Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 156

**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 · 08-08-2019, 04:58 PM

https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/0...unrise-launch/

I watched this launch this morning. Best one I've ever seen.

**DaFace** · 08-09-2019, 06:40 PM

Dual fairing catchers official.

INTRODUCING....! GO Ms. Chief !!

Mr. Tree's sister ship has been renamed from Capt. Elliot to GO Ms. Chief and is en-route to Port Canaveral to join the SpaceX Fleet!

She will arrive at midnight tonight.

So.. @elonmusk... is this your plan for catching both fairing halves? pic.twitter.com/mMuT1UE34i
— SpaceXFleet Updates (@SpaceXFleet) August 9, 2019

eDave · 08-15-2019, 06:08 PM

Virgin Galactic finally reveals Spaceport passenger lounge and mission control

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/972938...ssion-control/

**DaFace** · 08-15-2019, 08:51 PM

If you guys want to chip in and buy me a ride, I won't say no...

MagicHef · 08-26-2019, 12:38 PM

Starhopper 150m test flight is supposed to happen at 4 pm Central today.

MagicHef · 08-26-2019, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Starhopper 150m test flight is supposed to happen at 4 pm Central today.

Pushed back 1 hr.

**DaFace** · 08-26-2019, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Pushed back 1 hr.

Good. I'd forgotten about it.

**DaFace** · 08-26-2019, 04:54 PM

Hop test coming up around 6pm CT:

ToxSocks · 08-26-2019, 04:57 PM

Pffff.

It's all a charade. The Earth is flat. Nothing has ever even left the Earth's atmosphere.

MagicHef · 08-26-2019, 05:03 PM

90 seconds

MagicHef · 08-26-2019, 05:06 PM

Scrubbed

eDave · 08-26-2019, 05:07 PM

Aborted

**DaFace** · 08-26-2019, 05:11 PM

MagicHef · 08-26-2019, 05:26 PM

Countdown clock restarted, it's currently at about 7 hours. Unsure if it means anything.

MagicHef · 08-26-2019, 05:36 PM

SpaceX's webstream now says, "Second attempt possible today, continuing to evaluate."

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

08-08-2019, 04:58 PM	#2326
Scooter LaCanforno Starter Join Date: Nov 2013 Casino cash: $5586947	https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/0...unrise-launch/ I watched this launch this morning. Best one I've ever seen.
Posts: 929	1 0

08-09-2019, 06:40 PM	#2327
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Dual fairing catchers official. INTRODUCING....! GO Ms. Chief !! Mr. Tree's sister ship has been renamed from Capt. Elliot to GO Ms. Chief and is en-route to Port Canaveral to join the SpaceX Fleet! She will arrive at midnight tonight. So.. @elonmusk... is this your plan for catching both fairing halves? pic.twitter.com/mMuT1UE34i — SpaceXFleet Updates (@SpaceXFleet) August 9, 2019
Posts: 52,520

08-15-2019, 06:08 PM	#2328
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Virgin Galactic finally reveals Spaceport passenger lounge and mission control https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/972938...ssion-control/
Posts: 53,803

08-15-2019, 08:51 PM	#2329
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	If you guys want to chip in and buy me a ride, I won't say no...
Posts: 52,520

08-26-2019, 12:38 PM	#2330
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1080247	Starhopper 150m test flight is supposed to happen at 4 pm Central today. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711

08-26-2019, 04:54 PM	#2333
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Hop test coming up around 6pm CT:
Posts: 52,520

08-26-2019, 04:57 PM	#2334
ToxSocks Needs more middle fingers Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego Casino cash: $2793063	Pffff. It's all a charade. The Earth is flat. Nothing has ever even left the Earth's atmosphere. __________________ Life is like a dick. Sometimes it gets hard for no reason, but it can't stay hard forever.
Posts: 65,831

08-26-2019, 05:03 PM	#2335
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1080247	90 seconds __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711

08-26-2019, 05:06 PM	#2336
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1080247	Scrubbed __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711

08-26-2019, 05:07 PM	#2337
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Aborted
Posts: 53,803

08-26-2019, 05:11 PM	#2338
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Aww.
Posts: 52,520

08-26-2019, 05:26 PM	#2339
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1080247	Countdown clock restarted, it's currently at about 7 hours. Unsure if it means anything. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711

08-26-2019, 05:36 PM	#2340
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1080247	SpaceX's webstream now says, "Second attempt possible today, continuing to evaluate." __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711