Part 1 of 2 Parts
My last posts were about problems that the Russians are having at the International Space Station (ISS). One of the problems that I talked about involved the finding of a small hole in August of 2018 that appeared to have been drilled in the wall of a Russian module on the ISS
Part 4 of 4 Parts (Please read Parts 1, 2 and 3 first)
In a surprise move in May of 2020, NASA announced that it planned to send actor Tom Cruise and Director Doug Liman to the ISS to shoot a movie. Jim Bridenstine was the NASA administrator when the plan was announced. He said, “We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists.”
Part 3 of 4 Parts (Please read Parts 1 and 2 first)
One year later, Roscosmos completed its investigation of the hole in the hull of the Soyuz capsule. However, the Russians refused to say publicly what they had discovered. Rogozin at Roscosmos told a science conference that “We know exactly what happened, but we will not tell you anything.”
Part 2 of 4 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Last week, I wrote about a problem with the launch of a Russian module to the International Space Station (ISS). They had engine/computer problems, but they managed to solve them and successfully rendezvoused with the ISS. Three hours after docking the new module suddenly fired its thrusters and sent the entire ISS spinning off course.
Russia launched its Nauka module into orbit yesterday to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). Unfortunately, a computer glitch prevented it from firing its main engines. When Nauka was unable to execute its first orbit-raising burn, there were concerns that the mission would fail.
The U.S. and other spacefaring nations including Russia are engaged in a new space race to establish manned bases on the Moon and Mars in the near future. Russia is planning to launch a nuclear-powered space tug on a trip to Mars. A nuclear power plant will be sent to Mars to supply power for a manned base that they are planning.
Three companies, including Lunar Outpost, Honeybee Robotics, and Masten Space Systems, are developing a novel system aimed at mining water ice from the moon with rockets. The project was recently announced in a blog post shared on Masten's official website.
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
