Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter) header
Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter) profile picture

A space geek who loves to write and make videos! I'm a content producer for Jared Owen Animations on YT. I also run @OrbitalVel.

Overland Park, KS
Joined August 2008
Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)Photo by Derek Richardson (@TheSpaceWriter)
This one hurts... 😢
Sir Patrick Stewart, well known for his iconic roles as Jean-Luc Picard and Charles Xavier, has passed away at his home in Los Angeles.
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Derek Richardson retweeted
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about, and talking to people about a post-Falcon world. Why sunset the world’s best rocket? Can Starship replace it? What about Artemis? Why are SpaceXers flocking to Memphis? Grab a coffee, this is a long one. arstechnica.com/space/2026/1…
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‘Taking Flight’ (nearly).  Our beautiful Artemis III Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage left the surface of the earth (briefly) today as it ‘flew over the hump’ via a giant crane in the Vehicle Assembly Building to be mated between our 2 already assembled Solid Rocket Boosters on the Mobile Launcher.  Spectacular job by our SLS, Exploration Ground Systems,and  @NASAKennedy team! Go @NASAArtemis III!
🤖 Made with AI
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NEW SLS PICTURES JUST DROPPED!!!
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Progress on the Orion spacecraft video project is coming along nicely! Some of it we’ve had to do our best guess based on what information is available, like the docking module at the top. Let me know what you think so far! Hopefully the full video will be done soon. (1/3)
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The Universal Waste Management System. (2/3)
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Exploded view of the European Service Module. (3/3)
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It is so refreshing to hear a NASA administrator address issues that have long been these huge elephants in the room, like Orion's inability to reach low-lunar orbit. Everyone knew it was an issue, but no one did anything about it for 15 years. Finally, it's being addressed.
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Derek Richardson retweeted
NASA will provide an update on its progress toward Artemis III and Artemis IV. This is the information they're releasing on SpaceX and Blue Origin's landers:
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Post-flight analysis confirms the Artemis II Orion heat shield performed as expected during its Mach 39 reentry, protecting the spacecraft and the astronauts aboard as they returned from the 694,481-mile journey around the Moon. go.nasa.gov/4B7EWNT
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Derek Richardson retweeted
One demonstration closer to delivering VIPER to the Moon. We just completed a risk-reduction test campaign with @NASA: running a full offload with a VIPER Mobility Ground Research Unit (MGRU) before doing so on the lunar surface. We proved out the full concept of operations with our flight-like offloader: the complete offload sequence, nominal and off-nominal, ran end-to-end across the full range of lander tilt angles, with joint mission operations and NASA commanding the rover remotely. Stay tuned for images of our flight offloader, which is being fabricated now!
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Derek Richardson retweeted
I think in reality, what socialism means in the American context is that you like to rename things to distract people from an unpopular war, rising food and fuel costs, and the Epstein Files.
Q: “How do you define socialism personally?” Vance: “I think in reality, what it actually means in the American context is that you want to replace American workers with foreign workers, and you want boys to play in girls' sports.”
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Derek Richardson retweeted
Mission by mission, step by step, NASA is building toward an enduring human presence on the Moon. A new NASA white paper outlines how communications, navigation, timing, and lunar surface observation capabilities are expected to expand as the Moon Base develops and exploration activity increases, including opportunities for industry to contribute.
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Derek Richardson retweeted
Chez ISS Season 1 - Episode 5: family style gatherings on @Space_Station. On Sunday we had the change of command ceremony and Crew-12 is preparing to leave. Currently, we have 11 people on station and aged cheddar so we are making the most of it! Join us for this final episode of season 1 as we prepare for season 2.
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Derek Richardson retweeted
In July of 2026, 700 AI agents hacked the infrastructure of Hugging Face in order to solve a task. This task was designed to be impossible to solve, so just within hours, they joined forces, even created a society, and finally, they executed a sophisticated cyberattack that would have gotten a human up to 10 years in prison. The worst part is, they knew their actions were unethical and against the rules, and they did it anyway. What exactly are AI agents, and how do they grow their "intelligence"? What is actually happening inside the AI companies, how dangerous it really is, and is it time for us to start paying serious attention to what is going on inside a powerful part of this tech sector? Watch our full video to find out: kgs.link/AIAgentsChaos ...Phew, creating this video was a crazy ride! This is such an important topic, so we decided to work day and night to finish script, visuals and music in just 4 weeks. We’re going to take a nap now, and while we are asleep you should check out our shop and get the 12,027 Calendar: kgs.link/4xYlakX Its our biggest mean of support and helps us to continue covering topics like this. Thank youuu and good night!
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Derek Richardson retweeted
Two hatches and a vestibule separate us from Crew-13. Well, actually, just one now.
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NASA's Jared Isaacman says the next Starliner crewed mission will fly no earlier than 2028.
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Starship Flight 14 launch and orbit was a success, but what did the launch sound and feel like form Port Isabel, about 5 miles away? Here is a visual & audio experience almost as good as being there! If you haven't been to a Starship launch, you really need to plan a trip! @esherifftv Sound UP!
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It is poetic that Starship reached orbit 18 years, to the date, after the Falcon 1 rocket. 'Orbit Day' should be a perpetual holiday at the company.
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