Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 356

**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** · 12-26-2023, 01:47 PM

Fair winds and following seas.

Following rough conditions in the Atlantic after the Starlink 6-32 mission, Falcon 9 first stage B1058.20 became unstable and tipped over on drone ship, Just Read The Instructions.

�� - @NASASpaceflight

�� - https://t.co/AFdPuCYKLR pic.twitter.com/clEGaxpeeR
— Max Evans (@_mgde_) December 26, 2023

“We are planning to salvage the engines and do life leader inspections on the remaining hardware,” said SpaceX’s Jon Edwards, vice president for Falcon Launch Vehicles. “There is still quite a bit of value in this booster. We will not let it go to waste.”

**Donger** · 12-27-2023, 10:39 AM

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, December 28 at 8:07 p.m. ET for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-52 mission to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch opportunity is available at 8:06 p.m. ET on Friday, December 29.

A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about fifteen minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.

This will be the fifth launch and landing of these Falcon Heavy side boosters, which previously supported USSF-44, USSF-67, Hughes JUPTER 3, and NASA’s Psyche mission. Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

**Donger** · 12-28-2023, 06:31 PM

T-35:00

https://www.spacex.com/launches/miss...sionId=ussf-52

GeorgeZimZam · 12-28-2023, 07:22 PM

FALCON HEAVY TRANSITS THE MOON: Tonight’s launch of the USSF-52 mission with seventh mission of the Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane. pic.twitter.com/gvOZSQDVR7
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) December 29, 2023

Hydrae · 12-28-2023, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeorgeZimZam

FALCON HEAVY TRANSITS THE MOON: Tonight’s launch of the USSF-52 mission with seventh mission of the Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane. pic.twitter.com/gvOZSQDVR7
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) December 29, 2023

Very cool shot!

**DaFace** · 12-28-2023, 07:59 PM

Damn. I'm always amazed at how precisely these guys can plan shots like that .

DCTwister · 12-28-2023, 10:46 PM

I was at the Pop-Tarts bowl tonight and we were treated to a view of the Space-X launch from the stadium. It was pretty awesome.

GeorgeZimZam · 12-29-2023, 08:15 AM

In their 96th and final orbital launch of 2023, SpaceX achieved a new turnaround record of two hours, fifty-four minutes, and 40 seconds — a record not seen at Cape Canaveral since the Gemini era of the 1960s.

A Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-40 with 23 Starlink satellites at… pic.twitter.com/UQg0nLy9KK
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) December 29, 2023

A busy night for SpaceX at the Cape in Florida, followed by an active day of testing down here in South Texas at Starbase. 🚀

OK! So it's all going on! Booster 10 and Ship 28 look like they are set to be tested today, while Ship 29 rolls, Booster 12 is at Masseys and a tower segment sails into Brownsville. Phew!

Live commentary: https://t.co/CnGlFbundle of sticks4L pic.twitter.com/PvukuQYMzx
— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) December 29, 2023

**BigRedChief** · 12-29-2023, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCTwister

I was at the Pop-Tarts bowl tonight and we were treated to a view of the Space-X launch from the stadium. It was pretty awesome.

There are pictures posted on social media of the launch over on this side of the state.

GeorgeZimZam · 12-29-2023, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

There are pictures posted on social media of the launch over on this side of the state.

The Falcon Heavy transits the Moon 🌙 🌚 ✨️ 🔥🚀🔥🚀🌗🌔🌖
📹 @HlavsaDennis with @SpaceXFP pic.twitter.com/gNYj9ogICv
— SpaceX FrontPage (@SpaceXFP) December 29, 2023

Orlando’s got it all tonight…

-full moon
-Falcon Heavy launch
-a bowl mascot will be eaten pic.twitter.com/4LtA7TPgd2
— Eric DeSalvo (@EricDeSalvo) December 29, 2023

Falcon Heavy 5th launch of 2023.
Photo from Aventhealth Orlando Parking Lot. pic.twitter.com/1DEuFEc9eP
— Ed Cordero (@ERCPhotos) December 29, 2023

Coolest Falcon Heavy launch we’ve seen from our front porch. Amazing to see flaring as boosters burned back to orbit. pic.twitter.com/CKAM5PXrXb
— Brooks Garner (@BrooksWeather) December 29, 2023

GeorgeZimZam · 12-29-2023, 11:07 AM

TWO Static Fire tests this morning at Starbase. 🚀

Single engine Static Fire Test of Ship 28 likely using header tanks!

Audio from @LabPadre Rover2 cam.

✂️: @DeffGeff pic.twitter.com/mBdTdzWkhs
— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) December 29, 2023

WOW!

Long duration Static Fire test for Booster 10 lasting roughly 10 seconds.

If this was 33 engines for the full duration then this is by far the longest 33 engine test we have seen!

