Daily Archives: August 2, 2022

Elon Musks father, Errol Musk, is making headlines again. This time, however, the headlines in question are not focused on reportedlyhaving children with a stepdaughter.

Over the weekend, Errol appeared on Australias The Kyle and Jackie O Show, with the hosts asking him about Elons accomplishments. At around the 1:43 mark in the video below, for example, Errol is asked if he is proud of Elon, to which a no is offered before the question is even finished being asked.

Pushed to clarify whether he is indeed not proud of Elon, Errol pointed to what he described as the larger familys assortment of accomplishments, including those he says precede Elons own.

No. I mean, we are a family that have been doing a lot of things for a long time, he said. Its not as though we suddenly started doing something. So weve all been, you know, as a family all doing things from the very beginning and, um, so, I mean, the kids were traveling with me around the world when they were tiny. Theyve been doing pretty much very interesting things. Weve been down to the Amazon together, for example. Weve been to China, you know, long ago when it was quite difficult to get there.

In Errols opinion, Elonwhose brother Kimbal is a successful restaurateuris not as happy as hed like to be because he believes he is behind schedule.

Also broached during the conversation is the aforementioned stepdaughter development, headlines about which Errol responded to, in part, by saying the following: I was married to her mother for two years in the 90s. She was actually placed in foster care.

If you absolutely must subject yourself to it, the full interview can be heard below.

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Elon Musk's Father on Whether Hes Proud of SpaceX Founder and Tesla CEO: No - Complex

A futuristic 3D-printed space habitat that has been designed to fit inside Elon Musks Starship has been unveiled at a school in Switzerland.

It is the worlds tallest and has been set up at the Institut auf dem Rosenberg, a private international boarding school.

The Rosenberg Space Habitat is a three-storey structure that can house a crew of two.

It was built for analogue missions, or field tests that simulate deep-space missions, and will be used as a research centre for students.

As space agencies plan to build human bases on the Moon and Mars, space habitats will play a crucial role in sheltering astronauts and can be used on Earth for research.

This latest one was designed by Saga Architects, the same company that built a compact shelter that housed two of its own architects for 60 days in Greenland a location used to simulate the harsh lunar conditions.

The Rosenberg Space Habitat is a three-storey structure that can house a crew of two and was built for analogue missions field tests that simulate deep-space missions. Photo: Institut auf dem Rosenberg

Bernhard Gademann, director general of Rosenberg, told The National that the habitat would help in the students education on space subjects.

We have designed it as an experimental lab for students to explore and actively shape the future of humanity on our planet and beyond, Mr Gademann said.

Our aim is to provide future leaders with early exposure to the question of advanced space exploration, allowing our students to approach and solve these complex questions from a collaborative and holistic point of view.

We know that this new era of space exploration will have a critical impact on the future of our planet, from developing technologies to address the pressing challenges of sustainability on Earth, to the prospect of mining of precious resources in space.

The habitat is the worlds tallest 3D-printed polymer structure, measuring seven metres.

The first floor is dedicated to hygiene, lab research and workshop facilities that will include robots.

Work, recreation and entertainment will be carried out on the second floor, while the top floor is designated for privacy and rest.

The structure was designed to fit inside SpaceXs Starship, a rocket Elon Musk is developing to carry humans and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

It is set to be the worlds most powerful rocket, with its first orbital test flight expected to take place this year.

It is a fully reusable system that includes a booster rocket that will carry the Starship spacecraft to space.

The choice of using the Starship system as a carrier is due to its advanced delivery capabilities, as well as its ingenious and reusable approach that resonates with the Rosenberg commitment to sustainability, said Mr Gademann.

The idea of the Rosenberg Space Habitat was for our team of students to consider all aspects of space travel as closely as possible to the real thing, including the successful transportation and delivery of their habitat to space.

This degree of realism in prototyping helps students to approach problems from a holistic perspective, allowing them to consider the laws of physics but also to prioritise and combine features of the habitat.

He said that this process would help pupils to ask important questions about the needs of humans in space.

Students and researchers will use the habitat to carry out experiments ranging from testing technology to studying human behaviour while in isolation.

Experiments conducted from the RSH will explore human well-being, using facilities to test hardware and software tools and applications, and to develop monitoring tools for remote mission control systems, Mr Gademann said.

Learners will also explore the importance of sensory stimulation in remote living environments with light, sound and scent installations.

