Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 317

**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.

Deberg_1990 · 12-11-2021, 08:50 AM

NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan getting ready to blastoff

Planetman · 12-12-2021, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I agree with him on the "complicated" part, and it did require far more time and money than they were expecting.

I'm not sure they could have done better given the lofty goals, though. If it works, it will be as much of a leap forward as Hubble was.

The James Webb Telescope will have to perform a myriad of procedures before it can become fully operational.

Timeline Of Events After Launch:

After launch, the telescope will deploy on its 30-day, million-mile journey out to the second Lagrange point (L2). This video shows the deployment procedure, timeline, and location of the satellite during deployment.

In the first hour:
The ride to space, solar array deployment, and “free flight.” The Ariane 5 launch vehicle will provide thrust for roughly 26 minutes after a morning liftoff from French Guiana. Moments after second stage engine cut-off, Webb will separate from the Ariane, which will trigger the solar array to deploy within minutes so that Webb can start making electricity from sunshine and stop draining its battery. Webb will quickly establish its ability to orient itself and “fly” in space.

In the first day:
Mid-course correction to L2. Ariane will have sent Webb on a direct route to L2, without first orbiting Earth. During the first day, we will execute the first and most important trajectory correction maneuver using small rocket engines aboard Webb itself. We will also release and deploy the high gain antenna to enable the highest available rates of data communication as early as practical.

In the first week:
Sunshield deployment. Shortly after we execute a second trajectory correction maneuver, we will start the sequence of major deployments, beginning with the fore and aft sunshield pallets. The next step is separation of the spacecraft bus and telescope by extending the telescoping tower between them. The tower will extend about 2 meters, and it is necessary at this point in the sequence so that the rest of the sunshield deployment can proceed. Next, the sunshield membranes will be unpinned and the telescoping sunshield midbooms will extend – first the port side and then the starboard side – pulling the membranes out with them. The last sunshield deployment step is tensioning of the membranes. In the meantime, other things like radiators will be released and deployed.

In the first month:
Telescope deployment, cooldown, instrument turn-on, and insertion into orbit around L2. During the second week after launch we will finish deploying the telescope structures by unfolding and latching the secondary mirror tripod and rotating and latching the two primary mirror wings. Note that the telescope and scientific instruments will start to cool rapidly in the shade of the sunshield, but it will take several weeks for them to cool all the way down and reach stable temperatures. This cooldown will be carefully controlled with strategically-placed electric heater strips so that everything shrinks carefully and so that water trapped inside parts of the observatory can escape as gas to the vacuum of space and not freeze as ice onto mirrors or detectors, which would degrade scientific performance. We will unlock all the primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror and verify that we can move them. Near the end of the first month, we will execute the last mid-course maneuver to insert into the optimum orbit around L2. During this time we will also power-up the scientific instrument systems. The remaining five months of commissioning will be all about aligning the optics and calibrating the scientific instruments.

In the second, third and fourth months:
Initial optics checkouts, and telescope alignment. Using the Fine Guidance Sensor, we will point Webb at a single bright star and demonstrate that the observatory can acquire and lock onto targets, and we will take data mainly with NIRCam. But because the primary mirror segments have yet to be aligned to work as a single mirror, there will be up to 18 distorted images of the same single target star. We will then embark on the long process of aligning all the telescope optics, beginning with identifying which primary mirror segment goes with which image by moving each segment one at a time and ending a few months later with all the segments aligned as one and the secondary mirror aligned optimally. Cooldown will effectively end and the cryocooler will start running at its lowest temperature and MIRI can start taking good data too.

In the fifth and sixth months:
Calibration and completion of commissioning. We will meticulously calibrate all of the scientific instruments’ many modes of operation while observing representative targets, and we will demonstrate the ability to track “moving” targets, which are nearby objects like asteroids, comets, moons, and planets in our own solar system. We will make “Early Release Observations,” to be revealed right after commissioning is over, that will showcase the capabilities of the observatory.

After six months:
“Science operations!” Webb will begin its science mission and start to conduct routine science operations.

Nickhead · 12-12-2021, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Planetman

The James Webb Telescope will have to perform a myriad of procedures before it can become fully operational.

Timeline Of Events After Launch:

After launch, the telescope will deploy on its 30-day, million-mile journey out to the second Lagrange point (L2). This video shows the deployment procedure, timeline, and location of the satellite during deployment.

