The Carnival of Sapce 599 is up at Urban Astronomer
The Hill – SpaceX could disrupt NASA plan to return humans to the moon
NASA’s lunar lander concept is a three-stage vehicle that would depart from and return to the Lunar Gateway. The stages would include a transfer vehicle to take astronauts to low lunar orbit, a descent stage that would take them to the lunar surface, and an ascent stage that would return the astronauts to lunar orbit. The ascent stage would dock with the transfer vehicle that would then return to the Gateway.
The SpaceX Starship will be able fly to the moon and Mars after re-fueling in orbit. The Starship is not a three-stage vehicle, but a single-stage one. Moreover, it doesn’t need the Lunar Gateway to reach the moon, though the cis-lunar facility might prove useful to operate as a staging area for a reusable lunar lander.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk anticipates Super Heavy/Starship being available long before 2028. Even if one tacks on a few years to Musk’s admittedly optimistic timeline of 2022-24, the spaceship being developed by SpaceX promises to disrupt NASA’s carefully crafted plans for developing an Earth-moon transportation system.
Universe Today – Here’s a Clever idea. Build Moon Bases in Craters and then Fill them in with Lunar Regolith
A student team has developed a proposal for a sustainable lunar habitat. The team leader is Angelus Chrysovalantis Alfatzis, an architectural engineering student in his final year of studies at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
Universe Today – Want to Move to Mars? A Round-Trip Ticket Will Only Cost $100,000 According to Elon Musk
Universe Today – New SpaceX Raptor Engine Beats the Chamber Pressure of Russia’s RD-180 Engine, According to Elon Musk
Chandra X-Ray Space Telescope Blog – Where is the Universe Hiding its Missing Mass?
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.