Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 366

**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** · 06-06-2024, 07:49 AM

Always wondered how they'd protect the flaps.

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 07:57 AM

OMG I think that was a near successful landing, at least based on the telemetry. What a test!

**Donger** · 06-06-2024, 08:00 AM

Wow, amazing test. Closer and closer.

GeorgeZimZam · 06-06-2024, 08:00 AM

While RainMan pretends the Shuttle program is something other than defunct, the rest of us can appreciate some remarkable milestones from this flight. Both Booster and Ship have splashed down.

Not so crazy to think a Booster catch just may happen in the next flight test or two.

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 08:03 AM

Almost as important as the test itself: that shouldn't trigger a mishap investigation, so hopefully FAA approval won't be a holdup for the next one.

**Donger** · 06-06-2024, 08:05 AM

I wonder if they'll try to recover either vehicle? Super Heavy isn't that far off the coast. Lol

GeorgeZimZam · 06-06-2024, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Almost as important as the test itself: that shouldn't trigger a mishap investigation, so hopefully FAA approval won't be a holdup for the next one.

At this point the licensing is increasingly streamlined. They’ll probably soon have approvals that cover multiple flight tests.

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 08:37 AM

Congratulations and a huge thank you to our extraordinary @SpaceX team!

Successful Super Heavy launch and landing, “orbital” ship (that’s one tough cookie!) entry, engine relight and splashdown. I hope you enjoyed the views, the music and see you back soon for our next flight!
— Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) June 6, 2024

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

That's not really accurate. You're aware NASA is paying for a lot of this, right? Starship will hopefully be a moon lander and, theoretically, Mars some day.

And NASA is excited, as expected.

Congratulations @SpaceX on Starship's successful test flight this morning! We are another step closer to returning humanity to the Moon through #Artemis—then looking onward to Mars. https://t.co/0NAouIpbxq
— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) June 6, 2024

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 09:09 AM

Starliner docking is coming up in about an hour. It'll be on NASA's channels, though I'll admit that docking isn't exactly riveting to watch.

See these views of #Starliner from @Space_Station as commander Butch Wilmore and pilot @Astro_Suni approach for docking operations during the Crew Flight Test. pic.twitter.com/3K6s4AwMHD
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 6, 2024

It sounds like they've had a couple more helium leaks, but the system is super redundant, so they're proceeding with the test as planned.

**Rain Man** · 06-06-2024, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

That's not really accurate. You're aware NASA is paying for a lot of this, right? Starship will hopefully be a moon lander and, theoretically, Mars some day.

They''re experimenting. They're not exploring, at least not in a physical context. I'm not saying it's not valuable, but the designers of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria weren't explorers.

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

They''re experimenting. They're not exploring, at least not in a physical context. I'm not saying it's not valuable, but the designers of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria weren't explorers.

Are people on ISS explorers? How about space probes?

**Rain Man** · 06-06-2024, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Are people on ISS explorers? How about space probes?

Probes are explorers. People on the ISS are workers.

GeorgeZimZam · 06-06-2024, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

They''re experimenting. They're not exploring, at least not in a physical context. I'm not saying it's not valuable, but the designers of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria weren't explorers.

Rain Man being autistic. The only part of this back and forth that adds up.

**DaFace** · 06-06-2024, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Probes are explorers. People on the ISS are workers.

That seems extremely myopic to me. At worst, these kinds of tests are aimed at ENABLING exploration even if you want to be pedantic about what "exploration" entails.

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..
Posts: 52,532	1 0

06-06-2024, 07:49 AM	#5476
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8559900 VARSITY	Always wondered how they'd protect the flaps. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,111	1 0

06-06-2024, 07:57 AM	#5477
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	OMG I think that was a near successful landing, at least based on the telemetry. What a test!
Posts: 52,532	1 0

06-06-2024, 08:00 AM	#5478
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8559900 VARSITY	Wow, amazing test. Closer and closer. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,111	1 0

06-06-2024, 08:00 AM	#5479
GeorgeZimZam Repeal the 19th Amendment Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: KC > ATX > RGV Casino cash: $3270400	While RainMan pretends the Shuttle program is something other than defunct, the rest of us can appreciate some remarkable milestones from this flight. Both Booster and Ship have splashed down. Not so crazy to think a Booster catch just may happen in the next flight test or two.
Posts: 1,665

06-06-2024, 08:03 AM	#5480
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	Almost as important as the test itself: that shouldn't trigger a mishap investigation, so hopefully FAA approval won't be a holdup for the next one.
Posts: 52,532	1 0

06-06-2024, 08:05 AM	#5481
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8559900 VARSITY	I wonder if they'll try to recover either vehicle? Super Heavy isn't that far off the coast. Lol __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,111	1 0

06-06-2024, 08:37 AM	#5483
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	Congratulations and a huge thank you to our extraordinary @SpaceX team! Successful Super Heavy launch and landing, “orbital” ship (that’s one tough cookie!) entry, engine relight and splashdown. I hope you enjoyed the views, the music and see you back soon for our next flight! — Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) June 6, 2024
Posts: 52,532	1 0

06-06-2024, 09:09 AM	#5485
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $116899	Starliner docking is coming up in about an hour. It'll be on NASA's channels, though I'll admit that docking isn't exactly riveting to watch. See these views of #Starliner from @Space_Station as commander Butch Wilmore and pilot @Astro_Suni approach for docking operations during the Crew Flight Test. pic.twitter.com/3K6s4AwMHD — Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) June 6, 2024 It sounds like they've had a couple more helium leaks, but the system is super redundant, so they're proceeding with the test as planned.
Posts: 52,532