The key virtue of orbital assembly is that it eliminates the tight connection between the size of the expedition and the size of the rockets used to launch it. Henry Spencer assemblyconnectioneliminate Change image and share on social
Sometimes a malfunctioning test setup actually gives the tested system a chance to show what it can do in an unrehearsed emergency. During a test of an Apollo escape system in the 1960s, the escape system successfully got the capsule clear of a malfunctioning test rocket. Henry Spencer 1960sapollocapsule share on social
Spaceflight, especially in the Mercury spacecraft, clearly wasn't going to be much like flying an airplane. Henry Spencer airplaneflymercury Change image and share on social
Whether solid rockets are more or less likely to fail than liquid-fuel rockets is debatable. More serious, though, is that when they do fail, it's usually violent and spectacular. Henry Spencer debatablefailfuel Change image and share on social
Since SpaceX's very beginnings, they have talked about recovering and reusing at least the first stages of their rockets. Henry Spencer beginningrecoverreuse Change image and share on social
The Orion capsule uses an escape system quite like that of the Apollo spacecraft in the 1960s and 70s: an 'escape tower' containing a solid-fuel rocket that will pull it up and away from Ares I in a pinch. Henry Spencer 1960s70sapollo share on social
Progress requires setbacks; the only sure way to avoid failure is not to try. Henry Spencer avoidfailureprogress Change image and share on social
It's true that Apollo 10's lander was overweight. Late in the craft's development, it became clear that its ballooning weight was endangering the whole mission. Henry Spencer apolloballoonclear Change image and share on social
Foul-ups in testing are not uncommon, especially when the test setup is being tried for the first time. Henry Spencer foulsetuptest Change image and share on social
The communications delays between Earth and Mars can be half an hour or more, so the people on the ground can't participate minute by minute in Mars surface activities. Henry Spencer activitycommunicationdelay Change image and share on social
