Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 373

**DaFace** · 07:17 AM

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.

**Donger** · 09-01-2024, 10:47 AM

"The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met," FAA officials wrote in a statement late Friday (Aug. 30). SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30.

**DaFace** · 09-06-2024, 10:47 PM

Starliner made it back largely without incident. Astronauts would have been fine.

And safely landed.

Remember that in an emergency those 'stranded' astronauts would have ridden this home. pic.twitter.com/BHmFZEUULg
— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) September 7, 2024

GeorgeZimZam · 09-06-2024, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Starliner made it back largely without incident.

Good to see a happy ending!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Astronauts would have been fine.

I don't know about you, but I would not have risked a return trip on it.

**Donger** · 09-09-2024, 01:10 PM

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, September 10 at 3:38 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of Polaris Dawn to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window at 5:23 a.m. ET and 7:09 a.m. ET. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, September 11 at the same times.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 3.5 hours prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, and Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit. This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8 and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

MISSION OBJECTIVES
During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew will endeavor to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participate in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits. They will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight, and test Starlink laser-based communications in space.

The Polaris Dawn crew will combine their expertise, knowledge, and passion for spaceflight to further human space exploration. This will be the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This will also be the first time two SpaceX employees will be part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

**DaFace** · 09-09-2024, 07:27 PM

Looks like they're on. I'm not gonna stay up for the launch, but I'm excited for the mission.

Game time https://t.co/IiwAvURHjU
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 10, 2024

GeorgeZimZam · 09-09-2024, 10:27 PM

Already broadcasting ahead of launch in T-minus 3 hours 11 minutes.

Don’t plan on staying up either though.

Watch live as Falcon 9 launches the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew on a multi-day mission orbiting Earth https://t.co/u1KqQx5AFr
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024

**DaFace** · 09-10-2024, 07:22 PM

There are currently humans further from earth than there have been in my lifetime (since Apollo). Pretty cool.

Achievement unlocked - apogee 1,400.7 km

Forward bulkhead Draco firing during burn pic.twitter.com/Z7kUTcA2CH
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 11, 2024

GeorgeZimZam · 09-10-2024, 09:12 PM

A beautiful launch over our nation's capitol as Polaris Dawn launches to space! @PolarisProgram @rookisaacman pic.twitter.com/VGbpm4FRCC
— Austin DeSisto (@AustinDeSisto) September 10, 2024

A @SpaceX rocket carrying the crew of the historic Polaris Dawn mission passes to the east of #Pittsburgh earlier this morning! The rocket was visible just 7 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral, FL! @PolarisProgram pic.twitter.com/MObjoL7BJ1
— Dustin McGrew (@dmcgrew) September 10, 2024

GeorgeZimZam · 09-10-2024, 09:16 PM

Tropical Storm (now Hurricane) Francine dumped on us here in the Starbase area. Deluged by several days of rain, finally ended this afternoon. Getting to site meant having to drive through South Bay over Highway 4.

StarBase is a river right now. pic.twitter.com/POB7mcbffJ
— Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) September 9, 2024

Early bird gets the low water crossing? pic.twitter.com/1YSXsQ5VKY
— Coop (@Cooper_Hime) September 9, 2024

NOTHING 👏 STOPS 👏 STARBASE 👏 pic.twitter.com/602U9z0Rwk
— Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) September 10, 2024

But that's not all! Significant Starship Flight 5 licensing delays to top it off.

SpaceX update on Starship.

Claims SpaceX has been ready to fly since August (vehicle readiness), but "recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA".

"This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous… pic.twitter.com/BvMH0992Ki
— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) September 10, 2024

**DaFace** · 09-12-2024, 08:36 AM

Not much to look at, but spacewalk success!

Commander @rookisaacman has egressed Dragon and is going through the first of three suit mobility tests that will test overall hand body control, vertical movement with Skywalker, and foot restraint pic.twitter.com/XATJQhLuIZ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 12, 2024

This view had to be amazing.

SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn crew have completed the first commercial spacewalk!

“SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.” — Mission Commander @rookisaacman during Dragon egress and seeing our planet from ~738 km pic.twitter.com/lRczSv5i4k
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024

GeorgeZimZam · 09-18-2024, 09:43 PM

Starship Flight 5 not happening any time before late November, due to licensing and regulatory hurdles. Flight 6 testing underway in the meantime.

Six engine static fire of Flight 6 Starship pic.twitter.com/fzJz9BWBn6
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 19, 2024

**Bob Dole** · 09-19-2024, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeorgeZimZam

Starship Flight 5 not happening any time before late November, due to licensing and regulatory hurdles. Flight 6 testing underway in the meantime.

Six engine static fire of Flight 6 Starship pic.twitter.com/fzJz9BWBn6
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 19, 2024

Licensing and regulation FTW!!!

**Bowser** · 09-19-2024, 11:43 AM

Well, this is....different

https://www.usatoday.com/story/graph...5/75260498007/

**DaFace** · 09-19-2024, 12:19 PM

Huh, that's cool. Bummer you can't really see it, though.