🎥: @LabPadre
✂️: @DeffGeff pic.twitter.com/Yw4SHS7fyw
— Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) December 29, 2023

GeorgeZimZam · 12-29-2023, 06:57 PM

Flight 3 feels soon, and the hype is building. Starbase hopping with activity today—even the vehicles for flights 4 and 5 were on the move.

Ignition of a single Raptor engine on Flight 3 Starship demonstrating a flight-like startup for an in-space burn pic.twitter.com/BCv6iIUnag
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023

Static fire of Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines ahead of Flight 3 pic.twitter.com/rJqNToMCnU
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023

Just completed static fire test of Flight 3 Super Heavy Booster pic.twitter.com/m0n8RooOlA
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 29, 2023

Starship will help enable humanity’s return to the Moon and ultimately send people to Mars and beyond pic.twitter.com/xNb6qTPTp5
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023

GeorgeZimZam · 01-08-2024, 07:12 PM

Sure was a pretty rocket 🚀

Looking forward to the next flight of ULA’s #Vulcan!#CLPS @NASA @astrobotic @celestisflights

📸 me for @considercosmos pic.twitter.com/8TCVkeNafv
— John Pisani (@johnpisaniphoto) January 9, 2024

After SRB burnout and separation, Vulcan's two BE-4 engines shined a beautiful off-white blue as the methane flare stack at SLC-41 glowed below.

Stunning view from the roof of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building. Feeling fortunate to capture and share these moments. #ShotoniPhone pic.twitter.com/6dX9kgCWJk
— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) January 8, 2024

MISSION SUCCESS! ULA's #VulcanRocket successfully performed its #Cert1 flight test today! Thank you to the engineers, technicians and teammates across the nation who designed, built and launched this versatile new rocket. ULA success #159.https://t.co/JRNjxSQtlZ pic.twitter.com/KQbKg04nLY
— ULA (@ulalaunch) January 8, 2024

Correction: Launch*
— Astrobotic (@astrobotic) January 8, 2024

Update #5 for Peregrine Mission One: pic.twitter.com/94wy2J0GyA
— Astrobotic (@astrobotic) January 8, 2024

**Donger** · 01-16-2024, 05:26 PM

"So, Flight 2 actually almost made it to orbit," Musk said in a recent company update, which SpaceX posted on X on Jan. 12. The explosion was caused by a venting of liquid oxygen, he added — and there was liquid oxygen left to vent only because Starship wasn't hauling any satellites that day.

"We normally wouldn't have that liquid oxygen if we had a payload," Musk said in the update, which he gave at Starbase to a crowd of SpaceX employees. "So, ironically, if it had had a payload, it would have reached orbit."

GeorgeZimZam · 01-16-2024, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

"So, Flight 2 actually almost made it to orbit," Musk said in a recent company update, which SpaceX posted on X on Jan. 12. The explosion was caused by a venting of liquid oxygen, he added — and there was liquid oxygen left to vent only because Starship wasn't hauling any satellites that day.

"We normally wouldn't have that liquid oxygen if we had a payload," Musk said in the update, which he gave at Starbase to a crowd of SpaceX employees. "So, ironically, if it had had a payload, it would have reached orbit."

Highlights of the @SpaceX company talk https://t.co/RRuPZpeK5Z
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 13, 2024

Integrated Flight Test 3 shaping up for around Valentine's Day.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	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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12-26-2023, 01:47 PM	#5326
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8589900 VARSITY	Fair winds and following seas. Following rough conditions in the Atlantic after the Starlink 6-32 mission, Falcon 9 first stage B1058.20 became unstable and tipped over on drone ship, Just Read The Instructions. �� - @NASASpaceflight �� - https://t.co/AFdPuCYKLR pic.twitter.com/clEGaxpeeR — Max Evans (@_mgde_) December 26, 2023 “We are planning to salvage the engines and do life leader inspections on the remaining hardware,” said SpaceX’s Jon Edwards, vice president for Falcon Launch Vehicles. “There is still quite a bit of value in this booster. We will not let it go to waste.” __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,013

12-27-2023, 10:39 AM	#5327
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8589900 VARSITY	SpaceX is targeting Thursday, December 28 at 8:07 p.m. ET for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-52 mission to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch opportunity is available at 8:06 p.m. ET on Friday, December 29. A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about fifteen minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live. This will be the fifth launch and landing of these Falcon Heavy side boosters, which previously supported USSF-44, USSF-67, Hughes JUPTER 3, and NASA’s Psyche mission. Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,013

12-28-2023, 06:31 PM	#5328
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8589900 VARSITY	T-35:00 https://www.spacex.com/launches/miss...sionId=ussf-52 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,013	1 0

