Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 100

**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.

Scooter LaCanforno · 01-28-2018, 05:45 PM

Who's coming to the Space Coast to see the Falcon Heavy Launch ?

**DaFace** · 01-28-2018, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scooter LaCanforno

Who's coming to the Space Coast to see the Falcon Heavy Launch ?

I wish but, sadly, no.

Molitoth · 01-29-2018, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scooter LaCanforno

Who's coming to the Space Coast to see the Falcon Heavy Launch ?

I'll be closer than usual but not close enough...
KC to Athens, GA

Chitownchiefsfan · 01-29-2018, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Welcome to the CP Space Club! In a few years, we may have enough members to have a get together in a small room.

Thank you for the welcome. I am all for a space club. It's really incredible to think that we could have people in the next few years. Elon has really revolutionized the field.

**DaFace** · 01-30-2018, 11:19 AM

Not as exciting as the FH launch by any means, but heads up that Govsat is slated to fly in 4 hours. Expendable flight, so no landing.

Chitownchiefsfan · 01-30-2018, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Not as exciting as the FH launch by any means, but heads up that Govsat is slated to fly in 4 hours. Expendable flight, so no landing.

Annnnnnd it's scrubbed.

**DaFace** · 01-30-2018, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chitownchiefsfan

Annnnnnd it's scrubbed.

Boo. I expected it with the weather, but sounds like it's a sensor problem. Weather looks good for tomorrow at least.

**DaFace** · 01-31-2018, 02:37 PM

Things SEEM to be on track for launch today. Webcast should go live around 15 minutes prior to launch.

allen_kcCard · 01-31-2018, 03:08 PM

Webcast is running the SpaceX logo and music now.

Hydrae · 01-31-2018, 03:24 PM

T -1 minute!

**DaFace** · 01-31-2018, 03:25 PM

And she's off!

**DaFace** · 01-31-2018, 03:25 PM

That's a nice looking steam cloud, but I think we can do about 3x bigger...

Molitoth · 01-31-2018, 03:29 PM

nice clear shots today

Molitoth · 01-31-2018, 03:31 PM

lol @ the dumbasses in the chat trolling about flat earth and fish-eye lens fake footage.

People are so ****ing stupid.

siberian khatru · 01-31-2018, 03:32 PM

Talk about good timing: Fire alarm at work went off so we all trudged out to the parking lot waiting for the all clear — just in time to see the rocket arcing up into the sky.

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..
Posts: 52,512	1 0

01-28-2018, 05:45 PM	#1486
Scooter LaCanforno Starter Join Date: Nov 2013 Casino cash: $5596947	Who's coming to the Space Coast to see the Falcon Heavy Launch ?
Posts: 929

01-30-2018, 11:19 AM	#1490
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Not as exciting as the FH launch by any means, but heads up that Govsat is slated to fly in 4 hours. Expendable flight, so no landing.
Posts: 52,512

01-31-2018, 02:37 PM	#1493
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Things SEEM to be on track for launch today. Webcast should go live around 15 minutes prior to launch.
Posts: 52,512

01-31-2018, 03:08 PM	#1494
allen_kcCard Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $3583183	Webcast is running the SpaceX logo and music now.
Posts: 2,773

01-31-2018, 03:24 PM	#1495
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $777000	T -1 minute!
Posts: 14,756

01-31-2018, 03:25 PM	#1496
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	And she's off!
Posts: 52,512

01-31-2018, 03:25 PM	#1497
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	That's a nice looking steam cloud, but I think we can do about 3x bigger...
Posts: 52,512	1 0

01-31-2018, 03:29 PM	#1498
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $1504969	nice clear shots today
Posts: 19,912

01-31-2018, 03:31 PM	#1499
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $1504969	lol @ the dumbasses in the chat trolling about flat earth and fish-eye lens fake footage. People are so ****ing stupid.
Posts: 19,912

01-31-2018, 03:32 PM	#1500
siberian khatru 21st Century Schizoid Fan Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Gates of Delirium Casino cash: $674950	Talk about good timing: Fire alarm at work went off so we all trudged out to the parking lot waiting for the all clear — just in time to see the rocket arcing up into the sky.
Posts: 70,288	1 0