Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 215

**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** · 08-02-2020, 07:46 PM

NASA is starting to post high-quality photos for the day. This is my favorite, but click the <> arrows for more.

**Donger** · 08-03-2020, 10:44 AM

https://www.space.com/elon-musk-spac...-emotions.html

GloryDayz · 08-03-2020, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

NASA is starting to post high-quality photos for the day. This is my favorite, but click the <> arrows for more.

Awesome!

**DaFace** · 08-03-2020, 11:57 AM

HD video of the splashdown:

Scooter LaCanforno · 08-03-2020, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

HD video of the splashdown:

Great job by the Human Space Flight Support Detachment 3 being right there when it came down.

**DaFace** · 08-03-2020, 04:16 PM

SN5 hop attempt is coming up tonight. Rumor is 6pm Central, but times are very variable with these kinds of things. I'm a fan of Tim's feed if you want to tune in, but be ready for delays and scrubs. Otherwise, it's a lot of watching nothing.

**DaFace** · 08-03-2020, 05:24 PM

Elon says 6:55ish.

**Donger** · 08-03-2020, 05:24 PM

Test in 33 minutes, per Musk

eDave · 08-03-2020, 05:25 PM

They are going to have to do something about all those private boats. That's crazy.

**Donger** · 08-03-2020, 05:57 PM

**DaFace** · 08-03-2020, 05:58 PM

Welp, seems to be detanking. On to another day!

O.city · 08-03-2020, 07:04 PM

So what we thinking Mars by next year?

**Donger** · 08-04-2020, 08:47 AM

Scrubbed for the day. A Raptor turbopump spin start valve didn’t open, triggering an automatic abort. We’ll figure out why & retry tomorrow.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 4, 2020

8:45am ET Tuesday Update: It appears as though SpaceX engineers were able to address the turbopump issues that occurred on Monday evening, as the company seems to be pressing ahead with a Starship prototype launch attempt on Tuesday morning. Even before the launch window opened at 8am CT local time (13:00 UTC), the road leading to the launch pad was closed. This typically is the first step before clearing the launch pad of SpaceX employees, and beginning fueling operations.

The company has until 8pm CT Tuesday (01:00 Wednesday UTC) to complete the 150 meter hop. A live stream of the test can be watched below.

**DaFace** · 08-04-2020, 09:17 AM

Nice - thanks for the heads-up. Looks like Tim is guessing it might happen around 11am Central.

**Donger** · 08-04-2020, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Nice - thanks for the heads-up. Looks like Tim is guessing it might happen around 11am Central.

Is he going to stream again?

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	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: 51,772

08-02-2020, 07:46 PM	#3211
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	NASA is starting to post high-quality photos for the day. This is my favorite, but click the <> arrows for more.
Posts: 51,772	2 0

08-03-2020, 10:44 AM	#3212
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10349900 VARSITY	https://www.space.com/elon-musk-spac...-emotions.html __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,704

08-03-2020, 11:57 AM	#3214
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	HD video of the splashdown:
Posts: 51,772

08-03-2020, 04:16 PM	#3216
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	SN5 hop attempt is coming up tonight. Rumor is 6pm Central, but times are very variable with these kinds of things. I'm a fan of Tim's feed if you want to tune in, but be ready for delays and scrubs. Otherwise, it's a lot of watching nothing.
Posts: 51,772

08-03-2020, 05:24 PM	#3217
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	Elon says 6:55ish.
Posts: 51,772

08-03-2020, 05:24 PM	#3218
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10349900 VARSITY	Test in 33 minutes, per Musk __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,704

08-03-2020, 05:25 PM	#3219
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	They are going to have to do something about all those private boats. That's crazy.
Posts: 53,803

08-03-2020, 05:57 PM	#3220
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10349900 VARSITY	Darn __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,704

08-03-2020, 05:58 PM	#3221
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	Welp, seems to be detanking. On to another day!
Posts: 51,772

08-03-2020, 07:04 PM	#3222
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2744064	So what we thinking Mars by next year?
Posts: 81,246

08-04-2020, 08:47 AM	#3223
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10349900 VARSITY	Scrubbed for the day. A Raptor turbopump spin start valve didn’t open, triggering an automatic abort. We’ll figure out why & retry tomorrow. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 4, 2020 8:45am ET Tuesday Update: It appears as though SpaceX engineers were able to address the turbopump issues that occurred on Monday evening, as the company seems to be pressing ahead with a Starship prototype launch attempt on Tuesday morning. Even before the launch window opened at 8am CT local time (13:00 UTC), the road leading to the launch pad was closed. This typically is the first step before clearing the launch pad of SpaceX employees, and beginning fueling operations. The company has until 8pm CT Tuesday (01:00 Wednesday UTC) to complete the 150 meter hop. A live stream of the test can be watched below. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,704

08-04-2020, 09:17 AM	#3224
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2026899	Nice - thanks for the heads-up. Looks like Tim is guessing it might happen around 11am Central.
Posts: 51,772