{"id":21143,"date":"2020-02-13T11:55:09","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T16:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21143"},"modified":"2020-02-13T11:38:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T16:38:00","slug":"space-transport-roundup-feb-13-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21143","title":{"rendered":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Feb.13.2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find <a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5\">previous roundups here<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>The Antares launch of a Cynus cargo vehicle to the ISS is set for this Friday, Feb. 14th at 3:43 pm EST <\/strong>(2043 GMT). The original target liftoff date was last Sunday but there was a scrub at the last few minute due to a pad equipment malfunction. See the previous roundup here for links to info about the mission.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-tv-coverage-set-for-feb-14-cygnus-launch-to-space-station\">NASA TV Coverage Set for Feb. 14 Cygnus Launch to Space Station | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2020\/02\/10\/antares-launch-scrubbed-due-to-faulty-ground-support-equipment\/\">Antares launch scrubbed due to faulty ground support equipment \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>** <strong>Another SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of a batch of 60 Starlink satellites<\/strong> is set for Saturday, Feb. 15th at 1546 GMT (10:46 a.m. EST)<span class=\"strong\"> from <\/span>Cape Canaveral. There should be a test firing on the pad a day or two before Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>More <a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5#SpaceX\">SpaceX items below<\/a><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Multiple launches in the past few days<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>**** <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ulalaunch.com\"><strong>ULA<\/strong><\/a><strong> Atlas V launches ESA\/NASA <a href=\"https:\/\/sci.esa.int\/web\/solar-orbiter\">Solar Orbiter<\/a><\/strong> spacecraft: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Solar_Orbiter\/Liftoff_for_Solar_Orbiter_ESA_s_mission_to_face_the_Sun_up_close\">Liftoff for Solar Orbiter, ESA\u2019s mission to face the Sun up close &#8211; ESA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\">Solar Orbiter lofted to space aboard the US Atlas V 411 rocket from NASA\u2019s spaceport in Cape Canaveral, Florida at <\/span><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\">04:03<\/span><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\"> GMT (<\/span><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\">05:03<\/span><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\"> CET) on 10 February 2020. An ESA-led mission with strong NASA participation, Solar Orbiter carries a set of ten instruments for imaging the surface of the Sun and studying the environment in its vicinity. The spacecraft will travel around the Sun on an elliptical orbit that will take it as close as 42 million km away from the Sun\u2019s surface, about a quarter of the distance between the Sun and Earth. The orbit will allow Solar Orbiter to see some of the never-before-imaged regions of the Sun, including the poles, and shed new light on what gives rise to solar wind, which can affect infrastructure on Earth.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6GTIqBFmD2Q?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>A Japanese H-IIA rocket built by Mitsubishi launched a military reconnaissance spacecraft<\/strong> on Feb.9th:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pLirFlgo1mg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>Soyuz launch of 34 OneWeb satellites from Baikonur<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SKb3sy5qJ24?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Update on construction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blueorigin.com\">Blue Origin<\/a> facilities at Cape Canaveral<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridatoday.com\/story\/tech\/science\/space\/2020\/02\/07\/cape-canaveral-blue-origin-water-tower-one-tallest-in-the-world\/4667516002\/\">At Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin&#8217;s water tower is one of the tallest &#8211; Florida Today<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridatoday.com\/picture-gallery\/tech\/science\/space\/2020\/02\/06\/photos-blue-origins-launch-complex-36-under-construction\/4682707002\/\">Photos: Blue Origin&#8217;s Launch Complex 36 under construction &#8211; Florida Today<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Just below their tallest points, the skeletal forerunner of a massive hangar and processing facility is also taking shape here, designed to\u00a0process New Glenn rockets before they roll out to the pad. Some 300 feet in height, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blueorigin.com\/new-glenn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">New Glenn<\/a> will rise over most structures at the complex, save for the launch tower and lightning towers.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>But eyes gazing toward the tip of the Cape can&#8217;t\u00a0miss one more soaring figure at Launch Complex 36: a 351-foot-tall water tower.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Designed to store hundreds of thousands of gallons of water for liftoff sound suppression and temperature control, the new tower&#8217;s gray exterior has yet to be painted, showing where teams joined its massive segments. Even from miles away, it&#8217;s visible to the naked eye.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>NASA and Boeing discuss additional problems on Starliner&#8217;s uncrewed test flight<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/02\/07\/boeings-starliner-software-issues-under-nasa-investigation.html?