en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/562387 Comments by jedswift http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3465/1#IDComment1060516969 Interesting that the FCC claims that the SSN is unable to track a 10cm x 10 cm x 2 cm object. Really? The Haystack radar observatory (one of several systems that surveil near-Earth space) operates at 10, 95 &amp; 150 GHz, with the corresponding wavelengths of 3, .32, &amp; .2 cm. 10 cm objects should be capable of reflecting these frequencies. So is the system unable due to sensitivity or noise to sense these returns? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystack_Observatory#Haystack_Radio_Telescope" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystack_Observator...</a> When they launched there were reports that Swarm would not energize their transmitters until they secured approval, now the FCC is speaking for the Air Force concerning SSA issues. What is really going on here? Wed, 4 Apr 2018 19:35:21 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3465/1#IDComment1060516969 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3459/1#IDComment1060256938 Not sure about your hypothesis that nobody wants trouble. There are a number of instances in history were a sovereign entity has gone out of their way to start an armed conflict. Germany into Poland in 1938 comes to mind. I guess I am skeptical that a loose federation of sovereign entities will not continue resort to violence if there is competition of something valuable. Just read the news. Whoever is capable of defending by force a region of value will be the one who controls the wealth generated by that region, whether or not it is on this planet or not. Wed, 28 Mar 2018 23:44:38 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3459/1#IDComment1060256938 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3461/1#IDComment1060212169 It certainly would be a strange work pattern; 10 or 40 minutes of intense search, compare, decide/prioritize with very tight time limitations, followed by 50 or more minutes of review, communication, preparation and every other operation including hygiene and sleep(?). With only two crew on board, and high density target fields requiring both to be actively observing the schedule would likely be grueling. Tue, 27 Mar 2018 19:53:58 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3461/1#IDComment1060212169 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3454/1#IDComment1060169571 The term &quot;orbit&quot; is certainly key here. One could argue that anything in ballistic flight is &quot;in orbit&quot;. Admittedly this concept is mucked up a bit by interaction with the air with something like a base ball, but for a moment (ideally) even its flight is ballistic and is in a highly elliptical trajectory that we just approximate as a parabola. If its flight is uninterrupted interrupted by the ground (or the glove of a player) the ball would progress through a highly elliptical orbital path. The difference would be the arbitrary density of the Earth, not the two line ephemeris that could be generated. By this definition, all nuclear ballistic weapons would be in violation, right down to the Davy Crocket. With out a definition or additional adjectives, the agreement is not even useful to accuse each other of wrong-doing. Mon, 26 Mar 2018 20:37:15 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3454/1#IDComment1060169571 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3454/1#IDComment1060010319 Your report is certainly one of the most in-depth presentations I have seen with more than enough information to generate one or more articles here. As with Old Egg, I, for one would be most interested in reading a authored and edited article by you on this subject! Space science, juxtaposed with space mythology make for very human stories. Thu, 22 Mar 2018 20:07:18 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3454/1#IDComment1060010319 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3456/1#IDComment1060009448 Seems like you may have enough info to write, not one, but two articles for this publication! Add your personal info with open source historical data and weave some very interesting narratives indeed. Thu, 22 Mar 2018 19:35:40 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3456/1#IDComment1060009448 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3446/1#IDComment1059285354 The second image appears to be an image of the one recovered vehicle. note the scorched appearance and the deployed recovery parachute. I saw this article at the AF museum in Dayton. Mon, 5 Mar 2018 23:11:15 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3446/1#IDComment1059285354 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3438/1#IDComment1059283291 The Kessler syndrome is ongoing as we speak. No one said it as going to happen quickly, but it is known that the number of dangerous objects will continue to increase without any additional objects being launched. Check out the plots on page 6 of the NASA Orbital Debris Quarterly News. <a href="https://www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv22i1.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-...