Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 37

**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.

Hydrae · 05-06-2016, 01:19 PM

I am so stoked that private companies are finally pushing this boundary. This is our future folks and we are getting to watch it unfold!

I have always heard that "May you live in interesting times" was supposed to be a curse but man, we sure do live in interesting times!

**DaFace** · 05-06-2016, 01:24 PM

Updated OP for the next launch. Currently scheduled for May 26th. Thankfully, I won't have to set an alarm to wake up for that one.

**BigRedChief** · 05-06-2016, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

It's simultaneously exciting and sad that this is fairly mundane, but here ya go. Shots of yet another landed rocket.

I like exciting and mundane with space exploration. Blowing up is bad.

**DaFace** · 05-09-2016, 08:30 PM

If anyone's feeling REALLY bored tonight, the landed stage on the barge is floating into port right now. You can see it here:

http://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/

Shot from earlier today:

**DaFace** · 05-09-2016, 08:51 PM

They must've gotten back close enough to get a good data transfer done. Three angles of the landing. ****ing cool.

eDave · 05-09-2016, 09:06 PM

Those are sweet. Thanks DaFace.

unlurking · 05-10-2016, 08:13 AM

Those landing videos are awesome.

unlurking · 05-10-2016, 08:23 AM

sxstats is reporting May 27. I know a lot of people have been questioning the May 26 date, as the range is supposedly closed for maintenance. Haven't found a reference for the range dates.

https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comm...ussion_thread/

**DaFace** · 05-14-2016, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

sxstats is reporting May 27. I know a lot of people have been questioning the May 26 date, as the range is supposedly closed for maintenance. Haven't found a reference for the range dates.

https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comm...ussion_thread/

I'll stick with SFN's date for now since they know about as well as anyone, but it wouldn't surprise me to see it slip.

**DaFace** · 05-14-2016, 05:50 PM

The latest booster is now safely stored at KSC.

FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">

F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;">

000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Moving recently landed rocket to hangar at Kennedy Space Center

c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by SpaceX (@spacex) on May 14, 2016 at 12:42pm PDT

The bottom of it looks a little beat up though from the aggressive landing. Compare this photo to this photo and this photo. I'll be curious to see if the damage is "looks bad but no big deal" or "we'll never re-fly this one."

**DaFace** · 05-15-2016, 01:43 PM

And then there were three. They're gonna have to start re-launching these things soon, or they're gonna run out of room!

Landed rockets in hangar 39A by SpaceX, on Flickr

--

A guy accidentally captured the 2nd stage streaking over the horizon and the first stage landing (brief flash behind the tree). Nice shot of the Milky Way as well.

Full story here:

http://petapixel.com/2016/05/18/capt...ont-milky-way/

**DaFace** · 05-24-2016, 08:40 PM

It's on for Thursday.

**BigRedChief** · 05-24-2016, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

It's on for Thursday.

What time my space launch app doesn't have the time.

eDave · 05-24-2016, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

What time my space launch app doesn't have the time.

Liftoff currently scheduled for: 26 May at 9:40PM UTC (5:40PM EDT)

Core: F9-025

Destination orbit: Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to 78.5° East Longitude

Landing attempt: Yes - Downrange of Cape on ASDS Of Course I Still Love You

Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida

Mission success criteria: Successful separation of Thaicom 8 into the target orbit

Payload mass: 3,100 kg

Payload: Thaicom 8 comsat for Thaicom PLC

Static fire currently scheduled for: 24 May - Complete

Vehicle component locations: [S1: Cape Canaveral] [S2: Cape Canaveral] [Satellite: Cape Canaveral] [Fairings: Cape Canaveral]

Vehicle: Falcon 9 v1.2 (25th launch of F9, 5th of F9 v1.2)

https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comm...ussion_thread/

**DaFace** · 05-24-2016, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

What time my space launch app doesn't have the time.

I keep the OP updated with next launch info.

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..
Posts: 52,519	1 0

05-06-2016, 01:19 PM	#541
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $767000	I am so stoked that private companies are finally pushing this boundary. This is our future folks and we are getting to watch it unfold! I have always heard that "May you live in interesting times" was supposed to be a curse but man, we sure do live in interesting times!
Posts: 14,756

05-06-2016, 01:24 PM	#542
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	Updated OP for the next launch. Currently scheduled for May 26th. Thankfully, I won't have to set an alarm to wake up for that one.
Posts: 52,519

05-09-2016, 08:30 PM	#544
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	If anyone's feeling REALLY bored tonight, the landed stage on the barge is floating into port right now. You can see it here: http://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/ Shot from earlier today:
Posts: 52,519

05-09-2016, 08:51 PM	#545
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	They must've gotten back close enough to get a good data transfer done. Three angles of the landing. ****ing cool.
Posts: 52,519

05-09-2016, 09:06 PM	#546
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Those are sweet. Thanks DaFace.
Posts: 53,803

05-10-2016, 08:13 AM	#547
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	Those landing videos are awesome. __________________
Posts: 10,620

05-10-2016, 08:23 AM	#548
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	sxstats is reporting May 27. I know a lot of people have been questioning the May 26 date, as the range is supposedly closed for maintenance. Haven't found a reference for the range dates. https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comm...ussion_thread/ __________________
Posts: 10,620

05-14-2016, 05:50 PM	#550
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	The latest booster is now safely stored at KSC. FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> 000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Moving recently landed rocket to hangar at Kennedy Space Center c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by SpaceX (@spacex) on May 14, 2016 at 12:42pm PDT The bottom of it looks a little beat up though from the aggressive landing. Compare this photo to this photo and this photo. I'll be curious to see if the damage is "looks bad but no big deal" or "we'll never re-fly this one."
Posts: 52,519

05-15-2016, 01:43 PM	#551
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	And then there were three. They're gonna have to start re-launching these things soon, or they're gonna run out of room! Landed rockets in hangar 39A by SpaceX, on Flickr -- A guy accidentally captured the 2nd stage streaking over the horizon and the first stage landing (brief flash behind the tree). Nice shot of the Milky Way as well. Full story here: http://petapixel.com/2016/05/18/capt...ont-milky-way/ Last edited by DaFace; 05-18-2016 at 08:08 PM..
Posts: 52,519

05-24-2016, 08:40 PM	#552
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $146899	It's on for Thursday.
Posts: 52,519