Thanks to April Patrons
Very special thanks to the 192 of you out there supporting Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon for the month of April. Your support keeps this blog and podcast going, and most importantly, it keeps it independent.
Strategic Forces Subcommittee Pushes for Air Force Program Focused on Next-Generation Upper Stages
This language is surely the byproduct of ULA lobbying for funding that can be used for Centaur V and ACES, but I would absolutely support a program focused on upper stages.
Episode T+80: DARPA Launch Challenge
The DARPA Launch Challenge has been officially unveiled, so I spent some time breaking down the competition and speculating about who will enter and what DARPA wants out of it.
Falcon 9 Turnaround
“At four-months 20 days between Zuma and Iridium NEXT-6/GRACE-FO, this will be the fastest Falcon 9 first stage turnaround between flights to date.”
BE-4 Updates
Alan Boyle, for GeekWire, with a handful of BE-4 updates, including some behind-the-scenes insight on ULA’s decision and the testing issue last year.
OA-9E Cygnus Might Reboost ISS
Chris Gebhardt, for NASASpaceflight, on a very cool aspect of the upcoming OA-9E mission.
Episode T+79: Orbital ATK’s OmegA, NASA’s Bridenstine
Orbital ATK unveiled the name and additional technical details of their new launch vehicle, OmegA. Jim Bridenstine was finally confirmed as the new NASA Administrator.
Taco Bell Space Station
The name “Taco Bell Space Station” would do a hell of a lot more to get public buy-in for a space program than “Lunar Orbiting Platform—Gateway,” that’s for sure.
OmegA
Awkward and clunky. The name isn’t great, either.
Episode 07 - FLying Around Mars Imaging aNd Geography Observatory
Tanya Harrison joins Jake and Anthony to discuss the James Webb Space Telescope delays, planetary missions and their ability to stay under budget and on time, and the benefits and drawbacks of decadal surveys.
Episode 07 - FLying Around Mars Imaging aNd Geography Observatory
Tanya Harrison joins Jake and Anthony to discuss the James Webb Space Telescope delays, planetary missions and their ability to stay under budget and on time, and the benefits and drawbacks of decadal surveys.
Episode 07 - FLying Around Mars Imaging aNd Geography Observatory
Tanya Harrison joins Jake and Anthony to discuss the James Webb Space Telescope delays, planetary missions and their ability to stay under budget and on time, and the benefits and drawbacks of decadal surveys.
Episode T+78: No Cost-Plus, But No Vision, Either
NASA had some interesting comments on the Lunar Gateway at a recent NASA Advisory Council meeting—the program is eschewing cost-plus contracting, but it’s lacking vision.
Episode T+77: Blue Origin Reconfigures New Glenn
Caleb Henry got a great scoop on some changes Blue Origin is making to New Glenn. I think through why these changes may have been made and what these changes could mean for the near future.
Lockheed Martin Selected to Build Low-Boom Flight Demonstration Aircraft
Quieter than the SEPTA buses that drive by my front door here in Philadelphia. I’ll be keeping an eye on this.
Eschewing Cost-Plus, Lacking Vision
In the Flexible Path era, NASA has always been flexible on both the vision and the details. That is why the human exploration program is floundering.
Thanks to March Patrons
Very special thanks to the 176 of you out there supporting Main Engine Cut Off on Patreon for the month of March. Your support keeps this blog and podcast going, and most importantly, it keeps it independent.
Two Weeks Until “The Stick” Gets Its Name
Chris Gebhardt of NASASpaceflight wrote a great rundown of Orbital ATK’s Next Generation Launcher that included a great little nugget of info at the end.
SpaceX CRS-14 Carrying Two Important Payloads
There are two payloads on CRS-14 that caught my eye as very important to the future in space.
The Curious Case of Boeing and The Surprise Funding of WGS 11 and 12
Large federal funding of a Boeing-built system which the private sector says is unnecessary because they can provide the government with more services for less money. Sounds familiar.