标题: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost [打印本页] 作者: choi 时间: 5-28-2025 12:16 标题: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost (1) My My 24, 2025 posting introduced you to:
The New Space Industry (II) | Rockets Galore; Can anyone realistically challenge SpaceX’s launch supremacy? The Economist, Mar 15, 2025, at page 66
("Hot on its heels is Firefly Aerospace, based near Austin, Texas, which had the first fully successful launch of its Alpha rocket (capacity just over a tonne) in 2023 and is planning a larger device (capacity 16 tonnes) in collaboration with Northrop Grumman. Firefly is interested in space science, too. Its Blue Ghost lunar lander, due for launch next year on a SpaceX vehicle, will carry customers' [NASA's] instruments and experiments to the Moon's surface") 作者: choi 时间: 5-28-2025 12:22 本帖最后由 choi 于 5-29-2025 10:30 编辑
Note:
(a) illustration of Firefly Aerospace:
(i) orbit of the Moon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_of_the_Moon
("The Moon orbits Earth in the prograde direction * * * When viewed from the north celestial pole (that is, from the approximate direction of the star Polaris) the Moon orbits Earth anticlockwise and Earth orbits the Sun anticlockwise, and the Moon and Earth rotate on their own axes anticlockwise")
(ii) English dictionary:
* The adjective or adverb aniticlockwise is British English for counterclockwise. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anticlockwise
* prograde (adj; Latin [from Ancient Greek] pro- forward + English [suffix] -grade [walking; from Latin verb gradior to walk]) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prograde
(b)
(i) Same as SpaceX, Firefly Aerospace (2014- ) is a private company (that does not sell stocks).
Its leadership has been messy. See Firefly Aerospace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Aerospace
(table: Products)
• summary of corporate history of Firefly from this Wiki page: In December 2014, [Firefly co-founder] Tom Markusic's former employer Virgin Galactic alleged" intellectual theft. Firefly was sued (by its own shareholders AND Virgin) and went bankruptcy. Noosphere Ventures bought it in an auction, but its owner was a Ukrainian, Max Polyakov. "In February 2021, NASA awarded approximately US$93.3 million to Firefly Aerospace to develop exploration technologies for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery in 2023.[31] * * * In late November 2021, Maxim Polyakov received a letter from the US Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) asking Polyakov and his investment firm Noosphere Venture Partners to sell a stake in Firefly (nearly 50%) for national security reasons." Polyakov complied in February 2022, and AE Industrial Partners acquired a majority stake in the company. As a result, CEO Markusic was replaced by Bill Weber.
• "In a brief statement late July 17, Firefly announced that Bill Weber was no longer the chief executive of the launch vehicle and lunar lander company. The statement did not disclose the reason for his departure and whether Weber resigned or was fired. The announcement came two days after Payload [payloadspace.com] reported that the company was investigating claims that Weber had an 'inappropriate relationship' with a female employee of the company." from the Web.
(ii) In (1): Firefly Aerospace "is planning a larger device (capacity 16 tonnes) in collaboration with Northrop Grumma.”
