#spacegeek — Public Fediverse posts

"November launch set for space shuttle Endeavour's towering display" by CollectSpace / Robert Pearlman - Space geeks: you're going to Los Angeles! California Science Center's Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibit is scheduled to re-open Friday, November 13, 2026. The orbiter will be displayed in a new building in launch configuration, with a mock launch pad/tower that is actually a fancy close-up visitor observation deck. https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-062426a-space-shuttle-endeavour-first-look-opening-date.html #OV105 #SpotTheShuttle #NASA #spacegeek #avgeek

"November launch set for space shuttle Endeavour's towering display" by CollectSpace / Robert Pearlman - Space geeks: you're going to Los Angeles! California Science Center's Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibit is scheduled to re-open Friday, November 13, 2026. The orbiter will be displayed in a new building in launch configuration, with a mock launch pad/tower that is actually a fancy close-up visitor observation deck. https://www.collectspace.com/news/news-062426a-space-shuttle-endeavour-first-look-opening-date.html #OV105 #SpotTheShuttle #NASA #spacegeek #avgeek

"US Air Force looks to convert offshore oil rigs into rocket recovery platforms" by DefenseNews - Soon-to-retire offshore oil platforms are being eyed by the federal launch ranges to provide public services for potential expansion of commercial rocket booster landing options. Currently recovery of first stages by #SpaceX and #BlueOrigin either return to the coast if in range, or land on a barge at sea, owned by each company. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/05/18/us-air-force-looks-to-convert-offshore-oil-rigs-into-rocket-recovery-platforms/ #military #space #NewSpace #business #spacegeek

"US Air Force looks to convert offshore oil rigs into rocket recovery platforms" by DefenseNews - Soon-to-retire offshore oil platforms are being eyed by the federal launch ranges to provide public services for potential expansion of commercial rocket booster landing options. Currently recovery of first stages by #SpaceX and #BlueOrigin either return to the coast if in range, or land on a barge at sea, owned by each company. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/05/18/us-air-force-looks-to-convert-offshore-oil-rigs-into-rocket-recovery-platforms/ #military #space #NewSpace #business #spacegeek

It's still rare for an #asteroid to be detected on impact trajectory. Bigger shooting stars at night are mostly missed opportunities. As a #spacegeek but not an astronomer, I'm not in their discussions. So I noticed it on a monitor on my wall. It mostly displays aircraft activity around PDX and the Pacific Northwest. But 2 panels are space related, my own software, using NOAA aurora & NASA asteroid data. #2026JN4 stood out as a blue line on the close asteroid passes. #astronomy #LowFlyingRocks

It's still rare for an #asteroid to be detected on impact trajectory. Bigger shooting stars at night are mostly missed opportunities. As a #spacegeek but not an astronomer, I'm not in their discussions. So I noticed it on a monitor on my wall. It mostly displays aircraft activity around PDX and the Pacific Northwest. But 2 panels are space related, my own software, using NOAA aurora & NASA asteroid data. #2026JN4 stood out as a blue line on the close asteroid passes. #astronomy #LowFlyingRocks

@Gur814 As someone who relies on alt text and consults on it for the Chandra X-ray Observatory, I'd like to thank you for yours and compliment you on it. #SpaceGeek

@Gur814 As someone who relies on alt text and consults on it for the Chandra X-ray Observatory, I'd like to thank you for yours and compliment you on it. #SpaceGeek

"NASA released thousands more photos from Artemis II" by @NBCNews / Denise Chow - A selection from many images including the lunar far side, craters and views of Earth from far away. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-thousands-photos-artemis-ii-moon-mission-rcna343733 #MoonJoy #Artemis #Moon🌖 #Orion #space #spacegeek

"NASA released thousands more photos from Artemis II" by @NBCNews / Denise Chow - A selection from many images including the lunar far side, craters and views of Earth from far away. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-thousands-photos-artemis-ii-moon-mission-rcna343733 #MoonJoy #Artemis #Moon🌖 #Orion #space #spacegeek

"Virgin Galactic reveals new ship, but it’s running out of time and cash" by @arstechnica / @sciguyspace - No revenue while not flying, having retired old spacecraft model. Lots of expenses building a new spacecraft at a new factory (moved from Mojave CA to Mesa/Phoenix AZ). Quarterly financials show cash reserves falling fast enough to question if flight testing can be done in time. https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/the-suborbital-space-tourism-industry-is-on-life-support/ #NewSpace #VirginGalactic #aviation #avgeek #space #spacegeek

"Virgin Galactic reveals new ship, but it’s running out of time and cash" by @arstechnica / @sciguyspace - No revenue while not flying, having retired old spacecraft model. Lots of expenses building a new spacecraft at a new factory (moved from Mojave CA to Mesa/Phoenix AZ). Quarterly financials show cash reserves falling fast enough to question if flight testing can be done in time. https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/the-suborbital-space-tourism-industry-is-on-life-support/ #NewSpace #VirginGalactic #aviation #avgeek #space #spacegeek

