NASA May Launch Orion Crew Module on Commercial Rocket

It might seem like we’ve been talking about the Space Launch System (SLS) for years, and that’s because we have been. NASA began this ambitious project in 2011, eventually settling on Boeing as the primary contractor for what will be the most powerful rocket in the world. It’s not ready to fly yet, and NASA is getting impatient. According to administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA is considering launching its Orion crew capsule on a different rocket to speed things along.

The SLS is a super-heavy lift rocket based loosely on the Space Shuttle and capable of sending payloads anyplace in the solar system. NASA planned the SLS as the primary launch vehicle for Orion, a crew capsule designed to take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time in decades. However, the agency is now considering an Orion launch without the SLS to keep things on schedule.

NASA has struggled through several delays. NASA initially wanted to get the SLS in the air by late 2017 at a cost of $5-7 billion. However, the vehicle still isn’t ready for launch, and the price has already ballooned to $11.9 billion according to an October 2018 report. That report also pointed the finger at contractor Boeing for much of the trouble, citing problems like an 18-month delay on command and control software.

The most recent official timeline called for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) to launch in June 2020. That mission would see the Orion capsule orbit the moon, but the SLS won’t be ready in time. The White House has started pushing hard for EM-1, hoping it can use the hype in the run-up to the 2020 election. The Orion module isn’t exclusive to the SLS — NASA previously used a Delta IV rocket for an uncrewed test flight.

It remains unclear if NASA would go for the Delta IV again, but Bridenstine did seem to allude to that 2014 test flight when talking to Congress. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy could also do the job, and the company is rumored to have sent a proposal to NASA for the launch. Bridenstine also floated the idea of launching the SLS into Earth orbit and then sending up a second rocket to act as a propulsion module to get it to the moon.

Congress seemed skeptical of these plans, but many districts benefit from SLS manufacturing. Anything that seems to threaten that project is bound to get pushback.

Continue reading

Cyberpunk 2077 Is a Wreck on the Original Xbox One, PS4

The Xbox One and PS4 versions of Cyberpunk 2077 look abysmal and apparently play terribly after CDPR delayed the game by nearly a month to polish them.

Big Bounce or Big Bang? Scientists Still Grappling With Origin of Universe

Most experts on physics and cosmology accept the inflation model, a straight line from the big bang to our infinitely expanding universe. However, some scientists hold onto the possibility of a "Big Bounce" instead of a bang, and they're still actively searching for evidence that could upend the conventional wisdom.

Meteorite Fragment Points to Missing Dwarf Planet in Early Solar System

Every asteroid that falls to Earth is a potential window into the origins of the solar system, but scientists have stumbled upon something quite strange when studying a fragment of the Almahata Sitta asteroid.

AT&T Loses Battle to Cripple FTC Authority, Details Plans for Paid Prioritization

AT&T lost its argument to avoid all regulation in court, but it's talking out both sides of its mouth on the subject of paid prioritization.