Recent Posts
Did I mis-read the article? I thought the $24.8 M was for an upgrade to the system that separated the SM from the CM, not the thruster system.QuoteFederal procurement data shows NASA has agreed to pay Boeing at least $24.8 million for the upgrade of that [thruster] systemStill more money?
“at least $24.8M”?
From the Reuters article:More details on reasons for delay:QuoteBoeing’s first crewed Starliner flight is delayed till at least the summer, NASA said today.https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/nasa-delays-boeing-starliners-debut-crewed-voyage-2023-03-23/
Debate over spacecraft batteries, other items and last-minutes tests of Starliner’s backup flight software made its late April launch window a no-goQuoteFederal procurement data shows NASA has agreed to pay Boeing at least $24.8 million for the upgrade of that [thruster] systemStill more money?
“at least $24.8M”?
Boeing also is weighing battery redesigns and a plan to add shielding in case one overheats, Stich said. SpaceX, which has already flown seven crewed missions for NASA since 2020, redesigned its spacecraft's batteries at one point, he said.Tesla and SpaceX are completely different companies, and mass-market automotive batteries are not the same as aerospace batteries. By contrast, Boeing is an aerospace company that uses Li-ion batteries in its aircraft. You would think that Boeing "has the luxury", not SpaceX, especially given their experience with redesigning aircraft battery systems after fires.
"Of course, they have the luxury of having a lot of battery expertise at Tesla(TSLA.O)," Stich said, referring to the electric carmaker Musk leads.
More details on reasons for delay:https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1639036619742392320QuoteBoeing’s first crewed Starliner flight is delayed till at least the summer, NASA said today.
Debate over spacecraft batteries, other items and last-minutes tests of Starliner’s backup flight software made its late April launch window a no-go
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/nasa-delays-boeing-starliners-debut-crewed-voyage-2023-03-23/QuoteFederal procurement data shows NASA has agreed to pay Boeing at least $24.8 million for the upgrade of that [thruster] systemStill more money?
“at least $24.8M”?
ISINGLASS is really only going to be a relatively short section of my much bigger article. But I've fallen down the rabbit hole on it and am trying to climb out. Late last night I found myself skimming dozens of documents about it when I should have gone to bed.I found another CIA document associating ISINGLASS with the McDonnell Model 192, this one from June 1967.
The program was really pushed by CIA and opposed by the NRO. I think the primary opposition was the cost, plus the lack of a clear requirement for it. There were also concerns about vulnerability. There are indications that CIA just couldn't find the funds, and McD funded it internally probably a bit too much. Everybody knew it was going to be really expensive. And some docs I skimmed confirmed things I learned elsewhere, like they got USAF to fund the rocket engine. ISINGLASS appears to have been an active program until around 1968, which is longer than I thought, with the engine contract going into the early 1970s. However, "active" mainly means limited study. They were not starting development. Some demonstration hardware--subscale structure and thermal protection system--was produced.
So far I have not found anything that surprised me, except that CIA was pushing for it a lot more than I thought.
More details on reasons for delay:https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1639036619742392320QuoteBoeing’s first crewed Starliner flight is delayed till at least the summer, NASA said today.
Debate over spacecraft batteries, other items and last-minutes tests of Starliner’s backup flight software made its late April launch window a no-go
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/nasa-delays-boeing-starliners-debut-crewed-voyage-2023-03-23/
Federal procurement data shows NASA has agreed to pay Boeing at least $24.8 million for the upgrade of that [thruster] systemStill more money?
Oh, you love to drink the kool-aide, just not this flavor.
NASA Is Tracking a Huge, Growing Anomaly in Earth's Magnetic FieldQuoteNASA is actively monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa.
This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers.
The space agency's satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun.
https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-is-tracking-a-huge-growing-anomaly-in-earths-magnetic-field
