Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 94

**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.

**DaFace** · 01-06-2018, 11:39 PM

Zuma is up tomorrow evening. Probably not going to be much of a webcast due to the classified mission, but they should follow the first stage back down at least.

Molitoth · 01-06-2018, 11:41 PM

Can we change the test payload from the Tesla roadster to Bob Sutton?

ping2000 · 01-06-2018, 11:41 PM

Please aim the next launch at Arrowhead. **** that place.

**Donger** · 01-07-2018, 11:05 AM

Any updates on the timing of the static firing?

**DaFace** · 01-07-2018, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Any updates on the timing of the static firing?

Nothing yet. Sounds like we're on more of a "end of January" timeline for FH at this point.

Molitoth · 01-07-2018, 02:00 PM

Is Zuma landing Stage 1?

**DaFace** · 01-07-2018, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Molitoth

Is Zuma landing Stage 1?

Yep.

**Donger** · 01-07-2018, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Nothing yet. Sounds like we're on more of a "end of January" timeline for FH at this point.

I know, but the static fire comes first. They said by January 6.

tmax63 · 01-07-2018, 05:20 PM

Where do I go on the web to watch this candle light up?

**Donger** · 01-07-2018, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmax63

Where do I go on the web to watch this candle light up?

It's in the OP:

SpaceX hosts a live webcast for every launch at:
http://www.spacex.com/webcast/

**Donger** · 01-07-2018, 06:49 PM

T-minus 11 minutes

**DaFace** · 01-07-2018, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

I know, but the static fire comes first. They said by January 6.

I think it got pushed back due to this launch slipping a few days. From reddit about the static fire:

"NET currently unknown beyond "next week"."

**Donger** · 01-07-2018, 06:59 PM

Startup

**DaFace** · 01-07-2018, 06:59 PM

Hope they'll have some nice views of the landing. Night landings are always fun.

**Donger** · 01-07-2018, 07:00 PM

Liftoff!

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	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: 51,868

01-06-2018, 11:39 PM	#1396
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	Zuma is up tomorrow evening. Probably not going to be much of a webcast due to the classified mission, but they should follow the first stage back down at least.
Posts: 51,868

01-06-2018, 11:41 PM	#1397
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $2864969	Can we change the test payload from the Tesla roadster to Bob Sutton?
Posts: 19,480

01-06-2018, 11:41 PM	#1398
ping2000 Changes pants while driving Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Washington D.C. Casino cash: $5770495	Please aim the next launch at Arrowhead. **** that place.
Posts: 15,790

01-07-2018, 11:05 AM	#1399
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10229900 VARSITY	Any updates on the timing of the static firing? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,982

01-07-2018, 02:00 PM	#1401
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $2864969	Is Zuma landing Stage 1?
Posts: 19,480

01-07-2018, 05:20 PM	#1404
tmax63 Veteran Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Colorado Casino cash: $3150400	Where do I go on the web to watch this candle light up? __________________ An armed member of society is a citizen, an unarmed member is a subject.
Posts: 3,811

01-07-2018, 06:49 PM	#1406
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10229900 VARSITY	T-minus 11 minutes __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,982

01-07-2018, 06:59 PM	#1408
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10229900 VARSITY	Startup __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,982

01-07-2018, 06:59 PM	#1409
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	Hope they'll have some nice views of the landing. Night landings are always fun.
Posts: 51,868

01-07-2018, 07:00 PM	#1410
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10229900 VARSITY	Liftoff! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,982