Thursday, February 27, 2025

Small Space News Story Roundup 54

Everyone's going to the moon edition

Blue Ghost is preparing for March 2nd

Another nifty video from Firefly's Blue Ghost lander (first one here).  All of this from 62 miles altitude, and over the far side.  

When I look at the story this is video comes from I think there's nothing in there we haven't talked about several times here.  

Intuitive Machines IM-3 Athena Progress 

Everything I can find documents that Athena is in good health, and heading toward the moon for next Thursday's planned landing (March 6th).  Along the way, Athena has taken some fine photos of home as Earth recedes into the distance.  

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

"Athena established a stable attitude, solar charging and radio communications contact with the Company's mission operations center in Houston after liftoff on February 26," Intuitive Machines wrote in an update this morning (Feb. 27).

"The lander is in excellent health and preparing for a series of planned main engine firings to refine her trajectory ahead of lunar orbit insertion, which is planned for March 3. Intuitive Machines expects a lunar landing opportunity on March 6."

Starship Test Flight 8 Bumps Out Again

 Currently set to Monday, March 3, still at 6:30 PM EST



6 comments:

  1. Space has been so busy these last few years. So much going on. What an exciting time to live. A good landing where the lander sticks the landing will be a joyful thing.

    Hoping Friday's launch and catch go well also.

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    1. Yeah, indeed very exciting times, heres to lots of success, Good to have a place that provides news in a condensed way too.

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  2. Man that back side looks to be taking a beating, glad for that, maybe the moons been kind of a asteroid vacuum cleaner for earth-moon system. Some craters in the V-clip look awful fresh. Some big dandies too.

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  3. Some rather crispy looking shots and video media there, discernible improvements compared from our Apollo days.

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  4. Cool shots from the IM lander, you can see some interaction (fluttering) of the foil shields when the RCS corks off...

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    1. Geeze, Blue Ghost, NOT Intuitive Machines.

      Oldztimers. I blame Oldztimers...

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