__source=sharebar%7Ctwitter&amp;par=sharebar\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Boeing&#8217;s Starliner software issues under NASA investigation &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/commercialcrew\/2020\/02\/07\/nasa-shares-initial-findings-from-boeing-starliner-orbital-flight-test-investigation\/\">NASA Shares Initial Findings from Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test Investigation \u2013 Commercial Crew Program\/NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2020\/02\/boeing-nasa-admit-multiple-anomalies-starliner-mission\/\">Boeing &amp; NASA admit multiple anomalies on Starliner mission &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An audio recording of a press briefing by NASA and Boeing:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1IxJ3Uj4RPY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>More about the <a href=\"https:\/\/astra.com\/\">Astra<\/a> rocket company<\/strong> : <a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astra-unveils-plans-for-frequent-low-cost-launches\/\">Astra unveils plans for frequent, low-cost launches &#8211; SpaceNews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Many in the space industry, though, had heard of Astra, which also went by the name of Astra Space in regulatory filings and Stealth Space Company in job listings. The company performed two suborbital test launches from Pacific Spaceport Complex \u2013 Alaska in 2018, both of which the Federal Aviation Administration, which licensed them, <a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astra-space-suborbital-launch-fails\/\">classified as mishaps<\/a>. On its website, Astra said the first mission was \u201claunched successfully,\u201d but notes the second launch \u201cwas shorter than planned\u201d without elaborating.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Even before those launches <a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/alaskan-spaceport-to-host-secretive-commercial-launch\/\">the company\u2019s activities were visible<\/a>. Shortly before the first launch a traffic helicopter for a television station in San Francisco spotted one of the company\u2019s rockets being tested on the tarmac of the former naval air station that\u2019s home to Astra and its 250,000-square-foot factory.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The company is developing a small launch vehicle designed to place up to about 200 kilograms in low Earth orbit, according to the Bloomberg article, and do so frequently. Company executives said in the article their goal is to be able to perform hundreds of launches a year at a price per launch as low as $1 million.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Update on the Danish <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copsub.com\">Copenhagen Suborbitals<\/a> organization<\/strong>, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that is working methodically towards sending a rocket with a person on board to suborbital space:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7oqaFkjUd-c?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Rocket briefs<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blueorigin.com\">Blue Origin<\/a> patents a <a href=\"https:\/\/sqoop.com\/details\/uspto\/10556709\">&#8220;whip&#8221; style catapult launch<\/a> concept: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geekwire.com\/2020\/whip-good-amazon-patents-system-snapping-payloads-air-orbit\/\">Amazon patents system for whipping payloads into the air, or into orbit \u2013 GeekWire<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/momentus.space\/\">Momentus<\/a> begins orbital tug operations this year:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/momentus.space\/\">Service Roadmap for Vigoride &#8211; Momentus<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacewatch.global\/2020\/02\/momentus-space-aims-to-offer-full-commercial-in-space-shuttle-service-by-2021\/\">Momentus Space Aims To Offer Full Commercial In-Space Shuttle Service By 2021 &#8211; SpaceWatch.Global<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>More about SpinLaunch&#8217;s catapult satellite delivery: <a href=\"https:\/\/singularityhub.com\/2020\/02\/10\/the-company-that-wants-to-fling-rockets-into-space-with-a-giant-centrifuge\/\">The Company That Wants to Fling Rockets Into Space With a Giant Centrifuge &#8211; Singularity Hub<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gspacetech.com\/\">Gilmour Space Technologies<\/a> awarded an Australian government grant for development of composite components for rockets: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gspacetech.com\/post\/3-million-boost-to-rocket-fuel-tank-research\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$3 million boost to rocket fuel tank research &#8211; GSpaceTech.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a id=\"SpaceX\"><\/a>** <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spacex.com\">SpaceX<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Components for the the first Crew Dragon mission with astronauts to go to orbit<\/strong> are reaching Cape Canaveral: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-spaceship-final-factory-tests-before-florida\/\">SpaceX&#8217;s first astronaut-ready spaceship wraps up final factory tests before heading to Florida &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Set to become the first commercial spacecraft ever to launch NASA astronauts, SpaceX has revealed that its newest Crew Dragon spaceship is in the midst of its final major factory tests, meaning that it could be just a matter of days before it ships to Florida.