So basically, the firmament is what happens when overly-religious idiots take what the Bible says at face value. Happy Sunday! Did @SpaceX’s Starship hit the firmament? pic.twitter.com/VeJ36QrWte — StarTalk (@StarTalkRadio) November 25, 2023 Every time I hear the term "Firmament" I'm gonna think about major mental retardation in the 21st century... Sorry for the political incorrectness. — Rich Par (@AstroPnoy) November 26, 2023 ..read more

SpaceX After an almost 7-month wait following the first flight test on April 20, Starship Super Heavy finally embarked on its second launch yesterday...safely lifting off from Starbase in Texas on 33 fully-functional Raptor 2 engines at 7 AM, CST (5 AM, PST), and meeting one of its main objectives of successfully conducting a hot-stage separation between Starship 25 and Booster 9. Unfortunately, Integrated Flight Test 2 (IFT-2) still fell short of its primary goal—which was for Starship 25 to take a suborbital lap around the world, concluding in a splashdown hundreds of miles off the coast ..read more

SpaceX Earlier today, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that SpaceX has finally been granted another launch license for its Starship Super Heavy rocket...paving the way for the vehicle to conduct a flight attempt from Starbase, Texas, as early as this Friday! Click on the links below for more details. The two-hour launch window opens on November 17 at 7:00 AM, CST (5:00 AM, PST). Here's hoping that the second time will be the charm for Super Heavy...with Booster 9 and Starship 25 taking the helm for this much-anticipated demonstration! Go Integrated Flight Test 2! The FAA has ..read more

NASA TV Dragon Docks to Station Carrying Science and Supplies (News Release - November 11) While the International Space Station was traveling more than 262 miles over central Brazil, a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the station’s Harmony module at 5:07 a.m. EST, with NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara monitoring operations from the station. The Dragon launched on SpaceX’s 29th contracted commercial resupply mission for NASA at 8:28 p.m. EST, on November 9, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After Dragon spends abou ..read more

Nanoracks / Voyager Space / Lockheed Martin Preparing for European Commercial Presence in Low-Earth Orbit (News Release - November 9) At ESA’s Space Summit in Seville, Spain, ESA, Airbus and Voyager Space signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Starlab space station. The agreement outlines the parties’ intention to foster science and technology development and explore collaboration in low-Earth orbit destinations other than the International Space Station. The collaboration will initially focus on exploring opportunities for access to space for Europe through the Starlab space statio ..read more

HUM Images / Universal Images Group Editorial / Getty Images NASA Administrator Honors Life of Apollo Astronaut Frank Borman (Press Release - November 9) The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the passing of former NASA astronaut Col. (ret.) Frank Borman, who passed away on November 7, in Billings, Montana, at the age of 95. “Today we remember one of NASA’s best. Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero. Among his many accomplishments, he served as the commander of the Apollo 8 mission, humanity’s first mission around the Moon in 1968. “His lifelong lov ..read more

NASA / Frank Michaux NASA, SpaceX Launch New Science, Hardware to Space Station (News Release - November 9) Following a successful launch of NASA’s SpaceX 29th commercial resupply mission, scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies of enhanced optical communications and measurement of atmospheric waves, are on their way to the International Space Station. SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon resupply spacecraft, carrying about 6,500 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, launched on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket at 8:28 p.m. EST, on Thursday, November 9, from Launch C ..read more

NASA / Keegan Barber Bulgaria Signs Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters; Joins 31 Nations (Press Release) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in a signing ceremony on Thursday with Bulgaria’s Milena Stoycheva, minister of innovation and growth, as her country became the 32nd nation to sign the Artemis Accords. The Artemis Accords establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations, including those participating in NASA’s Artemis program. Also participating in the event at NASA Headquarters in Washington were NASA Deputy Administrator Pam M ..read more

California Science Center Just thought I'd share these screenshots showing the first of two solid rocket motors (SRMs) that will be installed inside the construction site for Endeavour's final home at the California Science Center—the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center—in Los Angeles over the next two days. These images come courtesy of a live YouTube webcast provided by the Science Center this morning, as the 116-foot-long motor (which will grow to 149 feet in length once its nose cone and aft skirt are attached, becoming a full-fledged solid rocket booster) was raised vertically and moved ..read more

NASA NASA Administrator Remembers Apollo Astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II (Press Release - November 2) The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the passing of former NASA astronaut Rear Adm. (ret.) Thomas K. (TK) Mattingly II. “We lost one of our country’s heroes on October 31. NASA astronaut TK Mattingly was key to the success of our Apollo Program, and his shining personality will ensure he is remembered throughout history. “Beginning his career with the U.S. Navy, TK received his wings in 1960 and flew various aircraft across multiple assignments. Once he joi ..read more