space General Space Discussion (Thread 1)

[DocM]

StarLink uses a phased array antenna, like a fighters radar. Phased arrays are flat and can be electronically aimed, so a flat pizza box on your roof or a higher gain smaller array on your (car/plane/train)'s roof, on a pole or patio/porch with a solar panel can & bttery, can be the receiver. 

 

A high speed WiFi does the last leg. 20-30 satellites will be visible at any time, so obstructions like a tree or nasty cloud will be much less of a problem vs a regular dish. Phased array chips up to 4" are becoming available, so a small box like today's  portable 4G LTE boxes should be on the short list too but they'd be much faster.

 

Community mini-ISP's are going to become a LOT easier too.

Edited April 11, 2018 by DocM

[Unobscured Vision]

Yeah, or the Phased Array (like @DocM has cited) .. either one will do the job.

[DocM]

3 minutes ago, Unobscured Vision said:

Yeah, or the Phased Array (like @DocM has cited) .. either one will do the job.

 

Phased arrays are spec'ed in the StarLink FCC filings, so a safe bet

[DocM]

http://m.aviationweek.com/space/europe-accelerates-studies-reusable-launchers

 

Europe Accelerates Studies On Reusable Launchers

>
The launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, although it was of limited significance on the satellite launch market, was the watershed event. Before it, European players were content with reusability demonstration programs, just as any other research and technology activity. After it, the debate moved to “when” from “if.” For the second time in four years, ArianeGroup, ESA and state agencies made a move in reaction to SpaceX’s prowess in reusable launchers.
>
"Reusing the booster [the launcher’s first stage], that's for tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow," Chairman Eric Trappier said April 12.

But the first indications of a change of heart came just after the near-perfect execution of the Falcon Heavy’s mission on Feb. 6. Five days later, ESA Director General Jan Woerner wrote on his ESA blog, "The world has moved on and . . . requires that we reassess the situation." 
>

[Beittil]

15 minutes ago, DocM said:

"Reusing the booster [the launcher’s first stage], that's for tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow," Chairman Eric Trappier said April 12.

Dude should have said that reusing the booster was yesterday... And that they are slacking it up hard in Europe. 

[DocM]

By the time they catch up to Falcon 9 & Falcon Heavy, BFR 1.0 will be in service and BFR 2.0 (12+ meters) will be doing test flights.

Edited April 26, 2018 by DocM

[Unobscured Vision]

 ... and they have no idea what else SpaceX will be up to by then. Satellite manufacturing, PV/Solar Farms (oh yes, there will be Solar Farms) using the storage banks, Hyperloop, etc, ... all part of "the larger plan" that Musk & Co. have in mind.

 

If it were anyone else I'd be suspicious. Musk has proven that his intentions are only to improve everybody's quality of life and to advance humanity. He's an ace as far as I'm concerned, and I'll support those endeavours any way I can.  

[DocM]

Sounds like the cancelled Resource Prospector instruments will fly on other lunar missions, leveraging commercial and international partners.

 

The human lander capability has one obvious candidate

 

 

Quote

Resource Prospector

 

April 27, 2018 - Update

NASA is developing an exploration strategy to meet the agency’s expanded lunar exploration goals. Consistent with this strategy, NASA is planning a series of progressive robotic missions to the lunar surface. In addition, NASA has released a request for information on approaches to evolve progressively larger landers leading to an eventual human lander capability. As part of this expanded campaign, selected instruments from Resource Prospector will be landed and flown on the Moon. This exploration campaign reinforces Space Policy Directive 1, which calls for an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system, including returning humans to the Moon for long-term exploration.
>

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by DocM

[DocM]

Sounds like the Machinists Union is prepping to strike ULA

 

http://spacenews.com/union-recommends-members-reject-ula-contract-proposal/

[Unobscured Vision]

Oh boy. That's not gonna go well for ULA if they end up in a long, protracted dispute with their Unionized workforce.

 

ULA cut a bunch of those jobs in the past few years .. and Unions never, ever forget and rarely forgive.

 

Yeesh ...

[DocM]

[DocM]

ULA news: 600 machinists have gone on strike

 

[DocM]

ULA strike,

 

Total employees: 2,500

Striking, 

308 in Decatur
~230 at Cape Canaveral
~70 at Vandenberg

Big issue: ULA outsourcing work to save money. Also too much OT, work related travel, and get this - "forced" training. 

ISTM most other workers would kill to get employer provided training to increase their skills.

ULA's next launch is July, with the next Cygnus riding an Antares out of Wallops instead of an Atlas V. Where it may really hurt is moving Vulcan-Centaur 5 to the right. 

[Unobscured Vision]

Wow ... I don't see a problem here either. Lots of overtime + employer-initiated training = much more capable employee base. And it's far more likely that's the reason ULA is outsourcing the work -- giving their employees some breathing space. They are already doing lots of OT.

