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 343: DOWNLINK--Alex Lao Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight News

— Artemis rescheduling (spacenews.com)

Short & Sweet

— Gamma ray observatory suffers anomaly in LEO (space.com)

— SpaceX wins a new contract (spacenews.com)

— Exomars to launch this year (spacenews.com) (spaceflightnow.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— From the intro: ABL second stage anomaly (spacenews.com) (youtube.com)

— From Upcoming Spaceflight Events: JWST Virtual Town Hall (stsci.edu)

Interview: Alex Lao, Kepler Communications

— linkedin.com

— Kepler.space

— twitter.com/KeplerComms

— CEO Mina Mitry wrote an article about the role of cubesats in space-based communication (spectrum.ieee.org)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— 25 Jan, 1995. Launch of the SCIFER Sounding Rocket Experiment (PDF: sci-hub.se) (PDF: nasa.gov) (eucom.mil VIA web.archive.org)

— Next week (2/1 - 2/7) in 2008: Failing Wet

Episode 342: Mirror Mirror Mirror Mirror... Mirror Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— JWST deployment

— A detailed timeline is available from Jonathan McDowell (planet4589.org)

— Hexapod actuators (PDF: esmats.eu)

— A photo of an early actuator development unit (PDF, p2: sci-hubtw.hkvisa.net)

Short & Sweet

— Chang’e 5 identifies water on the moon (space.com) (science.org)

— Perseverance rover prepares to clear blocked sampling tube (nasa.gov)

— SLS hoping for March launch (spacenews.com)

— Orbit Fab signs deal to provide on-orbit fueling for Astroscale (spacenews.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— Follow up on that moon rock (twitter.com/AJ_FI)

This week in Spaceflight history

— January 20 1978, Maiden flight of the Progress spacecraft (wiki.org) (russianspaceweb.com) (spaceref.com)

— Next week (1/25 - 1/31) in 1995. Get me my briefcase.

Episode 341: Weaving a Webb Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— JWST finishes deployment steps!

— Primary and Secondary mirror deployment (esmats.eu)

— Aft Deployed Instrument Radiator (PDF HT MMC: ttu-ir.tdl.org)

— Cross stitch (reddit.com/r/CrossStitch)

— Current estimate is 20 years worth of propellant (HT DeltaV: twitter.com/cbs_spacenews)

Short & Sweet

— Paragon acquires spacesuit manufacturer (spaceref.com)

— KSLV-2 failure is determined (spacenews.com)

— China’s robotic arm performs test on orbit (space.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— From the intro: an expensive model (shop.blueorigin.com)

— Aaron Sawdey: Thermal power vs nuclear power (twitter.com/sawdey)

— Bill Boabab via email: JWST Aft Momentum Flap

— See also: no deployment cameras (nasa.gov)

— The observation strategy actually limits saturation by making observations in opposite attitudes (jwst-docs.stsci.edu)

— A not-incredibly related but often-cited paper is available (web.archive.org)

— A JWST science advisor gave an if-I-remember-correctly on this very question (HT deltaV: twitter.com/markmccaughrean)

This week in Spaceflight history

— 16 Jan, 1965: Gemini Simulated Off-The-Pad Ejection test 12 failure (PDF: ntrs.nasa.gov) (astronautix.com)

— Next week (1/18 - 1/24) in 1978: Remove the seats, life support systems, heat shield, parachute, but let’s keep the crew rating.

Episode 340: JWST Goes Teakettle Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— JWST launched (blogs.nasa.gov) (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com)

— Realtra’s VIKI cameras looked fantastic! (realtra.space) (theorbitalmechanics.com)

— Deployment explorer (webb.nasa.gov)

— Port mid-boom deployment was delayed due to cover switches (twitter.com/NASAWebb)

— Non-explosive pins were discussed in the pre-launch coverage (youtube.com)

— Sunshade tensioning will be discussed in ep 341, as it was successfully completed the day this episode was published (twitter.com/NASAWebb)

Short & Sweet

- Tianhe avoids a pair of Starlinks spacenews.com)

— Sherpa goes green (spacenews.com)

— SLS is delayed by a computer problem (spacenews.com)

This week in Spaceflight History

— 5 Jan, 1973: Cancellation of the NERVA program (nasa.gov) (nasa.gov)

— Next week (1/11 - 1/17) in 1965: No towah, moah problems

Episode 339: Season's Yeetings from JWST Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— Superheavy (twitter.com/elonmusk)

— Raptor 2 will produce 230+ tons of thrust (twitter.com/elonmusk)

— McGregor will only perform Raptor 2 testing (twitter.com/elonmusk)

— B4/SN20 will be used for the orbital flight test (twitter.com/elonmusk)

— A guess about Starship stretching (reddit.com/r/spacex)

— Possible tank volumes (HT Birkeland: forum.nasaspaceflight.com)

Short & Sweet

— JWST delayed (blogs.nasa.gov) (spacenews.com) (spaceflightnow.com)

— Stoke Space receives funding (spacenews.com) (sbir.nasa.gov)

Questions, comments, corrections

— From the intro: PSP’s inside the Sun video (planetary.org) (youtube.com) (nasa.gov)

— Jon P via email: Apollo CM was a sphere section, not biconic. (en.wikipedia.org)

