The Infinite World

Soyuz FG launch failure on 11 Oct 2018, demonstrated the current primitive status of human space travel technology! People are talking about leaving the ISS empty, as the return port is only valid for flight up to Jan 2019. What a joke, 60 years of space flight and human is still struggling to get a fellow astronaut to space. All money spent on rocket and spacecraft seemed lost now, human is not confident of getting to space safely. 

History will be made when SpaceX fly the same Falcon 9 block 5 first stage for a 3rd time. So far, no Falcon 9 first stage ever fly a 3rd time, this is going to be milestone for SpaceX when it happened! 

SpaceX successfully launched and deployed the Saocom 1A satellite, today 7 Oct 2018, 7.21 pm local time. The launch took place from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on the 17th mission of 2018. The block 5 first stage successfully landed on a pad a short distance from the launch site, the first landing on the US west coast. 

Mo Farah of United Kingdom won the 2018 Chicago Marathon in 2:05:11, Mosinet Geremew Boyih of Ethiopia finished 2nd in 2:05:24 and Suguru Osako finished 3rd in 2:05:50. Farah set a new national and European record, also a new personal best in his 3rd marathon. Suguru also set a new national record and will collect a 100million yen bonus from a local incentive scheme. Galen Rupp of the USA finished fifth in 2:06:21.

The United Kingdom is probably the only country that has managed to successfully launched a satellite with its own Black Arrow rocket, but cancelled it in 1971 to cut cost. UK launched the “Prospero” satellite on 28 Oct 1971 with the Black Arrow, but cancelled it in favour of American rocket to save cost. Imagine what would the UK space industry be liked if the programme continues after the fourth launch? Perhaps there would be a UK space station in operation manned by UK astronauts! What if ? This goes to show that the people in the highest management of a country often made grave mistakes!