12-28-2023, 07:22 PM	#5329
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3300400	FALCON HEAVY TRANSITS THE MOON: Tonight’s launch of the USSF-52 mission with seventh mission of the Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane. pic.twitter.com/gvOZSQDVR7 — John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) December 29, 2023
Posts: 1,662	1 0

12-28-2023, 07:59 PM	#5331
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Damn. I'm always amazed at how precisely these guys can plan shots like that .
Posts: 52,519

12-28-2023, 10:46 PM	#5332
DCTwister Starter Join Date: Oct 2017 Casino cash: $6040400	I was at the Pop-Tarts bowl tonight and we were treated to a view of the Space-X launch from the stadium. It was pretty awesome.
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12-29-2023, 08:15 AM	#5333
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3300400	In their 96th and final orbital launch of 2023, SpaceX achieved a new turnaround record of two hours, fifty-four minutes, and 40 seconds — a record not seen at Cape Canaveral since the Gemini era of the 1960s. A Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-40 with 23 Starlink satellites at… pic.twitter.com/UQg0nLy9KK — John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) December 29, 2023 A busy night for SpaceX at the Cape in Florida, followed by an active day of testing down here in South Texas at Starbase. 🚀 OK! So it's all going on! Booster 10 and Ship 28 look like they are set to be tested today, while Ship 29 rolls, Booster 12 is at Masseys and a tower segment sails into Brownsville. Phew! Live commentary: https://t.co/CnGlFbundle of sticks4L pic.twitter.com/PvukuQYMzx — Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) December 29, 2023
Posts: 1,662

12-29-2023, 11:07 AM	#5336
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3300400	*TWO* Static Fire tests this morning at Starbase. 🚀 Single engine Static Fire Test of Ship 28 likely using header tanks! Audio from @LabPadre Rover2 cam. ✂️: @DeffGeff pic.twitter.com/mBdTdzWkhs — Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) December 29, 2023 WOW! Long duration Static Fire test for Booster 10 lasting roughly 10 seconds. If this was 33 engines for the full duration then this is by far the longest 33 engine test we have seen! 🎥: @LabPadre ✂️: @DeffGeff pic.twitter.com/Yw4SHS7fyw — Zack Golden (@CSI_Starbase) December 29, 2023
Posts: 1,662

12-29-2023, 06:57 PM	#5337
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3300400	Flight 3 feels soon, and the hype is building. Starbase hopping with activity today—even the vehicles for flights 4 and 5 were on the move. Ignition of a single Raptor engine on Flight 3 Starship demonstrating a flight-like startup for an in-space burn pic.twitter.com/BCv6iIUnag — SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023 Static fire of Super Heavy’s 33 Raptor engines ahead of Flight 3 pic.twitter.com/rJqNToMCnU — SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023 Just completed static fire test of Flight 3 Super Heavy Booster pic.twitter.com/m0n8RooOlA — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 29, 2023 Starship will help enable humanity’s return to the Moon and ultimately send people to Mars and beyond pic.twitter.com/xNb6qTPTp5 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2023
Posts: 1,662

01-08-2024, 07:12 PM	#5338
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3300400	Sure was a pretty rocket 🚀 Looking forward to the next flight of ULA’s #Vulcan!#CLPS @NASA @astrobotic @celestisflights 📸 me for @considercosmos pic.twitter.com/8TCVkeNafv — John Pisani (@johnpisaniphoto) January 9, 2024 After SRB burnout and separation, Vulcan's two BE-4 engines shined a beautiful off-white blue as the methane flare stack at SLC-41 glowed below. Stunning view from the roof of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building. Feeling fortunate to capture and share these moments. #ShotoniPhone pic.twitter.com/6dX9kgCWJk — John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) January 8, 2024 MISSION SUCCESS! ULA's #VulcanRocket successfully performed its #Cert1 flight test today! Thank you to the engineers, technicians and teammates across the nation who designed, built and launched this versatile new rocket. ULA success #159.https://t.co/JRNjxSQtlZ pic.twitter.com/KQbKg04nLY — ULA (@ulalaunch) January 8, 2024 Correction: Launch* — Astrobotic (@astrobotic) January 8, 2024 Update #5 for Peregrine Mission One: pic.twitter.com/94wy2J0GyA — Astrobotic (@astrobotic) January 8, 2024
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01-16-2024, 05:26 PM	#5339
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8589900 VARSITY	"So, Flight 2 actually almost made it to orbit," Musk said in a recent company update, which SpaceX posted on X on Jan. 12. The explosion was caused by a venting of liquid oxygen, he added — and there was liquid oxygen left to vent only because Starship wasn't hauling any satellites that day. "We normally wouldn't have that liquid oxygen if we had a payload," Musk said in the update, which he gave at Starbase to a crowd of SpaceX employees. "So, ironically, if it had had a payload, it would have reached orbit." __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,013	1 0