Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 30, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher An increasing leak rate for atmosphere, precautions that keep the non-Russian astronauts in the American portion, and doubts about Russia’s ability or willingness to support its portion all contribute to the possibility that the International Space Station (ISS) could become an early “space crisis” prompting […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 28, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 ■ Altair is the brightest star high in the southwest after dark. Brighter Vega is about three fists to its right, high toward the west. Above Altair lurk two distinctive little constellations: Delphinus the Dolphin, hardly more than a fist at arm’s length to […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 23, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictator Xi Jinping wants to conquer Mars, but his government apparently did not want his space engineers to update the world on China’s plans to get there, at the recent 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), this year held from Oct. 14 […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 13, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 ■ And now, even 60 minutes after sunset, the comet ‘s head is still a fine 9° high or so in the darkening sky. It’s about midway between Venus to its left or lower left, and Arcturus to its right or upper right. […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 9, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Consider this proven formula for private sector business success in space: 1) Find a motivated, charismatic leader; 2) Develop a family of modular and reusable space launch vehicles (SLVs) to reduce production/launch costs and generate public and private sector business; and 3) Set your sights […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 7, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. The low-riding waxing crescent Moon of early fall passes Venus, then Antares in the fading afterglow of sunset. Venus is plotted here at its position on October 5th (for North America), when it’s just 0.9° lower left of Alpha Librae, magnitude 2.8. Every day Venus moves […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 2, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher The seriousness of China’s buildup to its first manned Moon mission, perhaps before 2030, was emphasized by three recent revelations: A new Lunar manned spacesuit; a new facility to simulate low gravity lunar landings; and a proposal for “cyclotron” low-cost launch of payloads from the […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, September 29, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 ■ Face south and look high these evenings after dark. The brightest star there is Altair, the southernmost point of the Summer Triangle. The other two are Deneb and Vega more nearly overhead. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 ■ The starry W of Cassiopeia stands high […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, September 25, 2024 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher On Sept. 18 India’s Union Cabinet, or senior executive branch, approved budgets for space programs amounting to $350.9 million (32,771 crore), that will advance India’s ambitions for manned space flight, a new small space station and manned missions to the Moon by 2040. All of […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, September 22, 2024 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 ■ Goodbye to summer — at last! Today is equinox day. Earth passes the September equinox point in its orbit at 8:44 a.m. EDT (12:44 UT). This is when the Sun, in its six-month journey south, crosses the celestial equator — and equivalently, […]