 

Yeah, I don't get it. ULA's people are paid extremely well. OT turns that already good pay into fantastic pay.

 

No reason at all to have a Strike about it.

[IsItPluggedIn]

It depends on the requirement for OT, if they say you have to do OT, compared to being offered OT. Most of us have lives to live, family and partners to spend time with, if you are doing too much OT, then it can get difficult.

 

The training is great i wish my work supplied/paid for training, but we dont have the facts, is it that they need to do a training course out side of work hours and need to pay for it themselves. 

 

Im not a union type of person, but unless you have more details its hard to say who is in the right. My usual stance is that "if your going to put enough effort in to Strike, go get a new job"

[DocM]

OT in medical fields and for first respondrrs is a fact of life. Multiple on-call rotations take some serious juggling.

[DocM]

BWAHAHAHA!!!!

 

 

[Unobscured Vision]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

 

Ahhh ... that's gonna take me a few to process .... 

 

 

[DocM]

Now it plays out; 

 

Rogozin is making a horizontal move from VPM of Defense to the head of Roscosmos.

 

https://www.rbc.ru/politics/14/05/2018/5af5ab6a9a79477b78097533?from=main

 

Rogozin was offered to head Roskosmos

Dmitry Rogozin can lead Roskosmos with the prospect of its reorganization into a rocket and space holding company. The creation of a new structure is an initiative of the former vice-premier who oversaw the defense industry

Space offer

And about. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who will not join the new government, offered to head Roskosmos with the prospect of creating a rocket and space holding company on its basis. About this RBC told a source close to the Kremlin, and confirmed interlocutor in the Ministry of Defense and a source surrounded by Rogozin.

"There were two main options for further employment of Rogozin: in the Kremlin, while talking about the position of an assistant or adviser to the president, or heading a rocket and space holding company, which is planned to create," - said a source close to the Kremlin. According to him, a preliminary decision on one of the options has already been made. At the same time, he was at a loss to answer which specific position he was talking about.

"Rogozin is planned to transfer to Roskosmos, which expects a great deal of reform," a source in an official's circle told RBC.
>

 

[Unobscured Vision]

Makes sense. He's going to stick to what's familiar and what he's good at. And Roscosmos does need a shake-up, as does the rest of the Russian Space Industry.

 

Relying on legacy hardware, as good as it is, won't get them where they need to be ten or twenty years from now. Even the Angara platform is using a lot of that legacy hardware. So is their Federation platform, it's about 50% legacy stuff on the top end with about 80% on the bottom end.

 

And please understand, everyone, I have nothing against legacy hardware. If it works, it works and I've got no complaints with it most of the time. But there are usually ways to upgrade and modernize. As an Engineer I'm always looking for ways to improve a system in one way or another. 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

Oh, brother....Alain Charmeau, ArianeSpace's CEO, is losin' it over SpaceX and Blue Origin.

 

The linked interview translation on Reddit is wild. Launch rate is biting ArianeSpace in the ass,

 

From Der Spiegel,

 

Quote

Charmeau: ...and we need seven contracts for guaranteed launches by the end of June.
>
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What happens if you do not have the contracts by the end of June?

Charmeau: Without contracts, we will have to halt the production.

 

ARS...

 

Quote

Ariane chief seems frustrated with SpaceX for driving down launch costs

I cannot tell my teams: 'Goodbye, see you next year!'
>
<history of the situation>
>
With this background in mind, the chief executive of Ariane Group, Alain Charmeau, gave an interview to the German publication Der Spiegel. The interview was published in German, but a credible translation can be found here. During the interview, Charmeau expressed frustration with SpaceX and attributed its success to subsidized launches for the US government.
>
"SpaceX is charging the US government 100 million dollar per launch, but launches for European customers are much cheaper." Essentially, he says, launches for the US military and NASA are subsidizing SpaceX's commercial launch business.

However, the pay-for-service prices that SpaceX offers to the US Department of Defense for spy satellites and cargo and crew launches for NASA are below those of what other launch companies charge. 

>
>
"Let us say we had ten guaranteed launches per year in Europe and we had a rocket which we can use ten timeswe would build exactly one rocket per year," he said. "That makes no sense. I cannot tell my teams: 'Goodbye, see you next year!'"
>
This seems a moment of real irony. Whereas earlier in the interview Charmeau accuses the US government of subsidizing SpaceX, a few minutes later he says the Ariane Group can't make a reusable rocket because it would be too efficient. 
>

[Beittil]

Read it via NSF already, funny guy, lol. Totally disconnected from reality if you ask me, completely skipping over the fact that the US government often has a pile of additional requirements that cost money. Not to mention the fact that most of the time there is also this silly Dragon thing plus handling in the package, lol. 

[Unobscured Vision]

Prime example of OldSpace thinking that cannot wrap its' collective head around NewSpace thinking ... and it'll be the death of them if they don't adapt.

 

And it appears they are incapable of adaptation ...

[Jim K Global Moderator]