I don't mean to trigger contention but the OTV just looks like a little Shuttle. Didn't the US already have one of those, or if you like what's the point ?
Cheers, Mike.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
The real Shuttle was expensive to operate, and quite dangerous to crew. Partly thanks to astronaut interventions in the design and operation doctrine, unmanned flight was not an option (though the only Soviet Buran flight was unmanned).
OTV is much cheaper to launch, has a far longer mission lifetime option, has far more delta-V capability, and is unmanned. All of which make it a more useful platform for a class of experiments someone with the money chooses to carry out.
The Soviets had a mini-shuttle, but I don't know that it served beyond being a sort of testbed for Buran.
(Reuters) - U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) said on Monday it would buy Orbital ATK Inc (OA.N) for about $7.8 billion, getting access to lucrative government contracts and expanding its arsenal of missile defense systems and space rockets.
The all-cash deal comes as North Korea tests threatening missiles and nuclear weapons, heightening tensions with the United States and its allies.
“Clearly, as we watch what’s happening around our globe, the rather rapid advance of some of our potential adversaries is quite concerning,” Northrop Chief Executive Wes Bush said on a call with analysts.
Although Northrop already has a significant presence in payloads, it has not had launcher capability, an area that Orbital brings for both space and missile defense, Vertical Research Partners analyst Robert Stallard said on Monday.
Orbital has contracts with NASA and the U.S. Army. The Dulles, Virginia-based company is one of the two firms hired by NASA to fly cargo to the International Space Station under an initial contract worth up to $3.1 billion.
Northrop’s purchase of Orbital would help sharpen its focus on small space systems, launch vehicles, missiles and munitions.
Never get sick of that ......
)
Never get sick of that ...... :-)
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
I don't mean to trigger
)
I don't mean to trigger contention but the OTV just looks like a little Shuttle. Didn't the US already have one of those, or if you like what's the point ?
Cheers, Mike.
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...
... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal
The real Shuttle was
)
The real Shuttle was expensive to operate, and quite dangerous to crew. Partly thanks to astronaut interventions in the design and operation doctrine, unmanned flight was not an option (though the only Soviet Buran flight was unmanned).
OTV is much cheaper to launch, has a far longer mission lifetime option, has far more delta-V capability, and is unmanned. All of which make it a more useful platform for a class of experiments someone with the money chooses to carry out.
The Soviets had a mini-shuttle, but I don't know that it served beyond being a sort of testbed for Buran.
Getting ready to light a
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Getting ready to light a manned candle https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/#public
Over at r/SpaceX a nice
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Over at r/SpaceX a nice graphic showing many views to Falcon 9 flight analysis. Block 4 flight and S1 landing data
M&A in the space business,
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M&A in the space business, does that mean it is mature?
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-orbital-atk-m-a-northrop-grumman/northrop-grumman-to-buy-missile-maker-orbital-for-7-8-billion-idUSKCN1BT0ZZ
Elon Musk - How not to land a
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Elon Musk - How not to land a rocket booster
Some old footage i hadn't seen.
Excellent!
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Excellent!
Ariane 5 va239 relaunch
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Ariane 5 va239 relaunch Friday 29th between 21:47 and 22:25 UTC.
and Elon Musk Instagram - the BFR is starting to grow wings....
http://www.spacex.com/mars U
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http://www.spacex.com/mars
Update infos from Elon Musk