Month: May 2023

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More about coming lunar activity

Here’s part II of Greg Autry‘s series on cislunar activity.

From the article: “Orbital real estate is extremely limited and – in the absence of any coordination or law preventing occupation of those desirable orbits – the rules of First Mover Advantage must apply.”

In particular, Earth-Moon Lagrange points 1 and 2 are going to be in high demand. NASA’s Lunar Gateway architecture will stake a not-so-subtle claim on L2.

I’ve already written the scenes in my next book that involve lunar landing. But, I have to say, the idea of a space elevator from L1 to near the Moon’s south pole is almost too good to ignore. I might have to revisit those scenes.

Lunar Orbital Congestion II: Economic and Strategic Drivers
The 2nd in a series, this article considers economic forces driving lunar orbital congestion and competition over locations strategic locations in the Earth-Moon system.
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Science catching up to fiction

In the manuscript for the next Generation Mars book, I mention that a couple was able to conceive through recent technological developments. Well, here’s science catching up to fiction before the fiction is even published. The tech is called in-vitro gametogenesis, or IVG. It’s not ready for use in humans yet. But when it is, the possibilities are staggering.

Creating a sperm or egg from any cell? Reproduction revolution on the horizon
Researchers are inching closer to creating human eggs and sperm in the lab that carry a full complement of anyone’s DNA. It could revolutionize fertility treatment and raises huge ethical questions.

 

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Cislunar activity is about to explode

Greg Autry is writing a series of articles for Forbes on the coming era of cislunar activity. Here’s the first.

From the article:
“Walking the floor of the International Astronautical Conference in Paris last fall, I couldn’t help but feel that the Moon will soon be a very busy and very international destination. 2019 saw a lunar landing attempt by a private Israeli team and Japan’s ispace tried it last month. Both nations promise to return to the Moon soon. Meanwhile, China’s governmental program has had a series of lunar successes including placing a lander and rover on far side of the Moon. There will be landers, rovers, hoppers, and human habitats scattered across the lunar surface by the end of the decade. This activity will require a lot of orbital infrastructure.”

Particularly interesting is the discussion of the Moon’s gravitational anomalies due to its uneven density. This makes most low lunar orbits (LLO) unstable.

Lunar Orbital Congestion Is Gonna Be A Thing
Lunar Orbital Congestion Is Gonna Be A Thing

The lunar orbital environment is pristine today, but physics and economics suggest that the space above the Moon may be congested by 2030.
Forbes Forbes
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Tory Bruno on rocket science

Ever wondered why rockets have multiple stages? Or why some missions have long coast phases and multiple burns? Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance has the answers!

The Secrets of Rocket Design Revealed
The Secrets of Rocket Design Revealed

by Tory Bruno
Medium Medium

From the article: “There is no single, best rocket. Different rockets do different things. As it turns out, the design of a rocket flows directly from the mission the rocket is intended to do, and there are many different missions.”