International Space Station

[Chris Webster]

Five spaceships are currently parked at the station.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Excellent!

[healey36]

The most amazing thing going with the space station and SpacEx is that freakin' drone-ship that catches the first booster on each launch...that is just incredible to me.

[HONDO74]

And now the United states is transporting our astronauts to the space station instead of hiring the Russians to do it

I think I read somewhere that this is just the first step in our return to the moon

[Rufus T. Firefly]

And now the United states is transporting our astronauts to the space station instead of hiring the Russians to do it

I suspect that SpacEx not only makes a bit on that - actually disappointing that the Gov't can't do it and space travel will ultimately be in the hands of private corporations.

I think I read somewhere that this is just the first step in our return to the moon

Moon, Mars, mice the Belt for whatever is out there.....

The most amazing thing going with the space station and SpacEx is that freakin' drone-ship that catches the first booster on each launch...that is just incredible to me.

Yes! Just brilliant.

[E7]

And now the United states is transporting our astronauts to the space station instead of hiring the Russians to do it

I suspect that SpacEx not only makes a bit on that - actually disappointing that the Gov't can't do it and space travel will ultimately be in the hands of private corporations.

I think I read somewhere that this is just the first step in our return to the moon

Moon, Mars, mice the Belt for whatever is out there.....

The most amazing thing going with the space station and SpacEx is that freakin' drone-ship that catches the first booster on each launch...that is just incredible to me.

Yes! Just brilliant.

Presume that was to have been mine

[Rufus T. Firefly]

No, we're going to inoculate the entire belt with mutant space mice to do the mining,

[E7]

No, we're going to inoculate the entire belt with mutant space mice to do the mining,

I see! Probably the first usage of that word as a verb! Alas, ye olde spell checker is not always trustworthy. Had they called those little sonsabitches like I do, there would have been no problem!

[rogruth]

Might be best to get space travel in non government hands.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Might be best to get space travel in non government hands.

I can see that going either way with some serious problems from each.

[rogruth]

Might be best to get space travel in non government hands.

I can see that going either way with some serious problems from each.

I can agree.

[HONDO74]

China becomes second nation to plant flag on the Moon
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55192692

China has planted its flag on the Moon, more than 50 years after the US first planted the Stars and Stripes there.

The pictures from China's National Space Administration show the five-starred Red Flag holding still on the windless lunar surface.

They were taken by a camera on the Chang'e-5 space probe before it left the Moon with rock samples on Thursday.

Two previous Chinese lunar missions had flags on the crafts' coatings - so neither could be affixed to the moon.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

China mission to the moon was unmanned.

[HONDO74]

Elon Musk's Starship prototype makes a big impact
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55239628

US entrepreneur Elon Musk has launched the latest prototype of his Starship vehicle from Texas.

Codenamed SN8, the uncrewed rocket lifted away from the Boca Chica R&D facility on what had been billed as a brief flight to 12.5km (41,000ft).

The 50m-tall vehicle crashed on touchdown but Mr Musk was delighted with how much the test outing achieved.

Before the flight, the tech billionaire had dampened expectations, warning his fans that some mishap was likely.

Nonetheless, Musk has big hopes for the Starship when it is fully developed. He says it is the future for his SpaceX company.

Starship will launch people and cargo into orbit, and the entrepreneur also envisages the vehicle travelling to the Moon and Mars.

The SpaceX CEO praised his team, adding that the demonstration had acquired "all the data we needed".

"Mars, here we come!!" he tweeted.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

The 50m-tall vehicle crashed on touchdown .........

Crashed would be very polite description of a massive fireball:

https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-starsh ... st-flight/

Might make landing people anywhere just a little hazardous.