Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 157

**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** · 08-26-2019, 05:49 PM

Officially scrubbed for today. Try again tomorrow.

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 03:02 PM

~1 hr away.

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 03:50 PM

Flare lit and siren sounding, so earliest possible launch is about 10 minutes from now.

**DaFace** · 08-27-2019, 03:55 PM

eDave · 08-27-2019, 03:59 PM

Alternative view. Turn the volume down though as the guy is quite annoying.

eDave · 08-27-2019, 04:02 PM

Well look at that.

**DaFace** · 08-27-2019, 04:03 PM

Holy shit...that was incredible!

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 04:04 PM

Looked perfect.

**DaFace** · 08-27-2019, 04:09 PM

SpaceX's Starhopper conducts 150 meter test hop under the power of the SN6 Raptor!

THAT WAS AMAZING! pic.twitter.com/7exBqW4HeV
— Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 27, 2019

**DaFace** · 08-27-2019, 04:09 PM

That engine's flame plume is crazy to watch. Looks so pretty.

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 04:13 PM

Starhopper with the stellar hop pic.twitter.com/2KSooRmIHS
— Jackie Wattles (@jackiewattles) August 27, 2019

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

That engine's flame plume is crazy to watch. Looks so pretty.

It changed appearance right before touchdown, much brighter and more yellow. I'm curious to know if that was just a result of throttle change or if something else caused that, like ground interference.

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 04:17 PM

Might be a repost, but here's a video explaining why the Raptor is so special:

eDave · 08-27-2019, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

It changed appearance right before touchdown, much brighter and more yellow. I'm curious to know if that was just a result of throttle change or if something else caused that, like ground interference.

Dust

**DaFace** · 08-27-2019, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Might be a repost, but here's a video explaining why the Raptor is so special:

Did you watch Tim's stream or just the SpaceX stream? Kind of hilarious hearing Tim scream with excitement.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	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..
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08-26-2019, 05:49 PM	#2341
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	Officially scrubbed for today. Try again tomorrow.
Posts: 52,572

08-27-2019, 03:02 PM	#2342
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $940247	~1 hr away. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,718

08-27-2019, 03:50 PM	#2343
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $940247	Flare lit and siren sounding, so earliest possible launch is about 10 minutes from now. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,718

08-27-2019, 03:55 PM	#2344
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101
Posts: 52,572

08-27-2019, 03:59 PM	#2345
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Alternative view. Turn the volume down though as the guy is quite annoying.
Posts: 53,803

08-27-2019, 04:02 PM	#2346
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Well look at that.
Posts: 53,803

08-27-2019, 04:03 PM	#2347
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	Holy shit...that was incredible!
Posts: 52,572

08-27-2019, 04:04 PM	#2348
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $940247	Looked perfect. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,718

08-27-2019, 04:09 PM	#2349
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	SpaceX's Starhopper conducts 150 meter test hop under the power of the SN6 Raptor! THAT WAS AMAZING! pic.twitter.com/7exBqW4HeV — Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 27, 2019
Posts: 52,572

08-27-2019, 04:09 PM	#2350
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	That engine's flame plume is crazy to watch. Looks so pretty.
Posts: 52,572

08-27-2019, 04:13 PM	#2351
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $940247	Starhopper with the stellar hop pic.twitter.com/2KSooRmIHS — Jackie Wattles (@jackiewattles) August 27, 2019 __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,718

08-27-2019, 04:17 PM	#2353
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $940247	Might be a repost, but here's a video explaining why the Raptor is so special: __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,718