NASA to Compete Contract for Jet Propulsion Laboratory Management
nasa.govu/QuantitativeNonsense — 9 hours ago
r/JPL
▲ 25 r/JPL
NASA Re-Org
An article in arstechnica.com today discusses a major reorganization at NASA. Anyone know anything definitive about how this is going to effect JPL besides new management? The only mention of JPL seems a bit disparaging. We were always told JPL was more efficient than the other centers.
"One notable area where NASA will seek efficiencies is at the famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. This planetary research center is not operated by NASA but is instead a federally funded research and development center managed by the California Institute of Technology. This California-based university has operated the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, essentially without competition, since the 1950s. Its contract expires in 2028. Isaacman said the Department of Energy has had success with opening up competition to run its federally funded research and development centers, and he believes NASA can do the same.
To that end, NASA will open a competition through the Request for Proposals mechanism for other universities to come in and operate the NASA Laboratory. Institutions like Purdue University and Texas A&M University are likely to be interested, with NASA’s goal to maximize the amount of science done per dollar invested."
Hmmm - Anyone thinking SpaceX?
u/No-Measurement4639 — 9 hours ago
▲ 0 r/JPL
Why don't we launch spacecraft from a hole in the ground with additional propellant at the bottom.
One of the biggest inefficiencies for launching objects into space is that the rocket needs to spend most of its energy lifting rocket fuel. The bigger the rocket the more additional fuel. But we already know a way to give something a boost by igniting propellent at the bottom of a tube to help accelerate a projectile.
If we dug a deep hole, put pure oxygen and a suitable propellent (nitrocellulose?) in a big pile at the bottom, and then dropped a rocket down the tube, wouldn't the positive pressure from the explosion accelerate the rocket? We know this works as it is basically how naval artillery functioned and it did a good job accelerating heavy objects.
What am I missing?
u/LunaD0g273 — 4 days ago
STELLARFORGE - FIRST LOOK
>Been working on a hard sci-fi colony simulation game called StellarForge in Unreal Engine 5.
The goal isn’t just “space aesthetics” —
I wanted the infrastructure and logistics to feel believable.
I’m trying to make the universe feel like it keeps functioning even when the player isn’t looking at it.
Right now the simulation includes:
• Interplanetary shipping & launch windows
• Colony-wide power / oxygen / water simulation
• Resource density & industrial manufacturing
• Orbital infrastructure and transport chains
• Dynamic thermal and atmospheric systems
• Persistent colonies across multiple planets/moons
• Modular building placement & interior habitat construction
I’ve also started building optional in-universe engineering archives so players can learn things like:
- rocket propulsion
- orbital mechanics
- thermodynamics
- gas laws
- materials density
…without forcing tutorials on people who just want to build cool colonies.
Would genuinely love feedback from:
- colony sim players (fans of factorio, satisfactory, anno, farthest frontier etc)
- KSP people
- Factorio addicts
- hard sci-fi fans
- systems/logistics gremlins like me
Gameplay video below.
>I'm also new to reddit 😄 so. hi 😄
>
u/Limp-Balance-9252 — 6 days ago
▲ 3 r/JPL
/afs/jpl.nasa.gov offline?
Looks like the share went offline. What gives?
u/glassmanjones — 12 days ago