Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 323

**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** · 03-21-2022, 11:38 AM

On its twentieth flight, the Mars Ingenuity helicopter captures a view of the Martian terrain. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

It’s been a busy year on Mars for NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, and it’s not about to slow down now. After 21 flights, the aircraft is still in excellent condition, so NASA has extended its mission through at least September.

**Donger** · 04-01-2022, 10:15 AM

T-10:00

GloryDayz · 04-01-2022, 10:37 AM

Cool seeing it punch the hole through the clouds.

**DaFace** · 04-07-2022, 09:26 AM

First all-private, crewed launch to ISS is coming up tomorrow morning!

All systems are looking good for tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of the @Axiom_Space Ax-1 mission to the @space_station; teams are keeping an eye on downrange weather along the ascent corridor. Webcast will go live at ~7:55 a.m. ET → https://t.co/N3MHSxCS0k pic.twitter.com/Tb76kDRQRz
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 7, 2022

GloryDayz · 04-08-2022, 08:23 AM

AXIOM getting ready...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nLk_Vqp7nw

**Donger** · 04-08-2022, 09:09 AM

T-8:00

**DaFace** · 04-08-2022, 09:27 AM

Smooth like butter.

Hydrae · 04-08-2022, 09:34 AM

Thank you for flying on Falcon. Welcome to space!

**Donger** · 04-08-2022, 09:38 AM

The homage to Glenn was a nice touch.

**Donger** · 04-10-2022, 04:03 PM

I’ve always loved this video of Space Shuttle Discovery’s ‘twang’ in full effect, courtesy of @NASA - (At T-6.6 sec, the shuttle's engines fire. Akin to a pendulum, the entire stack swings one way, then eventually comes back to vertical, before SRB ignition at vertical at T-0 sec pic.twitter.com/UEQOcqUbvS
— The Rogue Astronaut (@therogue_astro) September 3, 2020

**Donger** · 04-21-2022, 07:52 AM

Busy days coming up for SpaceX:

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, April 21 for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 11:14 a.m. ET, or 15:14 UTC, and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, April 22.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and eight Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth and land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.

unlurking · 04-21-2022, 08:28 AM

Saw this the other day and thought it was pretty cool...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, eclipsing the Sun. It’s the most zoomed-in, highest frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface.

Several Mars rovers have observed Phobos crossing in front of the Sun over the past 18 years. Spirit and Opportunity made the first observations back in 2004; Curiosity in 2019 was the first to record video of the event. Each time these eclipses are observed, they allow scientists to measure subtle shifts in Phobos’ orbit over time. The moon’s tidal forces pull on the deep interior of the Red Planet, as well as its crust and mantle; studying how much Phobos shifts over time reveals something about how resistant the crust and mantle are, and thus what kinds of materials they’re made of.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI

**Donger** · 04-21-2022, 08:53 AM

Due to weather, now targeting 1:51 p.m. ET for today’s launch of Starlink
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 21, 2022

**Donger** · 04-21-2022, 11:43 AM

T-8:00

**Donger** · 04-21-2022, 12:01 PM

Great video of the landing. Saw the legs take the weight/energy.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	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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03-21-2022, 11:38 AM	#4831
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	On its twentieth flight, the Mars Ingenuity helicopter captures a view of the Martian terrain. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech It’s been a busy year on Mars for NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, and it’s not about to slow down now. After 21 flights, the aircraft is still in excellent condition, so NASA has extended its mission through at least September. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-01-2022, 10:15 AM	#4832
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	T-10:00 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-01-2022, 10:37 AM	#4833
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2095380	Cool seeing it punch the hole through the clouds. __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,947

04-07-2022, 09:26 AM	#4834
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	First all-private, crewed launch to ISS is coming up tomorrow morning! All systems are looking good for tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of the @Axiom_Space Ax-1 mission to the @space_station; teams are keeping an eye on downrange weather along the ascent corridor. Webcast will go live at ~7:55 a.m. ET → https://t.co/N3MHSxCS0k pic.twitter.com/Tb76kDRQRz — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 7, 2022
Posts: 52,572

04-08-2022, 08:23 AM	#4835
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2095380	AXIOM getting ready... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nLk_Vqp7nw __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,947

04-08-2022, 09:09 AM	#4836
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	T-8:00 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-08-2022, 09:27 AM	#4837
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	Smooth like butter.
Posts: 52,572

04-08-2022, 09:34 AM	#4838
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $607000	Thank you for flying on Falcon. Welcome to space!
Posts: 14,764

04-08-2022, 09:38 AM	#4839
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	The homage to Glenn was a nice touch. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-10-2022, 04:03 PM	#4840
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	I’ve always loved this video of Space Shuttle Discovery’s ‘twang’ in full effect, courtesy of @NASA - (At T-6.6 sec, the shuttle's engines fire. Akin to a pendulum, the entire stack swings one way, then eventually comes back to vertical, before SRB ignition at vertical at T-0 sec pic.twitter.com/UEQOcqUbvS — The Rogue Astronaut (@therogue_astro) September 3, 2020 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-21-2022, 07:52 AM	#4841
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	Busy days coming up for SpaceX: SpaceX is targeting Thursday, April 21 for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 11:14 a.m. ET, or 15:14 UTC, and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, April 22. The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and eight Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will return to Earth and land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-21-2022, 08:53 AM	#4843
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	Due to weather, now targeting 1:51 p.m. ET for today’s launch of Starlink — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 21, 2022 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

04-21-2022, 11:43 AM	#4844
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	T-8:00 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535	2 0

04-21-2022, 12:01 PM	#4845
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	Great video of the landing. Saw the legs take the weight/energy. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535