Firefly Aerospace’s Post

EUROPA FILES E4 Let’s check out a flyby. Each orbit around Jupiter is about 14 days and the flyby portion is about 10 hours. We’re going to focus on the 10-hour flyby. As Clipper approaches Europa, starting around 60-70,000 kilometers out it starts its flyby science campaign. Different instruments start to collect data, seen with these different color bars appearing. Sometimes zooming by at 15-miles per second and as close as 16 miles above the surface. When it’s at its closest, it’s taking pictures of the surface, those pink and blue cones we see appearing. Then as Clipper departs its closest approach, instruments stop collecting data because they are too far away to take accurate measurements. #europa #europaclipper #europafiles #europaicebath #europaphile

The amazing helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, will fly no more https://buff.ly/4be32ta The remarkable helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, has unfortunately reached the end of its flight journey. After a series of groundbreaking flights, Ingenuity will no longer take to the Martian skies. This small but mighty aircraft has played a crucial role in expanding our understanding of the Red Planet. It has captured breathtaking aerial views, collected valuable data, and paved the way for future exploration missions. Ingenuity's achievements have been awe-inspiring, proving that we can overcome the challenges of flying in the thin Martian atmosphere. Its legacy will live on as a testament to human ingenuity and the advancements in space exploration. #MarsExploration #Ingenuity

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬: 𝐏𝐫𝐎𝐏-𝐌 Let's take a journey back to the early '70s when the Soviet Union launched the Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions, introducing the world to the Prop M rover. 🔍 The Prop M rover, weighing just 10 pounds on Earth, was a robust little explorer designed for the Red Planet's surface. Sporting skis for a unique mode of transportation inspired by Russian winters, these rovers were built to shuffle rather than roam, covering short distances on Mars. 🛰️ Launched in May 1971, these rovers were tethered to their landers with a 50-foot cable, allowing them limited autonomy to traverse the Martian terrain. Equipped with a basic hazard avoidance system, the rovers were designed to turn away from obstacles, ensuring a safe journey. 📸 Imagine being the first to capture the Martian surface! The Prop M rovers were accompanied by lander cameras, providing a visual record of their every move. Despite their limited capabilities, these pioneers aimed to contribute valuable insights into Mars' environment. 🔗 Unfortunately, the journey wasn't without its challenges. Mars 2 faced an unsuccessful landing in November 1971, while Mars 3 successfully landed but ceased operations after just 14 seconds, following the transmission of the first-ever image from Mars.🌍🔴 #MarsExploration #PropMRover #SpaceHistory #MartianPioneers #spacetechnology #spacetech #robots #rockets #satellite #technology #engineeringexcellence #aerospace #spacerobot 🚀

Just above the blue GSE fixture on the right hand side is a good picture of Swamp Works' EDS payload installed for flight.

At least Starliner and Orion survived re-entry with less damage and were able to be investigated. Starship is a REEF making or space debris design. Starship 0-5 Starship. N1 success numbers. Controlled flaming belly flop Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. No way A heavier Starship is going anywhere. ======================== Boca survived the first flaming booster. The Ocean added more pollution from the other flaming part. Makes me wonder if there are Any Vegas odds on a complete failure or partial failure? What's the over/under on the chopstick survival and Boca Chica evacuations? Flaming parts and pieces? How many hospital beds does Boca and vicinity carry? Starship design failure and raptor limitations. Not a fan of the winged fuel silo, nor maxed out screaming raptors. Does the lunar chopstick installation come first or the inbound screaming modified-fuel silo and a precarious landing with lunar regolith blown to earth and beyond? .5 centimeters accurate crash landing or a recent booster many miles off course; fine tuned control of pollution and debris.

#Onboard the #SpaceX #Starship 2.0 in #Detail - What it takes to go to #Mars | Detailed Breakdown The layout of the ship follows two guiding #functional #necessities, #zeroG environment, and low gravity. Logically each floor must be designed to accommodate these necessities plus, #survival, and #psychological needs of the #astronauts. Naturally all #lifesupport #systems will be located at the lower levels along with all hardware, tools among other crucial #gear for the #spacejourney and living on mars. The top floors are for living areas and the #flightdeck. A good starship design needs to follow simple rules. Easy to use and fix. Problems that might arise throughout the journey need to be identified quickly and be simple to solve by anybody on board. If complex problems arise, crew anxiety and stress may lead into further problems risking the mission. Lastly, everything on the ship must be monitored with visual information available on all floors, especially CO2 levels. User #interface must be #clear and simple to #understand. See also <great #CGI #visualization> https://lnkd.in/exSDyzqU

Today, Lunar Outpost named Castrol the lead Mission Control Center collaborator for our Lunar Voyage 1 mission slated for late 2024! The Mission Control Center will be the nexus of planning, decision-making, and control during Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Voyage 1. Mission Control Center operators will issue commands and monitor autonomous functions to guide the MAPP rover through its journey across a challenging environment with low sun angles, pitch-black shadows, and hazardous craters. The Mission Control Center will also play a critical role in monitoring and operating diverse commercial customer payloads onboard the rover. "Our collaboration with Castrol reflects a shared vision for future lunar missions and commitment to push the limits of exploration," said Justin Cyrus, CEO at Lunar Outpost. "Castrol has worked with NASA since the first Apollo missions. Having the expertise of industry leaders with space heritage will not only support our commercial goals for Lunar Voyage 1 but will also help the space industry thrive.” Read more: https://bit.ly/3WKWOLe #TheNextLeap #LunarOutpost #SpaceTech #MoonMission #Innovation

How is the maritime industry supporting commercial space flight? You can learn how a former offshore support vessel is being converted to support this emerging sector in a new #ABS #SettingCoursepodcast with Tyson Breedlove and Bryan Dietz #spaceflight #spacesupport #OSV https://lnkd.in/eprVvm7q

Every U.S. space organization - and their allied counterparts - will benefit from this first-to-market, commercial SSA satellite constellation. For Space Force’s Commercial Space Office (COMSO), NRO’s Commercial Space Program Office (CSPO) and NGA’s Commercial Business Operations — this is the additive commercial capability that you’ve all expressed needs for. I predict this new commercial Wide Field of View collection of RSOs in LEO, MEO and GEO will detect new, anomalous and dangerous behaviors, and drive tipping and cueing of additional sources, in time to characterize the threats giving operators the time to react and avoid potential disasters.

All of our spaceflight vehicles are subject to Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) testing as a crucial part of their lunar mission preparation. The TVAC tests simulate the challenging lunar environment by subjecting the rover to controlled thermal and pressure conditions. Engineered to replicate the exact conditions along the designated mission route, these tests play a pivotal role in ensuring the rover can effectively carry out its mission, demonstrating resilience in the face of the harsh lunar conditions. Pictured below is our Lunar Voyage 1 MAPP rover going into the TVAC Chamber. During thermal balance testing, we analyze the rover’s performance under extreme temperature conditions to confirm the robustness of its components against the anticipated temperature fluctuations. Thorough environmental testing is critical to ensure the rovers can execute their mission properly under a variety of extreme conditions on the Moon. #TheNextLeap #SpaceTech #LunarOutpost #Innovation