As my mother would say, "Too many hens. Not enough cocks."

Pics.

Here we go.

Godspeed, Crew-1

Here we go. Woot.

Max Q

No cabin video?

Last time, they strategically didn't show it live just in case things...happen. We only got launch video later.

Orbital insertion. Incredible. And stuck the landing. Wow.

Really? I thought they did. Maybe after SECO?

All looking great.

I believe the first shot was when the zero G indicator started floating. I'm pretty sure I read that they went back and edited in the cabin footage to the launch webcast on YouTube.

The ISS is going ~27,500 km/h but dragon came off the gas at just over 27,000 kmh, when to they bump up the speed to catch the ISS?

I thought the same thing. Bummer.

There's the crew.

:)

Visors up. So ****ing cool.

And now a slow, largely uninteresting ride for the next 27 hours. :)

I'll at least tune into the press conference in an hour or two. Gwynne attended since Elon couldn't, so presumably she'll be at the press conference. She's always good to listen to.

PBJPBJPBJPBJPBJPBJPBJPBJPBJ

As always, a helluva watch.

They do a number of burns en route. Plus some orbital mechanics.

Ah, I thought they would at least set cruise control at a speed that was closing the gap.

Oh well.

Press conference is live on NASA TV if anyone is interested.

When are they gonna test fly the new Saturn 5 type heavy lift star ship rocket?

They're still working on it and doing ground tests (static fires). They were hoping to do a 15km hop with it soon-ish, but they ran into an issue with one of the engines in the last test.

It's tough to predict when a test flight will happen since they're constantly testing and iterating, but hopefully by the end of the year.

Has SpaceX even begun physical work on Super Heavy, or whatever the first stage is called now?

Yep.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨SUPER HEAVY STACKING🚨<br><br>SH01’s aft tank section is being moved into the high bay!<br><br>Photo - <a href="https://twitter.com/SpacePadreIsle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpacePadreIsle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BocaChicaGal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BocaChicaGal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceX?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpaceX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Starship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Starship</a> <a href="https://t.co/2kn4lRUCaJ">pic.twitter.com/2kn4lRUCaJ</a></p>&mdash; Hello Red Planet! 🔴 (@HelloRedPlanet) <a href="https://twitter.com/HelloRedPlanet/status/1325481554328641536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

To clarify, they're hoping to "hop" Starship (the second stage) soon. Super Heavy SN01 is being built, but there hasn't been any timeline given for flying that one.

Just checked in. WTF is that?

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

Long distance shot of Resilience from the ISS?

Thanks!

I was in kindergarten when Apollo 8 launched and everybody was glued to the TV in the classroom. It was the First manned launch of the Saturn V and first trip to the moon. Incredible what Von Braun did with the fuel pumps for those first stage engines. 3,000 gallons a second if I remember right and the whole thing was 7 million pounds fully loaded. 1960’s technology and still the most powerful machine ever built by man.

They're doing a live event from Dragon here in a few minutes. (EDIT: Starts about 4:20 into the video. Elon would be proud.)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TT6BC68UzeY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Welp, they're hooked together. Woot..

I just watched the recording of the welcome ceremony, and wow, that's awesome. It never gets old. When the Japanese were talking it really showed, again, the good things that happen when people work together.

My wife gets to brag about talking to Von Braun in her apartment kitchen. His daughter was in college with her. Sorry a little off subject

That's cool as all get-out.

<samp class="EmbedCode-container"><code class="EmbedCode-code"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">About 2 secs after starting engines, martyte covering concrete below shattered, sending blades of hardened rock into engine bay. One rock blade severed avionics cable, causing bad shutdown of Raptor.</p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1328742122107904000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </code></samp>

Well, that'd do it. It'll be interesting to see how they work around that one.

On a different note, SpaceX is going for a doubleheader on Saturday. Morning launch from Vandenburg and evening launch from Florida.

Yeah, brings the whole landing and launching on natural services issue back to light. The lunar version of Starship has side mounted engines lunar landing/launch engines, but that won't work on Mars.

Thanks for the reminder! Always forget to convert from UTC until close to the date.

Oh. Well, that's "good" but maybe time for a flame trench?

They want to design around flame trenches since they won't have the option on Mars.

Right, but there won't be concrete covered with epoxy on Mars either (at least not right away).

What are the landing pads at the Cape made of? The drone ships have steel decks?

Based on their history of melting launch towers, pads, and GSE I'm guessing they are still learning about the power of Raptor to destroy things. :)

At the Cape they have flame diverters and shock dampening water systems. They've already started a new launch tower at Boca Chica, but the cement has been curing for a couple months now. I'm guessing they planned to move to it after SN8 testing, at minimum for SH-SN1.

I would imagine landing isn't the problem as much as takeoff.

This is cool. Looks like passenger (or lunar considering recent paint job?) Starship is getting an interior mockup maybe? Capsule hotel style berths it appears.

