Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 297

**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.

unlurking · 08-03-2021, 09:17 AM

Starliner, take 2 (stream goes live in about 70 minutes)...

Hmm. Maybe not.

**DaFace** · 08-03-2021, 09:21 AM

Bummer. Better to find stuff now than in the air, though.

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 09:35 AM

The high bay isn't tall enough to stack Starship onto SH, right? So they'll get a big ass crane and mate them on the pad?

unlurking · 08-03-2021, 09:50 AM

That's the assumption for this flight. Most of the original design shares from Elon show some form of a rotating arm on the tower to lift and stack. Tons of stuff being built around the OLT now that people are speculating might be that arm or possible mechanisms to catch the SH as it returns. I'm assuming they won't be able to transport a fully stacked Starship from the build site to the launch site.

They are also starting on a new "Wide Bay" that's supposed to be slightly taller than the High Bay but much wider. Assuming for the concurrent production of multiple SS and SH, but still only stacking at the OLT.

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

That's the assumption for this flight. Most of the original design shares from Elon show some form of a rotating arm on the tower to lift and stack. Tons of stuff being built around the OLT now that people are speculating might be that arm or possible mechanisms to catch the SH as it returns. I'm assuming they won't be able to transport a fully stacked Starship from the build site to the launch site.

They are also starting on a new "Wide Bay" that's supposed to be slightly taller than the High Bay but much wider. Assuming for the concurrent production of multiple SS and SH, but still only stacking at the OLT.

Thanks. I'll tune in to watch that!

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 01:04 PM

Super Heavy Booster moving to orbital launch mount pic.twitter.com/axaDnXNm84
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2021

Are the black rectangular things near the base landing legs?

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 01:07 PM

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 01:07 PM

**DaFace** · 08-03-2021, 01:09 PM

It's kind of amazing that you can move it upright like that. I mean, I know the physics of it (vast majority of the weight is at the bottom), but still...it just looks...wrong.

unlurking · 08-03-2021, 01:13 PM

Wow, almost at the OLT already! Hope I get to watch it get moved to the table before I have to leave.

unlurking · 08-03-2021, 01:20 PM

Very close to real! Arms are able to move during descent to match exact booster position. Catch point is off to side, in case catch fails – don’t want to hit launch mount. Booster is transferred back to launch mount for next flight. Designed to have <1 hour turnaround. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2021

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

Wow, almost at the OLT already! Hope I get to watch it get moved to the table before I have to leave.

How tall is the launch tower? SH is 230 feet. It looks like at least double that.

**Donger** · 08-03-2021, 01:46 PM

Nevermind...

FAA warns SpaceX that massive Starship launch tower in Texas is unapproved

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/faa-...ite-tower.html

**DaFace** · 08-03-2021, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Nevermind...

FAA warns SpaceX that massive Starship launch tower in Texas is unapproved

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/faa-...ite-tower.html

Yeah, that's part of what I was getting at earlier. It seems HIGHLY unlikely to me that SpaceX actually thinks they'll be launching this thing in the next couple of weeks. In fact, if the FAA comes back and says that they've got some environmental violations, it could be months before it's all worked out.

However, the optics of the most innovative space company in the world, with contracts for both NASA and the DOD that are relying on this thing, having to sit there with this monstrosity of a rocket on the pad "ready to go" as soon as the FAA approves it...

Yeah, you have to imagine the FAA is going to try and speed things up a bit.

unlurking · 08-03-2021, 01:50 PM

lolol

Yeah, they were warning SpaceX that if the environmental impact review comes back negatively, SpaceX may be forced to tear down the tower.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $26899	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: 52,558	1 0

08-03-2021, 09:17 AM	#4441
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	Starliner, take 2 (stream goes live in about 70 minutes)... Hmm. Maybe not. __________________
Posts: 10,620

08-03-2021, 09:21 AM	#4442
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $26899	Bummer. Better to find stuff now than in the air, though.
Posts: 52,558	1 0

08-03-2021, 09:35 AM	#4443
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8479900 VARSITY	The high bay isn't tall enough to stack Starship onto SH, right? So they'll get a big ass crane and mate them on the pad? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,411

08-03-2021, 09:50 AM	#4444
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	That's the assumption for this flight. Most of the original design shares from Elon show some form of a rotating arm on the tower to lift and stack. Tons of stuff being built around the OLT now that people are speculating might be that arm or possible mechanisms to catch the SH as it returns. I'm assuming they won't be able to transport a fully stacked Starship from the build site to the launch site. They are also starting on a new "Wide Bay" that's supposed to be slightly taller than the High Bay but much wider. Assuming for the concurrent production of multiple SS and SH, but still only stacking at the OLT. __________________
Posts: 10,620	1 0

08-03-2021, 01:04 PM	#4446
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8479900 VARSITY	Super Heavy Booster moving to orbital launch mount pic.twitter.com/axaDnXNm84 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2021 Are the black rectangular things near the base landing legs? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you? Last edited by Donger; 08-03-2021 at 01:10 PM..
Posts: 187,411

08-03-2021, 01:07 PM	#4447
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8479900 VARSITY	__________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,411	1 0

08-03-2021, 01:07 PM	#4448
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8479900 VARSITY	__________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,411

08-03-2021, 01:09 PM	#4449
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $26899	It's kind of amazing that you can move it upright like that. I mean, I know the physics of it (vast majority of the weight is at the bottom), but still...it just looks...wrong.
Posts: 52,558	1 0

08-03-2021, 01:13 PM	#4450
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	Wow, almost at the OLT already! Hope I get to watch it get moved to the table before I have to leave. __________________
Posts: 10,620	1 0

08-03-2021, 01:20 PM	#4451
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	`Very close to real! Arms are able to move during descent to match exact booster position. Catch point is off to side, in case catch fails – don’t want to hit launch mount. Booster is transferred back to launch mount for next flight. Designed to have <1 hour turnaround. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2021` __________________
Posts: 10,620

08-03-2021, 01:46 PM	#4453
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8479900 VARSITY	Nevermind... FAA warns SpaceX that massive Starship launch tower in Texas is unapproved https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/14/faa-...ite-tower.html __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,411

08-03-2021, 01:50 PM	#4455
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	lolol Yeah, they were warning SpaceX that if the environmental impact review comes back negatively, SpaceX may be forced to tear down the tower. __________________
Posts: 10,620