Space In General

Dotini
What's going on between Musk and the FAA?
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Who knows. Last I heard they wouldn't approve the flight because two engines had been changed, making it a "new vehicle" and requiring SpaceX to re-register it.

SN10 is on its way to launch pad A as I type this.



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Flight TFR's have been posted for Tuesday through Thursday. Tuesday has the best weather, so hopefully it flies then. And hopefully the FAA figures out how they're going to move forward with this. Progress is being made on these things quickly, procedures need to be updated to match the pace.
 
Dotini
What's going on between Musk and the FAA?
Click to expand...
Well, Elon Musk hates safety - which is why he keeps selling cars with "autopilot" and "full self driving" even though they are nothing of the sort and get confused by cattle grids - and the FAA is a safety agency. So pretty much that.
R1600Turbo
And hopefully the FAA figures out how they're going to move forward with this. Progress is being made on these things quickly, procedures need to be updated to match the pace.
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"Am I, the man who sells level two autonomy in road vehicles to customers, under the guise of level five autonomy, as a large scale public beta test, so out of touch with safety?"
"No, it is the federal agency which has been certifying vehicles for space flight since before I was born that is wrong."

And the "disrupter" con continues.
 
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Meanwhile in Boca Chica, FAA approval for the flight of SN9 could come by the end of the day for a possible launch tomorrow. Whether or not the residents get notified to evacuate tonight will be the telling factor.

SN10 had its first ambient pressure test already. Raptor engine installations will wait until after it's Cryo proof test according to Elon.







And it appears that there will be no flight tomorrow.

 
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"we've just gotta work on that landing a little bit"

Oh man, looked like a repeat of the last test... weren't two engines supposed to fire up for a while? Although I'm not sure how long a while is, since there was only about 10 seconds from being "under 1.5km" to splat.
 
Outspacer
"we've just gotta work on that landing a little bit"

Oh man, looked like a repeat of the last test... weren't two engines supposed to fire up for a while? Although I'm not sure how long a while is, since there was only about 10 seconds from being "under 1.5km" to splat.
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Yeah two engines for landing. One of them was having issues. You can see it trying to fire on the slo-mo but by then it was too late and the one engine that was running perfectly just couldn't compensate on its own.

On to the next!
 
Loud noises, stinking smoke, thunderous flaming explosions. Every real man's wet dream come true. Blessings on thee, Elon Musk, for thy art truly doing righteous work on Earth. Ad astra, per aspera.
 
From today's edition of spaceweather,com


CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: What made the auroras of Feb. 2nd so good? It was a co-rotating interaction region (CIR). CIRs are transition zones between slow- and fast-moving streams of solar wind. Solar wind plasma piles up in these regions, creating density gradients and shock waves that can rockEarth's magnetic field much like a CME. A CIR hit Earth on Feb. 2nd and ... see below. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

MIND-BENDING AURORAS: Usually, when aurora tour guide Marianne Berglisees mind-bending auroras over Tromsø, Norway, she is surrounded by clients. Last night, she was all alone. "The lights were incredible--just fantastic," she says. "And I enjoyed the display all by myself."



"Every color in the heavens cycled through the sky," she says. "It. Was. Amazing."

This is what happens when a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) hits Earth during a global pandemic: Lots of auroras, few tourists. Despite the lack of witnesses, though, the outburst really happened.

In the wake of the CIR, solar wind is now blowing around Earth at speeds near 500 km/s. If these conditions persist, more Arctic mind-benders are possible on Feb. 3rd. Says Bergli, "you are welcome to join us." Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
 
Raise your hands, anybody who is actually surprised by Biden's accommodations to China...

He calls it "easing strained relations."

Relations are "strained" because the poor saps weren't getting their way before. Standing up for America means not giving in to those who oppose America. China opposes America, in every conceivable way of looking at it.
 
Dotini
Opinion piece sympathetic to SpaceX explains concern that Biden administration is canceling Musk, his plans, and America's plans in space.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/3/biden-cancels-elon-musks-adventures-in-space/
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Not surprised that article is full of misinformation. I already posted the FAA's reasoning for the hold up on the recent test and it was largely due to SpaceX themselves. Things have been corrected and the test moved forward.

Edit: that article absolutely wreaks of terrible journalism

Edit 2: this about sums it up.

 
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SN10 has had all of its engines installed, and we may see a static fire as early as Monday.



