Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 141

**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.

**Bowser** · 04-06-2019, 10:08 AM

They're relatively certain there is water under the surface of Mars. They're cautiously optimistic there is water ON the surface of Mars, although some scientists call it "avalanches of sand".

https://www.popularmechanics.com/spa...id-water-mars/

**Donger** · 04-06-2019, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/11...888100352?s=09

Static fire of Falcon Heavy complete—targeting April 9 launch of Arabsat-6A from Launch Complex 39A in Florida

Four days to get it back horizontal, back to the assembly building, get the cargo fitted, and back out to the pad?

Wow.

**DaFace** · 04-06-2019, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Four days to get it back horizontal, back to the assembly building, get the cargo fitted, and back out to the pad?

Wow.

Eh, I bet it doesn't take that much to throw the payload and fairing on top. It's almost certainly been attached a number of times already, so they know it fits.

This is NOT that - it's from before the static fire - but is kind of cool to see them attaching everything together.

Booster mate inside SpaceX's hangar at LC-39A ahead of Falcon Heavy’s static fire yesterday pic.twitter.com/G7ZPhOBkyj
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 6, 2019

**Donger** · 04-07-2019, 11:43 AM

Probably a repost, but I don't care:

**Donger** · 04-08-2019, 09:01 AM

“Launch Reschedule Notification: SpaceX Falcon Heavy has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 10th 2019. Launch window opens at 6:36 p.m.”

SpaceX officials did not return requests for confirmation Monday morning.

The highly anticipated launch, which is expected to draw 100,000 or more spectators to the region, will carry Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat-6A satellite into space.

The U.S. Air Force Weather Squadron’s forecast, released this weekend, had placed the probability of a successful Tuesday launch at 30 percent because of weather.

The probability of favorable weather on Wednesday was 80 percent.

This will be the first flight of the vehicle with three new Block 5 boosters.

**DaFace** · 04-09-2019, 10:54 PM

Everything SEEMS to be on track for Falcon Heavy tomorrow! Window opens at 6:35pm EST and closes about 2 hours later. Here's hoping it goes off on time because I have a conflict starting at about 7pm EST!

Fish · 04-09-2019, 10:57 PM

Dat ass......

In58men · 04-10-2019, 10:26 AM

Black Hole captured via satellite. Amazing!!!

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...aign=r_science

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 12:14 PM

First flight for Falcon Heavy Block 5 means there is some risk of failure between 5% to 10% imo. Many good design improvements from Falcon Heavy demo, but the changes are unproven.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2019

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 01:30 PM

GAAAHHHH...goddammit. I'm not going to be able to watch live.

Falcon Heavy and Arabsat-6A are vertical on Launch Complex 39A. Currently targeting liftoff at 8:00 p.m. EDT; monitoring upper-level winds that could push us to the end of the window (8:32 p.m. EDT) → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z pic.twitter.com/Vbzbhy6PLz
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 10, 2019

**Donger** · 04-10-2019, 03:03 PM

Sunset is 7:42pm EDT. Should be epic!

eDave · 04-10-2019, 03:10 PM

Prison Bitch · 04-10-2019, 04:18 PM

Going to apollo 11 for the fifth time tonite. Last day it’s in the theaters (AMC anyway). Feel sorry for any of you who missed this on the big screen

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Going to apollo 11 for the fifth time tonite. Last day it’s in the theaters (AMC anyway). Feel sorry for any of you who missed this on the big screen

Five times? That's a bit much even for me.

But yeah, it's worth the watch. Really cool to see it all unfold sequentially.

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 04:43 PM

Looks like they're pushing all the way to the end of the window.

New T-0 of 8:32 p.m. EDT due to upper-level winds. Vehicle and payload still look good for launch.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 10, 2019

That'll make it basically an instantaneous window at that point, so we'll see if they get it off. Unfortunately I won't be able to catch up until late tonight, so I hope you guys get to enjoy the show.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	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: 52,542	1 0

04-06-2019, 10:08 AM	#2101
Bowser sorta mod-ish Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: KC North Casino cash: $1651616	They're relatively certain there is water under the surface of Mars. They're cautiously optimistic there is water ON the surface of Mars, although some scientists call it "avalanches of sand". https://www.popularmechanics.com/spa...id-water-mars/
Posts: 103,976

04-07-2019, 11:43 AM	#2104
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8529900 VARSITY	Probably a repost, but I don't care: __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,182	1 0

04-08-2019, 09:01 AM	#2105
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8529900 VARSITY	“Launch Reschedule Notification: SpaceX Falcon Heavy has been rescheduled to Wednesday, April 10th 2019. Launch window opens at 6:36 p.m.” SpaceX officials did not return requests for confirmation Monday morning. The highly anticipated launch, which is expected to draw 100,000 or more spectators to the region, will carry Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat-6A satellite into space. The U.S. Air Force Weather Squadron’s forecast, released this weekend, had placed the probability of a successful Tuesday launch at 30 percent because of weather. The probability of favorable weather on Wednesday was 80 percent. This will be the first flight of the vehicle with three new Block 5 boosters. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,182

04-09-2019, 10:54 PM	#2106
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	Everything SEEMS to be on track for Falcon Heavy tomorrow! Window opens at 6:35pm EST and closes about 2 hours later. Here's hoping it goes off on time because I have a conflict starting at about 7pm EST!
Posts: 52,542

04-09-2019, 10:57 PM	#2107
Fish Ain't no relax! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $358919	Dat ass...... __________________
Posts: 48,441	1 0

04-10-2019, 10:26 AM	#2108
In58men **** you, you cretin. Join Date: Jan 2012 Casino cash: $348026	Space Exploration megathread Black Hole captured via satellite. Amazing!!! https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...aign=r_science __________________ Attendance Chief record 11-9
Posts: 30,172

04-10-2019, 12:14 PM	#2109
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	First flight for Falcon Heavy Block 5 means there is some risk of failure between 5% to 10% imo. Many good design improvements from Falcon Heavy demo, but the changes are unproven. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2019
Posts: 52,542

04-10-2019, 01:30 PM	#2110
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	GAAAHHHH...goddammit. I'm not going to be able to watch live. Falcon Heavy and Arabsat-6A are vertical on Launch Complex 39A. Currently targeting liftoff at 8:00 p.m. EDT; monitoring upper-level winds that could push us to the end of the window (8:32 p.m. EDT) → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z pic.twitter.com/Vbzbhy6PLz — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 10, 2019
Posts: 52,542

04-10-2019, 03:03 PM	#2111
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8529900 VARSITY	Sunset is 7:42pm EDT. Should be epic! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,182

04-10-2019, 03:10 PM	#2112
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Last edited by eDave; 04-10-2019 at 03:26 PM..
Posts: 53,803

04-10-2019, 04:18 PM	#2113
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	Going to apollo 11 for the fifth time tonite. Last day it’s in the theaters (AMC anyway). Feel sorry for any of you who missed this on the big screen
Posts: 87,025

04-10-2019, 04:43 PM	#2115
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	Looks like they're pushing all the way to the end of the window. New T-0 of 8:32 p.m. EDT due to upper-level winds. Vehicle and payload still look good for launch. — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 10, 2019 That'll make it basically an instantaneous window at that point, so we'll see if they get it off. Unfortunately I won't be able to catch up until late tonight, so I hope you guys get to enjoy the show.
Posts: 52,542