In the first hour:
The ride to space, solar array deployment, and “free flight.” The Ariane 5 launch vehicle will provide thrust for roughly 26 minutes after a morning liftoff from French Guiana. Moments after second stage engine cut-off, Webb will separate from the Ariane, which will trigger the solar array to deploy within minutes so that Webb can start making electricity from sunshine and stop draining its battery. Webb will quickly establish its ability to orient itself and “fly” in space.

In the first day:
Mid-course correction to L2. Ariane will have sent Webb on a direct route to L2, without first orbiting Earth. During the first day, we will execute the first and most important trajectory correction maneuver using small rocket engines aboard Webb itself. We will also release and deploy the high gain antenna to enable the highest available rates of data communication as early as practical.

In the first week:
Sunshield deployment. Shortly after we execute a second trajectory correction maneuver, we will start the sequence of major deployments, beginning with the fore and aft sunshield pallets. The next step is separation of the spacecraft bus and telescope by extending the telescoping tower between them. The tower will extend about 2 meters, and it is necessary at this point in the sequence so that the rest of the sunshield deployment can proceed. Next, the sunshield membranes will be unpinned and the telescoping sunshield midbooms will extend – first the port side and then the starboard side – pulling the membranes out with them. The last sunshield deployment step is tensioning of the membranes. In the meantime, other things like radiators will be released and deployed.

In the first month:
Telescope deployment, cooldown, instrument turn-on, and insertion into orbit around L2. During the second week after launch we will finish deploying the telescope structures by unfolding and latching the secondary mirror tripod and rotating and latching the two primary mirror wings. Note that the telescope and scientific instruments will start to cool rapidly in the shade of the sunshield, but it will take several weeks for them to cool all the way down and reach stable temperatures. This cooldown will be carefully controlled with strategically-placed electric heater strips so that everything shrinks carefully and so that water trapped inside parts of the observatory can escape as gas to the vacuum of space and not freeze as ice onto mirrors or detectors, which would degrade scientific performance. We will unlock all the primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror and verify that we can move them. Near the end of the first month, we will execute the last mid-course maneuver to insert into the optimum orbit around L2. During this time we will also power-up the scientific instrument systems. The remaining five months of commissioning will be all about aligning the optics and calibrating the scientific instruments.

In the second, third and fourth months:
Initial optics checkouts, and telescope alignment. Using the Fine Guidance Sensor, we will point Webb at a single bright star and demonstrate that the observatory can acquire and lock onto targets, and we will take data mainly with NIRCam. But because the primary mirror segments have yet to be aligned to work as a single mirror, there will be up to 18 distorted images of the same single target star. We will then embark on the long process of aligning all the telescope optics, beginning with identifying which primary mirror segment goes with which image by moving each segment one at a time and ending a few months later with all the segments aligned as one and the secondary mirror aligned optimally. Cooldown will effectively end and the cryocooler will start running at its lowest temperature and MIRI can start taking good data too.

In the fifth and sixth months:
Calibration and completion of commissioning. We will meticulously calibrate all of the scientific instruments’ many modes of operation while observing representative targets, and we will demonstrate the ability to track “moving” targets, which are nearby objects like asteroids, comets, moons, and planets in our own solar system. We will make “Early Release Observations,” to be revealed right after commissioning is over, that will showcase the capabilities of the observatory.

After six months:
“Science operations!” Webb will begin its science mission and start to conduct routine science operations.

eDave · 12-16-2021, 06:31 AM

NASA probe flying through the sun’s corona. Milky way pic from the sun at .02.

https://www.reddit.com/r/next****ing...r_solar_probe/

Stop fighting. We are specks. We are meaningless.

Replace **** with ****.

Hydrae · 12-16-2021, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

NASA probe flying through the sun’s corona. Milky way pic from the sun at .02.

https://www.reddit.com/r/next****ing...r_solar_probe/

Stop fighting. We are specks. We are meaningless.

Replace **** with ****.

Link not working. For me at least.

EDIT: Here is a very short video that shows some planets going past and then a great shot of the Milky Way: https://youtu.be/IQXNqhQzBLM

BigCatDaddy · 12-16-2021, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hydrae

Link not working. For me at least.

