Ended up being a beautiful day.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Falcon Heavy’s side boosters land on Landing Zones 1 and 2 <a href="https://t.co/5RDbTGNnSq">pic.twitter.com/5RDbTGNnSq</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1805716646969196920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wait for it... (sonic boom warning)<br>This is what it would be like to stand next to Falcon Heavy boosters coming in for a landing 🎥 <a href="https://t.co/EOkMEcRQiz">pic.twitter.com/EOkMEcRQiz</a></p>&mdash; Cosmic Perspective (@considercosmos) <a href="https://twitter.com/considercosmos/status/1805331321406775647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Amazing shot of the boost back:

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Some shots from this morning at Starbase. Segments of the second Orbital Launch Integration Tower prepped at the production site, ahead of their final destination at the Starship Orbital Launch pad a few miles down Highway 4.
New mural along Highway 4 route to Starbase, based on infamous, shitty Elon sketch:

China won't be headed to space with this particular rocket.

Chinese rocket crashes after accidental launch during ground test

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/...,c_fill/f_webp

A Chinese rocket crashed after being accidentally launched during a ground test Sunday, its company Space Pioneer said in a statement.

The crash happened when the first stage of the Tianlong-3 rocket detached from its launch pad during a test, due to structural failure. It landed in a hilly area of the city of Gongyi in central China.

“Due to the structural failure of the connection between the rocket body and the test platform, the first-stage rocket was separated from the launch pad,” Space Pioneer, also known as Beijing Tianbing Technology, said.

“After liftoff, the onboard computer was automatically shut down, and the rocket fell into the deep mountains 1.5 kilometers [0.9 miles] southwest of the test platform. The rocket body fell into the mountain and disintegrated.”

There were no injuries as a result of the crash, the company said, as people in the area were evacuated in advance of the rocket test.

Space Pioneer, a leading company in the commercial rocket sphere, specializes in liquid-propellant rockets.

In April 2023, it successfully launched its Tianlong-2 rocket, making the company China’s first commercial launch operator to send a liquid carrier rocket into space and successfully enter orbit, according to state media.

Tianlong-3, the rocket that crashed on Sunday, is a large liquid carrier rocket. It was made to help construct China’s satellite internet network.

The rocket’s product performance is comparable to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, according to Space Pioneer, adding that it will be capable of launching the rocket over 30 times per year after the rocket’s first successful flight.

The accident comes just days after China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module returned to Earth from space, where it collected the first ever samples from the far side of the moon.

The mission was a key milestone in China’s “eternal dream” – as articulated by Chinese leader Xi Jinping – to establish the country as a dominant space power and comes as a number of countries, including the United States, also ramp up their own lunar exploration programs.

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LOL oopsies

Barely a week ago they did this...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#China</a> dropped another booster stage full of hypergolics on a local village. Debris from a Long March 2C rocket that fell on a village in China today.<br><br>They give literally a shit on his own people&#39;s safety. <a href="https://t.co/WI6MsS36cT">pic.twitter.com/WI6MsS36cT</a></p>&mdash; Asgard Intel 🛡️ WW3.INFO (@AsgardIntel) <a href="https://twitter.com/AsgardIntel/status/1804852930639511792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yikes. Imagine the backlash if something like that happened here.

Despite not bothering to do a Starship pre-Flight 4 hype video (much to my chagrin!), SpaceX did just release a post-Flight 4 highlight video...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The fourth flight of Starship brought us closer to a rapidly reusable future <a href="https://t.co/maSky0Rsjy">pic.twitter.com/maSky0Rsjy</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1808900954730942940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

...and even remembered their YouTube password.

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j2BdNDTlWbo?si=cFtrSb-mWQIiBYaW" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Flight 5 in 4 weeks," Musk said Friday (July 5) via X, the social media platform he owns.

Flight 5 will feature an exciting new twist, if all goes according to plan: SpaceX has said it aims to bring the giant booster back for a pinpoint landing on Starbase's launch mount, an effort that will be aided by the "chopstick" arms of the facility's launch tower.

This bold strategy will increase Starship's flight cadence, allowing the booster to be inspected, refurbished and relaunched more rapidly, Musk has said.