Midland Int'l Airport #KMAF (between Midland and Odessa in Texas) was the first airline-served airport to apply for an FAA spaceport license. The industry watched closely, anticipating difficulties with proximity of airline & spaceflight operations. Interestingly, it was not more difficult. Actually, for FAA requirements on fire departments at spaceport facilities, MAF mostly already complied due to their airline emergency response capability. #aviation #avgeek #travel #spacegeek #NewSpace

Midland Int'l Airport #KMAF (between Midland and Odessa in Texas) was the first airline-served airport to apply for an FAA spaceport license. The industry watched closely, anticipating difficulties with proximity of airline & spaceflight operations. Interestingly, it was not more difficult. Actually, for FAA requirements on fire departments at spaceport facilities, MAF mostly already complied due to their airline emergency response capability. #aviation #avgeek #travel #spacegeek #NewSpace

XCOR deleted their YouTube videos upon going out of business. I think mgmt was shortsighted, and should have preserved their history. A few copies remain via a tourism company who worked with them. Mike Massee updated XCOR's animation of what a suborbital space flight on Lynx could have been like, previously with Mojave CA scenery, updated for Midland TX with airliners at #KMAF. (disclosure: I worked at XCOR on Lynx flight hardware.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4S51_Q_rfU #aviation #avgeek #spacegeek #NewSpace

XCOR deleted their YouTube videos upon going out of business. I think mgmt was shortsighted, and should have preserved their history. A few copies remain via a tourism company who worked with them. Mike Massee updated XCOR's animation of what a suborbital space flight on Lynx could have been like, previously with Mojave CA scenery, updated for Midland TX with airliners at #KMAF. (disclosure: I worked at XCOR on Lynx flight hardware.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4S51_Q_rfU #aviation #avgeek #spacegeek #NewSpace

65 years ago, April 12, 1961: Vostok 1 with cosmonaut test pilot Yuri Gagarin (age 26), the first successful human space flight

45 years ago, April 12, 1981: STS-1 Columbia, with astronaut test pilots John Young and Bob Crippen was the first NASA Space Shuttle launch and first experiment in reusable orbital spacecraft

The combined anniversary has been celebrated since 2001 as "Yuri's Night". It couldn't be combined until the Cold War ended. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri%27s_Night #space #spacegeek #history

65 years ago, April 12, 1961: Vostok 1 with cosmonaut test pilot Yuri Gagarin (age 26), the first successful human space flight

45 years ago, April 12, 1981: STS-1 Columbia, with astronaut test pilots John Young and Bob Crippen was the first NASA Space Shuttle launch and first experiment in reusable orbital spacecraft

The combined anniversary has been celebrated since 2001 as "Yuri's Night". It couldn't be combined until the Cold War ended. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri%27s_Night #space #spacegeek #history

#NASA #Artemis2 was in flight for 9 days 1½ hours. It's remarkable the astronauts were able to walk after splashdown. It speaks volumes on the wisdom of requiring astronauts to use exercise equipment on space flights. After a flight 1 hour shorter, Voyager's famous December 1986 first non-stop unrefueled airplane flight around the world, Dick Rutan & Jeana Yeager needed help to walk after landing at Edwards AFB. https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/rutan-voyager/nasm_A19880548000 #aviation #avgeek #history #Artemis #Moon🌖 #space #spacegeek

#NASA #Artemis2 was in flight for 9 days 1½ hours. It's remarkable the astronauts were able to walk after splashdown. It speaks volumes on the wisdom of requiring astronauts to use exercise equipment on space flights. After a flight 1 hour shorter, Voyager's famous December 1986 first non-stop unrefueled airplane flight around the world, Dick Rutan & Jeana Yeager needed help to walk after landing at Edwards AFB. https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/rutan-voyager/nasm_A19880548000 #aviation #avgeek #history #Artemis #Moon🌖 #space #spacegeek

"Moon-bound astronauts capture glorious views of Earth" by @cosmiclog / @alanboyle - Photos by #NASA #Artemis2 astronauts are delivering on #spacegeek expectations and everyone's sense of wonder from the views they have up there, currently on the way to the Moon. https://cosmiclog.com/2026/04/03/moon-bound-astronauts-capture-glorious-views-of-earth/ #Artemis #Moon🌕️️️️ #Orion #space

"Moon-bound astronauts capture glorious views of Earth" by @cosmiclog / @alanboyle - Photos by #NASA #Artemis2 astronauts are delivering on #spacegeek expectations and everyone's sense of wonder from the views they have up there, currently on the way to the Moon. https://cosmiclog.com/2026/04/03/moon-bound-astronauts-capture-glorious-views-of-earth/ #Artemis #Moon🌕️️️️ #Orion #space

Trivia: The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a joint US🇺🇸-Canadian🇨🇦 military alliance which defends the airspace of both countries by treaty. Airspace violations to either country may be intercepted by fighter jets, anti-ballistic missiles or other weapons based in either. It is commanded by USAF and RCAF generals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD #military #aviation #avgeek #space #spacegeek

