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.
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.
I know this is getting routine for SpaceX, but it feels like it has been awhile since they had a launch and deserves more excitement. Must just be the diehards.
Yeah, the manifest for the next 2 months should be awesome. DM-1, IFA, and 2 FH launches should all be exciting.
EDIT:
Oops, IFA isn't until June. Oh well, still some exciting launches. [Reply]
Originally Posted by unlurking:
I know this is getting routine for SpaceX, but it feels like it has been awhile since they had a launch and deserves more excitement. Must just be the diehards.
Yeah, the manifest for the next 2 months should be awesome. DM-1, IFA, and 2 FH launches should all be exciting.
EDIT:
Oops, IFA isn't until June. Oh well, still some exciting launches.
Originally Posted by Donger:
Two Heavy launches? That's great!
With a slight asterisk that, if the first one doesn't go perfectly, the second one will be delayed. It sounds like they're basically planning to just make one of each of the boosters for FH and just replace them if one doesn't land properly. So if all goes well, they'll clean them up and launch again quickly. But if any of the three isn't recovered intact, there will be a lengthy delay while they make another one. [Reply]
Originally Posted by unlurking:
I know this is getting routine for SpaceX, but it feels like it has been awhile since they had a launch and deserves more excitement. Must just be the diehards.
Yeah, the manifest for the next 2 months should be awesome. DM-1, IFA, and 2 FH launches should all be exciting.
EDIT:
Oops, IFA isn't until June. Oh well, still some exciting launches.
Elon says IFA is April. That seems...ambitious...but I guess you never know.
Lots of tidbits in that Twitter thread fwiw. They're pretty much counting on the booster getting destroyed, which is why they want to use this one that's been up 3 times already. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaFace:
With a slight asterisk that, if the first one doesn't go perfectly, the second one will be delayed. It sounds like they're basically planning to just make one of each of the boosters for FH and just replace them if one doesn't land properly. So if all goes well, they'll clean them up and launch again quickly. But if any of the three isn't recovered intact, there will be a lengthy delay while they make another one.
My understanding was that this was only the case for the center core (having to make one special). The side boosters are supposed to be modified pre-flown F9s. Replacing the center core will definitely take more time, but replacing the side boosters should be much shorter (assuming they have spare pre-flown F9's not already assigned to another mission).
Lots of tidbits in that Twitter thread fwiw. They're pretty much counting on the booster getting destroyed, which is why they want to use this one that's been up 3 times already.
Sweet! Looking forward to the carnage! :-) [Reply]
FYI, Space Launch Now is a cool app (Android, not sure about iPhone) for keeping up to date on launch schedules from multiple agencies. Links to live streams and details about missions/vehicles too.
Originally Posted by DaFace:
With a slight asterisk that, if the first one doesn't go perfectly, the second one will be delayed. It sounds like they're basically planning to just make one of each of the boosters for FH and just replace them if one doesn't land properly. So if all goes well, they'll clean them up and launch again quickly. But if any of the three isn't recovered intact, there will be a lengthy delay while they make another one.
Looks like payload NET June, so second FH launch not until summer.
Fox also says the Space Environment Testbed payload, part of the Air Force STP-2 mission, is now scheduled for launch no earlier than June. It will be the second of two Falcon Heavy launches planned for this spring using the same set of boosters.
Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 rolled out to the launch pad ahead of the spacecraft’s first test flight. Liftoff targeted for 2:49 a.m. EST on March 2 pic.twitter.com/Dud93ZrkgH
