This should be the headline, one day soon, in a world where these decisions are primarily technical and think long term. At no extra cost, while we wait for lunar landers, Artemis II uncrewed and Artemis III as the first flight of SLS/Orion with crew, would close out all non-lander risk. Artemis IV, with the … Continue reading “Artemis II will launch without crew, and Artemis IV will be the crewed lunar landing”
Author: Edgar Zapata
On soon-to-be Administrator Isaacman, R&D, and choices
Who would have thought rockets and an internet in the sky, and not "cost-plus" either, would create the wealthiest person in the world? Ridiculous? Of course not. Or a private sector astronaut as NASA administrator. When I began this blog in 2021, my drive to put words down and toss them out there for the … Continue reading On soon-to-be Administrator Isaacman, R&D, and choices
Fighting fires, Orion, and what are they thinking?
This will sound suspiciously improbable, a story that changed hands too many times, becoming colorful Kennedy Space Center folklore. Unlikely, and untrue. Not so, as my story here today comes first-hand. I was there. Once, at Kennedy Space Center, I was fighting a raging fire. This was a real fire, a blazing two-story fire at … Continue reading Fighting fires, Orion, and what are they thinking?
“Mission Out of Control,” by Astronaut Dr. Charles J. Camarda
In 2005, NASA astronauts were a couple of months away from launching aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. They would dock at the International Space Station and deliver supplies, but the real purpose of the mission is to evaluate new safety measures. The Shuttle’s thermal protection systems would now be inspected in orbit after every launch. … Continue reading “Mission Out of Control,” by Astronaut Dr. Charles J. Camarda
Checking the balance in your NASA account
If NASA were your bank account, investments, or 401K, after seeing the headlines, would you check your balance more often or less? Our very human “negativity bias” says we might check more often, an overreaction to possible danger. It’s what got us here. You and me. We are the children of creatures that spooked more … Continue reading Checking the balance in your NASA account
“Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion…”
Time. Implacable time. Florida. Relentlessly hot and humid August weather, and when not. Twenty years ago this month, a sense of change also hanging thick in the air, a thought this time will be different. Cooler days ahead. The work was over, minus the last of the endless word-smithing for the adrenaline-fueled study to end … Continue reading “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion…”
NASA, beyond “the churn”
For anyone who has seen the Sci-Fi TV series “The Expanse,” it is tempting in these times to take a cue from Amos about “the churn.” If unfamiliar with the story, it’s the oft-used trope of (seemingly) ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. Finding yourself acting “above your pay grade” is still a thing, … Continue reading NASA, beyond “the churn”
Physics, budgets, and Scotty
I published this piece over at LinkedIn as an "article". Re-posting here. “I canna’ change the laws of physics, Captain!” -Scotty, Chief Engineer in Star Trek You have all seen it, the news about NASA. The layoffs, the plans for budget cuts to science, technology and R&D, and to cancel the SLS and Orion projects … Continue reading Physics, budgets, and Scotty
Skinny cows and skinny budgets
“Next, seven skinny, bony cows came up out of the river. I have never seen such terrible looking cows anywhere in Egypt. The skinny cows ate the fat ones. But you couldn’t tell it, because these skinny cows were just as skinny as they were before. At once, I woke up.” –Genesis 41: 19-21 On … Continue reading Skinny cows and skinny budgets
A book review – “When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-term Capital Management”
Occasionally, I read something so compelling that I must talk about it. If I see a parable relating to the aerospace sector and my experiences in many ways, I must also write about it. (My prior book reviews are here.) I can add “When Genius Fails: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management” to … Continue reading A book review – “When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-term Capital Management”
My morning reads
It is my experience, likely very common, to be asked, “Did you hear about…” some recent news, or on a topic already, someone will say, “I read where…” People will recommend a site or point out a blogger and their valuable takeaways on technology, a company, or happenings in the space sector. The flood of … Continue reading My morning reads
Canceled
Last Friday, though without reading too much into how bad news is announced on Fridays, NASA canceled its annual cost and schedule symposium. This meeting brings together an assortment of people, mainly NASA and contractor personnel, most of whom spend their days analyzing the cost and time required of complex aerospace projects. This could be … Continue reading Canceled
Though much is taken, much abides (Transitions Part III).
As an app, the first NASA plan to return astronauts to the Moon, twenty years ago, would have been labeled version 0.3.2.6. A year earlier, the Space Shuttle Columbia and all seven crew were lost during her return to Earth. The days of low Earth orbit as a sole destination were to draw to a … Continue reading Though much is taken, much abides (Transitions Part III).
An engineer’s journey in NASA
Space technology and policy on the final frontier It was time. I have published my prior writing in a more unified format as a book – “An engineer’s journey in NASA: Space technology and policy on the final frontier.” It’s difficult to describe the process of looking back and making sense of my years of … Continue reading An engineer’s journey in NASA
Transitions (Part II), Grand Central, and the Kennedy Space Center VAB
If you have been to Grand Central Station in New York City through the mid to late 1970s and as recently as last week, discovering you are in a transport hub where a welcome wander comes easily, the sense is about contrast. The hub peaked in the late 1940s, beginning a decline soon after. The … Continue reading Transitions (Part II), Grand Central, and the Kennedy Space Center VAB
Zapata Talks NASA 