Valuable experiential learning projects will enhance skills in systems-thinking by working with automated mechatronics and observing independent communication and deeper learning of artificial intelligence.

Other companies are also building space habitats, including Spartan Space, a French start-up responsible for an inflatable structure called EuroHab.

This year, a prototype of the unit was put on display at the Abu Dhabi University.

EuroHab, which can house up to four astronauts, would be a secondary shelter to the landers that astronauts will live in while on the surface.

This would allow human beings to explore the surface for longer periods.

During the Apollo era, astronauts could explore for a only limited time before the light support system on their suit failed and they would have to return to their lander.

The EuroHab lunar habitat at Abu Dhabi University. Photo: Spartan Space

Updated: July 29, 2022, 6:00 PM

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Futuristic space habitat that fits inside SpaceXs Starship unveiled - The National

If Russia departs ISS "after 2024" -- as it's threatening to do -- NASA will need to act quickly to find a replacement.

Rich Smith| The Motley Fool

Russia plans to leave ISS by 2024. Can it stay in orbit without them?

Russia's withdrawal from the International Space Station would force NASA and partners to find new ways to keep the space station in orbit.

Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY

Russia plans to abandon the International Space Station in 2024.

That was the headline that shocked the space community last week, when Russian news agency TASS quoted new Roscosmos Chief Yuri Borisov saying that Russia will "withdraw from this station after 2024" and attempt to build a new, all-Russian space station instead. But perhaps investors should be looking at this less like a surprise, and more like ... an opportunity?

After all, when the International Space Station (ISS) began operating in 2001, it was expected to remain in operation for about 15 years. It's 2022 now, so obviously that initial plan has been revised. Still, as far back as 2016 (ISS's original "expiration date"), Russia was already making noises about wanting to abandon the project, detach its modules, and use them as the basis for a new, all-Russian station.

Continual negotiation between the U.S., which wants to use ISS to train private companies to build their own stations, and Russia, which up until 2020 was making a good business selling "seats" on Russian rockets, has extended ISS's lease on life first through 2025, then 2028, and most recently all the way out to 2030. But ex-Roscosmos boss Dmitry Rogozin has complained that ISS costs "colossal money" to maintain, and the Russian government has been saying for years it would prefer to spend its money on a wholly owned Russian station, to be named the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS).

Recap: Russia quitting space station could trigger program 'nightmare'

SpaceX News: SpaceX rocket in latest Starlink launch

Now, with the advent of Russia's war on Ukraine and the arrival of a new "cold war" mentality in the U.S. and Russia, Russia may be ready to call it quits on ISS. (Or it may not. A separate Reuters story that followed the TASS report by mere hours cited other Russian officials saying Russia might stick with ISS through 2028.)

If Russia does jump ship, it isn't necessarily the end of the mission While a multinational effort comprising elements provided by the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe, and Canada (roughly in that order), the bulk of ISS belongs to the U.S. In fact, only about 17% of the space station's mass is "Russian." But the most important part of that 17% is the station's Zvezda ("Star") service module, which is the engine of the station that enables it to maintain its orbit and maneuver around space junk.

If and when Russia abandons ISS -- taking Zvezda with it that's the part that NASA must replace if it wishes to keep ISS in operation through 2030. And this could be an opportunity for companies that can capitalize. If Russia does leave ISS, NASA could be forced to rush out an award to a U.S. company to take over Zvezda's role. Several names suggest themselves as candidates for this role and potential recipients of a NASA contract to build a Zvezda replacement.

What NASA has to say: NASA 'strongly rebukes' pro-Russian separatist flag display on International Space Station

SpaceX is probably the name that leaps first to mind. Elon Musk's pioneering space company has proven itself adept at solving all sorts of space problems, from reusable launch rockets to communications satellites to moon landers. SpaceX is, however, a private company, offering investors little chance to profit from it even if it wins an ISS contract.

For kids: You can buy SpaceX toys and collectibles from Mattel starting next year

Fortunately, two other publicly held space companies are more attractive.

Boeing(NYSE: BA), for example, served as NASA's prime contractor in building ISS in the 1990s and 2000s and probably knows ISS better than anyone else. Boeing also now has a flight-proven, (almost) human-rated spacecraft the Starliner that's capable of reaching ISS and using its engines to course-correct the space station as an ad hoc engine, while working on a more permanent solution.

