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 Donger:
Is it an illusion or is it rocking? Or is the camera?
I think it rocks a tiny bit. It's part of why the strongback is there and why they have max wind speeds. It's obviously able to handle a little movement though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaFace:
I think it rocks a tiny bit. It's part of why the strongback is there and why they have max wind speeds. It's obviously able to handle a little movement though.
I'd just never seen it before today. Not as cool as the shuttle twang, but pretty neat to see it move like that. [Reply]
Awesome thanks. It almost looks like the strongback caused it watching that, like it got hung up a little or something. The wobble is greatest right after release and in the direction of the strongback. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Donger:
Awesome thanks. It almost looks like the strongback caused it watching that, like it got hung up a little or something. The wobble is greatest right after release and in the direction of the strongback.
Yeah, it definitely seems a LITTLE odd, though I want to say I've noticed it a little bit in the past. Wonder if the wind was blowing in the direction of the strongback or something. [Reply]
Crew-4 is on their way back and will splash down a little before 5pm ET today. If any of you are in eastern Missouri, you might have a shot of picking it up on its way down, though it'll obviously be a bit difficult in the daylight.
#Crew4 will pass over the United States shortly before @SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashes down around 4:55pm ET this afternoon.
Though Dragon Freedom will be less visible during a daytime splashdown, here's where and when you may be able to spot it: pic.twitter.com/zBTrHoKtEe
Originally Posted by DaFace:
Crew-4 is on their way back and will splash down a little before 5pm ET today. If any of you are in eastern Missouri, you might have a shot of picking it up on its way down, though it'll obviously be a bit difficult in the daylight.
#Crew4 will pass over the United States shortly before @SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashes down around 4:55pm ET this afternoon.
Though Dragon Freedom will be less visible during a daytime splashdown, here's where and when you may be able to spot it: pic.twitter.com/zBTrHoKtEe
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 20 for a Falcon 9 launch of 54 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 10:50 a.m. ET (14:50 UTC), and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, October 21 at 10:29 a.m. ET (14:29 UTC).
The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, and four Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff.