56
votes
Accepted
Why does the government still fund SLS while SpaceX is cheaper and has the same capabilities if not better?
It is still way too early to make such a judgement.
It's easy to be overly optimistic about the cost of a program. The Space Shuttle was supposed to have dozens of flights each year and be super-...
- 48.4k
55
votes
Accepted
Was "Apollo" an acronym for "America’s Program for Orbiting Lunar and Landing Operations"?
From a pre-launch press release for Apollo 11:
Among the many missions conceived at that time was a manned journey to the Moon and back. Dr. Silverstein himself named it "Apollo" after one ...
- 122k
42
votes
Accepted
How do US citizens vote in space?
The relevant law is Texas Administrative Code Rule §81.35 "Voting from Outer Space" and who's going to vote against that? It is a very small modification of Texas early voting law.
(a) A ...
- 8,136
38
votes
Accepted
Why do Space X starship launches need permission from the FAA?
Because it's required by law (51 USC Ch. 509: Commercial Space Launch Activities) and by FAA regulations (14 CFR Chapter III - Commercial Space Launch Activities, Federal Aviation Administration, ...
- 77.4k
29
votes
Accepted
Why does the U.S. military maintain their own weather satellites?
Note: This answer is based on a source from 2001. It provides a lot of background as a historical overview, but it does not take into account recent changes in the program. Please review the end of ...
- 23.8k
28
votes
What does space have to do with providing "fresh water ... without the need for aquifers or pipes?" as Steven Kwast suggested?
The speech is available in full here: https://dc.hillsdale.edu/News/Latest-News/The-Urgent-Need-for-a-U-S-Space-Force/ It's extremely general and non-technical. He talks about getting water from the ...
- 189k
27
votes
Why do Space X starship launches need permission from the FAA?
To expand a bit on David Hammen's answer, the reasons for the regulations requiring FAA permits for rocket launches are related to public safety (or sometimes the egos of bureaucrats, but mostly ...
- 1,649
23
votes
Accepted
Which regulatory agency (if any) is in charge of investigating civilian rocket anomalies?
FAA again. They license all commercial launches, and are responsible for investigating. The FAA has officially grounded New Shepard, pending review. They will also oversee the investigation.
...
- 122k
20
votes
Did/does the US use statute or nautical miles to decide who gets astronaut wings?
According to an authoritative-sounding post on collectspace here, it's statute (which matches my recollection).
Edit: OP @costrom found an FAA document Fact Sheet – Commercial Space Transportation ...
- 189k
19
votes
Accepted
Is it correct that the US wants to form a new branch in the US Military as US Space Force?
I read in the news sometimes ago that Mike Pence proposed to form a new division in the US Army as US Space Force.
It's not just Mike Pence. It's also Donald Trump, and also members of Congress. The ...
- 77.4k
18
votes
Why does the U.S. military maintain their own weather satellites?
The specific needs of the military may not be served by civilian weather satellites.
Specifically, the DMSP started as a classified program that supported the Corona spy satellite program. Its ...
- 189k
18
votes
Accepted
How close was the U.S. DoD to getting their own space shuttle?
The plan was not for the Department of Defense to have an additional Orbiter built for it. Instead, the Orbiter Discovery (OV-103) was to be dedicated for DOD use and based at the Vandenberg launch ...
- 189k
18
votes
Did/does the US use statute or nautical miles to decide who gets astronaut wings?
Are these statute miles (1609.344 m, 5280 ft) or nautical miles (1852 m, 6076-ish ft)?
TL;DR
Neither. Or rather, it is 50 statute miles, but a statute mile is not 1609.344 meters. That is the length ...
- 77.4k
17
votes
Accepted
Russian "kerosene" versus American "RP-1"
Both the Russian and American space programs use a refined kerosene; the Russian version is called RG-1 and is slightly denser than RP-1. RG-1 and RP-1 formulations are generally interchangeable; ...
- 172k
17
votes
How do US citizens vote in space?
As explained in video description of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Emsf_udovU the voting is done electronically
Most U.S. astronauts live in Houston. Texas law ...
