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 DaFace:
Here's a test flight of the main rocket landing itself. This one is way cool. I wouldn't have guessed you could have that much control using thrusters on the bottom like that.
OK if this is actual footage, it makes NASA look like bafoons, and makes me wonder what kind of shit our military has.
I bet the MIC's space program is just nasty. [Reply]
Originally Posted by unlurking:
Even more impressive is that the engines are 3D printed. I thought I misheard Tony, err, I mean Elon, when he said that.
Originally Posted by Donger:
I would hope that they could build a space ship and actually get the control panels right side up.
This image is of the console in the "up" position. If you watch the unveil video, you'll notice that it is not fixed. It flips up out of the way for astronauts to get in and out of the seats. Kind of like the TNG consoles that rotate sideways to allow operators to sit, these just happen to be vertical.
EDIT:
About the 12:40 mark of the unveil video you see Musk entering the spacecraft. About 13:10 you see him operating the console after climbing into a chair. In case your in a hurry to see the console. Personally, I thought the whole video was worth watching. [Reply]
Originally Posted by beach tribe:
Oh, so this stuff is for NASA?
It's to win the manned space vehicle contract for NASA. Two other teams are competing, Boeing and Sierra Nevada. I'm sure it will be used in the private sector once someone figures out what to do with it though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by unlurking:
This image is of the console in the "up" position. If you watch the unveil video, you'll notice that it is not fixed. It flips up out of the way for astronauts to get in and out of the seats. Kind of like the TNG consoles that rotate sideways to allow operators to sit, these just happen to be vertical.
EDIT:
About the 12:40 mark of the unveil video you see Musk entering the spacecraft. About 13:10 you see him operating the console after climbing into a chair. In case your in a hurry to see the console. Personally, I thought the whole video was worth watching.
Originally Posted by DaFace:
Here's a test flight of the main rocket landing itself. This one is way cool. I wouldn't have guessed you could have that much control using thrusters on the bottom like that.
Originally Posted by DaFace:
Here's a test flight of the main rocket landing itself. This one is way cool. I wouldn't have guessed you could have that much control using thrusters on the bottom like that.
Crazy. I wouldn't think it would stay upright falling back to earth in the wind. [Reply]
Originally Posted by unlurking:
It's to win the manned space vehicle contract for NASA. Two other teams are competing, Boeing and Sierra Nevada. I'm sure it will be used in the private sector once someone figures out what to do with it though.
Originally Posted by GloucesterChief:
Asteroid mining. Zero -G manufacturing.
OK, maybe I should have said decided what to fund it to do. As the costs go down I'm sure tons of projects will open up. Question is just who will pony up for it. [Reply]
