NASA clears Europa Clipper mission for Oct. 10 launch despite Jupiter radiation worries

https://www.space.com/nasa-europa-c...oct-2024-launch


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

For a LAUNCH TOWER, most of the lifetime cost of a Perseverance class Mars rover mission.

NASA IG Report - NASA?s Management of the Mobile Launcher 2 Project
August 27, 2024

https://oig.nasa.gov/wp-content/upl...8/ig-24-016.pdf

NASA OIG Projects ML-2 Costs Could Reach $2.7 Billion and Will Not Be Ready for Artemis IV

__________________
I saw this beautiful girl on the bus, but she looked sad. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "Well, my analyst said I'm a nymphomaniac, but I only like Jewish cowboys... by the way, my name is Dianne." I said, "Hello, Dianne. My name is Bucky Goldstein." - Steven Wright

Thanks for posting this. That?s a chunk of change for a launch tower.

I will say, having extensively walked over and photographed on two trips to KSC in the late 80s and early 90s the LUT-1 tower used in Apollo (for launches of Apollos 4, 8, 11, and then modified with milk stool for Saturn 1b launches to Skylab), that these towers are massive, massive steel structures that, at least for the Apollo towers, are/were built like tanks! The individual tower floors, swing arms, corner columns, and all the various structural I-beams and such were very impressive in size and intricacies of construction.

Walking over and examining that Apollo launch tower has been by far one of THE highlights of my space exploration history experiences.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

The entire New Glenn project including the incredible facilities and launch transport and erection system I've recently posted video tours of is estimated to have a "Project cost: At least US$2.5 billion." Musk has spent $5 billion on Starship and all supporting facilities as of 2023. The Davis-Bacon Act jacks up the price of labor for EVERY Federal project.

And here's that info-graphic again to give a CONCEPT of HOW MUCH "just" a BILLION dollars is:

https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/i...s-in-stacks.jpg

__________________
I saw this beautiful girl on the bus, but she looked sad. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "Well, my analyst said I'm a nymphomaniac, but I only like Jewish cowboys... by the way, my name is Dianne." I said, "Hello, Dianne. My name is Bucky Goldstein." - Steven Wright

Yet another of his pie in the sky promises [see Smarter Every Day BOOST-ED! video linked below] and even if true, it should be forbidden. No way in hell can an entire Starship meet required planetary biological protection standards.

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.

These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars. If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1832550322293837833

Colonizing Mars means contaminating Mars and never knowing for sure if it had its own native life
6 Nov 2016

https://theconversation.com/coloniz...ive-life-103053

Given that the exploration of Mars has so far been limited to unmanned vehicles, the planet likely remains free from terrestrial contamination.

But when Earth sends astronauts to Mars, they?ll travel with life support and energy supply systems, habitats, 3D printers, food and tools. None of these materials can be sterilized in the same ways systems associated with robotic spacecraft can. Human colonists will produce waste, try to grow food and use machines to extract water from the ground and atmosphere. Simply by living on Mars, human colonists will contaminate Mars.

Going to Mars Could Mess Up the Hunt for Alien Life
Elon Musk wants to send humans to the red planet. But even our robotic presence there risks contaminating Mars with invasive microbes.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...s-planets-space

Astrobiology Vol. 17, No. 10
Searching for Life on Mars Before It Is Too Late
1 Oct 2017

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full...9/ast.2017.1703

Abstract excerpt:

Planetary Protection policies as we conceive them today will no longer be valid as human arrival will inevitably increase the introduction of terrestrial and organic contaminants and that could jeopardize the identification of indigenous Martian life.

Smarter Every Day BOOST-ED!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxG0WAwwrGk

__________________
I saw this beautiful girl on the bus, but she looked sad. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "Well, my analyst said I'm a nymphomaniac, but I only like Jewish cowboys... by the way, my name is Dianne." I said, "Hello, Dianne. My name is Bucky Goldstein." - Steven Wright

Live coverage: SpaceX targets Tuesday for next launch attempt of the Polaris Dawn mission

https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/09/...y-space-center/


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

Robert Reich wants the US to cut ties with SpaceX

https://thehill.com/opinion/technol...on-musk-spacex/


That race is going to be lost if SLS and Orion continues to have problems.


Bill

__________________
It is well past time to Drill, Baby, Drill!

If your June, July, August and September was like this, you might just hate summer too...

Please unload your question before you ask it unless you have a concealed harry permit.

: countdown begin cr dup . 1- ?dup 0= until cr ." Launch!" cr ;

Give a man a rocket and he will fly for a day; teach him to build and he will spend the rest of his days sanding...

Not surprising that someone like Reich would want to punish success. Typical reaction by his type.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970