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Originally built to support SpaceX\u2019s first operational NASA astronaut launch (PCM-1), an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-crew-dragon-explosion-titanium-fire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"explosion that destroyed capsule C201 (opens in a new tab)\">explosion that destroyed capsule C201<\/a> forced the company to shuffle its fleet and reassign that spacecraft (capsule C206) to an inaugural crewed test flight known as Demo-2. Thankfully, although C201 did explode during post-recovery static fire testing, the spacecraft had flawlessly completed an uncrewed test flight (Demo-1) the month prior, demonstrating a nominal Falcon 9 launch, space station rendezvous, docking, orbital reentry, and splashdown without a single visible hiccup. In short, Crew Dragon\u2019s Demo-1 launch debut could not have gone better.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Ultimately, Crew Dragon C206, its Demo-2 trunk section, and Falcon 9\u2019s booster and upper stage are all expected to be at SpaceX\u2019s Florida processing and launch facilities by the end of the month.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A video of the Crew Dragon C206 during tests:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Crew Dragon spacecraft that will fly <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NASA<\/a> astronauts <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AstroBehnken<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Astro_Doug<\/a> to and from the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Space_Station<\/a> undergoing electromagnetic interference testing <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qSh8QHfwrn\">pic.twitter.com\/qSh8QHfwrn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX\/status\/1227339210945777665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 11, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">SpaceX employees with Crew Dragon before it departed our Hawthorne factory for the launch site in Florida \u2013 one step closer to returning human spaceflight capabilities to the United States! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ekaVJf9HDt\">pic.twitter.com\/ekaVJf9HDt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX\/status\/1227650390738341888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>For the first time,\u00a0 a realistic date is being targeted for the first crew flight:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Why don&#8217;t they know the duration of the mission yet? Short answer is there are a lot of moving parts. NASA wants to minimize time of 3 ISS crew members. Still not sure when first SpX operational mission will take place, or when Boeing&#8217;s OFT flight will occur.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SciGuySpace\/status\/1226919875068747780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 10, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>****<strong> SpaceX hires a former top NASA honcho<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/02\/11\/spacex-hires-former-nasa-official-william-gerstenmaier.html\">SpaceX hires former NASA official William Gerstenmaier &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2020\/02\/spacex-has-hired-a-key-nasa-official-to-help-with-human-spaceflight\/\">William Gerstenmaier joins SpaceX, and that\u2019s a really big deal | Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacepolicyonline.com\/news\/gerstenmaier-joins-spacex-as-consultant\/\">Gerstenmaier Joins SpaceX As Consultant \u2013 SpacePolicyOnline.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mainenginecutoff.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/gerst-the-engineer\">Gerst the Politician, Gerst the Engineer &#8211; Main Engine Cut Off<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From CNBC:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SpaceX is only a couple of months away from its first attempt at launching astronauts and the company has brought in one of the foremost experts in human spaceflight to help it do so successfully.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>William Gerstenmaier, the former leader of NASA\u2019s human spaceflight program, has now begun working at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, people familiar with his hiring told CNBC. In his new role Gerstenmaier is reporting to SpaceX vice president of mission assurance Hans Koenigsmann, those people said, as the company prepares to begin launching astronauts.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>A SpaceX spokesperson confirmed that Gerstenmaier is a consultant for the company\u2019s reliability engineering team.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>Falcon 9 reusability operations are improving<\/strong>:\u00a0 The\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/op-ed-spacexs-adaptation-to-market-changes\/\">Op-ed | SpaceX\u2019s adaptation to market changes &#8211; SpaceNews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SpaceX has been learning and experimenting with reusability for several years, and its progress has been relatively fast and linear. Euroconsult\u2019s tracking of reused Falcon 9 boosters suggests that boosters with more recent serial numbers are seeing shorter turnaround times between launches, as SpaceX acquires experience and learns to optimize refurbishment. While roughly a year was necessary to refurbish and relaunch the B1021 booster for SpaceX\u2019s very first re-use of a recovered first stage for commercial customer SES-10 in early 2017, only 82 days were necessary to recondition and relaunch the first stage that launched CRS-18 in 2019. This is a significant improvement in terms of turnaround time, which goes a long way to enable a launch rate increase, and thus a launch cost decrease via the amortization of overhead costs over a greater number of launches. The average turnaround time between the first and second reuse of a booster (i.e., between the second and third launches of a first stage) is 160 days, and as low as 118 days in the case of B1046.