GeorgeZimZam · 09-22-2024, 09:02 AM

My younger sister is visiting my wife and I here in Deep South Texas. Before taking the SpaceX hovercraft from Starbase over to South Padre Island yesterday evening, we got to venture up to the top level of Megabay 2. Awesome 360º views of South Bay, Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Boca Chica Village, fully stacked Flight 5 Starship at the Orbital Launch Integration Tower, Gulf of Mexico, and the Rio Grande. Top level nearing completion for special event space and bar. Sadly, no photos permitted.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	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.spacex.com/launches/ 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; 10-13-2024 at 07:17 AM..
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09-01-2024, 10:47 AM	#5581
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	"The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met," FAA officials wrote in a statement late Friday (Aug. 30). SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 186,946

09-06-2024, 10:47 PM	#5582
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Starliner made it back largely without incident. Astronauts would have been fine. And safely landed. Remember that in an emergency those 'stranded' astronauts would have ridden this home. pic.twitter.com/BHmFZEUULg — Scott Manley (@DJSnM) September 7, 2024
Posts: 52,511	1 0

09-09-2024, 01:10 PM	#5584
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, September 10 at 3:38 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of Polaris Dawn to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window at 5:23 a.m. ET and 7:09 a.m. ET. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, September 11 at the same times. A live webcast of this mission will begin about 3.5 hours prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, and Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit. This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8 and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. MISSION OBJECTIVES During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew will endeavor to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participate in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits. They will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight, and test Starlink laser-based communications in space. The Polaris Dawn crew will combine their expertise, knowledge, and passion for spaceflight to further human space exploration. This will be the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This will also be the first time two SpaceX employees will be part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 186,946

09-09-2024, 07:27 PM	#5585
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Looks like they're on. I'm not gonna stay up for the launch, but I'm excited for the mission. Game time https://t.co/IiwAvURHjU — Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 10, 2024
Posts: 52,511

09-09-2024, 10:27 PM	#5586
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3310400	Already broadcasting ahead of launch in T-minus 3 hours 11 minutes. Don’t plan on staying up either though. Watch live as Falcon 9 launches the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew on a multi-day mission orbiting Earth https://t.co/u1KqQx5AFr — SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024
Posts: 1,662

09-10-2024, 07:22 PM	#5587
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	There are currently humans further from earth than there have been in my lifetime (since Apollo). Pretty cool. Achievement unlocked - apogee 1,400.7 km Forward bulkhead Draco firing during burn pic.twitter.com/Z7kUTcA2CH — SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 11, 2024
Posts: 52,511	1 0

09-10-2024, 09:12 PM	#5588
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3310400	A beautiful launch over our nation's capitol as Polaris Dawn launches to space! @PolarisProgram @rookisaacman pic.twitter.com/VGbpm4FRCC — Austin DeSisto (@AustinDeSisto) September 10, 2024 A @SpaceX rocket carrying the crew of the historic Polaris Dawn mission passes to the east of #Pittsburgh earlier this morning! The rocket was visible just 7 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral, FL! @PolarisProgram pic.twitter.com/MObjoL7BJ1 — Dustin McGrew (@dmcgrew) September 10, 2024
Posts: 1,662

09-10-2024, 09:16 PM	#5589
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3310400	Tropical Storm (now Hurricane) Francine dumped on us here in the Starbase area. Deluged by several days of rain, finally ended this afternoon. Getting to site meant having to drive through South Bay over Highway 4. StarBase is a river right now. pic.twitter.com/POB7mcbffJ — Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) September 9, 2024 Early bird gets the low water crossing? pic.twitter.com/1YSXsQ5VKY — Coop (@Cooper_Hime) September 9, 2024 NOTHING 👏 STOPS 👏 STARBASE 👏 pic.twitter.com/602U9z0Rwk — Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) September 10, 2024 But that's not all! Significant Starship Flight 5 licensing delays to top it off. SpaceX update on Starship. Claims SpaceX has been ready to fly since August (vehicle readiness), but "recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA". "This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous… pic.twitter.com/BvMH0992Ki — Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) September 10, 2024
Posts: 1,662

09-12-2024, 08:36 AM	#5590
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Not much to look at, but spacewalk success! Commander @rookisaacman has egressed Dragon and is going through the first of three suit mobility tests that will test overall hand body control, vertical movement with Skywalker, and foot restraint pic.twitter.com/XATJQhLuIZ — SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 12, 2024 This view had to be amazing. SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn crew have completed the first commercial spacewalk! “SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.” — Mission Commander @rookisaacman during Dragon egress and seeing our planet from ~738 km pic.twitter.com/lRczSv5i4k — Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024
Posts: 52,511	2 0

09-18-2024, 09:43 PM	#5591
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3310400	Starship Flight 5 not happening any time before late November, due to licensing and regulatory hurdles. Flight 6 testing underway in the meantime. Six engine static fire of Flight 6 Starship pic.twitter.com/fzJz9BWBn6 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 19, 2024
Posts: 1,662

09-19-2024, 11:43 AM	#5593
Bowser sorta mod-ish Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: KC North Casino cash: $1731616	Well, this is....different https://www.usatoday.com/story/graph...5/75260498007/
Posts: 103,755	1 0

09-19-2024, 12:19 PM	#5594
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Huh, that's cool. Bummer you can't really see it, though.
Posts: 52,511

09-22-2024, 09:02 AM	#5595
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3310400	My younger sister is visiting my wife and I here in Deep South Texas. Before taking the SpaceX hovercraft from Starbase over to South Padre Island yesterday evening, we got to venture up to the top level of Megabay 2. Awesome 360º views of South Bay, Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Boca Chica Village, fully stacked Flight 5 Starship at the Orbital Launch Integration Tower, Gulf of Mexico, and the Rio Grande. Top level nearing completion for special event space and bar. Sadly, no photos permitted.
Posts: 1,662	1 0