Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 50

**DaFace** · 03:36 PM

Since a number of cool things are happening in space exploration these days, we'll widen the scope of this thread a smidge. Conversation about all things space exploration are welcome, whether it be from NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin, or anyone else. Chances are most of the discussion will still be about SpaceX since they love to make things public and fun, but nothing's off limits. I'll eventually get around to modifying the OP to include resources for other companies too, but in the meantime, feel free to post any cool stuff you run across.

Lists of Upcoming Missions

Spoiler!

How to Watch a Live Launch

Spoiler!

Where to Learn More

Spoiler!

Glossary

Spoiler!

Space discussions tend to get a little bogged down in jargon, so here's a list of terms you might encounter. (Others, please let me know of others that should be added.)

ASDS - Autonomous Spaceport Droneship - The "barges" that they sometimes land rockets on.
Dragon - The cone-shaped capsule that sits at the top of the rocket for ISS-bound launches that holds the cargo (or, in the future, humans).
F9 - Falcon 9, the name of the rocket itself.
FH - Falcon Heavy, the three-booster version.
GTO - Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, a type of orbit that will eventually result in the satellite orbiting the earth as it turns so that it seems to be in the same spot from the ground (such as DirecTV or Dish satellites). These types of launches are particularly challenging because they require a lot of power to get them into the right orbit, leaving very little fuel left for landing.
HIF - Horizontal Integration Facility - the building near the launch pad where they put all of the pieces of the rocket together before rolling it out to the pad.
ISS - The International Space Station
JRTI - Just Read The Instructions, the name of the "barge" that they land on for west-coast launches.
LEO - Low Earth Orbit, a fairly low orbit shared by many satellites and ISS. These launches usually require less power to achieve the proper orbit, so the first stage can often be landed back on land rather than on a drone ship.
LZ1 - Landing Zone 1, basically a big open slab of concrete at Cape Canaveral where the first stage will attempt to land (for some launches).
NET - No Earlier Than, basically the date they're hoping to launch, but rocket launches have a tendency of getting delayed.
OCISLY - Of Course I Still Love You, the name of the "barge" that they land on for east-coast launches.
RTLS - Return to Landing Site, a mission where the first stage comes back and lands at LZ1.
Starship - SpaceX's next-generation rocket (and spacecraft) that will hopefully one day take us to Mars. Starship is the "second stage" that will carry cargo or people, but also refers to the whole system. (It's confusing, but think of it like the Space Shuttle, which was both the shuttle itself and the entire launch system.)
Super Heavy - The giant booster that will carry Starship to space.

unlurking · 08-14-2016, 08:26 AM

I usually have both the hosted and technical windows on separate monitor. I love that SpaceX is this public with their launches, and always educational with their webcasts.

Unfortunately got pulled way last night, so watching now.

**DaFace** · 08-17-2016, 02:21 PM

Next launch is slated for September 3rd at 3am Eastern. That's a little late to watch live even for my taste, but there it is. OP is updated.

And just for fun, here are some shots of the last booster coming into port. Boring, I know.

SpaceX Falcon 9 JCSAT-16 Returns to Port Canaveral

**Donger** · 08-17-2016, 05:07 PM

As cool as these are for this space geek, when are they going to launch a rocket that has already flown and landed? Has something been scheduled yet?

I would think that the customer would get a discount, or something.

**PHOG** · 08-17-2016, 05:39 PM

A package deal?

**DaFace** · 08-17-2016, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

As cool as these are for this space geek, when are they going to launch a rocket that has already flown and landed? Has something been scheduled yet?

I would think that the customer would get a discount, or something.

Scheduled? No. But it's not far off. There's talk that they might get two of them off the ground by the end of 2016. (But that's SpaceX time obviously, so chances are it'll be only one.)

Rumor is it'll be an SES launch for it, though.

SES is likely inaugural customer for reused SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage this yr. For SES, reuse part of capex cutting. pic.twitter.com/ye74nS3neX
— Peter B. de Selding (@pbdes) August 14, 2016

**Donger** · 08-18-2016, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Scheduled? No. But it's not far off. There's talk that they might get two of them off the ground by the end of 2016. (But that's SpaceX time obviously, so chances are it'll be only one.)

Rumor is it'll be an SES launch for it, though.

