Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 326

**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.

**DaFace** · 06-18-2022, 10:22 PM

Third launch in around 36 hours coming up for SpaceX in a few minutes. Amazing the pace at which they operate these days.

**Donger** · 06-29-2022, 02:15 PM

SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, June 29 for launch of SES-22 to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:04 p.m. ET, 21:04 UTC. A backup launch opportunity is available on Thursday, June 30 with the same window.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously supported the launch of one Starlink mission. After stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff.

**Donger** · 06-29-2022, 02:41 PM

T-18:30

GloryDayz · 06-29-2022, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

T-18:30

Thanks for the heads-up, even though I watched it after the fact, it never gets old...

**Donger** · 07-07-2022, 07:01 AM

T-10:00

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, July 7 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 9:11 a.m. ET (13:11 UTC), and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, July 8 at 8:49 a.m. ET (12:49 UTC).

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3, and seven 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 five minutes prior to liftoff.

GloryDayz · 07-07-2022, 07:09 AM

Here we go...

**Donger** · 07-07-2022, 07:22 AM

Bad landing?

GloryDayz · 07-07-2022, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Bad landing?

They confirmed that it was successful. Just lost video.

**DaFace** · 07-11-2022, 04:37 PM

First image from JWST is in!

�� Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B pic.twitter.com/Y7ebmQwT7j
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022

They'll be doing a more formal announcement with other images tomorrow, but this is pretty stunning:

"This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground."

lawrenceRaider · 07-12-2022, 04:41 AM

American exceptionalism.

Strongside · 07-12-2022, 06:45 AM

Funny how insignificant in scale we are to the rest of the universe and we spend our time squabbling over a few pieces of ground.

**DaFace** · 07-12-2022, 07:47 AM

Neil Degrasse Tyson explained that the things that look like...well...stars are stars in our own galaxy (and really aren't very interesting). Everything else in the image is a galaxy.

**DaFace** · 07-12-2022, 10:10 AM

More images! The one in the bottom left shows five galaxies interacting...

HUGE congrats @NASA / @northropgrumman and the entire #JWST team!!! They absolutely knocked it out of the park and JWST is already delivering unbelievable images!!! I can't wait to see what all it discovers in our universe. Today is a great day in history!!! pic.twitter.com/6x450odZ3Y
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) July 12, 2022

Here's the official press release with some explanations:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/n...nseen-universe

stumppy · 07-12-2022, 10:14 AM

JWST and Hubble Deep Field side by side. JSWT resolution is amazing pic.twitter.com/u73CjHDA5H
— Xavier Manuel (@XavierM94228601) July 11, 2022

O.city · 07-12-2022, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

First image from JWST is in!

�� Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B pic.twitter.com/Y7ebmQwT7j
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022

They'll be doing a more formal announcement with other images tomorrow, but this is pretty stunning:

"This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground."

Gravitational lensing at it's finest.

Gravity strong enough to bend light. Crazy shit out there.

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..
Posts: 52,572	1 0

06-18-2022, 10:22 PM	#4876
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	Third launch in around 36 hours coming up for SpaceX in a few minutes. Amazing the pace at which they operate these days.
Posts: 52,572

06-29-2022, 02:15 PM	#4877
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, June 29 for launch of SES-22 to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The two-hour launch window opens at 5:04 p.m. ET, 21:04 UTC. A backup launch opportunity is available on Thursday, June 30 with the same window. The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously supported the launch of one Starlink mission. After stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535	1 0

06-29-2022, 02:41 PM	#4878
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	T-18:30 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535	1 0

07-07-2022, 07:01 AM	#4880
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	T-10:00 SpaceX is targeting Thursday, July 7 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 9:11 a.m. ET (13:11 UTC), and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, July 8 at 8:49 a.m. ET (12:49 UTC). The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3, and seven 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 five minutes prior to liftoff. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535	1 0

07-07-2022, 07:09 AM	#4881
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2095380	Here we go... __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,943

07-07-2022, 07:22 AM	#4882
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8439900 VARSITY	Bad landing? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

07-11-2022, 04:37 PM	#4884
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	First image from JWST is in! �� Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B pic.twitter.com/Y7ebmQwT7j — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022 They'll be doing a more formal announcement with other images tomorrow, but this is pretty stunning: "This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground."
Posts: 52,572	5 0

07-12-2022, 04:41 AM	#4885
lawrenceRaider Here We Go Again Join Date: May 2002 Casino cash: $383544	American exceptionalism. __________________
Posts: 14,902

07-12-2022, 06:45 AM	#4886
Strongside Mahomes or GTFO Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: KC Casino cash: $4764282	Funny how insignificant in scale we are to the rest of the universe and we spend our time squabbling over a few pieces of ground. __________________
Posts: 13,235

07-12-2022, 07:47 AM	#4887
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	Neil Degrasse Tyson explained that the things that look like...well...stars are stars in our own galaxy (and really aren't very interesting). Everything else in the image is a galaxy.
Posts: 52,572

07-12-2022, 10:10 AM	#4888
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-13101	More images! The one in the bottom left shows five galaxies interacting... HUGE congrats @NASA / @northropgrumman and the entire #JWST team!!! They absolutely knocked it out of the park and JWST is already delivering unbelievable images!!! I can't wait to see what all it discovers in our universe. Today is a great day in history!!! pic.twitter.com/6x450odZ3Y — Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) July 12, 2022 Here's the official press release with some explanations: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/n...nseen-universe
Posts: 52,572	1 0

07-12-2022, 10:14 AM	#4889
stumppy New and Improved Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Springfield, Mo. Casino cash: $-531410	JWST and Hubble Deep Field side by side. JSWT resolution is amazing pic.twitter.com/u73CjHDA5H — Xavier Manuel (@XavierM94228601) July 11, 2022 __________________ “As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution”
Posts: 22,027	1 0