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05-09-2021, 08:42 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-12-2021, 02:21 AM by HereOnThePrimalEdge.)
Chinese CZ-5B rocket body:
TomK said: It was interesting watching different organizations claiming where it would come down and not getting it right.
I agree, it was difficult sorting through the bad info. Jonathan McDowell @planet4589, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics really had his finger on the pulse. The official Russian Space Agency Roscosmos even lifted one of his maps without attribution, and he was not entirely amused. More Chinese space station modules will be launched, possibly with the same post separation rocket body problem so planet4589 on Twitter is a good place to watch for reliable info.
Tianhe-1:
This is the first module of the Chinese space station which was launched by the CZ-5B rocket. The module successfully entered it's proper orbit, and is unmanned at this time. It might be visible for a minute today on the horizon, but I won't list details as it's unlikely we can spot it. After that:
May 10, Monday
6:33 PM - this is early evening so the sky won't be dark, especially in the west. Best chance to see it might be in the NE at the end of it's pass
Rises: SW, passes low in the SE sky
Sets: NE
Magnitude: 1.2
Updated
May 11, Tuesday
7:51 PM - this could be a good, relatively bright, easy to spot pass
Rises: SW
Sets: NE
Magnitude: 0.9
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05-14-2021, 03:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-14-2021, 04:16 AM by HereOnThePrimalEdge.)
I’m not yet ready to say whether this is 100% legit, but Dark Energy on Twitter claims to have found an FCC application for the first orbital flight of SpaceX’s Starship.
Splashdown - - north of Kauai.
Scroll through the thread for maps and info from the FCC website. It could be quite a show if it happens, but probably not visible from here unless it has the accuracy of a North Korean missile.
Stay tuned for more details, and more importantly additional confirmation from other sources.
https://twitter.com/alejandro_debh/statu...21858?s=21
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More news on the SpaceX Starship orbital flight:
Meanwhile, Starship (the top half of the entire rocket system) will continue into orbit, nearly completing a full trip around Earth before plunging back through the atmosphere over Hawaii roughly 90 minutes after launching from Texas. Starship will aim to nail a “powered, targeted landing” on the ocean about 62 miles off the northwest coast of Kauai, the state’s northernmost island.
The document didn’t name a specific date for Starship’s orbital flight. CEO Elon Musk and SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell have said it could happen by the end of 2021, but an email that accompanied Thursday’s filing indicated it could happen any time in the next year, before March 1st, 2022. That email also says the maximum altitude for Starship is 72 miles — an extremely low orbital altitude sitting just north of the boundary between space and Earth’s atmosphere.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/13/22434...xas-hawaii
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05-23-2021, 08:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-24-2021, 01:40 AM by HereOnThePrimalEdge.)
I'm not giving up on spotting the elusive X-37B. I've tried numerous times in the past month, but to no avail. I mentioned previously the Air Force's mini-shuttle has orbit changing abilities, here's a little more:
What truly sets the X-37B apart is its apparent ability to conduct large changes in its orbit and to do so far more frequently than today’s satellites. Satellite operators are usually reluctant to make dramatic orbital adjustments of any kind because most satellites cannot yet be refueled in orbit. This makes most satellites highly predictable and, for military systems in particular, vulnerable to attack.
The ability to maneuver in space is known as delta-v, a measure of the total change in velocity needed to move between different orbits, locations, or objects in space. Thinking in terms of delta-v, rather than distance or speed, is what truly sets space operations apart from land, sea, or air operations.
What the heck is the X-37B doing up there?
... it is hosting groundbreaking power beaming experiments that are critical for clean, space-based solar energy generating stations to power the Earth’s electrical grid.
https://warontherocks.com/2021/05/a-star...pacepower/
There's another chance to see the X-37B tonight, although only for a few minutes, and low in the sky:
Cancel that, it’s no longer listed.
May 23, Sunday
7:31 PM
Rises: NW, passes Mars, then disappears
Magnitude: 2.5
Next week from June 1-11 we'll have quite a few opportunities to see the new Chinese space station, Tianhe-1. I watched it cross the entire sky once last week, it's not ISS bright, but more luminous than most stars. Presently only one module orbits the planet. Once the second module, a gigantic exterior arm, and the solar panels are added and deployed it should be one of the brightest objects in the sky. I'll post times and locations on dates with the best view.
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There are now two manned space stations passing over Puna on a regular basis, the US & Russia operated International Space Station, and China’s Tianhe-1. China launched three astronauts today to man their new space station. It passes over Hawaii about three times a day, I’ll post when it’s visible. Unfortunately, over the next week the times are often 3 or 4 AM, or during the day. BTW, the large Chinese rocket that re-entered earth’s atmosphere uncontrolled several weeks ago was the booster that launched the large core module of their space station into orbit.
Here’s today’s manned launch, at the 3:23:00 mark:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/06/16/sh...us-center/
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Dozens of Hawaiian aqua-astronauts are currently on board the International Space Station, as part of a study that may improve human health on long term space missions:
The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid were raised at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, then blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission.
Researcher Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate at the University of Hawaii, is studying how spaceflight affects the squid.
Disclaimers for squid's rights activists:
The Kewalo Marine Laboratory breeds the squid for research projects around the world. The tiny animals are plentiful in Hawaiian waters and are about 3in long as adults. The squid will come back to Earth in July.
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The first stage of the giant SpaceX Starship long range test flight that will launch in Texas and splash down near Kauai was rolled out today. It’s gigantic. The equally enormous Starship will sit on top of the booster shown in the photo:
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/stat...74658?s=21
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The complete SpaceX Starship configuration has been assembled for the first time, and when launched it's headed for Hawaii.
Photo on the pad in Texas:
https://interestingengineering.com/elon-...nch-system
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HEREONTHEPRIMALEDGE
What the heck is the X-37B doing up there?
-------------------------------------------------------
Considering that the X-37B was developed by DARPA and is the property of our Space Force, it's primary purpose is to obtain and maintain military superiority in space. Anything else is just window dressing.
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SpaceX Inspiration 4 is scheduled to launch next Wednesday. It will be the first hu-manned mission with all civilian-amateur astronauts. One of them, Sian Proctor lived for 4 months on Mauna Loa at the HI-SEAS habitat, and assisted as communicator on later missions:
https://www.drsianproctor.com/
During the two-week mission, I was joined by five crewmates: scientists, artists, communicators and more. We were supported on their Martian journey by Sian Proctor in mission control. Proctor, an analog astronaut many times over, will fly to space for real this fall aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with the private Inspiration4 mission.
https://www.space.com/hi-seas-analog-ast...y-premiere
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