Next Generation Medium Launch Vehicle. Firefly Aerospace, undated https://fireflyspace.com/mlv/
("Firefly Aerospace and Northrop Grumman are co-developing a new medium[-lift] launch vehicle (MLV) that combines the best technologies, systems, and mission experience from both companies to fill a void in the global launch market. MLV will first launch from Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) with the ability to lift more than 16,000 kg to orbit in support of space station resupply missions, commercial spacecraft, national security missions, and scientific payloads for the domestic and international market. Designed for reusability, MLV is optimized for return to launch site (RTLS) and propulsive landing of the first stage")
(iii)
(A) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Aerospace
(section 3 Lunar landers, section 3.1 Blue Ghost: "The lander is named after the blue ghost firefly Phausis reticulata.[62]")
(B) Phausis reticulata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phausis_reticulata
(" is a species of firefly found in the eastern and central United States. * * * The males of this all-brown species are about 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long,[4] have a short second antennomere (compared to the third) as well as large eyes.[5] Unlike many firefly species found in the eastern and central United States, P reticulata males display a steady glow, instead of a species-specific flashing pattern.[6] The light emitted by 'blue ghost' fireflies appears to the human eye as blueish-white when observed at night from a distance, but bright green when examined at close range.[7] This discrepancy in the observed color may be due to the Purkinje effect.[8]")
(C) Purkinje effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purkinje_effect
("The effect is named after the Czech anatomist Jan Evangelista Purkyně. * * * The effect was discovered in 1819 by Jan Evangelista Purkyně. * * * He reasoned that the eye has not one but two systems adapted to see colors, one for bright overall light intensity, and the other for dusk and dawn")
(D) Carl Bergmann (anatomist) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bergmann_(anatomist)
("in 1854: he discovered rods and cones in retina)
Rods are responsible for vision in the dark (that is NOT completely without light).
(c)
(i) This landing was preceded by two landings of Intuitive Machines, Inc (2013- ; based in Houston, Texas) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intuitive_Machines
("Odysseus is the first American spacecraft to land on the surface of the Moon since the Apollo Program"/ (section 2 Company overview, section 2.2 Missions: IM1 ("On February 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander experienced a hard landing") + IM2 ("soft landing on March 6, 2025, but landed on its side") )
Though Intuitive Machines called both landings successes, I do not buy it.
(ii) Blue Ghost (along with ispace's Resilience lunar lander on the same ride) as well as IM1 and 2 was ALL unmanned, hitched rides aboard SpaceX Falcon 9, and launched from NASA Kennedy Space Center (on Merritt Island, Florida).
(3)
(a) Here are two flight profiles of Hakuto-R Mission 2: early AND and latest (in the latter, Successes 8 through 10 are yet to happen). See M2 Status, ispace, undated (under the heading "Hakuto-R Missions"). https://ispace-inc.com/m2
(b)
(i) ispace Inc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ispace_Inc.
(2010- ; based in Tokyo; table: a public company whose stock is traded in Tokyo Stock Exchange; "From 2013 to 2018, ispace was the owner and operator of the Hakuto team that competed in Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP).[4] The team developed a lunar rover named Sorato. * * * The company's founder and CEO is Takeshi Hakamada.[6]"/ section 2 Hakuto-R program, section 2.2 Hakuto-R Mission 2: "was launched on 15 January 2025.[23]")
does not use Japanese name.
(ii) Takeshi HAKAMA-DA 袴田 武史
(A) The kanji 袴 has Chinese pronunciation (ko, ku) and Japanese pronunciation hakama.
The kanji 武 has Chinese pronunciations (bu, mu) and Japanese pronunciations (take, takeshi). His parent happened to use kanji 史 to represent the sound (not meaning) of shi, but other parents may use 司 for instance.
(B) hakama 袴 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama
("There are two types of hakama: divided [and undivided in terms of pant legs] * * * Hakama are secured by four straps (himo [紐]) * * * The most formal type of men's hakama, sendaihira hakama, are made of stiff, striped silk, usually black and white, or black and navy blue. These are worn [together] with black montsuki kimono (kimono with one, three, or five family crests on the back, chest, and shoulders), white tabi (divided-toe [or split-toe] socks), white nagajuban (under-kimono)
are pants.
Take notice that in this Wiki page, the second photo from the top displays a woman with purple hakama, the rest of whose outer wear is simply kimono (in English sense). Note: In Japan, kimono (kanji: 着物, from verb kiru 着る meaning "wear") is ANYTHING one wears (by man, woman or child; outer or under-wear; ancient style or modern). In English, kimono is ornate clothing for a woman in ancient style.
