The Orbital Mechanics Podcast

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Natural Sciences
**The Orbital Mechanics Podcast**

Every week we cover the latest spaceflight news, discuss past, current and future exploration efforts, and take a look at upcoming events. Tune in to hear about how humans get to space, how they stay in space and how unmanned craft reach farther and farther into the universe around us.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 363: A Surfeit of Hypergols Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Cargo Dragon leak (cnet.com) (space.com)

— Ingenuity’s woes (cnet.com) (mars.nasa.gov) (PDF: arc.nasa.gov)

— Martian winter is dustier due to heat gradients (HT Csaba: space.com)

Breaking Madness

— Astra TROPICS-1 failure (space.com) (spaceflightnow.com)

Short & Sweet

— Korean startup targets launch from Brazil later this year (smallsatnews.com)

— NASA to launch from Australia (phys.org)

— JWST struck by micrometeoroids (space.com) (HT Colin: (theverge.com) (HT DeltaV: blogs.nasa.gov)

Questions, Comments, Corrections

— From the intro: Spinlaunch’s sabot (twitter.com/djsnm)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 16 Jun, 1961: The Final Fleming Committee Report submitted (hq.nasa.gov) (hq.nasa.gov) (PDF HT Mike Stewart: ntrs.nasa.gov)

— Saturn C-3 and Nova were the main options at this point (wikipedia.org) (en.wikipedia.org)

— Next week (6/21 - 6/27) in 1982: Enjoy the extra leg room while it lasts!

Episode 362: Wet Hot American Dress Rehearsal Summer Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— xEVAS selection (nasa.gov) (youtube.com) (theverge.com) (youtube.com)

Short & Sweet

— Helicopter Hunkering (spacenews.com) (jpl.nasa.gov)

— Shenzhou-14 has arrived (spacenews.com)

— Release date for JWST’s first full-color images announced (cnet.com)

— OMG SLS WDR ASAP (spacenews.com)

Questions, Comments, Corrections

— From the intro: Almaz clusterbomb (russianspaceweb.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— June 13, 2012: Launch of NuSTAR X-ray observatory (caltech.edu) (caltech.edu) (youtube.com) (PDF: sci-hub.se) (PDF: authors.library.caltech.edu) (PDF: axion-wimp2012.desy.de) (patents.google.com)

— Next week (6/14 - 6/20) in 1961: C3PO is not a no-go.

Episode 361: DOWNLINK--Vaya Space Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Psyche launch (sike!) (space.com) (spacenews.com) (spaceflightnow.com)

Short & Sweet

— Airbus wins contract to build LISA (airbus.com)

— China prepares for next crewed launch (spacenews.com) (cnet.com)

— Starliner, Present and Future (americaspace.com) (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com)

Interview – Kineo Wallace, Lead Propulsion Design Engineer and Mickael “Buzzy” Buswell, Primary Structures Engineer of Vaya Space

— Further reading: ABS 3D printed fuel grain studies at the University of Tennessee (sci-hubtw.hkvisa.net) (sci-hubtw.hkvisa.net)

— Kineo and Buzzy

— linkedin.com/in/kineowallace

— twitter.com/kineo_wallace

— instagram.com/buzzedwell

— Vaya Space

— Vayaspace.com

— twitter.com/vayaspace

— instagram.com/vayaspace

— facebook.com/VayaSpace

— linkedin.com

This Week in Spaceflight History

— June 4, 1996: The maiden launch of Ariane 5, flight V88 (en.wikipedia.org) (bugsnag.com) (mit.edu) (HT Csaba: hownot2code.com)

— Next week (6/7 - 6/13) in 2012: Making it harder for ourselves.

Episode 360: Thrust but Verify May 24, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— OFT-2 (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com) (americaspace.com)

— Debris shedding after booster sep T+3:00 (twitter.com/elizabethtinkg) (youtu.be)

— Two RCS thrusters and two OMAC thrusters shut down during the flight (twitter.com/lorengrush)

— Test Fest

— ABL Space fires upper stage engine (spacenews.com)

— Gilmour Space fires Phoenix engine (youtube.com)

— Relativity Space fires upper stage engines (youtube.com)

— ISRO fires human-rated solids for Gaganyaan (isro.gov.in)

Short & Sweet

— Voyager 1 returning bad telemetry (cnet.com)

— NASA investigates spacesuit water leaks (space.com) (spacenews.com)

— End to InSight mission… is in sight (spacenews.com) (spaceflightnow.com)

— Ingenuity back in action (mars.nasa.gov)

Questions, Comments, Corrections

— twitter.com/LauraForczyk: X-Bow is pronounced Crossbow. That threw me off at first, too.

— From the intro: Tim Dodd tours Starbase (youtube.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 24 May, 2000. First launch of Atlas III (en.wikipedia.org) (spaceflightnow.com)

— Engine contracts announced in 1996 (ARCHIVE: ilslaunch.com)

— A list of Atlas family specs (braeunig.us)

— A lovely history of Atlas by Scott Manley (youtube.com)

— Next week (5/31 - 6/6) in 1996: Domestically repurposed

Episode 359: Venus is for Louvers May 18, 2022

Show notes

Thanks to Deathkin for naming this week’s episode!

Spaceflight News

— Rocket 4.0 unveiling (spacenews.com)

— Chris Kemp asks “why can’t a couple of people launch a rocket?” (youtu.be)

— Astra announced a new UK launch site (spacenews.com) (en.wikipedia.org)

— Astra is in the running for the TacRS-3 contract (spacenews.com)

Short & Sweet

— Axiom-1 putting strain on ISS (spacenews.com)

— Tianzhou-4 successfully reaches Chinese Space Station (spacenews.com)

— Non-GPS satellite slated for launch (spacenews.com)

— JWST final steps before science career (spacenews.com) (blogs.nasa.gov) (blogs.nasa.gov)

Questions, Comments, Correction Burns

— Joel R. via email: Rover steering wheel, Shuttle drag chute

— Further reading: Mobility Performance of the Lunar Roving Vehicle: Terrestrial Studies - Apollo 15 Results (PDF: lpi.usra.edu)

— From the intro: Canoo taking on water? (spacenews.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 19 May, 1961. First flyby of Venus, by Venera 1 (nasa.gov) (drewexmachina.com)

— Launched on a Molniya 8K78 (astronautix.com)

— Next week (5/24 - 5/30) in 2000: Freshly imported

Episode 358: DOWNLINK--Awais Ahmed, PIXXEL May 11, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Rocket Lab Helicopter Catch (spacenews.com) (youtube.com)

— CAPSTONE’s up next (spacenews.com)

Short & Sweet

— Astroscale performs close approach (spacenews.com)

— Phantom Space makes big engine purchase (techcrunch.com)

— Russian rocket motor breaks apart on-orbit (space.com)

— Astra preparing for Canaveral launches (spacenews.com) (astra.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— From the intro: Lockheed Martin’s MAP docking port model (cad.onshape.com)

Interview – Awais Ahmed, CEO and Co-Founder, PIXXEL

— Shakuntala/TD-2 was one of the three demos, and it flew on Transporter-4 (pixxel.space)

— The AVIRIS program also collects hyperspectral data, but from a much lower altitude (aviris.jpl.nasa.gov) (avirisng.jpl.nasa.gov)

— Read more and get in contact:

— pixxel.space

— twitter.com/awaisahmedna

— twitter.com/PixxelSpace

— in.linkedin.com/in/awaisahmedna

— linkedin.com/company/pixxelspace

— contact@pixxel.space

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 13 May, 1992: Intelsat VI captured by the STS-49 crew (nasa.gov) (youtube.com)

— The plan for capture and kickstage attachment (orbiter-forum.net) (capcomspace.net)

— Next week (5/17 - 5/23) in 1961: If a spacecraft falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it…

Episode 357: On-Orbit Spare May 03, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Ligado stepping on GPS’ toes (spacenews.com) (en.wikipedia.org) (fiercewireless.com)

Short & Sweet

— OSIRIS-REx mission extension announced (arizona.edu) (spacenews.com)

— SOFIA operations to end later this year (spacenews.com)

— AX-1, Crew-4 swap places (spacenews.com) (americaspace.com) (americaspace.com) (spacenews.com) (americaspace.com) (spacenews.com) (nasaspaceflight.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 5 May, 1997. Maiden launch of Iridium satellites (en.wikipedia.org) (en.wikipedia.org)

— A view of Iridium from the business side (PDF: jitm.ubalt.edu) (cnn.com)

— Next week in (5/10 - 5/16) 1992: Two’s company, three’s a record.

Episode 356: DOWNLINK--Daniel Bock, Morpheus Space Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Peregrine preparing for flight (spacenews.com) (astrobotic.com) (en.wikipedia.org)

Short & Sweet

— TDRS to be replaced (spacenews.com)

— Starlink books a flight (spacenews.com)

— Bad weather holds up Crew-4 (spacenews.com)

Interview – Daniel Bock, CEO and Co-Founder of Morpheus Space

— FEEP technology is a subset of ion propulsion (en.wikipedia.org) (VIA archive.org: morpheus-space.com)

— Some of Bock’s prior research (researchgate.net) (researchgate.net)

— Flown on UWE4 (PDF: digitalcommons.usu.edu)

— LISA Pathfinder also used FEEP propulsion (PDF: sci-hubtw.hkvisa.net)

— linkedin.com

— twitter.com/DanMorpheus

— twitter.com/morpheusspace

— morpheus-space.com

— facebook.com/MorpheusSpace

This Week in Spaceflight History

— Apr 29, 2002. Cancellation of the X-38 (nasa.gov) (astronautix.com) (nasa.gov) (youtube.com)

— Next week (3/5 - 9/5) in 1997: MORE TINFOIL!

Episode 355: Minecart on the Moon Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Artemis-1 Wet Dress Rehearsal(spacenews.com) (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com)

— WDR is deferring to Ax-1 landing (spacenews.com)

— Artemis rover (spacenews.com)

— RFI issued in August (nasa.gov) (sam.gov)

— Lockheed Martin, General Motors and MDA (spacenews.com)

— Northrop Grumman, Intuitive Machines, Michelin Tires, AVL, Lunar Outpost (spacenews.com)

— Venturi Astrolab (spacenews.com)

Short & Sweet

— Astranis Improvement (spacenews.com) (en.wikipedia.org)

— House Science Committee vs NTSB (spacenews.com)

— Astra Electric (spacenews.com)

— ULA puts in a big order (spacenews.com)

Questions, Comments, Corrections

— LeonRunningMan: LEASAT didn’t use a Minuteman-III motor, exactly (discord.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 21 April 2013, Launch of Antares A-ONE, maiden flight of Antares (en.wikipedia.org) (nasa.gov) (northropgrumman.com)

— Orbital Sciences contracted with Aerojet Rocketdyne to use modified NK-33’s. (PDF: lpre.de)

— Next week (4/26 - 5/2) in 2002: The end of a dream, to be chased by others.

Episode 354: Damp Dress Rehearsal Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Spinlaunch (space.com) (HT McMally: businesswire.com)

— SLS wet rehearsal modification (HT DeltaV: twitter.com/SciGuySpace) (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com)

— April 2nd, lightning strikes (nasa.gov)

— April 3rd, fan failures (nasa.gov)

— April 4th, vent and check valves (nasa.gov) (nasa.gov)

Short & Sweet

— DARPA funds in-space manufacturing development (spacedaily.com)

— Spaceport Camden: Back from the grave? (news4jax.com)

— Warpspace comes to the U.S. (spacenews.com)

— Astroscale preparing to restart demonstration (spacenews.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— From the intro

— Sentinel on Vega-C (spacenews.com)

— Axiom’s arrival (spacenews.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 12 Apr, 1985: the launch of STS-51-D with LEASAT-3 onboard (en.wikipedia.org) (hughesscgheritage.com)

— Further reading: Bold They Rise, The Space Shuttle Early Years, 1972-1986, by David Hitt and Heather R. Smith (nebraskapress.unl.edu)

— The successful deployment of LEASAT-4 (youtu.be)

— Ox grabbing LEASAT-3 (same video, different timecode) (youtu.be)

— Spinning LEASAT-3 before departure (same video) (youtu.be)

— Next week (4/19 - 4/25) in 2013: it’s not just a steak sauce.

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