Another publicly traded space company that would have a good shot at winning a Zvezda replacement contract is Northrop Grumman(NYSE: NOC). Like Boeing's Starliner, Northrop's Cygnus supply ships can reach ISS and in fact, NASA has plans to try using Cygnus's engines to course-correct ISS on a future flight, to test out this option.

Northrop even won a contract to build a habitation module for NASA's planned lunar space station, the Lunar Gateway, basing its design on what else? a Cygnus supply craft. And if NASA thinks Northrop is qualified to build modules for its new space station, it stands to reason Northrop would be first in line to win a contract to build new modules for NASA's old space station as well.

Incoming: Uncontrolled debris from Chinese space rocket could crash on Earth as soon as Saturday

Right now, it's hard to say how serious Russia is about exiting ISS ahead of schedule. But if it does leave, given the ambitious plans several space companies have announced in recent years to build their own space stations but to first practice space station operations and procedures aboard ISS I think there's a good chance NASA will seek an interim solution to keep ISS flying for a few more years.

If that proves to be the case, Boeing and Northrop (and SpaceX) are all prime candidates to benefit from a new ISS contract.

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Excerpt from:

3 companies that could replace Russia on International Space Station: SpaceX, Boeing, Northrup - USA TODAY

Enlarge / The Wentian experimental module and the Long March 5B rocket are seen near its launch site on July 18, 2022.

CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Things have been falling out of the sky of late. Fortunately, no one has been hurt, but two recent space debris events offer a good reminder that what goes up often does come down.

This past weekend, a huge Chinese rocket broke apart in the atmosphere above Southeast Asia, with large chunks of the 24-metric-ton booster landing in Indonesia and Malaysia. Some of this debris fell within about 100 meters of a nearby village, but there have been no reported injuries.

The debris came from a Chinese Long March 5B rocketlaunched on July 24 to deliver a module to the country's new Tiangong space station. The large rocket has a core stage and four solid rocket boosters mounted to its side. With the rocket's design, the core stage also acts as the upper stage, delivering its payload into orbit. Because the YF-77 engines cannot restart, the core stage typically reenters the atmosphere about one week after launching when used for low Earth orbit missions.

This sets up an uncontrolled reentry through the atmosphere, and while most of the 30-meter-long rocket breaks up due to heating, significant chunks make it to the surface of the Earth. This time, it looks like much of the debris fell into the Sulu Sea, between the Philippines and Borneo.

China has offered only limited comments on the return of the Long March 5B rocket. However, after the booster's splashdown, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released a statement critical of China for not sharing tracking information about the rocket's return.

"The Peoples Republic of China did not share specific trajectory information as their Long March 5B rocket fell back to Earth," Nelson said. "All spacefaring nations should follow established best practices and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, especially for heavy-lift vehicles, like the Long March 5B, which carry a significant risk of loss of life and property. Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensure the safety of people here on Earth."

As the Chinese rocket plummeted back to Earth, reports also emerged this weekend of debris found in New South Wales, in the southeastern part of Australia. Three pieces of debris were eventually recovered and linked to the "trunk" of the Crew-1 spacecraft launched by SpaceX in November 2020. One of the pieces was about three meters long, and the debris was said to fall to the ground in the remote area on July 9.

The Dragon trunk provides power to the spacecraft during flight from its solar panelsand also houses unpressurized cargo. The spacecraft sheds the trunk shortly before a deorbit burn, and it then spends about one year in orbit before returning to Earth, finally being dragged down by the upper edge of the atmosphere. SpaceX has not provided specific information about the mass of the trunk, but it is likely 3 to 4 metric tons.

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Why space debris keeps falling out of the skyand will continue to do so - Ars Technica

Teslas profit fell from $18.8 billion in the first quarter and $16.9 billion in the second quarter: report Photo: File

Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who owns Tesla and SpaceX, is preparing to build his own private airport.

According to a foreign media report, Elon Musk plans to build his own airport near Austin in the US state of Texas.

According to sources close to Elon Musk, the report states that no final decision has been made on the required land for the airport, however, according to an estimate, the community hangar of Austins Executive Airport is 130,000 square feet, while Run The land of Way is 6 thousand 25 square feet.

According to the report, construction of the airport is not possible soon as it requires the approval of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).

Keep in mind that according to the revenue report released by Tesla, the companys profit has decreased compared to the first quarter of $18.8 billion and Teslas second quarter profit was $16.9 billion.

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See more here:

Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk will build his own private airport - PiPa News