Drat! Cleavage strikes again!

**DaFace** · 12-16-2021, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

NASA probe flying through the sun’s corona. Milky way pic from the sun at .02.

https://www.reddit.com/r/next****ing...r_solar_probe/

Stop fighting. We are specks. We are meaningless.

Replace **** with ****.

You can work around it with a URL shortener. Unfortunately not much else we can do about that one.

https://tinyurl.com/ubu42p8n

Ghost of Maslowski · 12-16-2021, 12:59 PM

NEWS 🚨: NASA releases footage of Parker Solar Probe flying through the sun’s corona and 1 million+ degree solar plasma 🥵pic.twitter.com/HcxpEzxN8X
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) December 15, 2021

https://spaceexplored.com/2021/12/15...ns-atmosphere/

**Baby Lee** · 12-18-2021, 05:23 PM

unlurking · 12-19-2021, 08:42 AM

In case anyone wants to watch the James Webb launch the morning of Xmas Eve.

**DaFace** · 12-21-2021, 05:25 PM

Here's a "trailer" for the JWST:

Also, SpaceX landed its 100th booster this morning, and that is neat.

Fish · 12-21-2021, 07:48 PM

**DaFace** · 12-21-2021, 08:04 PM

Launch was bumped to Xmas, and weather doesn't look great. Wouldn't surprise me to see it bump back a few more days.

**DaFace** · 12-24-2021, 06:31 PM

Bump for the launch attempt early tomorrow (6:20 am Central). I have a 10-hour drive tomorrow, so I'm torn about trying to get up for it (at 5:20 for me), but I almost feel like I have to given the magnitude of this mission.

Regardless, send all your good vibes toward the team on this one. It's about as big a mission as they come.

Fish · 12-24-2021, 06:34 PM

Sonofabitch. I am not a morning person, but I can't miss this.

Thank you for the heads up, I didn't realize it was that early.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	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..
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12-11-2021, 08:50 AM	#4741
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $2104454	NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan getting ready to blastoff __________________ Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning: Matt once made a very nice play in Seattle where he spun away from a pass rusher and hit Bowe off his back foot for a first down. One of the best plays Matt has ever made.
Posts: 66,914

12-16-2021, 06:31 AM	#4744
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	NASA probe flying through the sun’s corona. Milky way pic from the sun at .02. https://www.reddit.com/r/next**ing...r_solar_probe/ Stop fighting. We are specks. We are meaningless. Replace with *. Last edited by eDave; 12-16-2021 at 06:37 AM..*
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12-16-2021, 12:59 PM	#4748
Ghost of Maslowski Died Hard Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Old Dominion Casino cash: $9435277	NEWS 🚨: NASA releases footage of Parker Solar Probe flying through the sun’s corona and 1 million+ degree solar plasma 🥵pic.twitter.com/HcxpEzxN8X — Latest in space (@latestinspace) December 15, 2021 https://spaceexplored.com/2021/12/15...ns-atmosphere/
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12-18-2021, 05:23 PM	#4749
Baby Lee Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $8298275	__________________ We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics - E.W.
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12-19-2021, 08:42 AM	#4750
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	In case anyone wants to watch the James Webb launch the morning of Xmas Eve. __________________
Posts: 10,620

12-21-2021, 05:25 PM	#4751
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	Here's a "trailer" for the JWST: Also, SpaceX landed its 100th booster this morning, and that is neat.
Posts: 52,532

12-21-2021, 07:48 PM	#4752
Fish Ain't no relax! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $398919	__________________
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12-21-2021, 08:04 PM	#4753
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	Launch was bumped to Xmas, and weather doesn't look great. Wouldn't surprise me to see it bump back a few more days.
Posts: 52,532

12-24-2021, 06:31 PM	#4754
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	Bump for the launch attempt early tomorrow (6:20 am Central). I have a 10-hour drive tomorrow, so I'm torn about trying to get up for it (at 5:20 for me), but I almost feel like I have to given the magnitude of this mission. Regardless, send all your good vibes toward the team on this one. It's about as big a mission as they come.
Posts: 52,532

12-24-2021, 06:34 PM	#4755
Fish Ain't no relax! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $398919	Sonofabitch. I am not a morning person, but I can't miss this. Thank you for the heads up, I didn't realize it was that early. __________________
Posts: 48,438