Currently: @Vast Prev: @EsperSats @PierSightSpace @Techstars_Space @Hacker0x01 @CyberIncubator @HiveLend @Venture4America
Los Angeles, CA
Joined September 2011
- Tweets2K
- Following4.6K
- Followers483
- Likes46.9K
Nick Z retweeted
Congratulations to Greece on its upcoming private astronaut mission and first trip to the @Space_Station.
As an Artemis Accords partner, Greece is already helping shape the future of exploration. With this mission, it is contributing to the creation of a sustainable LEO economy.
Vast and @esa, on behalf of Greece, have signed an agreement for Vast’s private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in partnership with @NASA. @astrovenator is slated to serve as a mission specialist, becoming the first Greek astronaut. vast.news/46NBolT
Nick Z retweeted
I'd like to make a suggestion on location
Today @POTUS signed an EO establishing the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy.
The Commission will be led by our great @NASAAdmin and will design a @NASA-led federal academy that combines rigorous technical education with leadership, discipline, and a durable commitment to public service.
The mission is to prepare the next generation of astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and warfighters.
American space superiority will be won by the people we train to explore, secure, and build there.
The Proclamation: whitehouse.gov/presidential-…
Nick Z retweeted
China's latest excuse for stealing territory from its neighbors, building a "nature preserve". This is an obvious lie.
China's state subsidized fishing fleets are decimating sea life around the world. Even operating in the waters of other countries stealing fish. 🔗
Nick Z retweeted
just watched Project Hail Mary and here is my sequel pitch - after returning to Earth, Gosling and the rock monster move to LA and start a small private detective agency… also the rock monster is now played by Russell Crowe
Nick Z retweeted
AI companies would have better public support if ordinary US citizens were able to invest in the upside of generational businesses that threaten their livelihoods instead of being given the opportunity to enter at a frothy $1 trillion+ valuation that mints billions for VCs
Nick Z retweeted
🇫🇷 Today at Choose France, President @EmmanuelMacron announced a historic agreement with Vast for 2 astronaut missions: @Thom_astro to the International Space Station and @Arno_astro to Haven-1. Vast will also establish its European Headquarters in Paris. vastspace.com/updates/france…
Nick Z retweeted
Alyssa Liu went viral during the Met Gala for her rant on the state of the public perception of data centers.
"We are being manipulated into ceding the compute frontier. Data center development is vital to national security." She adds, "Karen Hao's overstimation of data center water consumption by a factor of 1000 has done irreparable damage to the nation's efforts to stay ahead."
Nick Z retweeted
Reflect Orbital but you can beam reggaeton or mariachi music to any public space on Earth 24/7
Nick Z retweeted
Kinda insane how there are headlines weekly of OpenAI being valued at $800 billion, Anthropic at $380 billion, SpaceX at $1.25 trillion and 99.999% of investors are unable to participate in the upside of the most iconic, generational businesses of our time
Nick Z retweeted
the Waymo’s should have personalities like the culture ships. Some of them should drive oddly fast, and others should be really afraid of the hills.
Nick Z retweeted
The heat thing is a meme. There are levels to this.
Initially you’re like: oh, this will never work.
Then you remember space is “cold.”
Then you do εσAT⁴ and think the radiator area might not be terrible.
Then you remember bifacial panels and think you’re done.
Then you remember the panel is also an absorber, so you don’t get a free cold surface.
Then you remember the GPUs are in the bus, not smeared across the wings.
Then you realize conduction over a 25 m wingspan is not casual.
Then you find heat pipes to get heat from GPUs to the panel.
Then you realize you still need vapor chambers to spread flux without hot spots.
Then you decide on a pumped ammonia loop.
Then you realize two-phase stability and pump margin are now your job.
Then you realize you need rotary, leak-tight fluid joints for deployment/pointing.
Then you realize “leak-tight” in hard vacuum for 5+ years is ambitious.
Then you realize your structure needs a ~40 Hz first mode or it will self-excite.
Then you realize stiffness is mass and mass is launch.
Then you realize the mass adds up fast, and so does the integration tax.
Then you realize launch cost was only half the problem.
Then you start talking about BOM cost per pound like it’s Parmesan cheese.
Then you realize flight hardware cost is labor, test, and yield, not raw materials.
Then you start thinking about 2nd and 3rd order terrestrial supply chain constraints.
Then you start wondering if Texas has enough LOX liquefaction capacity for cadence.
Then you realize it’s a disgusting amount of electricity (GWh-ish per launch) to make LOX.
Then you start wondering if there are enough trucks to haul that LOX.
Then you wonder: do we need a pipeline?
Then you wonder: do we have the natural gas to power those plants?
Then you wonder: how do we spin up more plants and buy turbines from Mitsubishi?
And boom, you’re back at NatGas turbines… on the ground… like God intended.
