SpaceX and other space stuff

[SBassman]

For me, a legitimate space flight is a - an Orbital flight. This suborbital shoot and fall is not space flight for me.

It's all interesting, and all Good, but, for me, the real magic begins with a legitimate orbit.

 

[StereoPlayer]

As a live streaming event, that was the equivalent of abseiling down a building, and getting your nuts caught in the harness.


Now, let's all listen to that new single, but that tiktok personality we're all supposed to be excited about.

I’ll pass on the new song…

 

[bholder]

I’ll pass on the new song…

Exactly when I tuned out, too.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Apparently it's a trend to take the most attractive female engineer you can find in your organization, and give her a mic to host your live stream. At least Jessie Anderson of SpaceX, as the manufacturing lead, discusses plenty of technical details, and knows more than one adjective to describe what's going on. (We were on the verge of declaring a drinking game every time the fawning hostess said "exciting" and "comfortable.") The lack of mission control & radio traffic, while said hostess simply parroted what was in her earpiece, was a huge snore.

Compared to SpaceX launches (made by nerds, for nerds), this played as little more than a self-aggrandizing infomercial aimed at people with the money to go on a "technically-in-space" joyride, and be offered the chance to buy a commemorative SUV to go with their souvenir pens and flight suits. That it served as a less-than-subtle middle finger in the general direction of Bezos was probably some icing on Sir Richard's cake.

In the end, that was a lot to sit through, for very little in the way of substance.

Can’t really say why but…. I’m a SpaceX type of guy.

My opinion of the preflight thing is that it was a lot of BS. Almost sickening.

 

[StereoPlayer]

To me, IMO, going to space is staying up there for a while. The minimum of 1 orbit. But really longer. Heck, they don’t even wear pressure suits…
A glorified carnival ride…

 

[Winslow]

Exactly when I tuned out, too.

Shut it off before they even got to that point.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

I'm no Branson fan, but anyone doing anything spacewise is good... when I was a kid reading Asimov etc the space race was full on and I thought people would be living on Mars when I was an adult then it all just died away... if the affectation of billionaires is what it takes to bring all that back to life then fine.

 

[Wood and Wire]

We did notice the little bump-outs in all the window frames for every passenger's personal camera.

And let me clarify before anything gets derailed: I don't begrudge anyone the enjoyment of their resources. If one has the money to pay for this kind of ride, by all means, go for it, and enjoy. Cruise around in your souvenir SUV, have the complimentary chapagne, and show your shiny flight suit selfie to all your friends.

But do not try to convince me that a three-hour air-conditioned plane ride, culminating in a single, rocket-powered parabolic hump for 60 seconds of weightlessness (before scrambling back into your seatbelts) puts you anywhere near the same category as Neil Armstrong, et al.

For the last 50 years, people have had to work incredibly hard, master a host of complex skills and knowledge, and sacrifice far more than their time, to earn the title of "astronaut." Now we're apparently in the brave new era of people simply purchasing it like a fashion accessory.

And that's where I call bulls[pace].

Astro-noughts.


Eventually it will be like the queues of "mountaineers", making the dash from camp 4, to the summit of Everest - a procession of tourists riding a conveyor belt up to the shoulders of giants.

 

[sleddogn]

I wonder how long till the Pressurized Everest Lift is up and going..

 

[ahc]

Elon Musk has paid a $10,000 deposit for a ticket to the edge of space with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic

 

[Deleted member 165050]

To me, IMO, going to space is staying up there for a while. The minimum of 1 orbit. But really longer. Heck, they don’t even wear pressure suits…
A glorified carnival ride…

It doesn't compare to the Apollo missions or the Shuttle, but it's far more than a high-altitude plane flight... they reached almost 4 times the ceiling of the SR-71 which is pretty impressive, even if it was only for a few minutes.

The thing that is maybe distasteful for those of us who remember the moon landings era is how it is now turned into a personal publicity exercise for a few billionaires, and how today's technology makes it all look too easy compared with the pioneering, high-risk era of space flight. Not that there aren't still risks, as Branson's project has already found out.

 

[fhm555]

Widespread interest in space must be getting real again folks.

Blue Origin announces ‘hiring blitz’ at Alabama rocket engine plant

 

[Wood and Wire]

Widespread interest in space must be getting real again folks.

Blue Origin announces ‘hiring blitz’ at Alabama rocket engine plant

Anyone who's seen "You Only Live Twice", or "Moonraker" knows it requires a lot of expendable henchmen.

Just wait till you see the amount of job opportunities a Death Star creates.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Widespread interest in space must be getting real again folks.

Blue Origin announces ‘hiring blitz’ at Alabama rocket engine plant

Coinciding with Bezos stepping down from Amazon...

 

[fhm555]

Anyone who's seen "You Only Live Twice", or "Moonraker" knows it requires a lot of expendable henchmen.

Just wait till you see the amount of job opportunities a Death Star creates.

I guess you can move up to henchmen once all the welding is done.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I thought this was BS when I first saw it…
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[ahc]

Yup. That smelled kinda...

 

[StereoPlayer]

The whole thing was kinda staged and hokey.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Widespread interest in space must be getting real again folks.

Blue Origin announces ‘hiring blitz’ at Alabama rocket engine plant

Starting to feel heat from ULA over the engines they're on the hook to provide.

 

[ahc]

Well, VG isn't really geared up for the "go where no man has gone before" thing. That video experience was marketing to drum up business. And frankly, if I thought I could afford it, I'd go. Since I was a kid (born in '50 so I grew up with and was gripped by the whole space thing) I've always wanted to leave the planet.