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The fastest turnaround time between two launches of the same first stage was achieved in 2018 when SpaceX used the B1045 to launch NASA\u2019s TESS and CRS-15 missions 72 days apart. This year, SpaceX turned around a pair of boosters, B1052 and B1053, for two Falcon Heavy launches 74 days apart.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>Starship<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>The fully reusable Starship, however,\u00a0 is the true key to opening up space to development<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/spacewatch.global\/2020\/02\/spacewatchgl-op-ed-the-railroad-to-space\/\">Op-Ed: The Railroad To Space &#8211; SpaceWatch.Global<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>With vehicles like Starship, the price per kilogram to LEO may drop to something like a few hundred Dollars, even assuming the company does not proactively cut its gross margin. All in all, the drop in average launch cost in the near future vs. recent history may hence well exceed 90%.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>This is significant. Industries do not stay the same when their cost drops by an order of magnitude \u2013 think e.g. about the internet dropping the cost of accessing consumers\u2019 eyeballs. For a comparison more directly related to transportation (which is what space launches are in the end), we can look back approximately 150 years to the time when railroads were built out to the U.S. West.\u00a0The railroads allowed far higher passenger and cargo volumes than the previous mode of transportation \u2013 stagecoaches \u2013 and dropped the cost of reaching the U.S. West by an estimated 85%. The effects were dramatic. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/california-population-overview-1435260\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">California\u2019s population increased from 92597 (first census, in 1850) to 1.485 million in 1900<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usstuckonstupid.com\/sos_downchart.php?year=1850_1939&amp;units=s&amp;chart=gdp&amp;bar=1&amp;stack=1&amp;size=m&amp;title=&amp;color=c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">The real GDP of the United States increased 8.5x over the same timeframe<\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/econintersect.com\/pages\/infographics\/infographic.php?post=201902010511\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Transportation stocks exploded to represent up to 60% of the total stock market capitalization in the U.S.<\/a> The dramatically lower cost of accessing the U.S. West made this possible, by enabling e.g. large-scale settlement and agriculture.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX holds job fair at Boca Chica Beach<\/strong> as work activity expands to a round the clock rate: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/elon-musk-spacex-starship-career-day\/\">SpaceX CEO Elon Musk greets Starship Career Day hopefuls at festive event &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>At present, the SpaceX chief is focused on the construction and assembly of Starship, the new rocket that is intended to fly humanity into deep space. Earlier this week, Musk announced on Twitter that SpaceX will be holding a career day at its Boca Chica facility, with the goal of hiring full-time production staff that can cover four shifts for round-the-clock operations. Musk said he will be at the event himself.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SpaceX also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/elon-musk-to-attend-starship-career-day-in-texas-as-spacex-seeks-fcc-approval-ahead-of-test-flight\/\">filed an application with the FCC<\/a> seeking permission to use radio frequencies to communicate with the Starship SN1 prototype on a planned test flight dated for any time between March 16 and September 16.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>Some highlights of Boca Chica activities over the past few days<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>******\u00a0 <strong>SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; VAB construction, Starship SN1 Rings on the Move<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a> \u2013 Feb.8.2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\"><em>SpaceX Boca Chica&#8217;s new VAB is continuing construction as preps continue on the new Starship SN1 bulkhead, all while rings continue to be staged around the site. Photos and Videos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GTDJBd-JF4A?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; Starship SN1 Bulkhead Flip<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a> \u2013 Feb.9.2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\"><em>At SpaceX Boca Chica, the barrel section with bulkhead was flipped in preparation for stacking operations. Photos and Videos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Llug2MA9SSQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; VAB construction, Starship SN1 Rings on the Move<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a> \u2013 Feb.10.2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\">SpaceX Boca Chica&#8217;s new VAB is continuing construction as preps continue on the new Starship SN1 bulkhead, all while rings continue to be staged around the site. Photos and Videos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GTDJBd-JF4A?