Boeing get them space travelers back yet?

Well, SpaceX's success streak ends at 334 launches. That's a crazy good streak, but it still sucks. We'll see how quickly they can move through the investigation and get launching again. It'll almost certainly delay things for a little bit at least.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">During tonight’s Falcon 9 launch of Starlink, the second stage engine did not complete its second burn. As a result, the Starlink satellites were deployed into a lower than intended orbit.<br><br>SpaceX has made contact with 5 of the satellites so far and is attempting to have them…</p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1811635860481454487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;The FAA is requiring an investigation&quot; of the Starlink 9-3 mission inflight failure, the agency says in a statement: <a href="https://t.co/CaV6vZVXjz">https://t.co/CaV6vZVXjz</a> <a href="https://t.co/uoD2weFIk1">pic.twitter.com/uoD2weFIk1</a></p>&mdash; Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1811769334529950072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2klvDvmtFc?si=OngHaSz008EDNPRd" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Footage of Starlink sats reentering: (and probably Stage 2 as well) <a href="https://t.co/8njxBV2i6k">https://t.co/8njxBV2i6k</a></p>&mdash; Florida Man (@FLman747) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLman747/status/1812184724569252196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Starship Flight 5 booster testing underway, static fire likely in about 1 hour:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8x7YjQAs4Vg?si=6WwLYQZpLR6WB-js" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Photos from static fire <a href="https://t.co/WZMVwklWtO">pic.twitter.com/WZMVwklWtO</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1812922455062945942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Uh oh.:) Canceled the lunar mission.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/techn...a3c9d4d8&ei=23

I think once they got conformation of caves on the moon, they changed their strategy.

https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/...80&format=webp

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-syste...caves-on-moon/

Sorry if Q. Sulfur found on Mars:

https://studyfinds.org/nasa-curiosit...stals-on-mars/

https://studyfinds.org/wp-content/up...r-1200x800.jpg

Ran over it and broke it open. Highly scientific!! LMAO

Cleared to fly again.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thanks to the pace we’ve been able to launch, we’re able to gather unprecedented levels of flight data and are poised to rapidly return to flight as soon as Saturday, July 27 → <a href="https://t.co/DvO0z1NbUm">https://t.co/DvO0z1NbUm</a></p>— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1816599564402737658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

SpaceX finds cause of Falcon 9 failure, eyes return to flight as soon as July 27

https://www.space.com/spacex-finds-c...rocket-failure

SpaceX says it has identified and fixed the problem that caused its Falcon 9 rocket to fail during a launch earlier this month.

That failure occurred on July 11, as a Falcon 9 carried 20 of SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites toward low Earth orbit. The rocket's first stage performed normally that day, but its upper stage sprang a leak of liquid oxygen, which prevented it from conducting an orbit-raising burn as planned; the Starlink satellites were deployed too low as a result and came back down to Earth in relatively short order, burning up in our planet's thick atmosphere.

The cause of the leak is a mystery no longer. It resulted from "a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system," SpaceX announced in an update on Thursday afternoon (July 25). "This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line."

Wow. They're actually considering sending SpaceX on a rescue mission.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A final decision has not been made, but I now believe it is more likely than not that Starliner&#39;s crew returns on Dragon. I asked NASA about this and their reply was not a denial, but rather, &quot;we&#39;re evaluating all options.&quot; Story:<a href="https://t.co/MazPtCjyIO">https://t.co/MazPtCjyIO</a></p>— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1819147216457794016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That thing must be majorly broken...

