07/13/2021 – Ephemeris – Virgin Galactic had a successful full crew flight to the edge of space

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, July 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 16 minutes, setting at 9:26, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:10. The Moon, halfway from new to first quarter, will set at 11:59 this evening.

This past Sunday was Virgin Galactic’s first test passenger flight to what the United States calls space, past 50 miles altitude, in their VSS Unity spaceship. The four passengers for this test flight were all basically Virgin Galactic employees, including its founder, Richard Branson. The international definition of where space begins is 100 kilometers or 62 miles altitude. At either altitude, a suborbital spacecraft at its peak altitude would be traveling so slowly that the atmospheric effects are negligible. However, if a spacecraft were to pass through that altitude on reentry at over 17 thousand miles an hour, that’s an entirely different story. On July 20th Jeff Bezos will ride his New Shepard rocket up past 62 miles.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship VSS Unity ignites its hybrid rocket engine after being dropped from its carrier aircraft Eve on a prior test flight to the edge of space. Credit Sky News.

VSS Unity under power with its hybrid rocket motor. The fuel is a solid rubbery compound, with a nitrous oxide as the oxidizer. Powered flight lasts only 60 seconds to reach 56 miles in altitude. This is from a prior flight. Click on the image to enlarge it. Credit: Virgin Galactic.

Floating in zero G in VSS Unity 22. I can imagine the announcement: “The seat belt sign has been turned off. You may float about the cabin.” At least for 5 minutes. Click on the image to enlarge it. Credit: Virgin Galactic video.

06/25/2021 – Ephemeris – The era of commercial human space flight has begun

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, June 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:58. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 10:58 this evening.

It looks like this year 2021 is the year that commercial crewed spaceflight is going to take off, literally. There’s Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic with their air dropped VSS Unity that will achieve a few minutes of weightlessness in suborbital space like the old X15 did. Competing in suborbital space is Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin with their New Shepard rocket and capsule. Bezos and his brother are expected to ride the first crewed capsule flight later this summer. Running rings around these guys, actually, is Elon Musk’s SpaceX with three orbital Commercial Crew missions for NASA already under his belt and a completely civilian orbital mission, Inspiration 4, slated for the end of summer. So the era of commercial human space flight is finally beginning.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT-4). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship VSS Unity ignites its hybrid rocket engine after being dropped from its carrier aircraft WhiteKnight Two on a test flight to the edge of space. Credit Sky News.

The Launch of the Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and Crew Capsule. Credit: Blue Origin.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from historic Launch Complex 39A and sends Crew Dragon to orbit on its first flight with NASA astronauts. Credit: SpaceX/Twitter.

Boeing also built a human rated spacecraft, the Starliner, which will be used to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. It will be launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. They are scheduled to repeat their uncrewed test flight this summer before they can send crews to the ISS.

Virgin has Virgin Orbital a company to air launch small payloads, Blue Origin is developing the New Glenn rocket a partially reusable rocket, which is expected to launch in 2022 or 2023. SpaceX is actively developing its StarShip completely reusable rocket and booster near Brownsville, Texas.

12/26/2014 – Ephemeris – Tragedies and triumphs of 2014

Ephemeris for Friday, December 26th.  The sun will rise at 8:18.  It’ll be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:08.   The moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:02 this evening.

2014 was a year of personal tragedy and also tragedy and triumph in space.  The Space tragedies came in October with the destruction and loss of Orbital Science’s third supply mission to the International Space Station when the their Antares rocket blew up right after launch.  A few days later Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo disintegrated on a test flight killing a pilot.  In the Triumph department the European Space Agency’s Rosetta caught up and orbited its comet 67P, for short, in August and bounced down its lander Philae in November.  It wasn’t supposed to bounce, but stick the landing.  Bruised and battered Philae delivered its science before its batteries died.  And this month an unmanned Orion capsule made its maiden voyage into space.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Orbital Sciences Antares rocket explodes seconds after liftoff on October 28, 2014. Credit NASA.

SpaceShipTwo disintegrates October 31, 2014 killing a pilot. Credit USA Today.

After a second bounce on the Comet 67P the Philae lander ended up sideways apparently on the base of a cliff. Researchers were able to get data from just about all the instruments before the battery discharged. The team hopes and the comet gets closer to the sun and the sun angle changes they can revive Philae. Credit: ESA.

Screen capture of Delta IV Heavy rocket liftoff carrying the Orion test article into orbit on December 4, 2014. Credit .NASA via BBC

Ride back to the earth with Orion via a camera mounted in a window.  The window is facing aft as the capsule re-enters the atmosphere heat shield first at 20,000 miles per hour.  You’ll experience everything except the G forces.  It comes with appropriate spacey music.  It’s as close as I’ll ever get to ride in one of these things.

11/04/2014 – Ephemeris – Last week was a bad one for commercial space

Ephemeris for Election Day, Tuesday, November 4th.  The sun will rise at 7:24.  It’ll be up for 10 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 5:27.   The moon, 2 days before full, will set at 5:46 tomorrow morning.

Last week was not a happy one for commercial space companies.  First, last Tuesday the Orbital Science’s Antares blew up (or in space-talk: “Suffered an anomaly”) attempting to deliver it’s third contracted commercial cargo to the International Space Station.  No one was killed because it was an unmanned rocket and the spectators were kept at a safe distance.  Then on Friday an anomaly occurred during a test flight of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.  In that mishap the co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, was killed.  “Space is hard.” was the phrase heard quite often last week.  And it’s true.  I’ve found that the natural state of any mechanism is not to work.  The more complicated the device is, like a rocket, the harder it is to get it to work.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The initial signs that the Antares rocket was in trouble. Credit: Parabolic Arc.

A sequence of photos of the flight and breakup of SpaceShipTwo. Credit: Kenneth Brown/Reuters.