Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 220

**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** · 08-30-2020, 04:24 PM

T-55:00

**Donger** · 08-30-2020, 05:04 PM

T-15:00

**Donger** · 08-30-2020, 05:17 PM

Feed is live:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

**Donger** · 08-30-2020, 05:22 PM

Wow, great video of the boost back burn.

**Donger** · 08-30-2020, 05:23 PM

And fairing separation! Never seen that before from the ground.

**Donger** · 08-30-2020, 05:27 PM

And stuck the landing

MagicHef · 08-30-2020, 05:27 PM

Amazing

**Donger** · 08-30-2020, 05:30 PM

It's weird seeing the southern polar orbit. I wonder if they are going to try to catch the fairing halves? Maybe over Cuba?

**Donger** · 08-31-2020, 11:55 AM

Falcon 9 first stage lands at Landing Zone 1 to complete this booster’s fourth flight pic.twitter.com/tUtAcKmIFn
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 31, 2020

**Donger** · 09-01-2020, 11:00 AM

Now targeting Thursday, September 3 at 8:46 a.m. EDT for launch of Starlink from Launch Complex 39A, pending Range acceptance — team is using additional time for data review
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 31, 2020

**Donger** · 09-02-2020, 03:46 PM

Could be a busy day tomorrow!

Starship SN6 150-meter hop now set for Sept. 3 with backup opportunities on Sept. 4 and 5.

SN7.1 prototype testing begins Sept. 6 with additional testing opportunities on Sept. 7 and 8.https://t.co/6u2msVb0b8 pic.twitter.com/12LKDVk3dB
— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) August 31, 2020

And the latest Starlink mission is still scheduled for 8:46am EDT

**Donger** · 09-03-2020, 11:12 AM

SN6 hop test scheduled for today:

Oh, and the Starlink12 mission was a complete success.

MagicHef · 09-03-2020, 12:47 PM

Pretty cool to watch, but I'm itching for the higher test flights.

**Donger** · 09-03-2020, 01:49 PM

Pants · 09-03-2020, 02:12 PM

Just ****ing unbelievable watching it happen.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $156899	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: 52,519	1 0

08-30-2020, 04:24 PM	#3286
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	T-55:00 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-30-2020, 05:04 PM	#3287
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	T-15:00 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-30-2020, 05:17 PM	#3288
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	Feed is live: https://www.spacex.com/launches/ __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-30-2020, 05:22 PM	#3289
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	Wow, great video of the boost back burn. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-30-2020, 05:23 PM	#3290
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	And fairing separation! Never seen that before from the ground. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-30-2020, 05:27 PM	#3291
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	And stuck the landing __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-30-2020, 05:27 PM	#3292
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1090247	Amazing __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711

08-30-2020, 05:30 PM	#3293
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	It's weird seeing the southern polar orbit. I wonder if they are going to try to catch the fairing halves? Maybe over Cuba? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

08-31-2020, 11:55 AM	#3294
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	Falcon 9 first stage lands at Landing Zone 1 to complete this booster’s fourth flight pic.twitter.com/tUtAcKmIFn — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 31, 2020 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

09-01-2020, 11:00 AM	#3295
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	Now targeting Thursday, September 3 at 8:46 a.m. EDT for launch of Starlink from Launch Complex 39A, pending Range acceptance — team is using additional time for data review — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 31, 2020 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

09-02-2020, 03:46 PM	#3296
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	Could be a busy day tomorrow! Starship SN6 150-meter hop now set for Sept. 3 with backup opportunities on Sept. 4 and 5. SN7.1 prototype testing begins Sept. 6 with additional testing opportunities on Sept. 7 and 8.https://t.co/6u2msVb0b8 pic.twitter.com/12LKDVk3dB — Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) August 31, 2020 And the latest Starlink mission is still scheduled for 8:46am EDT __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006	1 0

09-03-2020, 11:12 AM	#3297
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	SN6 hop test scheduled for today: Oh, and the Starlink12 mission was a complete success. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006	1 0

09-03-2020, 12:47 PM	#3298
MagicHef The Seated Villain Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle Casino cash: $1090247	Pretty cool to watch, but I'm itching for the higher test flights. __________________ With a sack in 61% of his games, SB MVP Von Miller is the most consistent pass rusher in NFL history.
Posts: 10,711

09-03-2020, 01:49 PM	#3299
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8599900 VARSITY	__________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,006

09-03-2020, 02:12 PM	#3300
Pants Time Keeps On Slipping Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $4979900	Just ****ing unbelievable watching it happen. __________________ "Turn the channel to 26!"
Posts: 27,302