SES is likely inaugural customer for reused SpaceX Falcon 9 1st stage this yr. For SES, reuse part of capex cutting. pic.twitter.com/ye74nS3neX
— Peter B. de Selding (@pbdes) August 14, 2016

Great, thanks

unlurking · 08-18-2016, 10:15 AM

I know it's not a launch, but NASA will be live streaming a spacewalk tomorrow AM as astronauts install the IDA2. Should get some good live shots of the Dragon berthed to the ISS, which delivered the IDA2 to the station.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/n...n-docking-port

Unfortunately...

Quote:

There will be no live coverage of the trunk removal and IDA positioning.

**DaFace** · 08-18-2016, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

I know it's not a launch, but NASA will be live streaming a spacewalk tomorrow AM as astronauts install the IDA2. Should get some good live shots of the Dragon berthed to the ISS, which delivered the IDA2 to the station.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/n...n-docking-port

Unfortunately...

EVA's are exciting in concept, but in real-time, they're excruciatingly slow. I look forward to reading about how it went, though.

Shots of the landing are up here, but even I'm starting to think they all kind of look alike. Here's my favorite of the return trip, though.

JCSAT-16 landing by SpaceX, on Flickr

**DaFace** · 08-18-2016, 04:34 PM

Docking port extracted from Dragon's trunk and ready for @NASA astronauts to install to @Space_Station tomorrow pic.twitter.com/nep5Ira6Cc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 18, 2016

unlurking · 08-18-2016, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

EVA's are exciting in concept, but in real-time, they're excruciatingly slow. I look forward to reading about how it went, though.

Shots of the landing are up here, but even I'm starting to think they all kind of look alike. Here's my favorite of the return trip, though.

JCSAT-16 landing by SpaceX, on Flickr

True, but I figure if any kind of view like this happens to pop-up, it will have been worth it...

As slow as this animated mission plan is, it still gets me excited for watching humans in spacesuits working on a space-station at 17,000 mph...

unlurking · 08-18-2016, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Docking port extracted from Dragon's trunk and ready for @NASA astronauts to install to @Space_Station tomorrow pic.twitter.com/nep5Ira6Cc
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 18, 2016

Cool, thanks. Lot more room in the trunk than I realized!

GloryDayz · 08-18-2016, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

True, but I figure if any kind of view like this happens to pop-up, it will have been worth it...

As slow as this animated mission plan is, it still gets me excited for watching humans in spacesuits working on a space-station at 17,000 mph...

The 2nd shot is money.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk (so spelling be damned!!!)

unlurking · 08-19-2016, 09:56 AM

Spacewalkers remove International Docking Adapter cover opening up the @Commercial_Crew port for "business." https://t.co/1Zlt4O01tb
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 19, 2016

**DaFace** · 08-26-2016, 11:54 AM

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000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">After more than a month at the @iss, Dragon had a successful return to Earth today. Now on recovery ship headed back to port for quick cargo handover to @nasa

c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by SpaceX (@spacex) on Aug 26, 2016 at 10:15am PDT

**DaFace** · 08-30-2016, 09:46 AM

It's official - SES-10 will be on a "flight-proven" rocket. No specific date yet, but listed as "Q4 2016". (Though not specifically mentioned, sounds like October is the goal.)

http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2016/22407810

SES-10 LAUNCHING TO ORBIT ON SPACEX’S FLIGHT-PROVEN FALCON 9 ROCKET
Leading satellite operator will be world’s first company to launch a geostationary satellite on a reusable rocket in Q4 2016

LUXEMBOURG/ HAWTHORNE, CA, 30 August 2016 - SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and SpaceX announced today they have reached an agreement to launch SES-10 on a flight-proven Falcon 9 orbital rocket booster.

The satellite, which will be in a geostationary orbit and expand SES’s capabilities across Latin America, is scheduled for launch in Q4 2016. SES-10 will be the first-ever satellite to launch on a SpaceX flight-proven rocket booster.

SES-10 will be positioned at 67 degrees West, pursuant to an agreement with the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), and will be used for the Simón Bolivar 2 satellite network. With a Ku-band payload of 55 36MHz transponder equivalents, of which 27 are incremental, the multi-mission spacecraft is the first SES satellite wholly dedicated to Latin America. It will replace the capacity currently provided by SES’s AMC-3 and AMC-4 satellites at that location, as well as bring additional capacity to Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The high-powered, tailored and flexible beams will provide direct-to-home broadcasting, enterprise and mobility services.