17
votes
Which regulatory agency (if any) is in charge of investigating civilian rocket anomalies?
NTSB and FAA share responsibility
You have great timing! Five days ago, FAA and NTSB signed an agreement on this exact issue. You can read the full text of the agreement here (PDF) and the NTSB's ...
- 705
17
votes
Accepted
When will the Apollo flags disintegrate?
The Apollo 11 flag (from the iconic photo) has probably already disintegrated
The (Apollo 11’s) flag is probably gone. Buzz Aldrin saw it knocked over by the rocket blast as he and Neil Armstrong ...
- 8,160
15
votes
Why does the government still fund SLS while SpaceX is cheaper and has the same capabilities if not better?
Eh, to begin with this statement isn't accurate.
SpaceX ... has the same capabilities if not better?
Falcon Heavy as stands can't replace SLS and launch Orion on the required orbit without ...
- 4,283
13
votes
Accepted
What does space have to do with providing "fresh water ... without the need for aquifers or pipes?" as Steven Kwast suggested?
The article says that the page has been adapted from Kwast's speech, so it's possible someone transcribed something wrong or misunderstood. Taking an excerpt:
With the right vision and strategy for ...
- 20.4k
13
votes
Accepted
Why does this "Midas missile early warning satellite" have a tilting cone with such a complex black-and-white checkerboard pattern?
This is a two component question:
Why the tilted cone?
Why the complex checkerboard pattern?
The Angled Cone
Answer: The tilted cone is the rotating sensor telescope
From https://space.skyrocket.de/...
- 27.9k
13
votes
Why does the government still fund SLS while SpaceX is cheaper and has the same capabilities if not better?
All the answers are right in their own way. One thing that is not addressed:
The Falcon Heavy is not even remotly on par with the SLS in terms of rocket diameter and payload mass.
According to ...
- 546
12
votes
Are US Space companies favored to purchase subsystems from US only suppliers. Are there any specific laws that dictate this?
Gov't contracts often have a "Buy American" clause which requires them to buy from US companies or Trade Agreeement Act countries.
See FAR Subpart 25.11, and 52.225-1, 52.225-3, and 52.225-5.
See the ...
- 327
12
votes
Accepted
Can I make a completely ITAR-free spaceship?
No
Here's what ITAR says about launch vehicles
Category IV - Launch Vehicles, Guided Missiles, Ballistic Missiles, Rockets, Torpedoes, Bombs, and Mines
(a) Rockets, space launch vehicles (...
- 8,160
12
votes
Why does the government still fund SLS while SpaceX is cheaper and has the same capabilities if not better?
Part of it is leveling employment. The government is fond of large projects that require multi-year ramp-up and ramp-down and massive up/down swings in employment need.
Suppose in 2019 you're hiring ...
12
votes
What is the lowest-inclination orbit ever achieved by a US crewed spacecraft?
Of the missions I've been able to find orbital data for, STS 49 has the lowest inclination, at 28.32 degrees (from Space Shuttle Missions Summary). However, I haven't been able to find inclination ...
- 15.9k
12
votes
Accepted
What is the lowest-inclination orbit ever achieved by a US crewed spacecraft?
@Mark's answer hints that the Apollo mission, in particular Apollo 11, may have achieved a lower inclination. I was going to quickly query Horizons and leave a comment, but the comment space is not ...
- 14.8k
11
votes
Accepted
What Soviet signals (if any) attempted to scramble communication and sabotage Apollo missions?
The Americans did worry about the possibility of Soviet interference. The navigation computer was could be updated from the ground, but this was only done after confirmation via a voice channel:
...
- 130k
11
votes
Was "Apollo" an acronym for "America’s Program for Orbiting Lunar and Landing Operations"?
Some early rocket programs:
Mercury
Gemini
Saturn
Apollo
Atlas
Thor
Juno
Athena
Jupiter
There's a definite naming pattern...
- 1,102
11
votes
Accepted
How many politically appointed positions are there at NASA in toto?
There are four positions in NASA that require Senate confirmation:
Administrator,
Deputy Administrator,
Chief Financial Officer, and
Inspector General.
Even though Inspectors General do need ...
- 77.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible