Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 65

**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** · 03-30-2017, 04:42 PM

And now we wait for 30 minutes for arguably the least interesting (but obviously most important) part...

eDave · 03-30-2017, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

And now we wait for 30 minutes for arguably the least interesting part...

This whole mission ends within 2.5 hours. I can't get to Vegas the quickly.

GloryDayz · 03-30-2017, 04:59 PM

When will find out if the other parts make it back?

**DaFace** · 03-30-2017, 05:00 PM

Successful deploy, so 100% mission success!

(Webcast was a little iffy this time, though. Oh well. Can't complain.)

**DaFace** · 03-30-2017, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

When will find out if the other parts make it back?

Tough to say. They haven't made a big deal out of the "roomba" or the fairing recovery, so my guess is those will just leak out as people start seeing ships coming back.

GloryDayz · 03-30-2017, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Tough to say. They haven't made a big deal out of the "roomba" or the fairing recovery, so my guess is those will just leak out as people start seeing ships coming back.

So, just parachutes and fish them out of the sea?

I'm just so stoked! I wonder if they try it a 3rd time?

**DaFace** · 03-30-2017, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

So, just parachutes and fish them out of the sea?

I'm just so stoked! I wonder if they try it a 3rd time?

They've been pretty quiet about it, so I don't think we really know how they're planning the fairings. Hopefully we'll see soon!

And who knows about reusing this one again. If I had to put money on it, I'd say no since they'll probably want to learn what they can by examining any additional stress damage, but who knows?

GloryDayz · 03-30-2017, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

They've been pretty quiet about it, so I don't think we really know how they're planning the fairings. Hopefully we'll see soon!

And who knows about reusing this one again. If I had to put money on it, I'd say no since they'll probably want to learn what they can by examining any additional stress damage, but who knows?

I wonder if they gave the payload owner of of SES-10 got a discount of any sort?

**DaFace** · 03-30-2017, 06:48 PM

Summarizing a few points I've read on the interwebs:

Fairings had parachutes and thrusters, and they successfully directed them to a set point. Doesn't sound like they were "recovered" as in reusable this time, but it's a big step to make it possible in the future.
The "roomba" still isn't actually in action, so this one will be brought back the "old fashioned" way.
Falcon Heavy is currently "late summer" and will definitely use two previously-flown side boosters.
Doesn't sound like this booster will likely re-fly due to the historic significance. Elon suggested they might give it to Cape Canaveral to be displayed (like their one in California).

**DaFace** · 03-31-2017, 08:57 AM

OP is updated for the next launch. However, it's a national security launch that is classified, so we'll have to see what (if any) coverage we get of it. My guess is that it will be a pruned down webcast at least.

GloryDayz · 03-31-2017, 08:59 AM

Is Blue Origin fading out? Their site's last news seems to be from October.

https://www.blueorigin.com/news

**DaFace** · 03-31-2017, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Is Blue Origin fading out? Their site's last news seems to be from October.

https://www.blueorigin.com/news

Na, they're still plenty active. Apparently just not on their web site.

**DaFace** · 04-04-2017, 08:43 PM

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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">Falcon 9 landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship after delivering SES-10 into orbit.

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 post shared by SpaceX (@spacex) on Apr 4, 2017 at 7:16pm PDT

Updated pics on Flickr too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex

GloryDayz · 04-04-2017, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

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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">Falcon 9 landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship after delivering SES-10 into orbit.

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 post shared by SpaceX (@spacex) on Apr 4, 2017 at 7:16pm PDT

Updated pics on Flickr too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex

That's kick ass. I love the little hop.

The men and women who have made this happen are freakin superstars...

Like I tell "the bosses" (mostly people older than me!!!!), "Leave the kids alone! They're weird, just like you, but they're everything you ever wanted to be, and more!" This is confirmation...

RobBlake · 04-05-2017, 01:20 AM

Make it hard to believe we landed on the moon

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2056899	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: 51,749

03-30-2017, 04:42 PM	#961
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2056899	And now we wait for 30 minutes for arguably the least interesting (but obviously most important) part...
Posts: 51,749

03-30-2017, 04:59 PM	#963
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3555380	When will find out if the other parts make it back?
Posts: 115,420

03-30-2017, 05:00 PM	#964
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2056899	Successful deploy, so 100% mission success! (Webcast was a little iffy this time, though. Oh well. Can't complain.)
Posts: 51,749

03-30-2017, 06:48 PM	#969
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2056899	Summarizing a few points I've read on the interwebs: Fairings had parachutes and thrusters, and they successfully directed them to a set point. Doesn't sound like they were "recovered" as in reusable this time, but it's a big step to make it possible in the future. The "roomba" still isn't actually in action, so this one will be brought back the "old fashioned" way. Falcon Heavy is currently "late summer" and will definitely use two previously-flown side boosters. Doesn't sound like this booster will likely re-fly due to the historic significance. Elon suggested they might give it to Cape Canaveral to be displayed (like their one in California).
Posts: 51,749

03-31-2017, 08:57 AM	#970
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2056899	OP is updated for the next launch. However, it's a national security launch that is classified, so we'll have to see what (if any) coverage we get of it. My guess is that it will be a pruned down webcast at least.
Posts: 51,749

03-31-2017, 08:59 AM	#971
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3555380	Is Blue Origin fading out? Their site's last news seems to be from October. https://www.blueorigin.com/news
Posts: 115,420

04-04-2017, 08:43 PM	#973
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2056899	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">Falcon 9 landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship after delivering SES-10 into orbit. 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 post shared by SpaceX (@spacex) on Apr 4, 2017 at 7:16pm PDT Updated pics on Flickr too. https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex
Posts: 51,749

04-05-2017, 01:20 AM	#975
RobBlake Banned Join Date: Aug 2013 Casino cash: $10011127	Make it hard to believe we landed on the moon
Posts: 7,127