SpaceX Starship prototype SN8 had a (mostly) very successful first high-altitude test flight today, on (mostly) three engines.
Because most of the press today is a bit fixated on the final few seconds of the flight, I'm instead posting a photo from when it was still flying nominally. It was, in all, a very good test flight. And yes, in future flights, SpaceX will certainly improve on the final few seconds of flight as well, because they're also super important.
A small blog for marine navigation, astronomy, space exploration, Project Orion (DARPA's "100-year starship"), meteorology, boating and matters pertaining to maritime education and the maritime industry. I am a USCG licensed captain, and an instructor at a number of maritime schools in the Seattle area.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Hayabusa2 Returns
Japan's JAXA Hayabusa2 spacecraft has returned with pristine surface samples from the asteroid Ryugu. A cannister from the spacecraft parachuted to southern Australia earlier today.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Rock On, Chang'e
At 7:10am PST today, China's Chang'e 5 lander lifted off from the moon, bringing back 2 kilograms of rock samples from Oceanus Procellarum. This is the first lunar sample return since the Soviet Luna 24 mission to Mare Crisium in 1976.