BWJC (@immabed) profile picture

BWJC

@immabed

I like science, tech, and games, but mostly space! I also make music, so there's some of that?

blog.imma.page/
Joined September 2011
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Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)Photo by BWJC (@immabed)
Why do super-chilled cryogenic propellants force short or instantaneous launch windows once fuelling has begun? Why do you have to fuel so close to launch? Why do regular cryogenic propellants not have the same restrictions? A thread. 1/20
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How would this work? ISP is exhaust velocity, which for a thermal rocket is temperature. Adjust heat output vs propellant flow to adjust thrust and ISP, aka 'shifting gears'. Astrophage gets you basically a laser thermal rocket with an onboard power plant. projectrho.com/public_html/r…
BWJC (@immabed) profile pictureBWJC@immabedNov 12
Replying to @immabed @__abysmal @amoxnp @BigPattyFishh
An SSTO would use Astrophage thermal engines with variable ISP so you don't destroy your launch pad and catch tower or landing pad. A fully reusable high mass fraction SSTO should be readily possible with ATR, so it just depends on timeline.
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The Petrova '26 multimedia universe grows, now in video and music! I guess consider this a teaser of sorts for my upcoming Petrova '26 album, assuming I ever finish it.
Chance Wen (@wenchance) profile pictureChance Wen@wenchanceOct 23
Above α Cen AbI, Stellar Venture's Hangar B2 opens. The robotic arm deploys to grapple BOB-8 "Bender" Happy w/ the results, but 1 wk of rendering for 1 min of footage is brutal. BGM made by @immabed (yes he makes tunes too!) Enjoy! #phm #scifi #animation #hardsf #toughsf #b3d
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This was a rush job, Chance asked yesterday if I had any music I could add and I had about 2 hours free I could work on this, since I didnt have anything pre-made that fit. I did release an album this summer with a couple space themed songs. immabed.bandcamp.com/album/c…
Cruft, by Immabed

Cruft, by Immabed

16 track album

immabed.bandcamp.com
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MMX taking off to do incredible science at Phobos! JAXA with another crazy cool planetary mission.
柴田孔明 (@koumeiShibata) profile picture柴田孔明@koumeiShibataOct 19
H3ロケット10号機・火星衛星探査機（MMX）の打上げ(2026/10/20 04:41:03(JST))
Image from 柴田孔明 (@koumeiShibata)
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In Project Hail Mary, Grace and Rocky wonder why their species have similar tech levels, and realize any less and the species dies, and much more and they can deal with Astrophage without flying to Tau Ceti. Well, turns out you barely need any more tech.
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But even in a worst case scenario, I'm not off by more than a factor of 4 or 5. A modest Astrophage harvesting system can offset solar dimming and provide total energy abundance to Earth with technology that might be reasonable for any space faring civilization.
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My assumptions are that near Venus the Petrova line is basically the width of Venus, and that around half (or more) of the consumed energy makes it to Venus in the form of Astrophage, and that the Petrova line is of uniform density across it's cross-section.
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What happens after the Hail Mary has sent home Taumoeba, the Astrophage problem has been solved, and Earth has returned to a new normal of energy abundance thanks to Astrophage harvesting at Venus? Humanity goes back to the stars of course, this time properly.
Chance Wen (@wenchance) profile pictureChance Wen@wenchanceOct 5
Some decades have passed since the events of #phm Petrova '26 Sol and Earth have recovered & humanity is exploring the stars Here, Stellar Venture, a 3rd gen Interstellar Vehicle, departs from a fueling station @ Venus for an expedition to a stellar neighbor #projecthailmary
Image from Chance Wen (@wenchance)
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Follow @wenchance to see where he is going with this little follow-on to Petrova '26!
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Petrova '26 read-along Part 6! To wrap up the write-up we've got some additional details, rejected ideas, non-Hail Mary Task Force projects, and the effects on the plot of the book and movie. blog.imma.page/space/2026/09…
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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Petrova '26 read-along Part 5! This definitely resulted in the best new renders. The ISS's big role, orbital shipyard for the Hail Mary! ISS mods, visiting vehicles schedules, launch vehicles, spacewalks, timeline, and finally departure! blog.imma.page/space/2026/09…
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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This section also resulted in one of the most unexpected images of the project, the mission patch for the ALF. Plus why not, the Hail Mary from the Crew Dragon Grace flying escort during final checkouts.
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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The weekend is a great time for some *light* reading, right? Part 4 of the Petrova '26 read-along: the rest of the Hail Mary and the Beetles! (And my personal favourite, Canadarm3 🇨🇦) Now is a great time to catch up if you haven't been following along! blog.imma.page/space/2026/09…
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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Seriously, all ya'll interacting with this project has been incredible. So many good reactions, suggestions, KSP builds (!!), and even corrections from industry insiders. I know our Hail Mary isn't perfect, but that people care enough to dig into minor details is amazing!
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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Petrova '26 read-along, for those who haven't read ahead. Part 3! Today's is a good one, the core systems of the Hail Mary, including power, propulsion, protection, and the centrifuge and tether. Many of these systems helped drive the overall design. blog.imma.page/space/2026/09…
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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ISS (Petrova '26 version) Made in KSP
Image from Tiago Nugent, Composer (@TiagoNugent)
Image from Tiago Nugent, Composer (@TiagoNugent)
Image from Tiago Nugent, Composer (@TiagoNugent)
Image from Tiago Nugent, Composer (@TiagoNugent)
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Holy cow! The response to Petrova '26 has been amazing! Seems like a lot of you read well past the initial section, but for those of you following the read-along, its time for Pt. 2: The Design of the Hail Mary itself, specifically the habitation section. blog.imma.page/space/2026/09…
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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Seriously, everyone sharing this has been absolutely incredible. I don't think Chance or I could have imagined such a positive response❤️
Image from BWJC (@immabed)
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