“Having been the first commercial satellite operator to launch with SpaceX back in 2013, we are excited to once again be the first customer to launch on SpaceX's first ever mission using a flight-proven rocket. We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management,” said Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer at SES. “This new agreement reached with SpaceX once again illustrates the faith we have in their technical and operational expertise. The due diligence the SpaceX team has demonstrated throughout the design and testing of the SES-10 mission launch vehicle gives us full confidence that SpaceX is capable of launching our first SES satellite dedicated to Latin America into space.”

“Re-launching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. “SES has been a strong supporter of SpaceX’s approach to reusability over the years and we’re delighted that the first launch of a flight-proven rocket will carry SES-10.”

SES-10 is being built by Airbus Defence and Space and is based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. The satellite will utilise an electric plasma propulsion system for on-orbit manoeuvres and a chemical system for initial orbit raising and some on-orbit manoeuvres.[/url]

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	Space Exploration megathread Since a number of cool things are happening in space exploration these days, we'll widen the scope of this thread a smidge. Conversation about all things space exploration are welcome, whether it be from NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin, or anyone else. Chances are most of the discussion will still be about SpaceX since they love to make things public and fun, but nothing's off limits. I'll eventually get around to modifying the OP to include resources for other companies too, but in the meantime, feel free to post any cool stuff you run across. Lists of Upcoming Missions Spoiler! General lists: https://nextspaceflight.com/ http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ SpaceX specific list: https://spacexnow.com/upcoming.php How to Watch a Live Launch Spoiler! SpaceX: https://www.youtube.com/user/spacexchannel ULA: https://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedLaunchAlliance RocketLab: https://www.youtube.com/user/RocketLabNZ NASATV will also cover some launches (primarily ISS resupply missions): https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision Where to Learn More Spoiler! Some cool pics... https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/ https://www.instagram.com/spacex/?hl=en Twitter feed is usually interesing... https://twitter.com/SpaceX https://twitter.com/elonmusk The SpaceX sub is a great source of info... https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/wiki/index And for a more forum-style discussion board... http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php#c17 And there are plenty of YouTube channels with great content... Joe Scott - Lost of "future" discussion. Some about rockets and space. Much that goes beyond. Scott Manley - Super smart dude (engineer) who reviews a lot of major events in space exploration. Frazer Cain (Universe Today) - Podcast-style videos that go in-depth into space topics. Tim Dodd (Everyday Astronaut) - A "random dude" who got really into space (particularly SpaceX). He's a great resource for simple explanations of this stuff, as well as live hosting launches. USLaunchReport - Lost of videos of the more mundane stuff (e.g., booster recovery operations). Not a ton of commentary. NASASpaceFlight - Live hosting of most launches including a ton of video of Starlink operations. Glossary Spoiler! Space discussions tend to get a little bogged down in jargon, so here's a list of terms you might encounter. (Others, please let me know of others that should be added.) ASDS - Autonomous Spaceport Droneship - The "barges" that they sometimes land rockets on. Dragon - The cone-shaped capsule that sits at the top of the rocket for ISS-bound launches that holds the cargo (or, in the future, humans). F9 - Falcon 9, the name of the rocket itself. FH - Falcon Heavy, the three-booster version. GTO - Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, a type of orbit that will eventually result in the satellite orbiting the earth as it turns so that it seems to be in the same spot from the ground (such as DirecTV or Dish satellites). These types of launches are particularly challenging because they require a lot of power to get them into the right orbit, leaving very little fuel left for landing. HIF - Horizontal Integration Facility - the building near the launch pad where they put all of the pieces of the rocket together before rolling it out to the pad. ISS - The International Space Station JRTI - Just Read The Instructions, the name of the "barge" that they land on for west-coast launches. LEO - Low Earth Orbit, a fairly low orbit shared by many satellites and ISS. These launches usually require less power to achieve the proper orbit, so the first stage can often be landed back on land rather than on a drone ship. LZ1 - Landing Zone 1, basically a big open slab of concrete at Cape Canaveral where the first stage will attempt to land (for some launches). NET - No Earlier Than, basically the date they're hoping to launch, but rocket launches have a tendency of getting delayed. OCISLY - Of Course I Still Love You, the name of the "barge" that they land on for east-coast launches. RTLS - Return to Landing Site, a mission where the first stage comes back and lands at LZ1. Starship - SpaceX's next-generation rocket (and spacecraft) that will hopefully one day take us to Mars. Starship is the "second stage" that will carry cargo or people, but also refers to the whole system. (It's confusing, but think of it like the Space Shuttle, which was both the shuttle itself and the entire launch system.) Super Heavy - The giant booster that will carry Starship to space. Last edited by DaFace; 12-10-2020 at 03:36 PM..
Posts: 51,716