Raptor engine upgrade:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="nl" dir="ltr">Raptor 3, SN1 <a href="https://t.co/gV1NemIyXU">pic.twitter.com/gV1NemIyXU</a></p>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1819551225504768286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Performance stats of previous versions:<br><br>Raptor 1 (sea level variant)<br>Thrust: 185tf<br>Specific impulse: 350s<br>Engine mass: 2080kg<br>Engine + vehicle-side commodities and hardware mass: 3630kg<br><br>Raptor 2 (sea level variant)<br>Thrust: 230tf<br>Specific impulse: 347s<br>Engine mass: 1630kg<br>Engine… <a href="https://t.co/8PgQeALOx4">pic.twitter.com/8PgQeALOx4</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1819795288116330594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Starship Tower Two progressing:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tower 2 at Starbase Pad B is now six modules tall!<a href="https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5">https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5</a> <a href="https://t.co/wfyGM5K2mM">pic.twitter.com/wfyGM5K2mM</a></p>&mdash; Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1819739317968773283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Anticipation building for Starship Flight 5 and the first attempted booster catch with Mechazilla, but still a month or so out.

https://i.ibb.co/rG0HCQP/GUO4-N-d-WUAAx-D7-W.png

Quote:

https://sxcontent9668.azureedge.us/c...5c012b94b3.png JULY 29, 2024 STARSHIP’S SONIC BOOM With each flight of Starship and the Super Heavy booster, we get closer to our goal of making life multiplanetary. The most important advancement to make this happen is full and rapid reusability of the entire launch system, operating Starship like an airplane which is fully and rapidly reusable after each flight. To do this, we have designed Starship’s upper stage and the Super Heavy booster to be capable of returning to the launch site. The returning vehicles will slow down from supersonic speeds, resulting in audible sonic booms in the area around the return location. A sonic boom is a brief, thunder-like noise a person on the ground hears when an aircraft or other object travels faster than the speed of sound. As a fast-moving object travels through the air, it pushes the air aside and creates a wave of pressure which eventually reaches the ground. The change in air pressure associated with a sonic boom, known as overpressure, increases only a few pounds per square foot. A person could experience a similar pressure change by riding down several floors in an elevator. What makes sonic booms audible is the quick speeds at which the pressure change occurs. Generally, the only impact to those in the surrounding area of a sonic boom is the brief noise. There are many variables that determine the impact of sonic booms, including the mass, shape and size of the object traveling at high speeds, along with its altitude and flight path. External factors like weather conditions can also affect the intensity of a sonic boom. The strongest effects of the sonic boom’s pressure change are localized to the area directly beneath the vehicle, concentrated under the rocket’s flight path and the landing site. Sonic booms in spaceflight have typically only been experienced by observers on Earth when encountering vehicles designed to be reused, such as SpaceX’s Falcon family of rockets. When the first stage booster of a Falcon rocket returns for landing, its size and speed generate multiple sonic booms heard on the ground as a double clap of thunder. Similar sonic booms were heard during the return and landing of the NASA’s space shuttle. In each case, the sonic boom marks the end of just one in a series of missions for the vehicle returning from flight. Data gathered from the first ever Super Heavy landing burn and splashdown on Starship’s fourth flight test indicates that while Super Heavy’s sonic boom will be more powerful than those generated by Falcon landings, it does not pose any risk of injury to those in the surrounding areas. The strongest effects will be localized to the area immediately around the Starbase launch pad. This area is cleared well in advance of launch and has been rigorously designed to withstand the environments of launching and returning the most powerful rocket ever flown. Sonic booms announce the return of rockets and spacecraft built to be reused. With Starship, they’ll signal the arrival of a rapidly reusable future in spaceflight to travel to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/wIzB08rOkC">pic.twitter.com/wIzB08rOkC</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1818030059422367857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Meanwhile...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NASA confirms Crew-9 will slip as it mulls safety of Starliner spacecraft. Also, NASA chief says he will make the final call on how Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams fly home.<a href="https://t.co/pi7JoertLw">https://t.co/pi7JoertLw</a></p>&mdash; Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1820942010552918179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Butch and Suni are going to have to wait for a ride from the Russians. :doh!:

Just an orbital class rocket coming home to land. No biggie:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tracking footage of Falcon 9’s first stage booster landing and sonic boom <a href="https://t.co/HNohw3oCCp">pic.twitter.com/HNohw3oCCp</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1820562095613898976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Truly a wild Starliner press conference:<br>-- NASA finally went into detail about a SpaceX contingency plan for bringing Butch and Suni home<br>-- People within NASA do not agree on which path to take<br>-- They need to decide by mid-August on how to move forward<a href="https://t.co/JrEamD5mv5">https://t.co/JrEamD5mv5</a></p>&mdash; Loren Grush (@lorengrush) <a href="https://twitter.com/lorengrush/status/1821247465766506769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Glad they're finally being transparent about it at least. What a mess.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Flight 5 Starship and Super Heavy are ready to fly, pending regulatory approval. Additional booster catch testing and Flight 6 vehicle testing is planned while waiting for clearance to fly <a href="https://t.co/FFoGPEtztI">pic.twitter.com/FFoGPEtztI</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1821650606626631760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Shouldn't this pretty much sink Boeing?

