Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 22, 2023 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher It’s been a tough week for SpaceX and Elon Musk, but they are getting some rare sympathy from China. At 8 a.m. EST on Nov. 18, from the SpaceX launchpad at Boca Chica, the second Starship two-stage heavy space launch vehicle (SLV) — the largest […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 21, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 ■ First-quarter Moon (exact at 5:50 a.m. EST Monday morning). The Moon accompanies Saturn more closely than it did yesterday, as shown. ■ The tiny black shadow of Io crosses Jupiter’s face from 9:16 to 11:26 p.m. EST, moving across Jupiter from east […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 15, 2023 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher Look out Elon Musk, your “cheese” is about to be moved by the beginning of nuclear space power, and defense prime Lockheed Martin is making serious investments in the development of this technology. Paraphrasing Spencer Johnson’s 1998 classic millennial business book Who Moved My Cheese, […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 13, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13 ■ Perseus is high in the northeast these November evenings, below W-shaped Cassiopeia. The W is standing on end. To find the famous Double Cluster in Perseus, count down the segments of the W starting from the top. The third segment points almost […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 8, 2023 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher On Oct. 26, from its Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island, China launched its Shenzhou-17 spacecraft, taking its 6th crew of three astronauts to its Tiangong Space Station. The launch also highlights China’s plans for growing this space station. This 6th crew mission was […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 6, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 ■ Perseus is high in the northeast these November evenings. The Perseus Double Cluster is below W-shaped Cassiopeia; the W is currently standing on end. Count down the segments of the W starting from the top. The third segment points almost straight down. […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, November 1, 2023 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher A mid-October 2023 conference in China included a briefing on a concept to build an underground Moon Base that also provides an opportunity for China to take a serious dual-use military capability to the Moon. An Oct. 25 article on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 30, 2023, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28 ■ Full Moon (exact at 4:24 p.m. EDT). The Moon rises at sunset. ■ A very slight partial lunar eclipse occurs while the full Moon is visible from Europe, Africa, and Asia. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31 ■ The waning Halloween Moon, three days past full, rises […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 25, 2023 Geostrategy-Direct By Richard Fisher There are now three countries with announced ambitions to place their people on the Moon; in addition to the United States (late 2025) and China (by 2029), on Oct. 17 Indian Prime Minister Nahendra Modi announced India’s intention to place Indians on the Moon by […]
Special to CosmicTribune.com, October 22, 2023 Excerpts from weekly Sky&Telescope report. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 ■ First-quarter Moon (exact at 11:29 p.m. EDT). ■ The shadow of Jupiter’s fast-moving moon Io crosses onto the eastern edge of Jupiter’s face at 8:07 p.m. EDT, followed closely by Io itself 20 minutes later. Jupiter’s Red Spot should transit the planet’s central […]