A Chinese Direct Ascent GEO AntiSatellite Test in 2013?

Brian Weeden, from The Space Review, has written up a fairly well thought-out and long story about the May 2013 launch of a “sounding rocket” (according to the Chinese) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The story, posted on 17 March 2014, gives some pretty good reasons to suspect that perhaps the Chinese were not telling […]

From German Tunnels to Space, Part 3–Mittelwerk and Dora

This series started with my experience growing up and appreciating the beauty of Germany, its land and people. But with that experience came an understanding of Germany’s darker history, a history that country would rather forget. This is why Mittelwerk is important, especially for space. There aren’t many people in the world who know about […]

28 Years of Satellite Highlights

Please don’t blame me for the poster’s length. Sure, the above poster is an advertisement for Broadbandwherever, and it’s only for the first 28 years of satellite history, but it’s interesting and pretty nonetheless. It also shows the progression of capability endowed to each generation of satellites through the years. From the beeping Soviet Sputnik […]

What’s Old Is New Again

From childhood, I’ve had this weird fascination with dirigibles. Not blimps, but dirigibles. The kind of airships people associate with the words, “Oh, the humanity!!” In spite of the horrific Hindenburg episode, I always thought the zeppelins produced in Friedrichshafen, Germany, were always majestic in movement. It also looked like a relaxing and luxurious way […]

“Frau Im Mond:” A SciFi Movie By Fritz Lang

This is a short movie review, but one concerning space. I happened upon this silent film as I was researching the Mittelwerk series. The English name of the film is “The Woman in the Moon.” It’s available in the US on Netflix streaming, so the wife and I watched it. The director’s last name, Lang, […]