Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 251

**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** · 12-09-2020, 04:52 PM

HOLY SHIT!

arrowheadnation · 12-09-2020, 04:52 PM

IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE!!!!!! Even though it failed, we just witnessed one the first steps in the extension of the existence of the human race.

**DaFace** · 12-09-2020, 04:53 PM

Well, it actually outperformed expectations! I fully expected them to have to abort it over water.

GloryDayz · 12-09-2020, 04:53 PM

Need a code tweek I suppose.

**2112** · 12-09-2020, 04:53 PM

Should hit the brakes a little earlier

**Donger** · 12-09-2020, 04:53 PM

Altitude is life, boys!!

**Donger** · 12-09-2020, 04:54 PM

So, where's SN9?

**DaFace** · 12-09-2020, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

So, where's SN9?

My understanding is that it's actually REALLY close to ready to go. We could see it fly before the end of the year.

GloryDayz · 12-09-2020, 04:56 PM

They cut the feed. Ugh.

arrowheadnation · 12-09-2020, 04:57 PM

the only thing it didn't do was land. It hit the landing pad on the dot. Just needed more propulsion to slow it down. I mean, when they assumed it would blow up during the flight, that was pretty impressive. SN9, you're up!

**Donger** · 12-09-2020, 04:58 PM

That was amazing. Congrats to the SpaceX team!!!

Can't wait to hear the debrief. I wonder if the two engines failed or it was intentional.

Hydrae · 12-09-2020, 04:58 PM

Awesome flight! Not a great landing but there is a lot to be learned from a failure like that.

**DaFace** · 12-09-2020, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

They cut the feed. Ugh.

Tim is still streaming with some pretty epic replays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBELXjq_X-M

**DaFace** · 12-09-2020, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arrowheadnation

the only thing it didn't do was land. It hit the landing pad on the dot. Just needed more propulsion to slow it down. I mean, when they assumed it would blow up during the flight, that was pretty impressive. SN9, you're up!

I THINK they lost an engine right before landing and the single engine couldn't quite keep up. You can see a little "burp" about 10 seconds before the big boom.

**DaFace** · 12-09-2020, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

That was amazing. Congrats to the SpaceX team!!!

Can't wait to hear the debrief. I wonder if the two engines failed or it was intentional.

I think it had to be part of the test. At least two of them re-lit anyway.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	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: 52,565	1 0

12-09-2020, 04:52 PM	#3751
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	HOLY SHIT! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,530

12-09-2020, 04:52 PM	#3752
arrowheadnation MONTANA #19 Join Date: Mar 2005 Casino cash: $4477357	IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE!!!!!! Even though it failed, we just witnessed one the first steps in the extension of the existence of the human race. __________________ Things I need to happen in order to die happy.... KU wins a National Championship....Check! The Royals win a World Series....Check! The Chiefs win a Super Bowl....FINALLY!!!
Posts: 4,434	3 0

12-09-2020, 04:53 PM	#3753
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	Well, it actually outperformed expectations! I fully expected them to have to abort it over water.
Posts: 52,565

12-09-2020, 04:53 PM	#3754
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2105380	Need a code tweek I suppose. __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,922

12-09-2020, 04:53 PM	#3756
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	Altitude is life, boys!! __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,530

12-09-2020, 04:54 PM	#3757
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	So, where's SN9? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,530

12-09-2020, 04:56 PM	#3759
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2105380	They cut the feed. Ugh. __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,922

12-09-2020, 04:57 PM	#3760
arrowheadnation MONTANA #19 Join Date: Mar 2005 Casino cash: $4477357	the only thing it didn't do was land. It hit the landing pad on the dot. Just needed more propulsion to slow it down. I mean, when they assumed it would blow up during the flight, that was pretty impressive. SN9, you're up! __________________ Things I need to happen in order to die happy.... KU wins a National Championship....Check! The Royals win a World Series....Check! The Chiefs win a Super Bowl....FINALLY!!!
Posts: 4,434

12-09-2020, 04:58 PM	#3761
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	That was amazing. Congrats to the SpaceX team!!! Can't wait to hear the debrief. I wonder if the two engines failed or it was intentional. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,530

12-09-2020, 04:58 PM	#3762
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $617000	Awesome flight! Not a great landing but there is a lot to be learned from a failure like that.
Posts: 14,763