Science Space Exploration megathread - Page 134

**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.

**DaFace** · 02-20-2019, 08:20 PM

DM-1 has been given an official time of 2:48am EST on March 2nd. I'd skip it if it were just another mundane flight, but I think I have to stay up for that one.

FWIW, it'll be very similar to a normal Dragon mission in that it'll go up, dock with ISS, then come back down a few days later with a limited amount of cargo going each direction. The only major thing that's different is that the capsule itself is completely different. They'll obviously be testing all sorts of stuff to make sure all would be well if there were humans on board.

unlurking · 02-20-2019, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Some great shots I hadn't seen before:

Look for the show "Mars" by National Geographic. Included with Season 2 is a documentary called "Inside SpaceX". It's ~45 minutes and definitely worth the watch. Some amazing footage.

Hulu:
https://www.hulu.com/watch/89dcdca8-...8-49f72521b871

You can also watch directly from the Natgeo site...
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/t...98f709efc1607/

unlurking · 02-20-2019, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

DM-1 has been given an official time of 2:48am EST on March 2nd. I'd skip it if it were just another mundane flight, but I think I have to stay up for that one.

FWIW, it'll be very similar to a normal Dragon mission in that it'll go up, dock with ISS, then come back down a few days later with a limited amount of cargo going each direction. The only major thing that's different is that the capsule itself is completely different. They'll obviously be testing all sorts of stuff to make sure all would be well if there were humans on board.

Definitely going to stay up for this. No plans that Saturday so far! Some additional details with scheduling and links to coverage...

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/n...and-broadcasts

**Donger** · 02-21-2019, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

DM-1 has been given an official time of 2:48am EST on March 2nd. I'd skip it if it were just another mundane flight, but I think I have to stay up for that one.

FWIW, it'll be very similar to a normal Dragon mission in that it'll go up, dock with ISS, then come back down a few days later with a limited amount of cargo going each direction. The only major thing that's different is that the capsule itself is completely different. They'll obviously be testing all sorts of stuff to make sure all would be well if there were humans on board.

Cool! Is that the Dragon 2 Cargo variant, or the Crew variant?

**Donger** · 02-21-2019, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

Look for the show "Mars" by National Geographic. Included with Season 2 is a documentary called "Inside SpaceX". It's ~45 minutes and definitely worth the watch. Some amazing footage.

Hulu:
https://www.hulu.com/watch/89dcdca8-...8-49f72521b871

You can also watch directly from the Natgeo site...
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/t...98f709efc1607/

Very cool! Thanks!

**DaFace** · 02-21-2019, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Cool! Is that the Dragon 2 Cargo variant, or the Crew variant?

As far as I know, there's no difference other than the presence of seats vs. shelves. Could be wrong though.

EDIT: According to the Wikipedia article, the crew version will also have the escape thrusters. I'm sure they'd include that in the test, so this must technically be the crew dragon but with a small amount of cargo onboard.

Hydrae · 02-21-2019, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Some great shots I hadn't seen before:

That was an awesome watch. Thanks for sharing!

**DaFace** · 02-21-2019, 06:55 PM

T-50 minutes

**DaFace** · 02-21-2019, 07:18 PM

Everyday Astronaut is live. (I watch him on the more mundane launches these days.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F47Gu19a7Rc

unlurking · 02-21-2019, 07:35 PM

I miss the technical casts.

**DaFace** · 02-21-2019, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

I miss the technical casts.

If you're talking about the countdown net, it's still there. It's just there as a separate "camera" in the bottom toolbar next to the gear icon. Seems like they're just showing the modeled view right now though. Odd.

unlurking · 02-21-2019, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

If you're talking about the countdown net, it's still there. It's just there as a separate "camera" in the bottom toolbar next to the gear icon. Seems like they're just showing the modeled view right now though. Odd.

Yeah, it has always had issues since they tried to merge it. When it was a separate feed it was great.

unlurking · 02-21-2019, 07:50 PM

Super quiet feed tonight. If it weren't for the occasional cheers, I'd think I was watching ULA stream. Well, except for ULA never showing stage 2, deployment, or landing videos.

**DaFace** · 02-21-2019, 07:51 PM

Yeah, wonder why no one cares at Hawthorne tonight. It'll definitely be more exciting for the next one.

**DaFace** · 02-21-2019, 07:54 PM

They're a little more excited for the landing at least. Super cool. I think that's the second one that's been up and down three times.

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	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: 51,756

02-20-2019, 08:20 PM	#1996
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	DM-1 has been given an official time of 2:48am EST on March 2nd. I'd skip it if it were just another mundane flight, but I think I have to stay up for that one. FWIW, it'll be very similar to a normal Dragon mission in that it'll go up, dock with ISS, then come back down a few days later with a limited amount of cargo going each direction. The only major thing that's different is that the capsule itself is completely different. They'll obviously be testing all sorts of stuff to make sure all would be well if there were humans on board.
Posts: 51,756

02-21-2019, 06:55 PM	#2003
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	T-50 minutes
Posts: 51,756

02-21-2019, 07:18 PM	#2004
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	Everyday Astronaut is live. (I watch him on the more mundane launches these days.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F47Gu19a7Rc
Posts: 51,756

02-21-2019, 07:35 PM	#2005
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	I miss the technical casts. __________________
Posts: 10,620

02-21-2019, 07:50 PM	#2008
unlurking MVP Join Date: Aug 2003 Casino cash: $7737309	Super quiet feed tonight. If it weren't for the occasional cheers, I'd think I was watching ULA stream. Well, except for ULA never showing stage 2, deployment, or landing videos. __________________
Posts: 10,620

02-21-2019, 07:51 PM	#2009
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	Yeah, wonder why no one cares at Hawthorne tonight. It'll definitely be more exciting for the next one.
Posts: 51,756

02-21-2019, 07:54 PM	#2010
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $2046899	They're a little more excited for the landing at least. Super cool. I think that's the second one that's been up and down three times.
Posts: 51,756