Between this and the litany of commercial liner disasters, things should be looking very grim for them

It certainly doesn't look great for Starliner, but it's tough to say what will happen. They'll almost certainly have to re-certify it, which will involve more lengthy delays. They're also on a fixed-price contract with NASA, so it's not out of the question that they would either ask for more money or back out of the contract, neither of which is great for what NASA wants.

More broadly, I doubt it'll have a huge impact on Boeing's bottom line in the short-term. They have annual revenues of around $80 billion, so Starliner makes up a relatively tiny piece of the pie. There's no question that their brand has taken a huge hit, though.

When you have revenues of $80 billion, you don't get cancer on Jan 1 and die Dec 31 of the same year. When you have $80 billion in annual revenues you are so big that if you are cancerous and terminal, it just might take 8-10 years for death to come.

Boeing's problem is they have gotten so big and stodgy they confuse the symbols of good performance with actual good performance. They think they did well because a line on a financial statement looks pretty good. The executives pat themselves on the ass because they saved a buck here. The fact they couldn't produce a functional space craft....well thats just a blip they'll figure out in the next quarter.

We'll have to see what changes the new CEO puts in place and whether he can right the ship.

You expect a new CEO to come in and change the culture of the organization to one that can bring success. That used to be what CEO's did. Not any more. A modern CEO is there for sales...sales....sales. If you are American Airlines and you're going to buy a billion dollars worth of jets, do you want to be schmoozed by some VP? No, you want the CEO of Boeing kissing your ass.

This is especially true in old stodgy corporations where it is the board that has the mental defect of confusing symbols of good performance with actual good performance. Get them to sign on the bottom line and that is good performance. Doesn't matter if your planes crash and your spacecraft are junk....that's just an unfortunate that will be figured out later.

ROFL

Quote:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">They have done an excellent job making the assembly simpler and more producible. So, there is no need to exaggerate this by showing a partially assembled engine without controllers, fluid management, or TVC systems, then comparing it to fully assembled engines that do.</p>&mdash; Tory Bruno (@torybruno) <a href="https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1819819208827404616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Quote: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Works pretty good for a “partially assembled” engine :) <a href="https://t.co/UkHkGyoOY7">pic.twitter.com/UkHkGyoOY7</a></p>&mdash; Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gwynne_Shotwell/status/1821674726885924923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wow. You don't often see Gwynne getting spicy.

Yeesh...

NASA gave another non-update to the media on its crewed Boeing CST-100 Starliner mission. The agency still doesn’t know when astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will come home from the International Space Station, and it doesn’t have a firm date for when it will make a decision on the matter. However, NASA did let slip a development that could potentially crank up a massive source of embarrassment for Boeing.

Last week, NASA said that if it can’t send its crew home on the Starliner, it might have to send them back on a SpaceX Dragon vessel — in February! — and if that happens, the photos of the crew walking on Earth could feature Boeing’s arch-rival’s space suits instead of the get-ups they launched with.

“From a suit standpoint, they’re really not interchangeable,” said Joel Montalbano, the deputy associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “You can’t have a Boeing suit in a SpaceX [vehicle], or a SpaceX suit in a Boeing vehicle. So that would not be the plan.” Boeing representatives were not present on the call.

Speculation continues to mount that the Starliner mission is already a failure — there are fears the ship might not even be able to undock from the International Space Station without its crew — but NASA has not conceded that point yet. For weeks, it has been testing and reviewing data about its thrusters to assess the vulnerabilities created by helium leaks. The gas is used to control the thrusters, and though NASA has said there is plenty of helium on board to get them home, it has yet to commit to a return mission.

