Rocket ships that refuel in orbit and catch our imaginations
Quotes, images and footage that point to the possibility of an off-world reality
Here are events and places on the web that have informed the world of The 49.
New story content drops on Monday.
Ten years ago, if someone said that we’d make huge advances to traveling towards Mars, what would you have said?
Here are a few places on the web that have served as some mood board and vibe for
as he writes The 49.
For the off-world project to be possible, refuelling in orbit is essential. In Part 8, as Boyer approaches the Phos at Maskwacis, she reflects on how Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump became the location of the newest Starbase and how the stars became a destination for earth-born travellers:
The breakthrough of in-orbit refuelling at the end of 48’s first term was what started to make the galaxy seem smaller, the planets an actual neighbourhood. And how the territory that used to be known as the province of Alberta became an integral hub of Phase 2 of Occupy Mars.
SpaceX outlines its vision of how humanity will reach the stars and occupy the planets, first Mars. A first critical step in the present, is to re-use rockets. The recent catch landing was a first step.
Is refuelling in orbit within reach?
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.
~ Robert H. Goddard, the father of modern rocketry.
Refuelling in orbit could come sooner than later. Elon Musk has his eyes on 2026 nda set an aggressive timeline for a test. (This is a rolling date, though, one that has changed a few times since 2022).
Arstechnica reports that:
During the most recent Starship test flight in March, SpaceX conducted a cryogenic propellant transfer test between two tanks inside the vehicle. This tank-to-tank transfer of liquid oxygen was part of a demonstration supported with NASA funding. Agency officials said this demonstration would allow engineers to learn more about how the fluid behaves in a low-gravity environment.
Visionaries push humanity to think beyond the now, beyond what we believe is possible. In a famous speech in 1962 during the Apollo era, John F. Kennedy challenged the world to reach for the impossible:
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
JFK talked about the hostile, impossible environment of space and how it deserves the best of humanity. The off-world vision in the 1960s, was a call to peaceful cooperation of earth-bound citizens to work together. A call to serve the best of our energies and skills.