https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1376884010912075791

[Sigmetnow]

Since Musk's SpaceX is really all about Life on Mars, here is a question.

Will humans survive a round trip to Mars in nil gravity, and will a human survive a normal life span on Mars in 38% earth gravity?

Most astronauts do not experience grave physical effects from the typical 6-month stay aboard the ISS. (Kelly’s endurance test was almost a year.). Transit time to Mars should be six months or less — Musk has spoken of three- to four-month trips, eventually.

Though many have crippling symptoms for weeks upon return.  Leg swelling, severe weakness.  Hardly the physical condition for exploring Mars.

In low-earth orbit, the Earth's magnetic field protects from charged particle radiation.  Trips to Mars won't have that protection.  Months of that radiation is a huge barrier to safety.  Coronary arteries seem to be peculiarly sensitive to radiation effects.

There certainly are challenges to be overcome!  Even Elon admits the risks are significant.  But they are being addressed....

Water is a great radiation blocker, so Starship storage tanks can be designed to provide protection.
Here’s one design concept:

Paul
@_DesignFreedom 3/29/21, 6:52 AM
Updated SpaceX Starship interior design concept!

https://twitter.com/_designfreedom/status/13764873837434675
 ⬇️ Image below, several more at the link and the replies.


Here are previous links on other items I mentioned above:

Elon Musk’s Future Starship Updates Could Use More Details on Human Health and Survival
https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,2582.msg232172.html#msg232172

Mutant "mighty mice" stay bulked up in space but untreated mice lose muscle and bone mass, scientists say
https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,2449.msg285591.html#msg285591

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 9:31 AM
 At least the crater is in the right place!
  —
A high production rate solves many ills
  —
Looks like engine 2 had issues on ascent & didn’t reach operating chamber pressure during landing burn, but, in theory, it wasn’t needed.

Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376889786762428421

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 9:49 AM

SN15 rolls to launch pad in a few days. It has hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine.

Hopefully, one of those improvements covers this problem. If not, then retrofit will add a few more days’

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376894241792737280

—-
⬇️ Looks like at least one landing leg deployed.

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 9:49 AM

SN15 rolls to launch pad in a few days. It has hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine.

Hopefully, one of those improvements covers this problem. If not, then retrofit will add a few more days’

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376894241792737280

SpaceX loses another Starship prototype as landing sequence fails
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/spacex-loses-another-starship-prototype-as-landing-sequence-fails/
Article has photos near apogee, taken from farther inland.

—-
Reminder of the many ‘experimental’ and failed Falcon 9 landing attempts before it succeeded:
Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9_first-stage_landing_tests

[Sigmetnow]

—- Inspiration4 update

And the last two crew members of Inspiration 4 are…
– Sian Proctor, scientist and science/space communicator. She was a finalist for NASA’s 2009 astronaut class.
– Chris Sembroski, an aerospace worker at Lockheed Martin who used to work on Minuteman missiles in the Air Force.

https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1376861375264329728
⬇️ Images below.


Final members of SpaceX Inspiration4 crew revealed exclusively on TODAY 
➡️ https://news.yahoo.com/final-members-spacex-inspiration4-crew-120019628.html
Video, from KSC and more.


— Beyond the ISS orbit

~ Inspiration4 launch is targeted for "mid to late September," says Isaacman.
~ The Inspiration4 crew was at LC-39A and in the Crew Access Arm today.
~ Inspiration4 mission duration is expected to be about 72 hours.
~ Inspiration4 orbital apogee will be about 540 km, reaching just above the current orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope.
~ Isaacman says they're ~60% of the way to the $200 million fundraising goal.
~ Isaacman ends the talk by hoping folks come out for a "great dawn view" of the launch. [/size]

 —- No EVA suit required

Eric Berger:
SpaceX is developing a cupola-like window for Crew Dragon that will be used during the Inspiration4 mission. Will take the place of forward hatch and docking adapter.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1376902619503980548
⬇️ Image below.

Elon Musk:
Probably most “in space” you could possibly feel by being in a glass dome

[Ethan13]

The problem is always at the landing stage. But the fit was better, why is it worse now?
P.S. Has anyone applied for the Dear Moon mission?
And why would a Japanese businessman pay for the flight of strangers around the moon?

[Sigmetnow]

—- Starship SN11 aftermath
SpaceX livestream of SN11’s foggy but “exciting” flight:
Starship | SN11 | High-Altitude Flight Test
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjCSJIAKEPM

NSF recap:
Starship SN11 Explodes During Failed Landing in the Fog
➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN7855POvJ8
Starship SN11 took flight in the dense fog but failed to make a successful landing shortly after registering low chamber pressure on the #2 Raptor engine. An upgraded Starship, SN15, is planned to roll out in the coming weeks.
At end: pan across the foggy, extensive debris field.
⬇️ Image below.

YouTubers’ cameras (set up with permission and guidance of SpaceX) were impacted by SN11’s hard landing:

@Erdayastronaut, is this your tripod? Looks like it hopefully survived mostly ok? Hopefully just knocked out of alignment.
Screen grab from Labpadre.
[Image at the link.]
 
Everyday Astronaut @Erdayastronaut
The tower still stands! So it can’t be *that* bad. Won’t be surprised if one of the cameras took a beating, but at least we didn’t lose everything. Thanks for the view @LabPadre, appreciate it!

https://twitter.com/erdayastronaut/status/1376917791543021570
 
[NSF (see video above) refers to their closest-to-the-pad camera as “Dangercam.”  It was hit by debris (cracked lens?) but kept working.]

   —-

  Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 6:11 PM
Barely a scratch.
Back on the stand soon!
Will report conclusions as soon as we know them.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1377020678453485573

Michael Baylor
@nextspaceflight 3/30/21, 6:14 PM
The way SpaceX communicates things is completely wild compared to the rest of the industry.
 —
tbh, I'll take raw tweets over fluffy press releases any day.

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1377021481150947331

@stevenmarkryan
The faster @SpaceX blows up rockets, the sooner we're colonizing mars.
https://twitter.com/stevenmarkryan/status/1376986661528166405


—- Invitation to consider Starbase, Texas

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 10:17 AM
Please consider moving to Starbase or greater Brownsville/South Padre area in Texas & encourage friends to do so!
SpaceX’s hiring needs for engineers, technicians, builders & essential support personnel of all kinds are growing rapidly.
   —-
Starbase will grow by several thousand people over the next year or two 

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376901399867441156

Elon Musk
@elonmusk 3/30/21, 10:27 AM
Am donating $20M to Cameron County schools & $10M to City of Brownsville for downtown revitalization. Details to follow next week.
  —-
< Would be great to make Starbase and surrounding area run on 100% renewable energy!
Elon Musk:
Agreed! We’re not super far, as Magic Valley Utility can give us almost all wind-power, which will be used for LOX (78% of propellant mass)/N2/argon distillation. We’re also aiming to increase solar power from 1MW to 10MW, paired with Tesla Megapacks, for continuous power.
   —-
< Could we have a Boring loop from Brownsville International Airport to South Padre Island and eventually Starbase?
Elon Musk:
I sure hope so!

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376903913564160002
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1376906904358817796