Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 170

**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.

GloryDayz · 02-25-2020, 04:50 AM

Ugh. That sucks. What a wonderful woman she was. Inspirational.

Hydrae · 02-25-2020, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

Katherine Johnson, famed NASA mathematician and inspiration for the film 'Hidden Figures,' is dead at 101

That is a great video and works well as a companion to the book I am reading right now, The Moon by Oliver Morton.

savchief · 02-27-2020, 11:56 AM

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020...cks-satellite/

Northrop Grumman makes history, Mission Extension Vehicle docks to target satellite me

They launched a a vehicle and parked it in the orbit where satellites that are decommissioned go. Waited for an opportunity, Docked with a sat put there in December when it ran out of fuel (even though it was not designed for docking) and put it back in service. Didn't even know they were working on this.

**Donger** · 02-29-2020, 11:30 AM

Welp:

**DaFace** · 02-29-2020, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Welp:

I wonder how many times things blew up when developing F1 and F9. Sucks it happens, but it won't be the last time.

eDave · 03-01-2020, 06:08 PM

Progress.

**DaFace** · 03-06-2020, 02:54 PM

CRS mission tonight at 11:50 EST.

**Donger** · 03-06-2020, 03:03 PM

And two months away from Crew Demo-2!!

**DaFace** · 03-06-2020, 10:29 PM

Bump. Also, from Elon:

Rocket will land in highest winds ever at Cape Canaveral tonight. This is intentional envelope expansion.

**DaFace** · 03-06-2020, 10:59 PM

Pretty cool visuals tonight. And hooray 50th landing!

GloryDayz · 03-07-2020, 01:23 PM

50th recovery, impressive...

Red Dawg · 03-07-2020, 01:40 PM

Keep messing with space and watch what happens. They will come.

**chefsos** · 03-07-2020, 03:37 PM

...the Jetsons?

**DaFace** · 03-10-2020, 05:51 PM

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said the company is “gunning for May” to launch NASA astronauts on Demo-2, its first spaceflight with crew. https://t.co/TMtm0SbpFK
— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) March 10, 2020

Man...the pucker factor is going to be through the roof on that launch.

Hydrae · 03-10-2020, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said the company is “gunning for May” to launch NASA astronauts on Demo-2, its first spaceflight with crew. https://t.co/TMtm0SbpFK
— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) March 10, 2020

Man...the pucker factor is going to be through the roof on that launch.

At the same time, the greatest thrill they are likely to have in their life.

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

02-25-2020, 04:50 AM	#2536
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3415380	Ugh. That sucks. What a wonderful woman she was. Inspirational. __________________ . #President Trump loves and supports the constitution #McCarthy is a Sellout and Traitor to America #The FBLieIsCorrupt #DefundTheFBI #The FBI Is Not The Police #PresidentBidenIsMoronic #LizCheneyGotTheBoot #FJB #80,000,000 Mules (and a few Americans too) Voted For COVID To Continue #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 115,643

02-27-2020, 11:56 AM	#2538
savchief Lefty Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Savannah Casino cash: $9556237	https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020...cks-satellite/ Northrop Grumman makes history, Mission Extension Vehicle docks to target satellite me They launched a a vehicle and parked it in the orbit where satellites that are decommissioned go. Waited for an opportunity, Docked with a sat put there in December when it ran out of fuel (even though it was not designed for docking) and put it back in service. Didn't even know they were working on this. __________________ Photos of mine
Posts: 123	1 0

02-29-2020, 11:30 AM	#2539
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10229900 VARSITY	Welp: __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,987

03-01-2020, 06:08 PM	#2541
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Progress.
Posts: 53,803

03-06-2020, 02:54 PM	#2542
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	CRS mission tonight at 11:50 EST.
Posts: 51,868

03-06-2020, 03:03 PM	#2543
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10229900 VARSITY	And two months away from Crew Demo-2!! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,987	1 0

03-06-2020, 10:29 PM	#2544
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	Bump. Also, from Elon: Rocket will land in highest winds ever at Cape Canaveral tonight. This is intentional envelope expansion.
Posts: 51,868

03-06-2020, 10:59 PM	#2545
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	Pretty cool visuals tonight. And hooray 50th landing!
Posts: 51,868

03-07-2020, 01:23 PM	#2546
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3415380	50th recovery, impressive... __________________ . #President Trump loves and supports the constitution #McCarthy is a Sellout and Traitor to America #The FBLieIsCorrupt #DefundTheFBI #The FBI Is Not The Police #PresidentBidenIsMoronic #LizCheneyGotTheBoot #FJB #80,000,000 Mules (and a few Americans too) Voted For COVID To Continue #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 115,643

03-07-2020, 01:40 PM	#2547
Red Dawg Going home eventually Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $4682858	Keep messing with space and watch what happens. They will come. __________________ If you're not first you're last!
Posts: 30,451

03-07-2020, 03:37 PM	#2548
chefsos Fifty eight sixty two... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Felton, DE Casino cash: $8497676	...the Jetsons?
Posts: 9,449

03-10-2020, 05:51 PM	#2549
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $1896899	SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said the company is “gunning for May” to launch NASA astronauts on Demo-2, its first spaceflight with crew. https://t.co/TMtm0SbpFK — Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) March 10, 2020 Man...the pucker factor is going to be through the roof on that launch.
Posts: 51,868	1 0