Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 127

**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** · 12-05-2018, 12:48 PM

We may use it for an internal SpaceX mission
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018

**DaFace** · 12-05-2018, 12:49 PM

Pump is single string. Some landing systems are not redundant, as landing is considered ground safety critical, but not mission critical. Given this event, we will likely add a backup pump & lines.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018

**Donger** · 12-05-2018, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Pump is single string. Some landing systems are not redundant, as landing is considered ground safety critical, but not mission critical. Given this event, we will likely add a backup pump & lines.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018

Wow.

MagicHef · 12-05-2018, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Pump is single string. Some landing systems are not redundant, as landing is considered ground safety critical, but not mission critical. Given this event, we will likely add a backup pump & lines.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018

I can't believe the amount of information he gives out freely.

**DaFace** · 12-05-2018, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

I can't believe the amount of information he gives out freely.

It's just the way he is. Unfortunately, it sometimes gets him into trouble (cough...funding secured...cough).

**DaFace** · 12-05-2018, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Neat.

Just for the record, I'm 90% sure that they also have an in-flight abort system built into the booster. If something went really wrong and it was about to cause a safety issue, I'm pretty sure it'll just blow itself to smithereens.

**Donger** · 12-05-2018, 01:18 PM

Someone post the video of the landing once it's available. That'll be epic.

**DaFace** · 12-05-2018, 01:30 PM

On my phone, but here's the video.

Engines stabilized rocket spin just in time, enabling an intact landing in water! Ships en route to rescue Falcon. pic.twitter.com/O3h8eCgGJ7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018

**Donger** · 12-05-2018, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

On my phone, but here's the video.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1070399755526656000

Thanks. Those engines must have been gimballing like crazy.

Scooter LaCanforno · 12-05-2018, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

I wonder how deep the water was?

4-5 Feet. I fish for Sharks, Tarpon and Triple Tail in the same area.

**DaFace** · 12-05-2018, 04:48 PM

Tracking shot of Falcon water landing pic.twitter.com/6Hv2aZhLjM
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018

eDave · 12-05-2018, 04:59 PM

I would never have imagined that it would float. Shallow water for sure as it clearly hit the seabed.

Pretty cool for a failed landing.

Scooter LaCanforno · 12-05-2018, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

I would never have imagined that it would float. Shallow water for sure as it clearly hit the seabed.

Pretty cool for a failed landing.

After the first burn the rocket dropped spinning, almost like if you spun your index finger in a circle. When the second burn lit the rocket couldn't straighten out, it stayed at an eleven o'clock position as it hit the water.

**DaFace** · 12-05-2018, 09:02 PM

Here's a cool diagram from a while back that shows the whole "aim for the water unless everything looks good" thing in case anyone's having trouble picturing it.

**DaFace** · 12-07-2018, 11:33 AM

In case you've always wanted to see a rocket turned into a barge.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	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: 52,520	1 0

12-05-2018, 12:48 PM	#1891
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	We may use it for an internal SpaceX mission — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018
Posts: 52,520

12-05-2018, 12:49 PM	#1892
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Pump is single string. Some landing systems are not redundant, as landing is considered ground safety critical, but not mission critical. Given this event, we will likely add a backup pump & lines. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018
Posts: 52,520

12-05-2018, 01:18 PM	#1897
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8589900 VARSITY	Someone post the video of the landing once it's available. That'll be epic. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,021

12-05-2018, 01:30 PM	#1898
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	On my phone, but here's the video. Engines stabilized rocket spin just in time, enabling an intact landing in water! Ships en route to rescue Falcon. pic.twitter.com/O3h8eCgGJ7 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018 Last edited by DaFace; 12-05-2018 at 05:51 PM..
Posts: 52,520

12-05-2018, 04:48 PM	#1901
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Tracking shot of Falcon water landing pic.twitter.com/6Hv2aZhLjM — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2018 Last edited by DaFace; 12-05-2018 at 05:50 PM..
Posts: 52,520	1 0

12-05-2018, 04:59 PM	#1902
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	I would never have imagined that it would float. Shallow water for sure as it clearly hit the seabed. Pretty cool for a failed landing.
Posts: 53,803

12-05-2018, 09:02 PM	#1904
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Here's a cool diagram from a while back that shows the whole "aim for the water unless everything looks good" thing in case anyone's having trouble picturing it.
Posts: 52,520

12-07-2018, 11:33 AM	#1905
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	In case you've always wanted to see a rocket turned into a barge.
Posts: 52,520