The notion of the 'space fighter' is a staple of science fiction, they play key roles in some of the most enduring sci-fi universes, and as it happens frequently the people behind these universes haven't really given much of a though to how the design of a space fighter affects the way it flies and performs. There are plenty of great space fighter games and within the genre of 'spaceship' games there are different flight models that are used - non-newtonian, semi-newtonian and full newtonian. With Cloud Imperium Games releasing a detailed dev blog on their spacecraft flight mechanics I wanted to demonstrate some of the physics within Kerbal space program. We start out in the atmosphere to demonstrate how real world fighter planes fly since this behaviour is aped in Star Wars. Then we go to the Mun and demonstrate various control systems seen in universes that support newtonian flight models. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13951-Flight-Model-And-Input-Controls ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYPxJtra1ws

For the last 20 years Iridium Flares have been a regular feature of satellite watching as the iridium network provided a nice predictable set of satellites which just happened to produce satellite flares. However the old network is in the process of being replaced and soon you'll not be able to see this phenomena. https://www.heavens-above.com/IridiumFlares.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzzROZzjTyw

Ever wanted the parachutes on jetissoned stages to deploy moments after staging? Ever wanted an emergency parachute deploy on your return vehicle just in case power goes out? Smart Parts provides light weight modules which can trigger staging events or action groups. In early space vehicles much of the automation and control was at this level, computers, remote control or even pilots didn't come much later. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64227-0-90-Smart-Parts-V1-5-1-KSP-AVC-and-AGX-Compatibility-Jan-8 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chNKY03gxMg

ULA's AEHF-5 Launch turned out to be a surprisingly spectacular event due to small launch delays leading to a launch into the pre-dawn skies. With the rocket heading towards the sun, and the camera looking back into the rocket exhaust we were able to see he shadow of the booster in flight. Pretty amazing! ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xluxhnui5RQ