Archive for the ‘SPACE SHOTS’ Category
“An exciting discovery for Perseverance,” says Mars Guy. For the first time in over four months, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has collected another rock sample intended for return to Earth. “But the process was different this time, in ways that show there’s something unexpected about this rock.”
Go to video at: https://youtu.be/itngpJjgATU
Russia’s Soyuz MS-23 has moved from the Poisk module to the Prichal module on the International Space Station. The operation performed manually by cosmonaut Sergei Prokopiev, with cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin and astronaut Francisco Rubio in the spacecraft. In the spring-summer of 2023, space walks are planned from the Poisk module.
NASA Awards Cutting-Edge Advanced Concepts
Go to: https://www.leonarddavid.com/36785-2/
Will it stay…will it go? SpaceX making progress for Starship/Super Heavy “orbital” launch try from Texas. Will FAA give approval license? From SpaceX: “Starship fully stacked at Starbase. Team is working towards a launch rehearsal next week followed by Starship’s first integrated flight test ~week later pending regulatory approval.”
- Space Solar Power: Progress Reported in Air Force Demo Program
https://www.leonarddavid.com/space-solar-power-progress-reported-in-air-force-demo-program/
Mars Helicopter: Flight 43 – High Flying Views
https://www.leonarddavid.com/mars-helicopter-flight-43-high-flying-views/
- Russia Readies Unpiloted Soyuz for February 24 liftoff
https://www.leonarddavid.com/russia-readies-unpiloted-soyuz-for-february-24-liftoff/

Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photo produced on Sol 3744, February 17, 2023,
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
- Curiosity Mars Rover: New Drill Hole – Insufficient Depth
https://www.leonarddavid.com/curiosity-mars-rover-new-drill-hole-insufficient-depth/
Head of Senate Intelligence, Senator Marco Rubio, discusses recent classified briefing on the downing events that have caught public and military attention.
The lawmaker calls for access by scientists to the collected data, information that should be cross-referenced and made public.
Meanwhile, take a read of my Scientific American story, noting the new dedicated observatories and crowdsourced smartphone apps that will study strange sightings in the sky. But questionable data quality and a lack of shared research standards remain key challenges…
Go to: “Scientists Try to Get Serious about Studying UFOs. Good Luck with That” at:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-try-to-get-serious-about-studying-ufos-good-luck-with-that/
For Senator Rubio’s comments, go to:
Go to C-Span link at: https://twitter.com/i/status/1625717882578472962
And also:
China balloon launch site?: A StratoCat twitter says that after 12 hours of painstakingly searching, mile after mile, all Inner Mongolia using Apple maps, the location of the a Chinese balloon launch facility has been found – tied to that alleged surveillance “spy” aerial mission over the United States that was later shot down over U.S. east coast waters. It is located in the Siziwang Banner, 85 miles (138 kilometers) north of Hohhot. Image credit: StratoCat
Mars collectibles: NASA’s Perseverance rover at Jezero Crater has placed a “depot” of 10 samples on the surface of Mars. The sealed tubes contain a diverse sampling of geology at the rover’s exploration zone, and may be picked up and returned to Earth in the 2030’s. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
High and mighty: NASA’s Mars helicopter continues to show off its scouting skills at Jezero Crater. Mars Guy notes that recent software upgrades allow Ingenuity to fly over rugged terrain while autonomously adjusting its altitude. Image credit: Mars Guy
Go to video at: https://youtu.be/lo-m7zmZczk
Hissy fit: Russian space specialists have recorded a depressurization in the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on February 18. The passage hatch from the ISS to the ship is closed, thus the Progress MS-21 is isolated from the total volume of the station. All equipment scheduled for removal is already in the ship. The reasons for its depressurization are being investigated. “The temperature regime and pressure on board the ISS are normal, nothing threatens the life and health of the crew,” explains a Roscosmos posting via Telegram. “This incident had no effect on today’s docking with the ISS of the Progress MS-22 cargo spacecraft and will not affect the station’s future flight program.” Image of Progress MS-22 docking to ISS via Roscosmos.