This week in SF history

— 24 Dec, 1979. First launch of Ariane 1, first of the Ariane family. (sci-hub.se) (sci-hub.se) (en.wikipedia.org) (en.wikipedia.org)

— Next week (1/4 - 1/10) in 1973: Smash the scram button

Episode 338: Junk in the Frunk Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Short & Sweet

— Astra to launch next from Cape Canaveral (spacenews.com)

— SpaceX gets FCC approval for Starship launch, starts construction on launchpad (dailymail.co.uk) (spaceflightnow.com)

— NASA investigates Ingenuity helicopter’s transmission problem (cnet.com)

— SpaceX Crew-5 to fly with cosmonaut (spacenews.com) (twitter.com/Rogozin)

This week in SF history

— 15 Dec, 1976. Launch of Kosmos 881 and Kosmos 882 (en.wikipedia.org) (1lib.us) (google.com/books)

— Next week (12/21 - 12/27) in 1979. Some vikings and their kitty cat.

Episode 337: Oh, Craptor… Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— Raptor issues (spacenews.com) (twitter.com/thesheetztweetz) (spaceexplored.com)

— Neutron, a 2050 rocket (youtube.com) (spacenews.com)

— Electron thermal protection system is aerogel/graphite composite! (HT Andrew Z: twitter.com/Peter_J_Beck)

Short & Sweet

— ESA tests tanks for its reusable launch vehicle (esa.int)

— Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin select future astronauts (spacenews.com)

— Northrop Grumman wins SLS booster contract (spacenews.com)

— Fatigue, debris, and rumors of debris (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— Pangea tests an aerospike! (HT Andrew Z: youtube.com)

This week in SF history

— 10 Dec, 1974. Launch of Helios A, a West German/NASA collaboration (en.wikipedia.org) (bernd-leitenberger.de)

— Next week (12/14-12/20) in 1976: Two tickets, I mean, just one ticket to space, please!

Episode 336: Bad Vibrations Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— JWST bonk (spacenews.com) (nasa.gov) (esa.int) (youtube.com)

— The clamp came off “in a way that it was not designed to come off” (HT deltaV+Deathkin: twitter.com/wapodavenport)

Short & Sweet

— Japan to recruit astronauts for first time in 13 years (spacenews.com) (spacenews.com) (blogs.nasa.gov)

— Hubble makes a partial recovery (space.com)

— Rocket Lab to manufacture more spacecraft components (smallsatnews.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— From the intro: Reusable satellites (smallsatnews.com)

This week in SF history

— 2 Dec, 1990. Launch of Soyuz TM-11 (sen.com) (spacefacts.de) (nytimes.com) (weathernews.jp)

— Next week (12/7-12/13) in 1974: Hitze und Geschwindigkeit.

Episode 335: DOWNLINK--Matthew Kuhns, Masten Space Systems Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— Astraaaaaa! (space.com) (spacenews.com) (en.wikipedia.org)

— Astra issued an update after we recorded this episode (twitter.com/thesheetztweetz) (HT DeltaV: twitter.com/thesheetztweetz)

Short & Sweet

— Tyvak wins contract for very low-earth orbit mission (spacenews.com)

— European startup tests aerospike engine (spacenews.com)

— Satellite maneuvers to avoid near collision around Moon (cnet.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— ThrustMe paper (nature.com)

— From the intro: ASAT test (spaceflightnow.com) (youtube.com) (HT Andrew Z: airforcemag.com)

Interview -- Matthew Kuhns, Head of R&D at Masten Space Systems

— Masten in-Flight Alumina Spray Technique (masten.aero)

— This study was a 2020 NIAC Phase I selection (nasa.gov) (researchgate.net)

— Tests were run on a modified car lift (youtube.com)

— The FAST concept is similar to the High Velocity Oxygen Fuel spray coating technique (sciencedirect.com)

— Find more about Matthew and Masten:

— linkedin.com

— matthewkuhns.com

— masten.aero

This week in SF history

— 26 Nov, 1965. Launch of Astérix, the first French satellite (pt deux?!) (en.wikipedia.org)

— Next week (11/30 - 12/6) in 1990. The antihero.

Episode 334: Dizzy Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

Spaceflight news

— SpinLaunch spins (spinlaunch.com) (cnbc.com) (youtube.com) (youtube.com) (spacenews.com)

— Nike Sprint is one of several other “instastart” vehicles (HT Andy Z: youtube.com)

Short & Sweet

— Virgin Orbit to launch from Japan (spaceref.com)

— Amazon to launch first Kuiper satellites on ABL rocket (spacenews.com)

— South Korea to develop reusable launch vehicle (spacenews.com)

Questions, comments, corrections

— Ben Hallert via twitter: 53 not 60 Starlinks (twitter.com/chairboy)

— ISS tour (HT Andrew Z: youtube.com)

This week in SF history

— November 16, 1973. The launch of Skylab 4 (bbc.com) (wiki.org) (youtube.com) (spacefacts.de) (nasa.gov)

— Episodes 59 and 60 of The Space Above Us focused on SL-4 (thespaceabove.us) (youtube.com) (youtube.com)

— Next week (11/23 - 11/29) in 1965: Unmitigated gall in the face of invading Romans

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