(iii)
(A) sen-dai-hira 仙台平 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/仙台平
("日本の宮城県仙台市で作られる絹織物である。江戸時代から明治時代にかけて袴地の最高級品として知られたが、袴の需要減少とともに生産量が少なくなり、現在製造するのは合資会社仙台平だけである")
my rough translation: (仙台平) is silk goods 絹織物. From Edo period to Meiji period was top-grade fabric used for a hakama 袴地. However, the need for hakama decreases, along with production of the fabric for it. Presently, only 合資会社仙台平 makes it (fabric).
(B) 合資会社 仙台平 https://sendaihira.jp
(1877- ; based in 仙台市)
The home page of the fabric maker shows a sendaihira hakama with four straps/ strings/ cords to fasten.
• 日本の 会社法 構成:
第一編 総則
第二編 株式会社 (joint-stock company)
第三編 持分会社 (partnership)
• 持分会社の種類:
合名会社 (general partnership)
合資会社 (limited partnership)
合同会社 (limited liability company)
(iv)
(A) Japanese-English dictionary:
* montsuki 紋付 【もんつき】 (n): "clothing (eg kimono) decorated with one's family crest"
Unlike Chinese verbs, Japanese verbs -- similar to verbs in English -- are divided into transitive and intransitive (verbs). 付く(附くbefore simplification of kanji; pronounced tsu-ku) is intransitive (whose English translation is "is attached to"). On the other hand, 付ける (originally 附ける; pronunciation tsu-ke-ru) is transitive (whose English translation is "attach").
Tsu-ku has a corresponding oun tsu-ki, and Tsukeru, tsu-ke.
(B) 紋付 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/紋付
(photos)
(v) tabi 足袋 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/足袋
(vi)
(A) nagajuban 長襦袢
(B) 襦袢 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/襦袢
("「襦袢」はポルトガル語の「ジバゥン(gibão)」を音写した語で、古いイタリア語の「gibbone」 * * * 長襦袢や半襦袢")
• my translation: The word juban came directly from Portuguese ポルトガル語 "gibão" which in turn was from Old Italian "gibbone" * * * [There are] 長襦袢 and 半襦袢.
• For men and women (styles are somewhat different), 長襦袢 and 半襦袢 are light colored, worn next to skin as underwear, both long-sleeved with 半襦袢 to waist and 長襦袢 to ankles.
(vii) "From 2013 to 2018, ispace was the owner and operator of the Hakuto team"
(A) moon rabbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit
(table: names in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese, the last of which is 月の兎)
• 月の兎 is pronounced as "tsuki-no-usagi: the two kanji both in Japanese pronunciations)
• "The interesting point about the Japanese Moon rabbit is that it pounds rice cake. The Chinese Moon rabbit pounds not rice cake but elixir for immortality."' from the Web.
• Japanese moon tales do not incorporate Chang'e or sky palace of China's. The ja.wikipedia.org does have a page 天宮計画, quoting China's space program.
(B) The haku-to is 白兎, with both kanji in Chinese pronunciations.
(C) Regarding Hakuto-R Mission,
"「R」にはReboot (再起動) の意味": ja.wikipedia.org for ispace (section 3 HAKUTO-Rプログラム) where プログラム is katakana for "program."
(vii)
(A) Hakuto-R Mission 2 has not landed on the moon, though Blue Ghost did.
(B) Mike Wall, Private Japanese Moon Probe Snaps Photo of Lunar South Pole Ahead of June 5 Landing. Space.com, May 23, 2025 https://www.space.com/astronomy/ ... d-of-june-5-landing
(Hakuto-R Mission 2's lunar lander "Resilience launched [sic] on Jan 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that also carried another private moon lander: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost. Blue Ghost touched down on March 2 [on moon] * * * Resilience — ispace's second-ever moon lander — took a longer, looping, energy-efficient [but longer] route to Earth's nearest neighbor, finally arriving in lunar orbit on May 6. * * * The Japanese lander is scheduled to touch down on June 5 in Mare Frigoris ([Latin for] 'Sea of Cold'), a volcanic plain in the moon's northern hemisphere")