Welp, this is what happens when I decide to include Boeing in the fun. Sounds like it's SpaceX's race to lose.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKCN1R12QR

Boeing delays by months test flights for U.S. human space program: sources


SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co has delayed by at least three months its first uncrewed flight to the International Space Station under NASA’s human spaceflight program, and pushed its crewed flight until November, industry sources said on Wednesday.

(more at the link)

As always, it's possible it will slip, but here's your one-week warning for the next FALCON HEAVY launch!

Thanks for the update. It’s interesting stuff

Is the thought that we could actually colonize Mars?

Theoretically, yes. But I'd be pretty surprised if anyone alive today ever sees more than a handful of people there at a time. It's...not exactly a hospitable place.

I read once that it's possible to colonize Venus, and Venus could be a more hospitable place in the long run.

The problem with Venus is that it has a massive amount of carbon dioxide, which produces all sorts of problems. But there are certain types of bacteria that could survive there and that eat carbon dioxide. So you fire a rocket there that's full of those bacteria, wait a hundred years or some such time until they clean the place up, and then introduce oxygen and water. Voila - you have created an inhabitable new world.

I, I, I, I is so excited! So excited!

Yeah, you get into terraforming and we just aren't anywhere close to that as a civilization yet.

Fun to think about though.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —

SpaceX will attempt its second launch of the powerful, three-booster Falcon Heavy rocket this weekend.

The launch window opens at 6:36 p.m. Sunday.

It's not much, but Starhopper has officially been lit.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">RAPTOR STATIC FIRE ON STARHOPPER! <a href="https://twitter.com/LabPadre?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LabPadre</a> <a href="https://t.co/adF07iL1Hg">pic.twitter.com/adF07iL1Hg</a></p>&mdash; Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1113606734818545664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


And Falcon Heavy (sans fairing) is on the pad for a static fire today!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Launch Complex 39A: The first ever Block 5 <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> Falcon Heavy stands vertical in the morning light in preparation for tonight&#39;s static fire test. <a href="https://t.co/HvcBlpqury">pic.twitter.com/HvcBlpqury</a></p>&mdash; Nathan Barker (@NASA_Nerd) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_Nerd/status/1113783578821844992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And we have CONFIRMATION that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FalconHeavy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FalconHeavy</a>&#39;s static fire has slipped to tomorrow, Friday, 5 April. Test window is 10:00-19:00 EDT (1400-2300 UTC). Launch date is slipping, too. Will not be Sunday. SpaceX will confirm a new launch date once Static Fire is complete. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arabsat6A?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arabsat6A</a> <a href="https://t.co/waAtUQFSQt">pic.twitter.com/waAtUQFSQt</a></p>&mdash; Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1113927904168169473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/11...888100352?s=09

Static fire of Falcon Heavy complete—targeting April 9 launch of Arabsat-6A from Launch Complex 39A in Florida

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Max thrust of 2550 tons will be almost 10% higher than Falcon Heavy demo mission last year</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1114215249517981702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starhopper just lifted off &amp; hit tether limits! <a href="https://t.co/eByJsq2jiw">pic.twitter.com/eByJsq2jiw</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1114390314565787648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That thing got up quick!

Water is the biggest issue to overcome for space travel.


If Mars doesn't have ice below the surface, the whole idea is dead in the water. Bringing water with us to a "colony" is just not sustainable.


They can make water out of thin air now. Too expensive on earth to be practical. Don't know if its even possible on Mars. The Israelis have been using desalinization to provide water since the 80's. But, that option, as far as I know is not available anywhere near us.


My son did some research in college that maybe as we travel along we could find trapped ice in large meteorites as a solution to providing water for space travel.