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; Walking a Starship Ring, SN1 Welds, VAB<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a> \u2013 Feb11.2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\">At SpaceX Boca Chica an apparently scrapped Starship Ring was relocated while welding on the SN1 barrel section continued. More work &#8211; via a herd of cranes &#8211; on the huge VAB was also conducted. Videos and Photos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D8tFzBGVbh4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; Starship SN1 gains valves and pressurization systems<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a> \u2013 Feb12.2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>More progress on Starship SN1 as SpaceXers appear to install the opening elements of an autogenous pressurization system, along with valves and potentially thrusters. Meanwhile, the VAB begins work on Tier 3. Videos and Photos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M2uj8rN-fmI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><strong><em> Amazon Ad <\/em><\/strong><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/149079655X\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=149079655X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=657d30fb3b908f934c95d12a7eb87dc0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Large and Dangerous Rocket Ships:<br \/>\nThe History of High-power Rocketry&#8217;\u0092s Ascent to the Edges of Outer Space<\/a><\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=149079655X\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=149079655X&amp;asins=149079655X&amp;linkId=ea1dd6da767642076473b783d8663a0f&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** The Antares launch of a Cynus cargo vehicle to the ISS is set for this Friday, Feb. 14th at 3:43 pm EST (2043 GMT). The original target liftoff date was last Sunday but there was a scrub at &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21143\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Space transport roundup &#8211; Feb.13.2020<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rockets"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-5v1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18503,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=18503","url_meta":{"origin":21143,"position":0},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; April.16.2019","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport: ** Northrop-Grumman Antares set to launch Cygnus cargo vehicle to the ISS from Wallops Island, Virginia on Wednesday, April 17th at 4:46 p.m. EDT (2046 GMT): U.S. Resupply Ship Poised for Launch as Crew Studies Life Science \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/33744244598_a8266fedaf_o1-958x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17050,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=17050","url_meta":{"origin":21143,"position":1},"title":"Lots of rocket launches planned for next 10 days","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Several rocket launches around the world are scheduled for the next couple of weeks. Most of these will be webcast. ** Rocket Lab Electron - Nov.10\/11, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. EST (0300-0700 GMT on 11th) - Rocket Lab is ready to put several commercial smallsats into low earth orbit on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&l=ur2&o=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18021,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=18021","url_meta":{"origin":21143,"position":2},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Feb.28.2019","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent items related to traveling to and through space: [ Update 2: ** The SpaceIL lunar lander resumes its engine firings after a computer problem earlier this week caused a firing to be canceled: Beresheet Overcomes Early Glitches, Continues Journey to the Moon | The Planetary Society.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/OnPadFeb28-2019-1024x683.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13367,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13367","url_meta":{"origin":21143,"position":3},"title":"Video: Launch of the Antares rocket from Virginia","author":"TopSpacer","date":"October 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Orbital ATK plans to launch the company's\u00a0Antares rocket tonight at 7:40 pm EDT from Wallops Island, Virginia. It will send\u00a0a\u00a0Cygnus cargo spacecraft to orbit and the Cygnus\u00a0will proceed to a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station\u00a0on Sunday. (Has to wait for a Soyuz that will launch from Russia\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/NX31vCePp1o\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21070,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21070","url_meta":{"origin":21143,"position":4},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Feb.6.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): [Update 23:00 EST: The OneWeb satellites were successfully deployed into the target orbits: OneWeb successfully launches 34 more satellites into orbit | OneWeb OneWeb, the global communications company with a mission to bring connectivity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Img_8617_333x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16028,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16028","url_meta":{"origin":21143,"position":5},"title":"Rockets: Antares launch from Virginia + Falcon 9 Blk 5 +  Nex\u00f8 II + Chinese commercial launchers","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Some miscellaneous rocket related items: **\u00a0 Antares\/Cygnus Launch: Orbital\u00a0ATK is set to\u00a0launch an Antares rocket early Sunday morning, May 20th from Wallops Island, Virginia to send a Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. There is a five-minute launch window\u00a0at 5:04-5:09 am EDT (0904-0909 GMT). [ Update: The launch\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Mission_profile_thumb1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21143"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21160,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21143\/revisions\/21160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}