Space Industrial Complex

@Jaytheamazing_ PLEASE finish this some day I beg

From my Constellation shenanigans #KerbalSpaceProgram

@KenKirtland17 I think Q4 of next year with some giant leaps is not impossible but hard. I think it’ll depend on 1: Starships next ~5 flights and 2: Blue’s recovery rate and lander production rate. We know lander 2 is ~10% done, when it’s done will be a great metric of how fast they can build

I've been thinking about Artemis 3. The entire purpose is to have crew enterand use an HLS lander and buy down some risk. But what lander could be ready for Crew use by end of next year? Would be pretty challenging for Starship HLS. Would be nearly impossible for Blue Moon Mk2 Would seem very hard for Blue Moon Mk1.5 which doesn't even have a public crew module concept. For starship the hardest part would be accelerating crew habitation and control stuff which was meant to come after demo landing. For Blue Moon mk1.5 its a start from scratch situation. I wonder if the pause on New Shephard is a possible hint of maybe building off New Shephard's crew cabin? But would be near total overhaul. Which of the 3 do you think is most likely?

@JamesRaxz SLS is a bit of the worst of both worlds tho, Jupiter cores (especially with RS-68s) was 80% existing hardware where SLS cores are like 5%

Special shout out to the DIRECT insurgent at NASA in the late 2000s/early 2010s, who was dead wrong on cost, dead wrong on schedule, dead wrong on technologies, and dead wrong on risk. Ares I/V weren't the right choice, but in the end it was every bit as fanciful as Jupiter.

@ettingermentum Mark Kelly being elected on a wave of “more space” hype

Who would be the funniest Dem to win in 2028 and just end up being a really good president somehow.

So, this happened: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was so excited about the Artemis II astronauts landing back on Earth that he started talking about it right in the middle of his media scrum "Did they just get through?" "They just got back, yeah." "Woo!!"

@caretakertonuns @NASA They were made by Luna Replicas who make tons of Apollo-era replica stuff at a ridiculous quality. I’m sure they will be in sale on their website soon

will the custom christina koch astronaut hats be available for purchase orrrrrr @NASA

@davill @haygenwarren So confirmation flight 4 is Blue Moon 1 haha (Interstellar quote, lander named Endurance, the ship from interstellar)

Booster 3 almost done… "No, It's Necessary" Welcome to the fleet.

@bobatesomemayo I honestly thing they’re going to ask SpaceX to develop an HLS variant that can stay on the surface in standby (maybe stays fueled in a shadowed crater?) that will take them at least back to LEO. Idk if that’s the solution but I am positive it will be investigated

Serious question. How is Orion staying alive in a long term lunar stay I get the point of Gateway now. It was to keep Orion alive. Orion can do 6 months (and up to 1000 accord to Lockheed) only when docked, though. Besides that, assume only the 21 days it was made for.

@JerryPikePhoto @NASASpaceflight I work at the visitor complex, heard a loud bang around 3:10pm I originally thought was a sonic boom. Could have been it

An apparent anomaly has occurred at Blue Origins 2CAT testing facility, damaging the roof in the process

@Orbital_Perigee YOU MUST FIX ASTRONAUT CAR. STATEMENT.

Yes, that is a Corvette Stingray in the back. It was originally my dad’s project car, and now it’s nonfunctional. RIP.

Alright. New printers set up and firing on all cylinders. We have FOUR printers to name- THREE Snapmaker U1s and a Kobra 3 Max, which has a print volume of half a meter cubed. Reply with your names, and I might end up choosing them!

@ThePrimalDino So considering that the ESA director leaked JAXA has A3 and ESA A4&5; Cdr: it’ll either be Doug Wheelock or Joe Acaba imo PLT: Randolph Bresnik imo, maybe Raja Chari MS1: someone with EVA experience like Jasmin Moghbelli MS2: Aki Hoshide

Who's you pick for the Artemis III crew?

@EmpireEnjoyer3 Artemis III and IV are both supposed to be Europeans for the international crew member. Reid is also probably pretty likely to retire or go to a management role after this and I highly doubt there will be any astronauts on multiple Artemis missions until ~Artemis 6/7 timeframe

My ideal Artemis 4 crew (first moon landing since 1972). - Reid Wiseman (White man), Artemis 2 veteran as Commander. Navy F14 and F18 pilot. - Victor Glover (he’s unapologetically Christian), also Artemis 2 and first Black man on the moon. - Zena Cardman (she’s hot), also first woman on the moon. Antarctica expedition veteran. - Japanese astronaut Yui Kimiya (Japan is a great American ally), also he’s a F15 pilot in the JSDF and veteran of the International Space Station Program.

@KenKirtland17 Once again convinced a candidate could run on a purely futurist platform (massive space and science investment, healthcare, foreign normalization, free education, regulation cut for emerging tech) and win 60%+ of the vote

This is only a slight exaggeration. I truly believe this is part of a winning policy and message. Investing in America, instead of killing innocents worldwide. That’s healthcare, infrastructure, housing, domestic manufacturing and yes space exploration. This is a winning issue. People care about this, are inspired by it, and are desperate for national interests they can feel good about.

"Welcome to my old neighborhood." Our @NASAArtemis II astronauts woke up on the sixth day of their mission to a special message recorded in 2025 by astronaut Jim Lovell, the pilot of Apollo 8.

@Jack_Frodo Met one recently and yes extremely

do you think retired shuttle astronauts are getting fomo

@Stuck4ger @SciGuySpace Without a doubt Artemis IV

@SciGuySpace I’ve got a poll for you. Which spacecraft will cross the Karman Line (with human crew) next? 1. SpaceShipTwo Delta class 2. New Shepard 3. Artemis IV (SLS w/Orion) 4. Starship 5. New Glenn Next poll is which will *never* cross the Karman Line?

@aeronautblue Same with the Vostok and Molniya rockets

funny that this kind of thing happened to all the soviet rockets too. Proton was supposed to be named Hercules but it launched a Proton satellite as its first launch so Proton it is. by that pattern this rocket is called either Artemis or Orion now

@JEF_300 @Orbital_Perigee Jupiter IV to become Jupiter IV - Centaur

I've long said that SLS deserves a real name, and while I've always advocated for Ares before...

@deltaIV9250 DIRECT v2 with RS-68s was absolutely goated and a massive missed opportunity

Jupiter DIRECT edit

@zathary1 @galopujacy_jez @11K25_Energia Oh it was awesome but having an entire reusable spacecraft while having every engine (aka 80% of the per launch expendable vehicle cost) expended is utterly useless. It has nearly unmatched aura though

@ParkerFromMars @galopujacy_jez @11K25_Energia Oh but cmon dude that thing landed itself that was cool

With the successful launch of Artemis II, this guy reclaims the top spot for the most expensive human spaceflight program to never fly crew.