Trivia: The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a joint US🇺🇸-Canadian🇨🇦 military alliance which defends the airspace of both countries by treaty. Airspace violations to either country may be intercepted by fighter jets, anti-ballistic missiles or other weapons based in either. It is commanded by USAF and RCAF generals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORAD #military #aviation #avgeek #space #spacegeek

Happy #PiDay (𝝿 = 3.14...) for those who celebrate. Here's a #RaspberryPi project of mine: a wall-mounted monitor next to windows with views toward the airport & airplanes. It displays @JetTip arrival & departure list for PDX (with special livery titles when available), @adsblol ADS-B local area displays, current Boeing test flights across the #PNW, and my own software for space weather and asteroid fly-bys. #Linux #OpenSource #software #aviation #avgeek #spacegeek

Happy #PiDay (𝝿 = 3.14...) for those who celebrate. Here's a #RaspberryPi project of mine: a wall-mounted monitor next to windows with views toward the airport & airplanes. It displays @JetTip arrival & departure list for PDX (with special livery titles when available), @adsblol ADS-B local area displays, current Boeing test flights across the #PNW, and my own software for space weather and asteroid fly-bys. #Linux #OpenSource #software #aviation #avgeek #spacegeek

"Solar Warning" by XKCD comic (Fediverse mirrors @xkcd @xkcdbot ) - Perhaps overly simplistic but solar storms are often described as showing the Sun's mood. Why not? 😎 https://xkcd.com/3215/ #SpaceWeather #astronomy #humor #spacegeek

"Solar Warning" by XKCD comic (Fediverse mirrors @xkcd @xkcdbot ) - Perhaps overly simplistic but solar storms are often described as showing the Sun's mood. Why not? 😎 https://xkcd.com/3215/ #SpaceWeather #astronomy #humor #spacegeek

United Launch Alliance is inaugurating a second cargo ship that will haul Atlas and Vulcan rocket stages from their factory in Decatur, Alabama (near Huntsville) via rivers and seas to the launch sites at Cape Canaveral, Florida and Vandenberg, California. Of course it's called SpaceShip. It joins their existing transporter RocketShip. https://blog.ulalaunch.com/blog/spaceship-soon-to-join-ula-as-rocket-transporter #space #spacegeek

United Launch Alliance is inaugurating a second cargo ship that will haul Atlas and Vulcan rocket stages from their factory in Decatur, Alabama (near Huntsville) via rivers and seas to the launch sites at Cape Canaveral, Florida and Vandenberg, California. Of course it's called SpaceShip. It joins their existing transporter RocketShip. https://blog.ulalaunch.com/blog/spaceship-soon-to-join-ula-as-rocket-transporter #space #spacegeek

"What time is the annular solar eclipse on Feb 17?" by @Spacecom - The #AnnularSolarEclipse Ring of Fire ⭕ will only be visible in Antarctica. Partial #SolarEclipse in SE Africa and southern tip of South America. Partial and annular solar eclipses require eye protection for direct viewing. Otherwise use projection, such as looking for little eclipse shapes in the shadow of a tree.🌳 https://www.space.com/stargazing/solar-eclipses/what-time-is-the-annular-solar-eclipse-on-feb-17 #eclipse #astronomy #space #spacegeek

"What time is the annular solar eclipse on Feb 17?" by @Spacecom - The #AnnularSolarEclipse Ring of Fire ⭕ will only be visible in Antarctica. Partial #SolarEclipse in SE Africa and southern tip of South America. Partial and annular solar eclipses require eye protection for direct viewing. Otherwise use projection, such as looking for little eclipse shapes in the shadow of a tree.🌳 https://www.space.com/stargazing/solar-eclipses/what-time-is-the-annular-solar-eclipse-on-feb-17 #eclipse #astronomy #space #spacegeek

There's an #AnnularSolarEclipse today, Feb 17, 2026 UTC. Annular eclipse is like a total #SolarEclipse, except the #Moon is too far out in its orbit to cover the Sun as seen from Earth's surface. So it makes a "ring of fire" effect.⭕ However, it's mostly inaccessible with annularity visible only in Antarctica. So the few people wealthy enough to travel to it probably won't bother for an annular eclipse. Oh well. Partial eclipse in SE Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_February_17,_2026 #astronomy #space #spacegeek

There's an #AnnularSolarEclipse today, Feb 17, 2026 UTC. Annular eclipse is like a total #SolarEclipse, except the #Moon is too far out in its orbit to cover the Sun as seen from Earth's surface. So it makes a "ring of fire" effect.⭕ However, it's mostly inaccessible with annularity visible only in Antarctica. So the few people wealthy enough to travel to it probably won't bother for an annular eclipse. Oh well. Partial eclipse in SE Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_February_17,_2026 #astronomy #space #spacegeek