Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 51

**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** · 09-01-2016, 08:01 AM

NASA says SpaceX was conducting a test firing of its unmanned rocket when the blast occurred Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/Bc7kNiq6E0
— WESH 2 News (@WESH) September 1, 2016

stumppy · 09-01-2016, 08:10 AM

RotRoh

**DaFace** · 09-01-2016, 08:22 AM

Well, shit. Though I doubt there will be as thorough of an investigation since it was a test fire (which is meant to identify issues), chances are that did a ton of damage to the pad that's gonna take forever to fix.

eDave · 09-01-2016, 08:26 AM

Official statement from @SpaceX: pic.twitter.com/GxvH2E8401
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) September 1, 2016

**DaFace** · 09-01-2016, 08:30 AM

Loss of payload...ouch.

Two lost payloads in 1.5 years isn't going to help opinions of their reliability.

**DaFace** · 09-01-2016, 08:40 AM

It SOUNDS like it may have been an issue with the ground equipment and not the rocket (not confirmed by official sources). That's not necessarily any better, but it's interesting if so.

**Donger** · 09-01-2016, 09:02 AM

I thought the satellite wasn't onboard?

Hydrae · 09-01-2016, 09:05 AM

It seems odd that they would be test firing it with the payload onboard.

**DaFace** · 09-01-2016, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

I thought the satellite wasn't onboard?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hydrae

It seems odd that they would be test firing it with the payload onboard.

I wouldn't have thought it would be either, but apparently it was.

**DaFace** · 09-01-2016, 09:07 AM

Sadly, I've removed the "next launch" info from the OP. It'll probably be a while before there's anything to put in there.

eDave · 09-01-2016, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I wouldn't have thought it would be either, but apparently it was.

Tight schedule. Taking the rocket back down and performing the mounting, putting it back up, two days away from launch while still checking all the systems just wasn't feasible.

Lesson learned. At a cost of $200m.

**Donger** · 09-01-2016, 09:10 AM

SpaceX rocket that exploded was supposed to take a Facebook satellite into space https://t.co/dELMsbvImv pic.twitter.com/Sybd2WFtHd
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 1, 2016

scho63 · 09-01-2016, 10:34 AM

Elon Musk is having a HORRIBLE day!

Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA)
$202.99
(-$9.02)
(-4.26%)

As of 12:24 PM EDT. Market open.

**Donger** · 09-01-2016, 10:48 AM

Talk about bad timing...

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/tech...use/index.html

**Rain Man** · 09-01-2016, 11:35 AM

I can't seem to access Gus Grissom's Facebook page.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-43101	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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09-01-2016, 08:01 AM	#751
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	NASA says SpaceX was conducting a test firing of its unmanned rocket when the blast occurred Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/Bc7kNiq6E0 — WESH 2 News (@WESH) September 1, 2016 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,536

09-01-2016, 08:10 AM	#752
stumppy New and Improved Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Springfield, Mo. Casino cash: $-561410	RotRoh __________________ “As a nation, we can endure damaging policies for a four-year term. But we cannot survive a president willing to terminate our Constitution”
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09-01-2016, 08:22 AM	#753
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-43101	Well, shit. Though I doubt there will be as thorough of an investigation since it was a test fire (which is meant to identify issues), chances are that did a ton of damage to the pad that's gonna take forever to fix.
Posts: 52,577

09-01-2016, 08:26 AM	#754
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013 Casino cash: $9998560	Official statement from @SpaceX: pic.twitter.com/GxvH2E8401 — Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) September 1, 2016
Posts: 53,803

09-01-2016, 08:30 AM	#755
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-43101	Loss of payload...ouch. Two lost payloads in 1.5 years isn't going to help opinions of their reliability.
Posts: 52,577

09-01-2016, 08:40 AM	#756
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-43101	It SOUNDS like it may have been an issue with the ground equipment and not the rocket (not confirmed by official sources). That's not necessarily any better, but it's interesting if so.
Posts: 52,577

09-01-2016, 09:02 AM	#757
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	I thought the satellite wasn't onboard? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,536

09-01-2016, 09:05 AM	#758
Hydrae MVP Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Newport, Or Casino cash: $577000	It seems odd that they would be test firing it with the payload onboard.
Posts: 14,765

09-01-2016, 09:07 AM	#760
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-43101	Sadly, I've removed the "next launch" info from the OP. It'll probably be a while before there's anything to put in there.
Posts: 52,577

09-01-2016, 09:10 AM	#762
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	SpaceX rocket that exploded was supposed to take a Facebook satellite into space https://t.co/dELMsbvImv pic.twitter.com/Sybd2WFtHd — Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 1, 2016 __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,536

09-01-2016, 10:34 AM	#763
scho63 Politically Incorrect Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Casino cash: $701110	Elon Musk is having a HORRIBLE day! Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA) $202.99 (-$9.02) (-4.26%) As of 12:24 PM EDT. Market open. __________________ *"The only difference between sex for free and sex for money is that sex for free costs you a WHOLE LOT more!"* ~Redd Foxx~ ~~2018 2019 2020 20212022 2023~~ 2024 Adopt a Chief - Clark Hunt and Brett Veach "The men who drafted Patrick Mahomes"
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09-01-2016, 10:48 AM	#764
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $8419900 VARSITY	Talk about bad timing... http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/30/tech...use/index.html __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 187,536

09-01-2016, 11:35 AM	#765
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $1248491 VARSITY	I can't seem to access Gus Grissom's Facebook page. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
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