SWRadioGram #440

http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/radiogram.htm

https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases/tag/2023-03-05-git-912ac82a3c

set MyFiles=*.flac *.fla *.wav *.aif *.mp4 *.mp3 *.mp2 *.aac *.ogg*.m4a
for %%a in (%MyFiles%) do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -y-lavfi showspectrumpic=s=1920x1080:color=fiery:gain=.7:fscale=lin:orientation=0:saturation=1:mode=combined:legend=enabled:start=0:stop=8000 "%%~na.jpg"

RSID: <<2026-03-12T23:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
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Welcome to program 440 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

1:40 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
2:50 MFSK32: NASA spacecraft shifts asteroid's orbit
7:03 MFSK64: NASA IG questions Artemis lunar lander plans
10:06 MFSK64: This week's images
27:07 MFSK32: Closing announcements

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on Bluesky now: SWRadiogram.bsky.social

And X/Twitter: @SWRadiogram

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From NewsNation:

NASA defense spacecraft shifts asteroid's orbit around sun

Patrick Djordjevic
March 9, 2026

A NASA defense spacecraft altered the pathway of two asteroids'
orbits around the sun, according to a new study.

Research published in Science Advances on Friday revealed NASA's
Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, knocked an asteroid
moonlet, Dimorphos, causing a change in its path, along with
nearby asteroid Didymos, after colliding in September 2022.

The 770-day orbital period of the pair around the sun was altered
by a fraction of a second, meaning DART is the first man-made
object to have shifted the orbit of a naturally occurring entity
in space.

"The change in the binary system's orbital speed was about 11.7
microns per second, or 1.7 inches per hour," Rahil Makadia, the
study's lead author at the University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, said in a release.

"Over time, such a small change in an asteroid's motion can make
the difference between a hazardous object hitting or missing our
planet."

Prior research showed Dimorphos, the smaller of the asteroids,
had decreased its 12-hour orbital period by 33 minutes. According
to the new study, the collision with DART changed the orbital
period by 0.15 seconds.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/nasa-defense-spacecraft-shifts-asteroids-orbit-sun/

See also:
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/dart/nasas-dart-mission-changed-orbit-of-asteroid-didymos-around-sun/
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Image: Dimorphos just before the DART spacecraft impacted it ...

Sending Pic:295x260;

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Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...

RSID: <<2026-03-12T23:37Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net

From The Register:

NASA watchdog report pokes holes in Artemis lunar lander plans

Inspector general flags Starship risks and gaps in testing

Richard Speed
11 March 2026

The NASA Office of Inspector General has published a report on
the agency's management of the lunar Human Landing System (HLS)
contracts, highlighting the risks and arguments behind the
scenes.

The report commends NASA's handling of the contracts, which were
awarded to Blue Origin and SpaceX for vehicles Artemis astronauts
will use to reach the lunar surface. However, it also notes the
risks accepted in the endeavor and points out the challenges
posed by Starship's height.

Where the Apollo lunar module was 23 feet tall, SpaceX's Starship
stands at 171 feet, "about the equivalent of a 14-story-tall
commercial building," according to the report. On the Apollo 15
mission, the lander settled at an approximate 11° tilt. For
Artemis, NASA has said the tilt must not exceed 8°, although
navigating the terrain of the lunar South Pole will present a
challenge.

"There is a risk," the report noted, "that [Starship's] momentum
will continue after landing, causing it to tip over."

Then there is the issue of the crew compartment, which is
approximately 115 feet off the ground and requires an elevator to
get to and from the surface. If the elevator fails, there is no
other way for the crew to get back into the vehicle.

At 53 feet tall, Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander is also taller
than the Apollo vehicle, but unlike SpaceX, the crew compartment
is considerably closer to the ground, allowing a ladder/stair
arrangement.

For piloting the spacecraft, NASA's requirements call for the
crew to be able to take manual control of the vehicle during all
phases of flight. SpaceX's focus on automation, according to the
report, might result in the company requesting a waiver of the
manual control requirement to meet the schedule.

Such a waiver is not unheard of. SpaceX was granted a similar one
under the Commercial Crew Program, but that was based on
considerable experience with the Dragon freighter. Starship has
yet to reach orbit, let alone venture anywhere near the lunar
surface.

jAs for Blue Moon, "key decisions on Blue Origin's manual control
design have yet to be made."

The report also highlighted NASA's departure from "Test Like You
Fly" principles. At first glance, the requirement for uncrewed
demonstrations of both the Starship-based HLS and Blue Origin's
lander is a good way of ensuring the hardware performs as
expected. However, the demonstration won't require life support
systems to work, and won't check out the airlock, for example.
Although NASA later added a requirement that demonstration
landers be able to ascend from the lunar surface, it did not
require docking with Orion or the Gateway in lunar orbit.

Indeed, SpaceX does not even plan to reach orbit, let alone
demonstrate the elevator, which is deemed a "top risk" by the HLS
program.

So, while successfully landing on the Moon will be an impressive
technological feat, the demonstrations will not reduce the risk
of subsequent missions as much as planners would like since the
versions designed for humans will deviate significantly.

NASA agreed with the report's recommendations, including those
around manual piloting (consult with the Commercial Crew Program)
and crew survival analyses (include strategies for extended crew
survival).

An addendum noted that the report did not cover the recent NASA
announcement of in-space testing of the vehicles in Low Earth
Orbit as part of a revised Artemis III mission in 2027.

https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/11/nasa_oig_artemis_lander/
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net

This week's images ...

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A blackbird in Glasgow. tinyurl.com/26ocjmze ...

Sending Pic:201x142C;

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Purple crocuses in bloom at Nungate bridge in Haddington,
Scotland. tinyurl.com/26ocjmze ...

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Greenpeace activists hang a large banner over a building in
Puerta del Sol, Madrid. tinyurl.com/2csj97qe ...

Sending Pic:136x198C;

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A road running through paddy fields at sunrise in Montasik,
Indonesia. https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2026/mar/05/paris-fashion-week-and-a-well-groomed-collie-photos-of-the-day-thursday#img-8
Sending Pic:148x197C;

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A dolphin swims near the Palm Jumeirah resort in Dubai, UAE.
... https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2026/mar/05/paris-fashion-week-and-a-well-groomed-collie-photos-of-the-day-thursday#img-15

Sending Pic:207x130C;

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Warm weather brought out these daffodils in Glenn Dale, Maryland,
March 11. tinyurl.com/2742wvx7 ...

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A fog bow, like a rainbow but with little color, near Ridge,
Maryland, March 9. tinyurl.com/2b4uvq49 ...

Sending Pic:203x139C;

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Severe weather near Mount Airy, Maryland, March 11.
tinyurl.com/2ce89gqu ...

Sending Pic:224x96C;

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Neon nightclub sign in the Fountain Square District of
Indianapolis. tinyurl.com/2xv3jphk ...

Sending Pic:142x199C;

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Our painting of the week is "Onion" (2020) by Pyotr Kozlov
(Russian, b. 1967). tinyurl.com/2c8u97zv ...

Sending Pic:163x209C;

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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...

RSID: <<2026-03-12T23:57Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...

Transmission of Shortwave Radiogram is provided by:

WRMI, Radio Miami International, http://wrmi.net

and

WINB Shortwave, http://winb.com

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

http://swradiogram.bsky.social

X/Twitter (for now): @SWRadiogram

I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
Radiogram.