08-14-2016, 08:26 AM	#736
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	I usually have both the hosted and technical windows on separate monitor. I love that SpaceX is this public with their launches, and always educational with their webcasts. Unfortunately got pulled way last night, so watching now. __________________
Posts: 10,620

08-17-2016, 02:21 PM	#737
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	Next launch is slated for September 3rd at 3am Eastern. That's a little late to watch live even for my taste, but there it is. OP is updated. And just for fun, here are some shots of the last booster coming into port. Boring, I know. SpaceX Falcon 9 JCSAT-16 Returns to Port Canaveral
Posts: 51,716

08-17-2016, 05:07 PM	#738
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10439900 VARSITY	As cool as these are for this space geek, when are they going to launch a rocket that has already flown and landed? Has something been scheduled yet? I would think that the customer would get a discount, or something. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,545

08-17-2016, 05:39 PM	#739
PHOG Dazed and Confused Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Somewhere Out There Casino cash: $2130500	A package deal?
Posts: 15,084

08-18-2016, 04:34 PM	#744
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	Docking port extracted from Dragon's trunk and ready for @NASA astronauts to install to @Space_Station tomorrow pic.twitter.com/nep5Ira6Cc — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 18, 2016
Posts: 51,716

08-19-2016, 09:56 AM	#748
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	Spacewalkers remove International Docking Adapter cover opening up the @Commercial_Crew port for "business." https://t.co/1Zlt4O01tb — Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 19, 2016 __________________
Posts: 10,620

08-26-2016, 11:54 AM	#749
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> 000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">After more than a month at the @iss, Dragon had a successful return to Earth today. Now on recovery ship headed back to port for quick cargo handover to @nasa c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by SpaceX (@spacex) on Aug 26, 2016 at 10:15am PDT
Posts: 51,716

08-30-2016, 09:46 AM	#750
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	It's official - SES-10 will be on a "flight-proven" rocket. No specific date yet, but listed as "Q4 2016". (Though not specifically mentioned, sounds like October is the goal.) http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2016/22407810 SES-10 LAUNCHING TO ORBIT ON SPACEX’S FLIGHT-PROVEN FALCON 9 ROCKET Leading satellite operator will be world’s first company to launch a geostationary satellite on a reusable rocket in Q4 2016 LUXEMBOURG/ HAWTHORNE, CA, 30 August 2016 - SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) and SpaceX announced today they have reached an agreement to launch SES-10 on a flight-proven Falcon 9 orbital rocket booster. The satellite, which will be in a geostationary orbit and expand SES’s capabilities across Latin America, is scheduled for launch in Q4 2016. SES-10 will be the first-ever satellite to launch on a SpaceX flight-proven rocket booster. SES-10 will be positioned at 67 degrees West, pursuant to an agreement with the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), and will be used for the Simón Bolivar 2 satellite network. With a Ku-band payload of 55 36MHz transponder equivalents, of which 27 are incremental, the multi-mission spacecraft is the first SES satellite wholly dedicated to Latin America. It will replace the capacity currently provided by SES’s AMC-3 and AMC-4 satellites at that location, as well as bring additional capacity to Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The high-powered, tailored and flexible beams will provide direct-to-home broadcasting, enterprise and mobility services. “Having been the first commercial satellite operator to launch with SpaceX back in 2013, we are excited to once again be the first customer to launch on SpaceX's first ever mission using a flight-proven rocket. We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management,” said Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer at SES. “This new agreement reached with SpaceX once again illustrates the faith we have in their technical and operational expertise. The due diligence the SpaceX team has demonstrated throughout the design and testing of the SES-10 mission launch vehicle gives us full confidence that SpaceX is capable of launching our first SES satellite dedicated to Latin America into space.” “Re-launching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of SpaceX. “SES has been a strong supporter of SpaceX’s approach to reusability over the years and we’re delighted that the first launch of a flight-proven rocket will carry SES-10.” SES-10 is being built by Airbus Defence and Space and is based on the Eurostar E3000 platform. The satellite will utilise an electric plasma propulsion system for on-orbit manoeuvres and a chemical system for initial orbit raising and some on-orbit manoeuvres.[/url] Last edited by DaFace; 08-30-2016 at 10:04 AM..
Posts: 51,716