** Reusability: The Key to Reliability and Affordability – Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX
[ Oct.29.2018: For some reason, this video was removed from the IAC 2018 video play list. Hopefully, this is temporary. In the meantime, these two videos made by a person in the audience show Koenigsmann’s talk. The audio and video quality are actually pretty good.
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** URBAN: Conceiving a Lunar Base Using 3D Printing Technologies
** The Next Generation Plenary – Small Sats – Involving Everyone through Their Applications
** Commercial Platforms on the International Space Station – New Low Cost Opportunities for Commercial and Institutional Missions
I recently posted here about large rotating in-space habitats that could provide earth-like environments for large numbers of residents to live and prosper. In a new video, Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, describes the efforts of his company Blue Origin to help enable a future where residents on “a rocky moon or colonies floating in open space” will look to the stars and appreciate the progress today that made their lives in space possible:
Blue Origin believes in a future where millions of people are living and working in space. Why? Because we believe that in order to preserve Earth, our home, for our grandchildren’s grandchildren, we must go to space to tap its unlimited resources and energy. If we can lower the cost of access to space with reusable launch vehicles, we can enable this dynamic future for humanity. It’s a hopeful vision. Blue Origin is committed to building a road to space so our children can build a future. www.blueorigin.com
This week we have an epic panel to talk about the recent #dearMoon announcement including Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut, Emory “VaxHeadroom” Stagmer, Dr. Niamh Shaw and Astronaut Nicole Stott. We focus on the impact of the recent announcement by using a trip around the moon and art to inspire humanity in a totally new way.
A couple of interesting and informative videos about the SpaceX BFR and the lunar fly-by announced on Monday:
** “Why does SpaceX keep changing the BFR?” – Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut:
Elon Musk updated the world with the plans for SpaceX’s BFR at SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne. I attended to learn about all the new exciting changes! For now, we’re going to just look at what has changed with the vehicle over the years and why it keeps changing. Later we’ll do more in depth videos about Yusaku Maezawa’s beautiful #dearmoon project and the weird reentry system of the new BFR!
*** Sending Artists To The Moon With SpaceX – Scott Manley
SpaceX’s press event to announce a paying passenger on a flight around the moon took an amazing turn when Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa declared that he wanted the trip to be all about Art.
On Monday evening at the SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne, Calfornia, Elon Musk introduced billionaire entrepreneur and art collector YusakuMaezawa, as the mystery space tourist who has reserved a BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) for a flyby trip around the Moon. (See previous posting.) The flight could happen as early as 2023.
Maezawa will not be alone on the BFR, which can carry up to 100 people. He will take a group of 6-8 artists, film makers, architects, and other creative people of his choosing to share the 4-5 day long experience with him.
The BFR lunar flyby trajectory.
Maezawa has created a website #dearMoon to provide updates on the project. Here is a video about #dearMoon:
Maezawa would not say how much he will pay for the flight but Elon said the deposit alone will make a serious contribution towards the development of the BFR, which he said would probably cost in the $5 billion dollar range.
Major BFR structural components are already under construction and the Raptor engines are in an advanced state of testing. Up and down flights, or “hops”, of the upper stage are expected by late next year.
Yusaku Maezawa: “This is BFR from @spacex #dearMoon… “
[ Update: More about the big cylinder above – Elon Musk on Twitter: “That’s the first BFR airframe/tank barrel section
made of a new carbon fiber material… “]
Elon describes the latest BFR design:
A description of how the BFS (Big Falcon Spaceship, i.e. the upper stage) slows down in the atmosphere and then lands on the surface of Earth or Mars:
Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, gives his first impression of the night’s announcement:
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