Hopefully NASA will avoid Boeing like the plague going forward.

The issue is that, despite all of Boeing's issues, NASA still REALLY wants to have redundancy. SpaceX had an issue with their second stage on a Starlink launch a month or so ago, and those kinds of issues usually ground the entire fleet until they figure out what happened.

Thankfully, that issue was really obvious, so it only took a couple of weeks to get them flying again, but it's not out of the question an incident could ground SpaceX for months.

NASA doesn't want to have to rely on the Russians to get people to/from ISS, so they would really prefer to have two options for U.S.-based rides. That means continuing to work to get Boeing certified even as frustrating as the process has been.

I'm pretty sure if it was up to Butch and Sunita they would ride home with the Russians. Making them stay up there until Feb for "pride" is a bit of a big ask. My concern would the Russians arresting them for spying upon arrival.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QQK5xJal68c?si=8pykQXrPoFgV48tG" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If they have to stay there until February, are they going to start growing potatoes to keep from starving?

Supplies really aren't an issue. They keep the place very well-stocked, and they can adjust what they send up on resupply missions if needed.

<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/C2NPV4Bm6tewg" width="480" height="394" style="" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/matt-damon-sebastian-stan-the-martian-C2NPV4Bm6tewg">via GIPHY</a></p>

Not really space exploration and not really new information, but I appreciate how they talk about rockets utilizing the gravity of wherever we're heading.

StarTalk, BTW.

https://fb.watch/u3mtOQ8j9u/

NASA is set to determine the fate of two stranded astronauts tomorrow, after their ride home aboard Boeing's Starliner was deemed too risky.

Wilmore and Williams are reportedly unable to hitch a lift with a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which regularly transports humans and cargo to the orbital outpost.

......The spacesuits Wilmore and Williams arrived in are only suitable for Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, and will not work with the Dragon vessel.The Dragon spacecraft has its own range of spacesuits that it can operate with.

Not to sound like an idiot but why couldn't they have suitable spacex suits delivered on an earlier supply flight? I have read they could be up there until February.

(Assuming they don't somehow decide to send them home on Starliner after all...)

They can and will get suits up to them. The issue with timing is that there's a crew of four who have been up there since March. There aren't extra seats on Dragon, so the priority is getting those four home.

Butch and Suni will slot in as members of the next expedition, which would launch in September with only 2 out of 4 originally-planned crew. Then that set of four would come home in March.

It's not ideal, but astronauts are trained to be able to do anything they're asked. Butch and Suni have already been doing plenty of work on station and will continue to do so.

Eric is about as good a space beat writer as there is. This sounds like a done deal to me.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I&#39;m now hearing from multiple people that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will come back to Earth on Crew Dragon. It&#39;s not official, and won&#39;t be until NASA says so. Still, it is shocking to think about. I mean, Dragon is named after Puff the Magic Dragon. This industry is wild.</p>&mdash; Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1827052527570792873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Is there enough food to last with two extra people, that was my biggest question... its at least good to know that isn't an issue

Still a big ask of those two astronauts tho, thats why I admire astronauts so much... they're right there with elite James Bond/door kicking spec ops when it comes to selfless guts

Amazingly brave people

Normally they have around 6 months worth of stored food onboard, and the various cargo vehicles restock the supplies each time they visit. The intent is to have enough reserves in case some of the supply vehicles are late or crash. Minimum reserves are set at 45 days, at which point they would need to take action.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NASA Administrator Bill Nelson makes it official: &quot;NASA has decided that Butch and Suni will return with Crew-9 next February.&quot;</p>&mdash; Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1827393747010908548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starliner will return uncrewed and Butch and Suni will come home with <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a>’s Crew-9. Better safe than sorry, let’s hope <a href="https://twitter.com/BoeingSpace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BoeingSpace</a> collects all the data necessary to fly crew safely in the future! I’m sure this wasn’t an easy decision to make.</p>&mdash; Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) <a href="https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut/status/1827394251757433293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SpaceX stands ready to support <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA</a> however we can <a href="https://t.co/wekmURt8CX">https://t.co/wekmURt8CX</a></p>&mdash; Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gwynne_Shotwell/status/1827423458042454156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No surprise at this point. Hopefully Starliner makes it back without issue and they can figure out the valve issue on the ground.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Game on&quot;<br><br>&gt;Can&#39;t return their own crew <a href="https://t.co/3VyWyB9eN8">pic.twitter.com/3VyWyB9eN8</a></p>&mdash; Truthful🛰️ (@Truthful_ast) <a href="https://twitter.com/Truthful_ast/status/1827412335964598386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

