Space X stuff

All of this rocket-science stuff about "full flow staged combustion cycles" is interesting, and it would appear that Space-X, a company unencumbered by being publicly traded, had a pretty good week with their Raptor.
Raptor (rocket engine family) - Wikipedia

 

i missed it!

62132727

 

if there were one when we were there, we would have to make plans and maybe even a hotel room.
last time we tried, we sat in a traffic jam on highway 528 from orlando to cocoa for 4 hours and missed it.

 

Next Starship will be November(ish), maybe before next Falcon Heavy.

While making low-earth orbits go Kessler is not Starlink's aim, it could happen. If not, Starlink has following competitors that could fill LEO right up. Making fast internet available everywhere is a laudable goal (and profit center!), but I am not convinced that unique usefulness of LEO should be risked/squandered for this.

 

Space X stuff.

 

Other satellites have been in polar orbits of this height and measured ionizing radiation fluxes there. But this is the first 'with meat' and fluxes vary through time. During this flight there was enough solar flux to light up polar auroras. Two went out in SpaceX suits to ... have that experience.

I am 100% sure there was radiation monitoring inside the aluminum can. It would also have been an excellent idea to have something akin to dosimeters on the bodies and outside the suits. Those things were probably done also.

ISS and China space stations (with people on board) are in lower inclination orbits and lower. They are Van Allen shielded (incompletely) but still get zinged. Van Allen does not protect polar.

Also of note, during Polaris trip there were more people in earth orbit than ever before. N minus 4 now still are.

 

Speaking of auroras, keep watch tonight and tomorrow night. A strong flare yesterday threw out a CME (coronal mass ejection) that may graze Earth. See 30 minute and 24 hour forecasts here:

Aurora Dashboard (Experimental) | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

 

Current solar cycle max is well above previous one, and leaves predicters (of a weak one) veerry quiet

 

See also: NOAA predicts above-normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 

N Atl season ends Nov 30. Predictions can fairly be judged then.

 

Climate deniers universally see man made effects as an on off switch, not an additive effect to ongoing natural causes. And they don’t want to see it any other way for some unknown ridiculous stubbornness reason.

 

i don't deny climate

 

Shorthand. Change is silent.

 

unless it's in your pocket

 

Climate = Wx.
Wx = Climate, eh?

Gee and all this time I thought that Sol's output was constant.....

meh.

Wake me up when we get to Zeta (again.)
However....
(comma!!!)
Be not afraid....
Thair's an orange 'gumdrop' in the Gulf on the +7 scan, so you may yet get your confirmation that 'all is lost', although people in this part of the world who are older than Katrina (or Camille) might be a tougher sell.