Also, SN11 had its nose cone installed and became whole. Truckin' right along.



 
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From today's edition of spaceweather.com:

HOPE ORBITS MARS: In a first for the Arab world, the United Arab Emirate's Hope Probe (مسبار الأمل‎) has reached Mars. It entered orbit yesterday, commencing a 2 year mission to study the Red Planet's atmosphere and climate. Two more spacecraft are on the way: China's Tianwen-1 mission on Feb. 10th and NASA's Perseverance rover on Feb. 18th.
 
TenEightyOne
There is water on the moon, say NASA. Roughly 1 litre per 3 cubic metres of rock. BBC.
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Follow-up on the Moon water story. From today's edition of spaceweather.com:


A NEW FORM OF SPACE WEATHER--EARTH WIND: The sun is windy. Every day, 24/7, a breeze of electrified gas blows away from the sun faster than a million mph. Solar wind sparks beautiful auroras around the poles of Earth, sculpts the tails of comets, and scours the surface of the Moon.

​
Would you believe, Earth is windy, too? Our own planet produces a breeze of electrified gas. It's like the solar wind, only different, and it may have important implications for space weather on the Moon.

"Earth wind" comes from the axes of our planet. Every day, 24/7, fountains of gas shoot into space from the poles. The leakage is tiny compared to Earth's total atmosphere, but it is enough to fill the magnetosphere with a riot of rapidly blowing charged particles. Ingredients include ionized hydrogen, helium, oxygen and nitrogen.

Once a month, the Moon gets hit by a blast of Earth wind. It happens around the time of the full Moon when Earth's magnetic tail points like a shotgun toward the lunar disk. For 3 to 5 days, lunar terrain is bombarded by H+, He+, O+, N2+and other particles.

One effect of Earth wind, just discovered, is to create water. According to a new study published in the January 2021 edition of the Astrophysical Journal Letters, Earth wind can actually make H2O on the lunar surface.

"Hydrogen ions in Earth wind combine with oxygen in Moon rocks and soil to make hydroxyl (OH-) and water (H2O)," explains one of the lead authors, Quanqi Shi of Shandong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "This came as a surprise."


Above: Earth wind (blue) engulfs the full Moon, an artist's concept. Credit: E. Masongsong

Researchers have long known that hydrogen from space raining down on the Moon can create a temporary form of surface water. Solar wind does it all the time. However, this kind of water was expected to dry up once a month when the Moon enters Earth's magnetic tail. Terrestrial magnetism deflects solar wind, turning the faucet to the OFF position.

But that's not what happened.

The researchers looked at data from NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) onboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was orbiting the Moon in 2009 when the Moon made multiple passes through Earth's magnetic tail. "We found that lunar surface water does not disappear as expected during the magnetosphere shielding period," says Shi. "Earth wind must be bridging the gap."


Above: Water- and hydroxyl-rich materials on the lunar surface. [more]

In fact, when it comes to producing water, Earth wind has some big advantages over solar wind. When the full Moon is inside Earth's magnetic tail, it is surrounded by Earth wind and feels its impact from every direction. The lunar nearside, lunar farside, and lunar poles are all peppered with Earth wind particles. In this sense, Earth wind can potentially make water anywhere--unlike the solar wind which rains down only on the lunar dayside.

Another potential advantage of Earth wind: It is oxygen rich, much more so than solar wind. "Oxygen is another key element of water," points out Shi. "Whether these oxygen ions can contribute to the formation of lunar water is a very intriguing question for future study."
https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2021/02/12/a-new-form-of-space-weather-earth-wind/
 
Dotini
Follow-up on the Moon water story. From today's edition of spaceweather.com:


A NEW FORM OF SPACE WEATHER--EARTH WIND: The sun is windy. Every day, 24/7, a breeze of electrified gas blows away from the sun faster than a million mph. Solar wind sparks beautiful auroras around the poles of Earth, sculpts the tails of comets, and scours the surface of the Moon.

​
Would you believe, Earth is windy, too? Our own planet produces a breeze of electrified gas. It's like the solar wind, only different, and it may have important implications for space weather on the Moon.

"Earth wind" comes from the axes of our planet. Every day, 24/7, fountains of gas shoot into space from the poles. The leakage is tiny compared to Earth's total atmosphere, but it is enough to fill the magnetosphere with a riot of rapidly blowing charged particles. Ingredients include ionized hydrogen, helium, oxygen and nitrogen.