:hmmm:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NASA just decided that SpaceX needs to rescue Boeing’s astronauts.<br><br>Written before the Starliner debacle, Berger’s forthcoming book Reentry tells the backstory with plenty of foreshadowing, starting with Boeing’s attempt to be the sole crewed spacecraft provider:<br><br>“Boeing had a… <a href="https://t.co/B3uwAKG2r2">pic.twitter.com/B3uwAKG2r2</a></p>&mdash; Steve Jurvetson (@FutureJurvetson) <a href="https://twitter.com/FutureJurvetson/status/1827393665377169618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Spoiler!

Quote:

NASA just decided that SpaceX needs to rescue Boeing’s astronauts. Written before the Starliner debacle, Berger’s forthcoming book Reentry tells the backstory with plenty of foreshadowing, starting with Boeing’s attempt to be the sole crewed spacecraft provider: “Boeing had a solution, telling NASA it needed the entire Commercial Crew budget to succeed. Because a lot of decision makers believed that only Boeing could safely fly astronauts, the company’s gambit very nearly worked.” (p.270) After “a cascade of pro-Boeing opinions swept around the table, a building and unbreakable wave of consensus” (272), NASA’s human exploration lead Gerstenmeier took a month to decide, eventually asking for more budget to support two competing efforts. Ultimately, Boeing would receive twice as much funding as SpaceX, but SpaceX was in the game, as the new kid on the block. “It had been a very near thing. NASA officials had already written a justification for selecting Boeing, solely for the Commercial Crew contract. It was ready to go and had to be hastily rewritten to include SpaceX. This delayed the announcement to September 16.” (274) “Former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman helped write the proposal and provide and astronaut’s perspective. But their small team was no match for Boeing’s proposal-writing machine. It was intimidating knowing that 200 people were working on Boeing’s proposal, when Dragon’s team could fit in a small conference room.” (275) With Reisman in photo 2 above from 2012, after pulling an all-nighter at SpaceX: https://flic.kr/p/c5sY3N “BOEING HAS AN ASTRONAUT PROBLEM” (291) “When the SpaceX engineers could be corralled, they were eager to hear feedback from the NASA astronauts , excited to work with them, and attentive to their suggestions. By contrast, Boeing engineers seemed indifferent to hearing from the four commercial crew astronauts.” (293) “There was an arrogance with them that you certainly didn’t see at SpaceX.” (astronaut Hurley, p.294) “Boeing also underperformed. Not only were its engineers overconfident, but the company’s management also was not putting skin in the game. Hurley did not see any urgency from Boeing’s teams. Rather, they appeared to be working part-time on Starliner. ‘It was all about managing dollars and cents from Boeing’s perspective,’ Hurley said.” (295) “During the summer of 2018 as Boeing worked toward a pad abort test in White Sands, New Mexico (Boeing never flew an in-flight abort test)… a significant problem occurred due to a propellant leak. Ultimately, this would delay the company’s pad abort test by more than a year, but at the time, Boeing neglected to tell the Commercial Crew astronauts about the issue.” (295) “That summer NASA was closing in on making crew assignments for the first flights. Hurley told the chief of the astronaut office he would not fly on Starliner.” (296) He went on to fly the first SpaceX Dragon to bring crew to the ISS (we were there for the launch, photo 3). “‘It was the second space age,’ Hurley said. ‘And it started in 2020.’” (313) My video from Mission Control captured the excitement of capture: https://youtube.com/watch?v=bwqdEKLitC8 “SpaceX emerged triumphant over another major domestic competitor, Boeing, as well. The company that supposedly went for substance over pizzazz, ended up with neither in the Commercial Crew race.” (340) Just prior to their first human flight, there were several “shocking discoveries, especially so close to the flight. Neither NASA nor Boeing had good answers for why they had been found as astronauts were about to strap into Starliner. Questions emerged about the company’s commitment to the program. Because it operates on a fixed-price contract [and despite being 2x higher than SpaceX’s], Boeing has reported losses of nearly $1 billion on Starliner.” (342) After being stranded in space, Suni will fly with SpaceX, as she originally hoped (photo 1 above). And during this same time, there was a Boeing – Lockheed joint venture competing for launch, ULA: “The U.S. rocket wars were over. SpaceX had won. Since then, SpaceX has kept beating the dead horse. Over one stretch, from the end of 2022 into the first half of 2023, SpaceX launched more than fifty rockets between ULA flights. It has become difficult to remember that these two companies were once rivals, or that ULA’s employees would drive up to the SpaceX fence, jeering.” (339) Reentry book pre-order: https://amazon.com/Reentry-SpaceX-Re.../dp/1637745273 cc @ElonMusk