</a> Seems to show the hallmarks of an exponential. Mon, 5 Mar 2018 22:03:49 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3438/1#IDComment1059283291 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3434/1#IDComment1058723612 Very interesting presentation on some of the effects beyond &quot;the tragedy of the commons&quot; aspect of near Earth space. The commercial operation acting as an &quot;agent&quot; of the State reminds me of the Letters of Marque awarded to and carried by the privateers in the 17 and 18 hundreds to act as military agents of the State. Wed, 21 Feb 2018 20:30:20 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3434/1#IDComment1058723612 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3428/1#IDComment1058397014 My understanding is that NASA has paid SpaceX for technology development, including progress payments for meeting contract performance milestones. Admittedly, these have been augmented and incorporated into their own development programs. NASA would not extend these contracts to SpaceX unless there was some benefit for NASA to be gained. One SpaceX effect that has not been discussed much is the manufacture of highly talented engineers and managers. SpaceX has a reputation for working people so hard that they are burnt out in the magic 3-5 year experience, despite the technically sweet subject matter. These people go on to work for other firms, aerospace and other, or start their own. The effects of this should become very evident in a few years. It would be interesting to tally the background of the folks behind Orbital, Stratolaunch, Virgin, Bigalow, and Blue et.al. Wed, 14 Feb 2018 21:00:54 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3428/1#IDComment1058397014 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3416/1#IDComment1057683862 Gravitational wave detection is certainly one subject area that space could be used to advantage as the sensitivity is limited by an absolute distance and the disturbance is proportional to distance. Ground based observatories seem limited to a few dozen kilometers due to available real estate, while space is limited only by the ability to maintain a LASER link strong enough to perform interferometry with. Wed, 31 Jan 2018 21:11:37 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3416/1#IDComment1057683862 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3418/1#IDComment1057632393 Like the situation in assigned slots in GEO, these issues will be determined when there is real money at stake. It is good to discuss these things, including introducing legislation as the whole area of law is largely uncharted. We of Earth still have much to learn as to acceptable behaviors and methods of redress for extraterrestrial competition and coexistence. Tue, 30 Jan 2018 21:09:11 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3418/1#IDComment1057632393 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3411/1#IDComment1057264545 I wonder what China, Russia and a number of up and coming space powers such as India, Japan and Australia would say about having MW level NPB weapons in orbit under the control of the US military and its civilian leaders. The repeated use of the phrase &quot;sine qua non&quot; has me confused. Google translate reads back &quot;without it&quot;. I assume a primary purpose or reason to exist was meant . Tue, 23 Jan 2018 20:47:17 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3411/1#IDComment1057264545 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3415/1#IDComment1057208308 Fascinating times. Mon, 22 Jan 2018 20:27:02 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3415/1#IDComment1057208308 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3406/1#IDComment1056913598 Make that &quot;me&quot;. Tue, 16 Jan 2018 21:51:36 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3406/1#IDComment1056913598 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3406/1#IDComment1056913588 Don&#039;t make my cry... Tue, 16 Jan 2018 21:51:06 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3406/1#IDComment1056913588 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3402/1#IDComment1056911439 The &quot;plug door&quot; is a concept commonly used on pressurized aircraft (and other pressure vessels). The design was requested by NASA at the insistence of the astronauts as it eliminates the possibility of having an unplanned opening, an even that was justifiably feared. North American fell on their sword and took the blame (as any good contractor would do). The LEM also used plug doors, the concept saves weight (no heavy latches, door edge supported in tension around the sill), and the LEM was not normally inhabited when in the atmosphere. Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:43:36 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3402/1#IDComment1056911439 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3404/1#IDComment1056863375 One&#039;s immediate surroundings appear to be an issue as well for &quot;space sickness&quot;. The phenomena was completely unknown until the Apollo program; evidently the confines of the Mercury and Gemini capsules prevented the data mismatch between the eyes and ears from developing. The other odd fact is the lack of linkage between people susceptible to terrestrial motion sickness and those that are susceptible to space sickness; experienced fighter jocks were as susceptible as the lab nerds. I have yet to hear of a study conducted concerning time dependent onset, or the environmental impacts of space sickness and thus any impact to suborbital tourism (~5 minutes of micro-g) or point to point transportation (~15 - 40 minutes of micro-g). Yet another interesting area of investigation to determine the fitness of humans to adapt to these technologies, the issues involved and mitigations possible. Mon, 15 Jan 2018 21:33:30 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3404/1#IDComment1056863375 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3388/1#IDComment1054619495 Pretty gutsy move, blowing a letter, including some smack-talk about his detractors up to the boss&#039;s boss&#039;s boss. Certainly could have been carrier altering. Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:46:06 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3388/1#IDComment1054619495 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3384/1#IDComment1054273448 Surface rendezvous makes more sense if the plan is to depend on fuel and/or reaction mass at the destination. Some sense of this for the moon too if there are resources available. The destination orbit rendezvous still makes sense as the surface to orbit ferry can be tanked for the round trip at the surface, carrying the payloads up and down including propellants for the Earth return systems. The ferry would be a purpose design, vacuum only for the moon or other airless bodies, or low density/pressure capability for Mars. Wed, 6 Dec 2017 20:28:10 +0000 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3384/1#IDComment1054273448