Latest Launches and Updates

[heisan]

This may be a more accurate way to view things:

stranded_2x.png

( https://xkcd.com/2978 )

[Patrick AL]

Boeing Starliner makes weird noises…..

…..


Sounds like they left one of their Gremlins boxed in somewhere on Starliner, and he wants to be found now!

But seriously——it must be quiet disconcerting for all the ISS crew now
..hopefully just an errant jumping-bean or something !

Audio clip in article

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... d-ISS.html

[propstrap]

https://edition.cnn.com/science/live-ne ... index.html

The Starliner is about to start re-entry, without the astronauts on board... some thrusters failed on the way, but it appears ok now... Probably completed re-entry when this post shows. Wish them good luck!

[propstrap]

Looks like it made re-entry ok...



Still not over, but the riskier part is...

[Patrick AL]

Congratulations Polaris & SpaceX!

Flawless launch and Stage 1 landing!

Best wishes for the mission!



[media] [/media]

[Patrick AL]

SpaceX Dragon launched on next mission -and to retrieve the 2 astronauts left stranded by defective Boeing Starliner.

I'm sure Butch and Sunni are happy that SpaceX is able to help out!

Best of luck in the mission!


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy89kz8ge41o


SpaceX on mission to return two stranded astronauts
16 hours ago
Laurence Peter
BBC News
Watch: SpaceX rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX has launched its mission to bring back two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June.

The Dragon capsule, which has two empty seats for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Saturday.

The pair's mission at the space station had only been expected to last about eight days but after a fault was found on the new Boeing Starliner it returned to Earth empty as a precaution.

Nasa astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov are flying with fresh supplies for Butch and Suni and expect to bring them home in February.
Astronauts reveal what life is like on ISS – and how they deal with 'space smell'

The Dragon launch had been scheduled for Thursday but was delayed because of Hurricane Helene, which has left a trail of destruction through Florida, north through Georgia and into Tennessee and the Carolinas.

SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has been ferrying crews to and from the ISS every six months.

The Dragon is expected to dock with the ISS on Sunday at around 21:30 GMT.

Under a contract between Nasa and Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, three-seat Russian Soyuz spacecraft carry one Nasa astronaut on each flight to the ISS and a cosmonaut flies on each four-seat Dragon.

[propstrap]

Wooden satellite

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y3qzd5ql9o

When the headline caught my eye, I thought they were joking... a satellite made of wood! Well, looking at it, it's actually brilliant!

The world's first wood-panelled satellite has been launched into space to test the suitability of timber as a renewable building material in future exploration of destinations like the Moon and Mars.

Made by researchers in Japan, the tiny satellite weighing just 900g is heading for the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission. It will then be released into orbit above the Earth.

[Deanw]

Made by researchers in Japan, the tiny satellite weighing just 900g is heading for the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission. It will then be released into orbit above the Earth.

So, they just open a window and throw it out?