Once a month, the Moon gets hit by a blast of Earth wind. It happens around the time of the full Moon when Earth's magnetic tail points like a shotgun toward the lunar disk. For 3 to 5 days, lunar terrain is bombarded by H+, He+, O+, N2+and other particles.

One effect of Earth wind, just discovered, is to create water. According to a new study published in the January 2021 edition of the Astrophysical Journal Letters, Earth wind can actually make H2O on the lunar surface.

"Hydrogen ions in Earth wind combine with oxygen in Moon rocks and soil to make hydroxyl (OH-) and water (H2O)," explains one of the lead authors, Quanqi Shi of Shandong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "This came as a surprise."


Above: Earth wind (blue) engulfs the full Moon, an artist's concept. Credit: E. Masongsong

Researchers have long known that hydrogen from space raining down on the Moon can create a temporary form of surface water. Solar wind does it all the time. However, this kind of water was expected to dry up once a month when the Moon enters Earth's magnetic tail. Terrestrial magnetism deflects solar wind, turning the faucet to the OFF position.

But that's not what happened.

The researchers looked at data from NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) onboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which was orbiting the Moon in 2009 when the Moon made multiple passes through Earth's magnetic tail. "We found that lunar surface water does not disappear as expected during the magnetosphere shielding period," says Shi. "Earth wind must be bridging the gap."


Above: Water- and hydroxyl-rich materials on the lunar surface. [more]

In fact, when it comes to producing water, Earth wind has some big advantages over solar wind. When the full Moon is inside Earth's magnetic tail, it is surrounded by Earth wind and feels its impact from every direction. The lunar nearside, lunar farside, and lunar poles are all peppered with Earth wind particles. In this sense, Earth wind can potentially make water anywhere--unlike the solar wind which rains down only on the lunar dayside.

Another potential advantage of Earth wind: It is oxygen rich, much more so than solar wind. "Oxygen is another key element of water," points out Shi. "Whether these oxygen ions can contribute to the formation of lunar water is a very intriguing question for future study."
https://spaceweatherarchive.com/2021/02/12/a-new-form-of-space-weather-earth-wind/
Click to expand...

A fascinating article to be sure, but what the heck does "It's like the solar wind, only different" mean?
 
BobK
A fascinating article to be sure, but what the heck does "It's like the solar wind, only different" mean?
Click to expand...
The solar wind is a relatively newly known phenomenon, discovered in the 19th Century which is still under investigation. Basically, it is nearly continuous and variable stream of very hot and highly charged particles - both positive and negative - which stream away from the Sun in all directions out to the limits of the magnetic bubble surrounding our solar system.
I will leave this link for further reading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind
 
polysmut
Is the yellow part the solar wind and is that causing the earth wind to appear mainly to one side of the planet?
Click to expand...

Yes, IMO the yellow part is the solar wind. Its pressure causes the Earth's magnetic field to sweep away in the opposite direction. During a strong enough solar storm, the magnetic field on the Sun side of the Earth may collapse enough for communications satellites and even the surface of the Earth to be affected by the solar activity. The Carrington Event is a good example of the damage that can be caused on the surface.

If I am correct, the "earth wind" is the blue stuff coming up from the poles, and following around the magnetic field towards the Moon.

In the lab example below, the equivalent is the aurora-like current streaming away from the poles.

Laboratory simulation of the magnetosphere's influence on the solar wind; these auroral-like Birkeland currents were created in a terrella, a magnetised anode globe in an evacuated chamber.
 
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Exorcet
Yes. We tend to think of space as a vacuum, though it isn't really. And at large scales, you can think of it as being filled with its own atmosphere. Some fast moving stars produce interesting shockwaves through not so empty space.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_shock
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Radiation too. Imagine you're floating in a position in interstellar space. Everywhere you look you see stars. Everything you see represents light interacting with your eyeball, meaning the empty spot you're sitting in is full of light rays passing this way and that. Some of them you see, some of them hit your body, some of them miss you by a millimeter. Each of of those light rays is a stream of photons filing the space. And that's just the radiation you can see.
 
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960x0.jpg

Ida, discovered by the Galileo probe in 1993, is 52 km long and has a tiny moon, Dactyl. (Photo by: ... [+]

UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES
 

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