Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 178

**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.

**Donger** · 05-22-2020, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

4:33pm Eastern (same time as the live launch). I'm guessing they're treating a lot of it like a wet dress rehearsal.

Great, thanks! I hope they stream it.

**DaFace** · 05-22-2020, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Great, thanks! I hope they stream it.

I doubt you'll see an official SpaceX stream, but chances are one of the news agencies will. You can try to keep an eye on this reddit thread or this twitter list for updates.

**Donger** · 05-22-2020, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I doubt you'll see an official SpaceX stream, but chances are one of the news agencies will. You can try to keep an eye on this reddit thread or this twitter list for updates.

**DaFace** · 05-22-2020, 11:33 AM

Just to make sure it's clear:

There were some wild rumors circulating earlier today that Doug Loverro's resignation was linked to his concerns about the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. These were false and seemed design to throw up FUD with the nearing launch date.
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 22, 2020

Scooter LaCanforno · 05-22-2020, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I doubt you'll see an official SpaceX stream, but chances are one of the news agencies will. You can try to keep an eye on this reddit thread or this twitter list for updates.

Spaceflightnow or news13 orlando should have it.

**Donger** · 05-22-2020, 11:42 AM

Love this:

Pants · 05-22-2020, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Once Demo-2 is complete, and the SpaceX and NASA teams have reviewed all the data for certification, SpaceX will launch Crew Dragon’s first six-month operational mission (Crew-1) later this year. The Crew-1 spacecraft is in production and astronaut training is well underway pic.twitter.com/SVMQMkK6AB
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 1, 2020

Kind of funny how their suits look like something out of a B movie set. I am so ****ing excited about the progress all of these private outfits are making. It's incredible. Thank god for Overlords Bezos and Musk.

**DaFace** · 05-22-2020, 12:07 PM

The Flight Readiness Review has concluded! NASA's SpaceX Crew Dragon mission is cleared to proceed toward liftoff.

Tune in to NASA TV for the following:
2:15pm ET: Virtual Q&A with @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug
2:45pm ET: Post-Review News Conference

��: https://t.co/YeWrpz41EN pic.twitter.com/Pi40JDxN6t
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) May 22, 2020

unlurking · 05-22-2020, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pants

Kind of funny how their suits look like something out of a B movie set. I am so ****ing excited about the progress all of these private outfits are making. It's incredible. Thank god for Overlords Bezos and Musk.

https://www.newsweek.com/spacex-hire...cesuits-457293

Space travellers of the future may look more like superheroes than conventional astronauts, after SpaceX hired the Hollywood costume designer behind the suits of Iron Man and Batman.

Elon Musk's space company hired costume designer Jose Fernandez, whose costumes have appeared in Batman v Superman, Iron Man, The Avengers and Tron: Legacy.

"SpaceX, the company run by Elon Musk, reached out to me to ask if I would create a spacesuit," Fernandez told Bleep. "I didn't know what SpaceX was and I thought it was a film. Then I realized it's an actual space program.

"The look they are going to unveil in the next few months is something we created here in the studio. [Musk] wanted it to look stylish. It had to be practical but also needed to look great."

Musk said in a 2015 interview that the spacesuit design for SpaceX would focus heavily on design aesthetics, not just utility, saying: "It needs to both look like a 21st century spacesuit and work well."

The design submitted by Fernandez was developed in collaboration with Musk over a period of six months. According to the designer, the final suit design is currently being reverse engineered to make it functional for space flight. SpaceX was not immediately available for comment.

"It's pretty bad ass," Fernandez said. "[Musk] kept saying, 'Anyone looks better in a tux, no matter what size or shape they are,' and when people put this space suit on, he wants them to look better than when they did without it, like a tux.

"You look heroic in it. It's an iconic thing to be a part of."

**Donger** · 05-22-2020, 04:24 PM

So, no test-fire?

**DaFace** · 05-22-2020, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

So, no test-fire?

Static fire of Falcon 9 complete – targeting Wednesday, May 27 at 4:33 p.m. EDT for Crew Dragon’s launch to the @Space_Station with @AstroBehnken and @AstroDoug on board → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/IGq1xu7CbT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2020

**Donger** · 05-22-2020, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Static fire of Falcon 9 complete – targeting Wednesday, May 27 at 4:33 p.m. EDT for Crew Dragon’s launch to the @Space_Station with @AstroBehnken and @AstroDoug on board → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/IGq1xu7CbT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 22, 2020

God, I suck at Twitter...

Thanks DaFace

**Donger** · 05-23-2020, 02:02 PM

I'd never seen this before today. How not to perform stage separation...

eDave · 05-25-2020, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

In some kind of cool non-SpaceX news, Virgin Orbit is testing their launch system this weekend. It's not as exciting as all of the manned stuff, but it'll be interesting to see if they can make satellite launches from beneath a 747 work.

The first orbital test flight of Virgin Orbit’s privately-developed air-launched rocket is scheduled as soon as Sunday off the coast of Southern California.

The liquid-fueled LauncherOne rocket is designed to loft small satellites into orbit.

FULL STORY: https://t.co/uKeZAluKQd pic.twitter.com/Y1wujIUzNj
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) May 21, 2020

Branson’s Virgin Orbit Fails in Attempted Rocket Launch From 747

Billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit said a crucial test of its two-stage, orbital rocket system, designed to rival that of Elon Musk’s SpaceX for satellite launches, ended the mission shortly after releasing the rocket from the plane.

“We’ve confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight,” the company tweeted Monday. “Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base.”

**DaFace** · 05-25-2020, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

Branson’s Virgin Orbit Fails in Attempted Rocket Launch From 747

Billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit said a crucial test of its two-stage, orbital rocket system, designed to rival that of Elon Musk’s SpaceX for satellite launches, ended the mission shortly after releasing the rocket from the plane.

“We’ve confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight,” the company tweeted Monday. “Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base.”

Well, bummer. Hope they keep at it.

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: 52,577	1 0

05-22-2020, 11:33 AM	#2659
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	Just to make sure it's clear: There were some wild rumors circulating earlier today that Doug Loverro's resignation was linked to his concerns about the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. These were false and seemed design to throw up FUD with the nearing launch date. — Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 22, 2020
Posts: 52,577

05-22-2020, 11:42 AM	#2661
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	Love this: __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,544

05-22-2020, 12:07 PM	#2663
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-53101	The Flight Readiness Review has concluded! NASA's SpaceX Crew Dragon mission is cleared to proceed toward liftoff. Tune in to NASA TV for the following: 2:15pm ET: Virtual Q&A with @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug 2:45pm ET: Post-Review News Conference ��: https://t.co/YeWrpz41EN pic.twitter.com/Pi40JDxN6t — NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) May 22, 2020
Posts: 52,577	2 0

05-22-2020, 04:24 PM	#2665
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	So, no test-fire? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,544

05-23-2020, 02:02 PM	#2668
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	I'd never seen this before today. How not to perform stage separation... __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,544