Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 106

**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.

**DaFace** · 02-06-2018, 02:55 PM

Falcon Heavy side cores have landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2. pic.twitter.com/oMBqizqnpI
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 6, 2018

Sully · 02-06-2018, 02:55 PM

Just watched a launch for the first time since maybe the mid-80s... that was cool as hell!

**Rain Man** · 02-06-2018, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sully

Just watched a launch for the first time since maybe the mid-80s... that was cool as hell!

Same here. The simultaneous landing was awesome.

**DaFace** · 02-06-2018, 02:57 PM

The Falcon Heavy’s upper stage, together with Elon Musk’s electric sports car and the dummy “Starman,” are in orbit. https://t.co/j9nQKPiCdX pic.twitter.com/KuGjqeoWCc
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) February 6, 2018

**DaFace** · 02-06-2018, 02:58 PM

No word on the center core apparently. Hopefully we hear soon, but even if it didn't make it for some reason, I don't know how you could call this anything but a HUGE success. Crazy.

aturnis · 02-06-2018, 02:58 PM

How long until 2nd payload burn starts?

Hydrae · 02-06-2018, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Falcon Heavy side cores have landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2. pic.twitter.com/oMBqizqnpI
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 6, 2018

That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Just amazing!

**DaFace** · 02-06-2018, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aturnis

How long until 2nd payload burn starts?

T+28:22 from the press kit. Odd that they aren't covering it at all, but I guess we just have to watch Twitter for news.

And then, somewhere around T+6 hours they'll try and start it up one more time.

eDave · 02-06-2018, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aturnis

How long until 2nd payload burn starts?

Core should already be down. Camera went out on the ship. Don't think it made it...

Molitoth · 02-06-2018, 03:00 PM

Any word on the middle booster yet?

eDave · 02-06-2018, 03:01 PM

Kiimo · 02-06-2018, 03:01 PM

Just chiming in to say the "Don't Panic" Douglas Adams reference is so my everything.

**Donger** · 02-06-2018, 03:07 PM

Unbelievable!!!

MagicHef · 02-06-2018, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

Just chiming in to say the "Don't Panic" Douglas Adams reference is so my everything.

I loved that.

stumppy · 02-06-2018, 03:13 PM

One word:

Too ****ing cool!

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: 52,517	1 0

02-06-2018, 02:55 PM	#1576
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	Falcon Heavy side cores have landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2. pic.twitter.com/oMBqizqnpI — SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 6, 2018
Posts: 52,517

02-06-2018, 02:55 PM	#1577
Sully It Goes On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Lees Summit Casino cash: $10026331	Just watched a launch for the first time since maybe the mid-80s... that was cool as hell! __________________ "And I don't wish that girl any bad luck," he said, "but I hope she gets hit with a car." - Tommy Lasorda
Posts: 18,295

02-06-2018, 02:57 PM	#1579
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	The Falcon Heavy’s upper stage, together with Elon Musk’s electric sports car and the dummy “Starman,” are in orbit. https://t.co/j9nQKPiCdX pic.twitter.com/KuGjqeoWCc — Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) February 6, 2018
Posts: 52,517	1 0

02-06-2018, 02:58 PM	#1580
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	No word on the center core apparently. Hopefully we hear soon, but even if it didn't make it for some reason, I don't know how you could call this anything but a HUGE success. Crazy.
Posts: 52,517

02-06-2018, 02:58 PM	#1581
aturnis MVP Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Iowa Casino cash: $9975811	How long until 2nd payload burn starts?
Posts: 13,873

02-06-2018, 03:00 PM	#1585
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $1504969	Any word on the middle booster yet?
Posts: 19,912

02-06-2018, 03:01 PM	#1586
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560
Posts: 53,803

02-06-2018, 03:01 PM	#1587
Kiimo MVP Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Studio City, CA Casino cash: $2758742	Just chiming in to say the "Don't Panic" Douglas Adams reference is so my everything.
Posts: 13,368

02-06-2018, 03:07 PM	#1588
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	Unbelievable!!! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 186,970

02-06-2018, 03:13 PM	#1590
stumppy New and Improved Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Springfield, Mo. Casino cash: $-361410	One word: Too **ing cool! __________________ “As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution”**
Posts: 21,981