« June 20, 2021 | Main | June 22, 2021 »
June 21, 2021 Archives
Monday, June 21, 2021
CONTEXT: Stacking the Core Stage of the Space Launch System for Artemis I
All of this hardware cost U.S. taxpayers something between one and two billion dollars, exclusive of its development cost through 2020, north of US$ 20 billion in 2020 funny money. Around ten minutes after launch, it will all be crumpled wreckage sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean because, hey, “We can always just tax, borrow, and print some more!”.
Where this fits in with Mission Equity is unclear. Perhaps they will paint a rainbow flag on the side of the booster. I'm sure that couldn't cost more than a few tens of millions.
Posted at
13:46
CONTINUITY: Expansion of the Crab Nebula (M1) Over 69 Years
The Crab Nebula (Messier 1) in Taurus is the remnant of SN 1054, a supernova which exploded on July 4th (!), 1054, and was observed and recorded by Chinese astronomers. Almost a millennium later, its expansion remains visible in photos taken over time. This video compares images of the Crab Nebula taken in 1951 and 2020 which clearly show the expansion. Here is a one-decade time lapse, in colour, assembled from images taken between 2008 and 2017, showing finer details of the expansion.
Posted at
12:23
CONTEXT: A Mirror That Only Reflects If You Smile
Posted at
11:31