Second attempt to be first

An update on a couple stories

A new newsletter is coming. In the meantime, a couple of interesting items.

(Credit: NASA)

Another shot at the Moon is underway by a private US company. Intuitive Machines rocketed into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and was deployed for its trip to become the first private spacecraft to land on the lunar surface.

Intuitive Machines lunar lander deployed from its Falcon 9. (Credit: SpaceX)

The folks at Astrobotics, who made the first attempt, were unsuccessful earlier this year and will be watching from Pittsburgh.

Intuitive Machines lander is carrying several experiments for NASA. Those experiments will provide much different scientific data than the payload Astrobotics was carrying. Here is the piece that included the plan for that Astrobotic mission:

There’s more…

Also, I posted a new “Note” on Substack. I thought I would include it here too:

Presidential campaigning, wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and another shooting in the US. , and will the Fed cut interest rates? There is a lot of news out there and other stories sometimes don’t get the attention they deserve.

The “National Security” risk story of the past 24 hours about Russia and “nuclear capability” in space is getting coverage. We don’t know the details, yet. But, because the word “capability” is being used, this could be a a nuclear powered anti-satellite vehicle rather than a Russian nuclear weapon. Stay tuned.

It’s not just Russia that is exploring nuclear elements in space.

The US is working on a nuclear powered space engine to get to Mars and farther. Here’s the Full Throttle piece on that: davidkerley.substack.com/p/a-faster-way…

Also… did you hear about the big discovery in Wyoming? Full Throttle has looked at the rare earth metals market and China’s dominance.

This is from an opinion piece in the WSJ:

The discovery of 2.34 billion metric tons of rare-earth elements near Wheatland, Wyo., signals the beginning of a new era in the competition for the raw materials that power the global economy. If wisely exploited, this find—estimated to be the richest in the world—will give the U.S. an unparalleled economic and geopolitical edge against China and Russia for the foreseeable future.

The lode at Halleck Creek has the potential to make the U.S. the world’s largest processor of the minerals used to make computer chips, smartphones and aircraft engines. Rare earths are fundamental to advanced economic manufacturing. They are also critical in all military technologies, and thus have become central to national security.

wsj.com/articles/wyoming-hits-the-rare-…

Here is a look at the government’s attempt to secure domestic supplies of rare earth minerals from Full Throttle.

This is from May 2022.

davidkerley.substack.com/p/biden-moves-…