Starship’s plan for the future
SpaceX is gearing up for another test flight of its giant Starship rocket. After two attempts that ended in explosions, SpaceX is moving forward with an ambitious third test mission as early as Thursday.
Anthony Colangelo, host of the space podcast Main Engine Cut Off, said SpaceX has major plans for the future of Starship – not just to help NASA land humans on the moon. The compnay plans to use the spacecraft to launch hundreds more Starlink satellites, and offering satellite phone services across the globe.
“Instead of connecting to a cell tower, you would be able to connect to one of these satellites without a special phone,” Colangelo said. “This is anyone's cell phone is that cell provider has a deal with one of these satellite networks would be able to carry text data in some cases.”
Colangelo said these plans with Starlink satellites are revolutionary, but because the satellites will be large, Starship is needed to bring this goal to fruition.
The fight for women in space
Thirteen women changed the future of space exploration for women back in the 60’s.
The women trained alongside NASA’s original Mercury 7 astronauts in the 1960s, and although they did not make it into space, they paved the way for future female astronauts.
In her book, To Fly Among the Stars: The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts, Rebecca Sigel shares the stories of these women and their fight to have women fly in space.
“I think for these women, that was what they were up against, you know, this notion that the world has some spheres that are appropriate for men and some that are appropriate for women,” Sigel said. “And these women just weren't ready to accept that.”
