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.
Originally Posted by Pants:
Hey, guys, I recently saw the different amounts of money NASA was giving the three private players (may have been here actually) and SpaceX was receiving by far the lowest amount. I think Blue Origin may have been #1?
Do you know why that is the case?
To some extent, it's based on the probability of success. But it's also based on how much money people ask for and how much work there is to be done. SpaceX's proposal was probably lower since they're just modifying Starship, and it's also a bit unlikely that it'll work.
Note that it was just a development contract (basically paying the companies to do the engineering work). The actual contracts for who will actually be selected to develop their systems will depend on how things go in the next year or two. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaFace:
To some extent, it's based on the probability of success. But it's also based on how much money people ask for and how much work there is to be done. SpaceX's proposal was probably lower since they're just modifying Starship, and it's also a bit unlikely that it'll work.
Note that it was just a development contract (basically paying the companies to do the engineering work). The actual contracts for who will actually be selected to develop their systems will depend on how things go in the next year or two.
Originally Posted by Hog's Gone Fishin:
So, let's be honest. Watching a rocket blast off is about as entertaining as watching water drip from a faucet. We ALL watch hoping deep down inside that suckers gonna explode and of course nobody gets hurt.
Jesus, I hope you're kidding. I don't want that at all. I want America to get back in the business of putting Americans in space. ASAP. Not hitching a ride with the Russians like we're fucking Bulgaria or something. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Frazod:
Jesus, I hope you're kidding. I don't want that at all. I want America to get back in the business of putting Americans in space. ASAP. Not hitching a ride with the Russians like we're ****ing Bulgaria or something.
It's clear to me we need to get the launching the hell out of shit hole Florida. Bring the Astronauts back to land, not the Pacific Ocean. Nevada or Arizona possibly Utah. The command center is fine in Houston its a fine State, fuck anything Flourida. :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by srvy:
It's clear to me we need to get the launching the hell out of shit hole Florida. Bring the Astronauts back to land, not the Pacific Ocean. Nevada or Arizona possibly Utah. The command center is fine in Houston its a fine State, fuck anything Flourida. :-)
Ain't gonna happen. There's a huge advantage in launching as close to the equator as possible. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hog's Gone Fishin:
So, let's be honest. Watching a rocket blast off is about as entertaining as watching water drip from a faucet. We ALL watch hoping deep down inside that suckers gonna explode and of course nobody gets hurt.
