Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 332

**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** · 10-23-2022, 07:01 PM

It's back!

Falcon Heavy in the hangar at Launch Complex 39A pic.twitter.com/Ul1Ti8e8qH
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 23, 2022

**DaFace** · 10-31-2022, 01:16 PM

We get a Falcon Heavy launch tomorrow (hopefully)!

In a news release just now Space Systems Command says Tuesday’s Falcon Heavy launch is on schedule for 9:41am ET (13:41 UTC). pic.twitter.com/dgYPPathgb
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) October 31, 2022

**DaFace** · 10-31-2022, 01:19 PM

This is a pretty thorough discussion about why there's been such a massive gap since the last FH launch.

Ahead of the much-awaited USSF-44 launch, it is natural to ask why it has been more than 40 months since the Falcon Heavy last flew. And perhaps more importantly, does this suggest the rocket was a mistake?https://t.co/unzFOznM8M
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) October 31, 2022

Crazy stat:

Quote:

To put the demand for Falcon Heavy into perspective, in the 40 months since the last heavy launch, SpaceX has flown the Falcon 9 rocket 111 times.

**Donger** · 11-01-2022, 07:02 AM

T-40:00

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, November 1 at 9:41 a.m. ET (13:41 UTC) for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-44 mission to a geosynchronous Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch opportunity is available on Wednesday, November 2 at 9:37 a.m. ET (13:37 UTC).

Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

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

**DaFace** · 11-01-2022, 07:27 AM

Looks foggy...

Hydrae · 11-01-2022, 07:46 AM

Nice! I opened this thread at 10...9...8...

**DaFace** · 11-01-2022, 07:48 AM

Not gonna win any awards for views today. It was still awesome to see it on the way up, though.

**Donger** · 11-01-2022, 07:49 AM

Good shots of the boosters

**DaFace** · 11-01-2022, 07:51 AM

And suddenly blue skies. Nice.

GloryDayz · 11-01-2022, 09:07 AM

OUTSTANDING!!!

**Donger** · 11-12-2022, 09:32 AM

SpaceX is targeting Saturday, November 12 for launch of the Intelsat G-31/G-32 mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 120-minute launch window opens at 11:06 a.m. ET (16:06 UTC). A backup launch opportunity is available on Sunday, November 13 with the same window.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Dragon's first crew demonstration mission, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, SXM-7, and 10 Starlink missions.

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

**Donger** · 11-12-2022, 10:03 AM

T-3:00

GloryDayz · 11-12-2022, 10:21 AM

Something looked off with the 2nd stage engine. A tear in the foil... Then, right before SECO, there seemed to be some venting gas. Perhaps the venting gas is normal, I just don't recall seeing it before.

**DaFace** · 11-15-2022, 04:58 PM

Another attempt for Artemis is up tonight!

Two Moon rockets, 50 years apart. On this day 50 years ago, the Apollo 17 mission had just completed its wet dress rehearsal. Today at @NASA_Kennedy, NASA's Artemis mission sits on its launch pad, ready for launch at 1:04 am ET. pic.twitter.com/qwyWX2MTKy
— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) November 15, 2022

Nickhead · 11-15-2022, 11:14 PM

20 minutes to go:

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: 52,570	1 0

10-23-2022, 07:01 PM	#4966
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	It's back! Falcon Heavy in the hangar at Launch Complex 39A pic.twitter.com/Ul1Ti8e8qH — SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 23, 2022
Posts: 52,570

10-31-2022, 01:16 PM	#4967
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	We get a Falcon Heavy launch tomorrow (hopefully)! In a news release just now Space Systems Command says Tuesday’s Falcon Heavy launch is on schedule for 9:41am ET (13:41 UTC). pic.twitter.com/dgYPPathgb — Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) October 31, 2022
Posts: 52,570	1 0

11-01-2022, 07:02 AM	#4969
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	T-40:00 SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, November 1 at 9:41 a.m. ET (13:41 UTC) for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-44 mission to a geosynchronous Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch opportunity is available on Wednesday, November 2 at 9:37 a.m. ET (13:37 UTC). Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 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

11-01-2022, 07:27 AM	#4970
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	Looks foggy...
Posts: 52,570

11-01-2022, 07:46 AM	#4971
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $617000	Nice! I opened this thread at 10...9...8...
Posts: 14,764

11-01-2022, 07:48 AM	#4972
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	Not gonna win any awards for views today. It was still awesome to see it on the way up, though.
Posts: 52,570

11-01-2022, 07:49 AM	#4973
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	Good shots of the boosters __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

11-01-2022, 07:51 AM	#4974
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	And suddenly blue skies. Nice.
Posts: 52,570

11-01-2022, 09:07 AM	#4975
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2105380	OUTSTANDING!!! __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,937

11-12-2022, 09:32 AM	#4976
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	SpaceX is targeting Saturday, November 12 for launch of the Intelsat G-31/G-32 mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 120-minute launch window opens at 11:06 a.m. ET (16:06 UTC). A backup launch opportunity is available on Sunday, November 13 with the same window. The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Dragon's first crew demonstration mission, the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, SXM-7, and 10 Starlink missions. 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

11-12-2022, 10:03 AM	#4977
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8449900 VARSITY	T-3:00 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,535

11-12-2022, 10:21 AM	#4978
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $2105380	Something looked off with the 2nd stage engine. A tear in the foil... Then, right before SECO, there seemed to be some venting gas. Perhaps the venting gas is normal, I just don't recall seeing it before. __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID
Posts: 119,937

11-15-2022, 04:58 PM	#4979
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-3101	Another attempt for Artemis is up tonight! Two Moon rockets, 50 years apart. On this day 50 years ago, the Apollo 17 mission had just completed its wet dress rehearsal. Today at @NASA_Kennedy, NASA's Artemis mission sits on its launch pad, ready for launch at 1:04 am ET. pic.twitter.com/qwyWX2MTKy — NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) November 15, 2022
Posts: 52,570	1 0

11-15-2022, 11:14 PM	#4980
Nickhead EvOlVeD Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Casino cash: $719868	20 minutes to go:
Posts: 8,431	1 0