Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 142

**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.

**mlyonsd** · 04-10-2019, 04:48 PM

Is this webcast only?

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

Is this webcast only?

It won't be on NASA TV if that's what you're asking (since it's a private company's mission).

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 04:53 PM

Doesn't sound promising. But at least I'd get to watch if they postpone.

Upper atmospheric wind shear is very high. Will have to postpone launch unless weather improves soon.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2019

**mlyonsd** · 04-10-2019, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

It won't be on NASA TV if that's what you're asking (since it's a private company's mission).

Thanks. I just switched over to NASA and there was a guy on stage doing comedy. They should maybe rethink that.

**Donger** · 04-10-2019, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

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.

That doesn't bode well.

MagicHef · 04-10-2019, 05:31 PM

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/11...192690176?s=19

It's off for today.

Megatron96 · 04-10-2019, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

Thanks. I just switched over to NASA and there was a guy on stage doing comedy. They should maybe rethink that.

A funny astrophysicist? Isn't that, or shouldn't that be an oxymoron?

**DaFace** · 04-10-2019, 10:56 PM

Well, sucks it got scrubbed, but I should be able to watch tomorrow night at least! Pretty much the same timing - window opens at 6:35pm EST.

eDave · 04-11-2019, 11:38 AM

Are we going to launch this piece of shit?

**DaFace** · 04-11-2019, 12:13 PM

Hope so. Looks like weather is 90% favorable today (80% yesterday). High-level winds can be a bitch, so we'll see.

Sofa King · 04-11-2019, 01:03 PM

Spoiler!

Beautiful picture of the black hole.

**DaFace** · 04-11-2019, 02:19 PM

Aww...that little lunar lander that SpaceX launched a few months back didn't make it.

https://gizmodo.com/israels-bereshee...oon-1833979818

Israel's Beresheet Probe Crashes on the Moon
George Dvorsky

The Beresheet probe crash-landed on the Moon earlier today, dashing Israel’s hopes of becoming only the fourth country to land a functioning probe on the lunar surface.

“We lost it,” said a SpaceIL official a few minutes after mission controllers lost contact with the Beresheet probe. “We failed to land the spacecraft.”

The descent had been proceeding normally until the probe was around 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) above the lunar surface. And in fact, Beresheet even managed to take a selfie a few minutes earlier, at around 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) from the surface.

“Well, we didn’t make it. But we definitely tried,” said another SpaceIL official. “And I think that the achievement of getting to where we got is really tremendous. I think we can be proud.”

The exact cause of the malfunction has not been disclosed, but the probe appeared to have experienced an engine failure during the descent. Israel was trying to become only the fourth country to land a probe on the Moon, the others being the United States, the Soviet Union, and China.

“If at first you don’t succeed, you try again,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to the crowd gathered at the SpaceIL control center.

**DaFace** · 04-11-2019, 03:21 PM

All systems and weather are currently go ahead of tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A from Pad 39A; launch window opens at 6:35 p.m. EDT, or 22:35 UTC → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2019

**DaFace** · 04-11-2019, 03:38 PM

T-1 hour until Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A. Webcast will go live about 15 minutes before liftoff → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2019

**DaFace** · 04-11-2019, 03:50 PM

If anyone's looking for something to watch pregame, Everyday Astronaut hosts a live stream for pretty much every launch, and he's there live today.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	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: 52,578	1 0

04-10-2019, 04:48 PM	#2116
mlyonsd Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Spink, SD Casino cash: $-396238	Is this webcast only?
Posts: 39,243

04-10-2019, 04:53 PM	#2118
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	Doesn't sound promising. But at least I'd get to watch if they postpone. Upper atmospheric wind shear is very high. Will have to postpone launch unless weather improves soon. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2019
Posts: 52,578

04-10-2019, 05:31 PM	#2121
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $920247	https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/11...192690176?s=19 It's off for today. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,720

04-10-2019, 10:56 PM	#2123
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	Well, sucks it got scrubbed, but I should be able to watch tomorrow night at least! Pretty much the same timing - window opens at 6:35pm EST.
Posts: 52,578

04-11-2019, 11:38 AM	#2124
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Are we going to launch this piece of shit?
Posts: 53,803

04-11-2019, 12:13 PM	#2125
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	Hope so. Looks like weather is 90% favorable today (80% yesterday). High-level winds can be a bitch, so we'll see.
Posts: 52,578

04-11-2019, 01:03 PM	#2126
Sofa King Hello Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: South Dakota Casino cash: $-887904 VARSITY	Spoiler! Beautiful picture of the black hole.
Posts: 23,387

04-11-2019, 02:19 PM	#2127
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	Aww...that little lunar lander that SpaceX launched a few months back didn't make it. https://gizmodo.com/israels-bereshee...oon-1833979818 Israel's Beresheet Probe Crashes on the Moon George Dvorsky The Beresheet probe crash-landed on the Moon earlier today, dashing Israel’s hopes of becoming only the fourth country to land a functioning probe on the lunar surface. “We lost it,” said a SpaceIL official a few minutes after mission controllers lost contact with the Beresheet probe. “We failed to land the spacecraft.” The descent had been proceeding normally until the probe was around 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) above the lunar surface. And in fact, Beresheet even managed to take a selfie a few minutes earlier, at around 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) from the surface. “Well, we didn’t make it. But we definitely tried,” said another SpaceIL official. “And I think that the achievement of getting to where we got is really tremendous. I think we can be proud.” The exact cause of the malfunction has not been disclosed, but the probe appeared to have experienced an engine failure during the descent. Israel was trying to become only the fourth country to land a probe on the Moon, the others being the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. “If at first you don’t succeed, you try again,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to the crowd gathered at the SpaceIL control center.
Posts: 52,578

04-11-2019, 03:21 PM	#2128
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	All systems and weather are currently go ahead of tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A from Pad 39A; launch window opens at 6:35 p.m. EDT, or 22:35 UTC → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2019
Posts: 52,578	1 0

04-11-2019, 03:38 PM	#2129
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	T-1 hour until Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A. Webcast will go live about 15 minutes before liftoff → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2019
Posts: 52,578	1 0

04-11-2019, 03:50 PM	#2130
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	If anyone's looking for something to watch pregame, Everyday Astronaut hosts a live stream for pretty much every launch, and he's there live today.
Posts: 52,578