The Space-Based Drug Factory That Can’t Come Home
IEEE Spectrum | October 24, 2023 | Mark HarrisFive hundred kilometers above the Earth, a small spacecraft is waiting patiently for permission to return home. The autonomous return capsule, made by startup Varda Space Industries, of Torrance, CA, was meant to have landed in the remote Utah desert early in September.
It would have been the first commercial space company to return a drug made in space to Earth, in this case a few grams of the HIV and hepatitis C antiviral ritonavir. Instead, the satellite, about the size of a large trash can and code-named Winnebago 1, continues to orbit the planet at nearly 30,000 kilometers per hour.
Why Must a Trash-Can-Sized Space Drug Lab Circle the Earth?
Blessed are they who run in circles for they shall be known as wheels.
No women in space to remind you to take out the trash.
They forgot to invoke the first law of gravity – “what goes up must come down…”
Because Hunter’s drugs were too easy to find in the White House, so they needed a more remote location
Vodka drunk Russian Cosmonauts:
“Mayday mayday..We see many R2D2’s in orbit..this must be American super weapon”!
Why Must a Trash-Can-Sized Space Drug Lab Circle the Earth?
Elon is in control.
Why Must a Trash-Can-Sized Space Drug Lab Circle the Earth?
Big Pharma is holding out until they get approval to charge the patients freight by the mile for their product.
It isn’t empty yet…only after it has released the full payload onto the citizens of earth, can it be returned…and you thought it was anti virals…come on, you should know them by now…luckily I have my saran wrap nose filters…
Why Must a Trash-Can-Sized Space Drug Lab Circle the Earth?
because squaring the Earth is impratical.
The crystals grown by the drug company have completed. USAF did not give permission because company wanted to land it on an A/F Base. FAA did not give permission, because “they have a different process” (probably have not defined a process and afraid of hurtling Spacecrafts in airspace. So part of the problem is two beaurocracies are required for US landing. Varda has secured permission to land in remote Australia; however, no date or specifics have been set.