https://instapundit.substack.com/p/and-away-we-go

 

 

What an incredibly beautiful test footage.

 

So it's "Starship" test #13 today, why do most hotels not have a room 13...

 

https://www.youtube.com/live/HPdI35GhmQU?si=jhSHxrvw8mqCZtW8&t=230

 

So it's "Starship" test #13 today, why do most hotels not have a room 13...

It's not clear that "most" don't, but certainly many don't. Many taller hotels also don't have a floor numbered 13 (or they do, but it might be a non-guest floor housing offices, storage, maintenance operations, or conference facilities). But it's a simple matter of practicality -- the vast majority of guests don't have any qualms about staying in Room 13 or on the 13th floor, but accommodating the small handful of ones that do constitutes far more headache than simply not having a room or floor with that number, particularly in light of the fact that the number of people that are upset by the hotel not having that room or floor is vanishingly small. And it's not just '13'. In many Asian cultures it's the number '4' that is considered bad because, in several Asian languages, the word for the number 4 is similar to the word for 'death' or similar, so it's not uncommon for 4, 13, and 14 to be omitted. Again, it's a practical commercial decision based on eliminating a minor, but persistent, operational irritant in a way that has virtually no downside.

 

Yay! Nice flight.

A little bit disappointed by the booster's landing performance.

They gotta get that reliable.

 

Should be more like this

https://youtube.com/shorts/vjaqxeNvqQU?is=3xXKhzCh5C9TiDfu

 

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2080826996490199070?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

 

The next challenge is the SpaceX (and Blue Origin) refueling tests supposedly "later" this year. This orbital refueling operation is a massive risk, an explosion in orbit would cause immense damage and impact many aspect of our lives here on earth.

This test is deemed essential by NASA before the Artemis III phase can take place, what's more the accumulated stored fuel needs to be maintained at a temperature of like -180C that's one heck of a freezer.

 

This orbital refueling operation is a massive risk, an explosion in orbit would cause immense damage and impact many aspect of our lives here on earth.

Quite true. But that step is something that must be done (be it by Spacex, Blue Origin or NASA or anyone else) in order to make further progress in space exploration.

My personal opinion is that more effort is needed in the development of space cleaning technologies before an accident of the type you've described comes to happen. But unfortunately, governments and corporations don't usually invest in that sort of thing until after the fact.

 

Quite true. But that step is something that must be done (be it by Spacex, Blue Origin or NASA or anyone else) in order to make further progress in space exploration.

Yes, the entire moon and mars projects are impossible without the refueling and that itself seems impossible. So I doubt there will be much in the way of "further progress in space".

My personal opinion is that more effort is needed in the development of space cleaning technologies before an accident of the type you've described comes to happen. But unfortunately, governments and corporations don't usually invest in that sort of thing until after the fact.

This is going to become a national embarrassment for us, it is going to make the country look inept.

 

This is going to become a national embarrassment for us, it is going to make the country look inept.

One can only hope.

 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...al-rockets-obsolete/articleshow/132640247.cms

You know, it might just work...