SpaceX and other space stuff

[ahc]

Sign me up...


SpaceX will launch private citizens aboard Crew Dragon for Space Adventures

Great! Now I'm mulling over the wisdom of blowing all my retirement savings to achieve my Number 1 bucket list item - to leave the planet. Well, my savings probably won't cover that. But if I live long enough (HAH!) maybe I can save up enough to do the moon. Fat chance.

 

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Woot!
Another day to mark on my calendar.
The other night on Jimmy Fallon he had a funny bit showing the capsule landing with Bob and Doug. Let's see if this link works:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

-Mike

I do hope they some day get back to getting retro propulsive landings on land, it'd simplify things so much. Those Super Dracos sitting idle except for a launch catastrophe seems a waste.

 

[MJ5150]

I do hope they some day get back to getting retro propulsive landings on land, it'd simplify things so much. Those Super Dracos sitting idle except for a launch catastrophe seems a waste.

I'm no authority on this, but from my reading on this subject I learned that idea was abandoned because of safety concerns and requirements.

-Mike

 

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I'm no authority on this, but from my reading on this subject I learned that idea was abandoned because of safety concerns and requirements.

-Mike

Yeah, that's what I read, definitely more regulatory hurdles, but I interpreted as SpaceX thinking "it'll take too long, back to water landings for now". But it would be so much faster. Maybe they won't bother with Dragon, though, if Starship makes progress quickly enough.

 

[StereoPlayer]

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission prepares for touchdown on an asteroid - CNN

 

[MJ5150]

SpaceX is on schedule for a launch Tuesday. More Starlink satellites.
This was a fun read about eating in space: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/space-station-20th-food-on-iss/

-Mike

 

[StereoPlayer]

SpaceX is on schedule for a launch Tuesday. More Starlink satellites.
This was a fun read about eating in space: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/space-station-20th-food-on-iss/

-Mike

They are doing a cryo test on SN6 right now.

 

[MJ5150]

NASA's space helicopter passed it's first test while on the ride to Mars with Perseverance.
NASA powers up Ingenuity Mars helicopter in space for the 1st time | Space

-Mike

 

[MJ5150]

Live in five hours. 7:31 AM PDT launch.
More Starlink satellites, and three rideshares. Funny how rideshare means something different in my world. Something I can do. I'd love to rideshare with SpaceX.
SpaceX

-Mike

 

[StereoPlayer]

Live in five hours. 7:31 AM PDT launch.
More Starlink satellites, and three rideshares. Funny how rideshare means something different in my world. Something I can do. I'd love to rideshare with SpaceX.
SpaceX

-Mike

Nice! I’m gonna watch.
this is a cool video showing rocket parts up close.

 

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SpaceX crushes rocket engine world record during Raptor test

I think this makes Raptor the most powerful single rocket engine so far (though Blue Origin's BE-4 is going to be an even bigger monster, if I recall correctly).

(Edit, wrong, the old Saturn V's F-1 had more than double the thrust, but a very low combustion pressure. Guess I ain't no rocket scientist.)

 

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Rats, missed the launch (on the throne) but Touchdown! 6th trip up and down for this booster!

 

[MJ5150]

About a half hour from now will be the deployment of the SpaceX satellites.
They already booted the ride share customer off.

-Mike

 

[MJ5150]

What happens to the rocket carrying the Starlink satellites? Does it burn up or turn into space junk?

-Mike

 

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What happens to the rocket carrying the Starlink satellites? Does it burn up or turn into space junk?

-Mike

The second stage? Falls back and burns up.

 

[MJ5150]

The second stage? Falls back and burns up.

Yes, that's the one I was curious about.
Thanks buddy.

-Mike

 

[ahc]

Bullet dodged. The DART mission they talk about at the end of the article is important and should be very cool. Won't happen till next year.

Car-sized asteroid just made the closest fly-by of Earth on record

 

[MJ5150]

For my next bit of research, I want to find out why the second stage has to burn up and go away. Why can't those be returned to earth for use again?
Cool milestone today as the Falcon 9 rocket they used launched and landed for the sixth time, a new record. Granted, they broke their own record, but cool nonetheless.
The broadcast this morning was great, even the little promo right before liftoff for software engineers to work at SpaceX.
At 49 years old, I am settled into my career, but working for SpaceX would be a dream job for me.

-Mike

 

[ahc]

The original intent was to return and reuse the second stage. After playing around with that idea for a while SpaceX decided not to do it (as of now) because of the weight penalty from the added fuel and the necessary heat shielding.

 

[Downunderwonder]

It must be that to get the payload high enough takes a big enough 2nd stage that it's too much going too fast to bring it back down again all safe and sound. It's the old bigger faster heavier equation in reverse.