Varda capsule proves you don't need astronauts for gravity-defying science

Almost drowned out by last night's lunar landing, Varda Space Industries celebrated the re-entry and landing of the capsule from its W-1 mission in the Utah desert. The successful landing was significant for proponents of in-space manufacturing. Materials behave differently when processed in microgravity, and while parabolic …

[Anonymous Coward]

How did they develop the capsule and heat shield?

So SpaceX spent a good chunk 'o change on expensive refractory wind tunnel studies and licensed the PICA-X material from NASA.

Where did this come from out of the blue? Did they just "wing it/oh that looks about right" on the shape? Are they using PICA-X as well?

No wonder NASA/USAF want a look-see.

[Duncan Macdonald]

Re: How did they develop the capsule and heat shield?

As the capsule is a single use design, an ablative heat shield (as used on every manned mission between Mercury and Apollo) would suffice. The SpaceX requirement for multiple reuse requires a more complex heat shield system.

[fishman]

Re: How did they develop the capsule and heat shield?

When something is "Human Rated" far more testing is required.

[Doctor Syntax]

You don't even need to leave the Earth's surface to do gravity-defying science: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinostat

[Spherical Cow]

Not perfect though, that page lists some problems.

[Arthur the cat]

Re-entry licence?

The eight-month mission duration was twice that initially planned due to problems with the license needed for re-entry.

What? You need separate licences for going up and coming down? If you're intending to return your spacecraft to Earth I'd have thought a return ticketlicence would have made sense.

[Julz]

Just

How much green goo do you need?