Astro Hawk 🚀🌒 /Ian Kluft @[email protected]

20 years ago, Oct 4, 2004: SpaceShipOne won the $10M X-Prize for a spacecraft to make two crewed space launches above 100km altitude in 2 weeks. I was there at Mojave Air & Space Port #KMHV to witness the #history. Some of my pictures. #NewSpace #aviation #avgeek

Trivia: Texas is among the states that require an excuse to vote by mail. But since all #NASA astronauts live in Houston, they have an automatic excuse granted to astronauts in orbit. (PD image from Wikipedia) #space #Election2024

Eclipse of the Sun. By the moon Phobos. From the surface of Mars. Captured by the @NASAPersevere rover on September 30. I'm still amazed that we can see such things. youtube.com/watch?v=iCSLW_…

Combining the power of Hubble and #NASAWebb, astronomers revisited the giant “pancake” of dust encircling the hot young star Vega. Surprisingly, the disk is very smooth, without evidence of large, forming planets: bit.ly/4htEAqR

Jaw-Dropping Report Reveals Causes of Arecibo Telescope Collapse gizmodo.com/jaw-dropping-r…

"Disposal" by @XKCD comic - You wouldn't even have to dig the hole if you find a real estate listing for a decommissioned missile silo. xkcd.com/3005/ #space☄️ #rocketry🚀 #WTF🤪

.@StarfishSpace and two other companies win contracts to help @NatReconOfc advance capabilities for space operations: geekwire.com/2024/starfish-… H/T @cognitive_space @GoToImpulse

@SPACEdotcom @NASAArtemis @NASA @arstechnica @SciGuySpace @StephenClark1 "NASA Identifies Root Cause of Orion Heat Shield Char Loss" by Marcia Smith @SpcPlcyOnline - Not saying what it is, they claim to now know root cause of #Orion heat shield issue. Problem: #Artemis2 heat shield is already built. spacepolicyonline.com/news/nasa-iden… #Artemis🚀 #NASA🇺🇸 #Moon🌘

@SPACEdotcom @NASAArtemis @NASA @arstechnica @SciGuySpace "NASA wants clarity on #Orion heat shield issue before stacking Artemis II rocket" by @ArsTechnica / @StephenClark1 - #Artemis2 #SLS rocket stacking may be delayed to wait for decisions and work on crew capsule heat shield. arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/… #Artemis🚀 #NASA🇺🇸 #Moon🌖

"NASA to reveal Artemis 2 moon astronauts on April 3" by @SPACEdotcom / @michaeldwall - Four astronauts will be named to #NASA #Artemis2 #Moon mission - 3 from US🇺🇸 and 1 from Canada🇨🇦, currently planned for launch Nov 2024 space.com/nasa-announce-… #space

NASA astronaut Don Pettit is a giant nerd, and we’re all luckier for it arstechnica.com/space/2024/10/…

A shining light against the darkness

"Astronaut hospitalized after returning from 235-day space mission" by @ArsTechnica / @StephenClark1 - Though #NASA is withholding info for privacy, there has been history of long-duration astronauts hospitalized to adapt back to 1G gravity. arstechnica.com/space/2024/10/… #SpaceX #Crew8

OK. What-if. What if I could raise the money or in some manner make myself CEO of the new Boeing Space? Does it come with 50% of ULA or does that stay with the airplane company? If I'm doing it, I want ULA and I want control. It is a necessary part of the package. 1/n

"NASA Provides Update on Agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 Health" by @NASA @Commercial_Crew - #NASA disclosed one of their 3 astronauts (not the Russian) was hospitalized after splashdown for a medical issue, which is not being disclosed for privacy. blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew… #SpaceX #Crew8

"NASA & SpaceX Adjust Crew-8 Undocking Date" by @NASA @Commercial_Crew - Tue or Wed? #NASA #Crew8 #SpaceX #CrewDragon re-entry has been waiting on #HurricaneMilton & several fronts for good #weather forecast at any of 7 Florida splashdown sites. blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew… #NewSpace

Why is Elon Musk talking to Vladimir Putin, and what does it mean for SpaceX? arstechnica.com/space/2024/10/…

Asteroids pass near Earth every day, not all detected. For example, today asteroid 2024 UT was discovered and named after it had already made its nearest pass just above the altitude of the geosynchronous satellite belt. #Intelsat33E #space

Though media have been quick to point out #Intelsat33E was built by Boeing, even in their headlines, there is not yet enough info (in public) to conclude whether the satellite failed or was struck by a meteoroid/asteroid. #space

"Boeing-built communications satellite breaks up in orbit. 'Total loss,' operator says" by @SpaceDotCom / @howellspace - Unexpected explosion of geosynchronous #Intelsat33E #commsat with debris cloud. Unknown if internal failure or meteor collision. space.com/intelsat-33e-s… #space