Started by Nostromo, Aug 27, 2016, 03:31:59 PM
Quote from: Immortan Jonesy on Dec 26, 2021, 07:30:31 PMSM would be excited
QuoteThe James Webb Space Telescope has unwrapped its sunshield, crossing another important item off of its lengthy and risky deployment to-do list.After successfully extending its deployable tower assembly (DTA), a structure that connects Webb's two halves, on Thursday (Dec. 29), the telescope had the room to begin the preliminary steps to unfurl its gigantic sunshield. Today (Dec. 30), mission teams completed two major next steps: deploying the James Webb Space Telescope's aft momentum flap and releasing the sunshield's protective membrane cover.Webb still must unfurl the sunshield, which it will do in the next day or so by extending two booms. The mission team will then spend a few days getting the five-layer structure to the proper tension, wrapping up such work no earlier than Sunday (Jan. 2).
QuoteWe'll have to wait a bit longer for the orbital debut of SpaceX's Starship Mars rocket.SpaceX had been aiming to launch Starship on its first orbital test flight in January or February, provided that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wrapped up a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) of the company's South Texas launch site by Dec. 31 as planned.But that timeline no longer applies. The FAA announced on Tuesday (Dec. 28) that it has pushed the release of the final PEA back to Feb. 28, citing "the high volume of comments submitted on the draft PEA" and "discussions and consultation efforts with consulting parties."
QuoteOn Jan. 5, 2005, astronomers at NASA discovered Eris, the second-largest dwarf planet in the solar system.
QuoteThe White House has given NASA a New Year's Eve "go" to continue operations on board the International Space Station through 2030, granting the orbital outpost a six-year life extension.
