Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 158

**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.

MagicHef · 08-27-2019, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

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

Both. I hope no one is monitoring my internet usage here at work.

eDave · 09-01-2019, 10:40 PM

Images labelled "Candidate Landing Site for SpaceX #Starship in Arcadia Region" were found in latest data release from @HiRISE. It means @SpaceX is already quietly evaluating best place where to land first Starships on #Mars. We made a map of those sites: https://t.co/fejyWhEtzP pic.twitter.com/wV3ACDbJZx
— human Mars �� (@human_Mars) September 1, 2019

**Donger** · 09-02-2019, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

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

"I can't even fathom..."

**DaFace** · 09-02-2019, 11:18 AM

This morning, @ESA's #Aeolus Earth observation satellite fired its thrusters, moving it off a collision course with a @SpaceX satellite in their #Starlink constellation pic.twitter.com/bn2GHnSoFI
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) September 2, 2019

Mildly concerning. It's not unusual for satellites to have to move around a bit to avoid debris (sounds like ESA had to do this 28 times in 2018), but if SpaceX is hoping to put thousands of these things up there, it's not gonna be good if this becomes a regular thing.

**DaFace** · 09-28-2019, 04:34 PM

In case anyone's interested, Elon is going to be giving a press conference of sorts tonight to update everyone on the current state of the Starship / Super Heavy program. They've got the prototype in Texas topped off (though it's nowhere near ready to fly yet), so it'll be cool to hear all about what they're planning.

And for effect, they've brought in the only remaining Falcon 1 booster to stand beside it. Pretty insane to see the scale difference in what they're tackling now vs. 11 years ago (to the day).

Talk goes on at around 7pm.

Starship at our launch facility in Cameron County, Texas. Watch as @elonmusk gives an update on the vehicle today at ~7:00 p.m. CDT → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z pic.twitter.com/HBxpfy2ITj
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 28, 2019

**DaFace** · 09-28-2019, 05:45 PM

Bumped to 8pm due to weather. Ironic when they're not actually launching anything tonight.

**Donger** · 09-28-2019, 07:00 PM

On the first test flight, is Starship going to separate from SH and both return for landing?

**DaFace** · 09-28-2019, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

On the first test flight, is Starship going to separate from SH and both return for landing?

Still a couple of years out at this point, so who knows what they'll do.

Webcast just went live FWIW.

GloryDayz · 09-28-2019, 07:36 PM

at the cows... HA!!!! They were like, "WHAT THE ****, OVER?"

**Donger** · 09-28-2019, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Still a couple of years out at this point, so who knows what they'll do.

Webcast just went live FWIW.

What he's showing is Starship, right? So just Starship is going to launch in a month or two?

**DaFace** · 09-28-2019, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

What he's showing is Starship, right? So just Starship is going to launch in a month or two?

Correct. I think they feel like they know what needs to be done for the booster more, so it's a ways down the line still.

**Donger** · 09-28-2019, 07:54 PM

I remember when BFR had one wing...

**Donger** · 09-28-2019, 08:15 PM

Looks like he's not talking about landing back on the launch pad now. Thank goodness.

**DaFace** · 09-28-2019, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Looks like he's not talking about landing back on the launch pad now. Thank goodness.

That has always seemed like a "maybe 10 years after they get it going" thing to me. Guess we'll see. That's a lot of fire to try and contain to one little spot.

**TimeForWasp** · 09-29-2019, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

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

Wow, That guy was fun to watch.

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

09-01-2019, 10:40 PM	#2357
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Images labelled "Candidate Landing Site for SpaceX #Starship in Arcadia Region" were found in latest data release from @HiRISE. It means @SpaceX is already quietly evaluating best place where to land first Starships on #Mars. We made a map of those sites: https://t.co/fejyWhEtzP pic.twitter.com/wV3ACDbJZx — human Mars �� (@human_Mars) September 1, 2019
Posts: 53,803

09-02-2019, 11:18 AM	#2359
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	This morning, @ESA's #Aeolus Earth observation satellite fired its thrusters, moving it off a collision course with a @SpaceX satellite in their #Starlink constellation pic.twitter.com/bn2GHnSoFI — ESA Operations (@esaoperations) September 2, 2019 Mildly concerning. It's not unusual for satellites to have to move around a bit to avoid debris (sounds like ESA had to do this 28 times in 2018), but if SpaceX is hoping to put thousands of these things up there, it's not gonna be good if this becomes a regular thing.
Posts: 52,542

09-28-2019, 04:34 PM	#2360
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	In case anyone's interested, Elon is going to be giving a press conference of sorts tonight to update everyone on the current state of the Starship / Super Heavy program. They've got the prototype in Texas topped off (though it's nowhere near ready to fly yet), so it'll be cool to hear all about what they're planning. And for effect, they've brought in the only remaining Falcon 1 booster to stand beside it. Pretty insane to see the scale difference in what they're tackling now vs. 11 years ago (to the day). Talk goes on at around 7pm. Starship at our launch facility in Cameron County, Texas. Watch as @elonmusk gives an update on the vehicle today at ~7:00 p.m. CDT → https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z pic.twitter.com/HBxpfy2ITj — SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 28, 2019
Posts: 52,542

09-28-2019, 05:45 PM	#2361
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $76899	Bumped to 8pm due to weather. Ironic when they're not actually launching anything tonight.
Posts: 52,542

09-28-2019, 07:00 PM	#2362
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8529900 VARSITY	On the first test flight, is Starship going to separate from SH and both return for landing? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
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09-28-2019, 07:36 PM	#2364
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2185380	at the cows... HA!!!! They were like, "WHAT THE **, OVER?" __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME!** #I still don't have COVID
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09-28-2019, 07:54 PM	#2367
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8529900 VARSITY	I remember when BFR had one wing... __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
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09-28-2019, 08:15 PM	#2368
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8529900 VARSITY	Looks like he's not talking about landing back on the launch pad now. Thank goodness. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,222