Bocachicagal:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...784#msg2155784

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/in...=1989968;image

If anyone's interested, RocketLab is trying out their new version tonight. The booster now has parachutes on the first stage, and they will be recovering it after splashdown. Eventually the plan is to snag it with a helicopter. They're donating a dollar per viewer to the Starship Children's Fund, so at least give it a click if you see this.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZGI_lHGltA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Thanks, that was a fun watch. Not as slick as SpaceX but still great to see more private space flights going on!

No space junk left behind. That's impressive...

Launch coming up in around 45 minutes

Beat me to it!

Duh

Pretty cool mission this time. This satellite will yield some pretty cool science.

Jessie got some sleep! (Watching on NASA TV.)

NASA's stream is like 30 seconds behind SpaceX FWIW. Same video.

Land landings are so much cooler.

Yep. NASA could still learn some things from SpaceX about production though. We really should have had a tracking camera view the whole time. Hopefully we'll get some cool shots later.

I was VERY close to talking myself into flying out to LA this weekend to watch this launch. Alas, I decided that it wasn't a good idea to break all the covid rules. :(

For the record, tonight's launch got bumped to tomorrow, so no double header. It'll happen during the Chiefs game unfortunately.

Damn, that sucks.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The International Space Station with the SpaceX Crew-1 Dragon docked photographed from the ground by astrophotographer Philip Smith using a telescope in his backyard in Manorville, New York. <a href="https://t.co/QIRctmEnOQ">https://t.co/QIRctmEnOQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/lA7dps3Hpd">pic.twitter.com/lA7dps3Hpd</a></p>&mdash; Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) <a href="https://twitter.com/wonderofscience/status/1329775250830020614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That's too cool.

I'm currently planning to head to Boca Chica over Xmas. Want to just get an "in-person" feel for the size of the thing. The pics have been insane. Doubtful, but maybe get lucky for a static fire or hop.
Plans may change based on covid. :(

Very cool.

If you want your mind blown wrap your head around this:


At times, you are closer to the ISS than you are the nearest Wal-Mart. It's just a short trip straight up.

Two hour bump. Whether I watch and how intently TBD depending on the Chiefs game. :)

"Live in 101 minutes". :D

Well, at least we don't have a conflict I suppose. I could use the distraction after the first half, though.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Standing down from today’s launch of Starlink. Rocket and payload are healthy; teams will use additional time to complete data reviews and are now working toward backup opportunity on Monday, November 23 at 9:34 p.m. but keeping an eye on recovery weather</p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1330703923259211776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I was counting on exactly that. Ugh.

Well this is a huge bummer. I knew it was damaged a month or two ago, but it's hard to fathom that the entire thing will need to be demolished. RIP to an iconic piece of scientific equipment.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Following engineering assessments concluding damage to Arecibo Observatory cannot be addressed without endangering the lives and safety of crew and staff, NSF plans to decommission the 305-meter telescope: <a href="https://t.co/En0S7OOhY4">https://t.co/En0S7OOhY4</a> <a href="https://t.co/bB70XNud0v">pic.twitter.com/bB70XNud0v</a></p>&mdash; National Science Foundation (@NSF) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSF/status/1329462672627277829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

We'll have to find another way to talk to them, I guess.

WTH happened to it?

A hurricane and two earthquakes.

Guess that would do it. Thanks.

The initial issue was that a giant (like 4" diameter) cable pulled loose, and in the fall it took out a big chunk of the dish below. More recently, the increased loads took out another cable, and the troubling part is that that cable gave out well under its expected loads.

So now they're nervous about all of the other cables, and they're afraid that, if another one goes, the loads on the rest will be too much and the entire thing will fail catastrophically. And when you're nervous about a giant piece of equipment failing catastrophically, you don't put workers in areas where such a failure would almost certainly be fatal.

So here we are. I'm sure that, with enough money, they could fix it. But it's been underfunded for years now, and it sounds like it's just too risky to try and fix it.

Contact Karen carpenter

Thank you

I hope they can build it back even bigger and more precise.

And no more movie Ops....

Starlink launch is bumped again to tomorrow fwiw. I'll probably stop providing updates on it aside from a bump closer to launch.

Looks like they might try another SN8 three Raptor static fire today:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a_-Wu_S2qTA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I tried to stick with it but there just doesn't appear to be any timeline for anything and the chit-chat got a lot redundant and silly. "If I stowaway......?" LMAO

Yeah, they have no idea. This is just all based on activity seen during prior tests. Keeping in a small corner of one screen and checking the "check list" occasionally. I keep the feed muted and ignore the chat. I mostly can't stand the people narrating these things.

Did you guys know that one of the abort modes for the shuttle was RTLS, basically the same thing as a Falcon 9 boost back maneuver? I had no idea:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XgQqbb-IssM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>