Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 261

**DaFace** · 03:36 PM

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** · 01-11-2021, 01:47 PM

Some cool shots I hadn't seen before.

allen_kcCard · 01-11-2021, 03:34 PM

SN9 hop scheduled for tomorrow

Starship SN9 12.5km hop
SpaceXSuborbital
Boca Chica
SN9
NET Tue, 12th Jan 2021

unlurking · 01-11-2021, 03:46 PM

Apparently there were some really bad winds in TX today.

unlurking · 01-11-2021, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Some cool shots I hadn't seen before.

Love the soundtrack they added.

**Donger** · 01-11-2021, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

Apparently there were some really bad winds in TX today.

Is it chili day?

unlurking · 01-11-2021, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Is it chili day?

Will have to ask at the SpaceX restaurant!

Image from Mary's drive-by tour...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0OfNkZDQy8

allen_kcCard · 01-12-2021, 10:10 AM

Hop moved back

Starship SN9 12.5km hop
SpaceXSuborbital
Boca Chica
SN9
NET Wed, 13th Jan 2021

**Donger** · 01-13-2021, 03:40 PM

Now three static fires today:

STATIC FIRE for Starship SN9 (again!) - the first time Starship has conducted same day back-to-back triple Raptor Static Fire tests.

Mary (@BocaChicaGal) capturing more milestones.

➡️https://t.co/eRoZBqx27y pic.twitter.com/Hd2iY2g2ri
— Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) January 13, 2021

And Dragon coming home today as well.

**DaFace** · 01-13-2021, 03:47 PM

I almost toyed with catching a last-minute flight to San Antonio and trying to catch SN9 this weekend. Talked myself out of it since there's not a lot to do there otherwise. Man, I'm ready for this COVID shit to go away.

unlurking · 01-13-2021, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

I almost toyed with catching a last-minute flight to San Antonio and trying to catch SN9 this weekend. Talked myself out of it since there's not a lot to do there otherwise. Man, I'm ready for this COVID shit to go away.

I cancelled my planned road trip over the holidays. Considering a drive for SN15 or later if it's after February.

**Donger** · 01-14-2021, 11:04 AM

Blue Origin doing.... something today?

Hydrae · 01-14-2021, 11:36 AM

Very cool shots for that launch. Well done, BO!

**Donger** · 01-15-2021, 09:33 AM

But the anticipated mission took a blow on Friday when SpaceX chief Elon Musk, 49, took to Twitter to announce two of the Starship's engines need replacement.

The world's richest man was asked by one SpaceX fan whether the company was still aiming at a weekend launch.

Mr Musk replied: "Two of the engines need slight repairs, so will be switched out."

Another tweet from Everyday Astronaut pointed out an engine swap on Starship's last iteration, SN8, caused a 26-day delay and the SN9 "might head home for a bit if they're replacing two"

**DaFace** · 01-15-2021, 09:51 AM

Bummer. Yeah, that'll cause a delay for sure.

**Donger** · 01-17-2021, 11:29 AM

Teams from NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program conducted a hot fire of the Artemis I core stage on Jan. 16 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. All four RS-25 engines ignited successfully, but the test was stopped early after about a minute. At this point, the test was fully automated. During the firing, the onboard software acted appropriately and initiated a safe shutdown of the engines. During the test, the propellant tanks were pressurized, and this data will be valuable as the team plans the path forward. In coming days, engineers will continue to analyze data and will inspect the core stage and its four RS-25 engines to determine the next steps.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	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.youtube.com/user/spacexchannel 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; 12-10-2020 at 03:36 PM..
Posts: 51,714

01-11-2021, 01:47 PM	#3901
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10439900 VARSITY	Some cool shots I hadn't seen before. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,526	1 0

01-11-2021, 03:34 PM	#3902
allen_kcCard Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $4503183	SN9 hop scheduled for tomorrow Starship SN9 12.5km hop SpaceXSuborbital Boca Chica SN9 NET Tue, 12th Jan 2021
Posts: 2,765	1 0

01-11-2021, 03:46 PM	#3903
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	Apparently there were some really bad winds in TX today. __________________
Posts: 10,620

01-12-2021, 10:10 AM	#3907
allen_kcCard Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $4503183	Hop moved back Starship SN9 12.5km hop SpaceXSuborbital Boca Chica SN9 NET Wed, 13th Jan 2021
Posts: 2,765

01-13-2021, 03:40 PM	#3908
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10439900 VARSITY	Now three static fires today: STATIC FIRE for Starship SN9 (again!) - the first time Starship has conducted same day back-to-back triple Raptor Static Fire tests. Mary (@BocaChicaGal) capturing more milestones. ➡️https://t.co/eRoZBqx27y pic.twitter.com/Hd2iY2g2ri — Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) January 13, 2021 And Dragon coming home today as well. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,526	1 0

01-13-2021, 03:47 PM	#3909
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	I almost toyed with catching a last-minute flight to San Antonio and trying to catch SN9 this weekend. Talked myself out of it since there's not a lot to do there otherwise. Man, I'm ready for this COVID shit to go away.
Posts: 51,714

01-14-2021, 11:04 AM	#3911
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10439900 VARSITY	Blue Origin doing.... something today? __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,526

01-14-2021, 11:36 AM	#3912
Hydrae Sandbox: Leander Lasercats Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Austin, Tx Casino cash: $2417000	Very cool shots for that launch. Well done, BO!
Posts: 14,684

01-15-2021, 09:33 AM	#3913
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10439900 VARSITY	But the anticipated mission took a blow on Friday when SpaceX chief Elon Musk, 49, took to Twitter to announce two of the Starship's engines need replacement. The world's richest man was asked by one SpaceX fan whether the company was still aiming at a weekend launch. Mr Musk replied: "Two of the engines need slight repairs, so will be switched out." Another tweet from Everyday Astronaut pointed out an engine swap on Starship's last iteration, SN8, caused a 26-day delay and the SN9 "might head home for a bit if they're replacing two" __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,526

01-15-2021, 09:51 AM	#3914
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2116899	Bummer. Yeah, that'll cause a delay for sure.
Posts: 51,714

01-17-2021, 11:29 AM	#3915
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10439900 VARSITY	Teams from NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program conducted a hot fire of the Artemis I core stage on Jan. 16 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. All four RS-25 engines ignited successfully, but the test was stopped early after about a minute. At this point, the test was fully automated. During the firing, the onboard software acted appropriately and initiated a safe shutdown of the engines. During the test, the propellant tanks were pressurized, and this data will be valuable as the team plans the path forward. In coming days, engineers will continue to analyze data and will inspect the core stage and its four RS-25 engines to determine the next steps. __________________ I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you?
Posts: 180,526