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SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, August 28 at 3:38 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of Polaris Dawn to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window at 5:23 a.m. ET and 7:09 a.m. ET. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Thursday, August 29 at the same times.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 3.5 hours prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, and Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit. This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8 and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

MISSION OBJECTIVES
During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew will endeavor to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participate in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits. They will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight, and test Starlink laser-based communications in space.

The Polaris Dawn crew will combine their expertise, knowledge, and passion for spaceflight to further human space exploration. This will be the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This will also be the first time two SpaceX employees will be part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

Anxiety inducing.

Oops"

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I&#39;ve got a question about Starliner,&quot; Wilmore radioed down to Mission Control, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. &quot;There&#39;s a strange noise coming through the speaker ... I don&#39;t know what&#39;s making it.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/6y7rqKFeRb">https://t.co/6y7rqKFeRb</a></p>&mdash; Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) <a href="https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1830250028067418384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a href="http://archive.today/55bSz">
<img style="width:600px;height:400px;background-color:white" src="https://archive.ph/55bSz/2429a1c5b6e020624b96a62e0e1682414bc92792/scr.png"><br>
The Starliner spacecraft has started to emit strange noises | Ars Technica
</a>

"The SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation of the anomaly during the Starlink Group 8-6 mission remains open, provided all other license requirements are met," FAA officials wrote in a statement late Friday (Aug. 30). SpaceX made the return to flight request on Aug. 29 and the FAA gave approval on Aug. 30.

Starliner made it back largely without incident. Astronauts would have been fine.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">And safely landed.<br><br>Remember that in an emergency those &#39;stranded&#39; astronauts would have ridden this home. <a href="https://t.co/BHmFZEUULg">pic.twitter.com/BHmFZEUULg</a></p>— Scott Manley (@DJSnM) <a href="https://twitter.com/DJSnM/status/1832268401785643037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Good to see a happy ending!

I don't know about you, but I would not have risked a return trip on it.

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, September 10 at 3:38 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of Polaris Dawn to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window at 5:23 a.m. ET and 7:09 a.m. ET. If needed, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, September 11 at the same times.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 3.5 hours prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, and Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit. This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8 and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

MISSION OBJECTIVES
During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew will endeavor to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participate in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits. They will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight, and test Starlink laser-based communications in space.

The Polaris Dawn crew will combine their expertise, knowledge, and passion for spaceflight to further human space exploration. This will be the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This will also be the first time two SpaceX employees will be part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

Looks like they're on. I'm not gonna stay up for the launch, but I'm excited for the mission.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game time <a href="https://t.co/IiwAvURHjU">https://t.co/IiwAvURHjU</a></p>— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman/status/1833311219232423967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Already broadcasting ahead of launch in T-minus 3 hours 11 minutes.

Don’t plan on staying up either though.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch live as Falcon 9 launches the <a href="https://twitter.com/PolarisProgram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PolarisProgram</a>’s Polaris Dawn crew on a multi-day mission orbiting Earth <a href="https://t.co/u1KqQx5AFr">https://t.co/u1KqQx5AFr</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1833358277805039800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There are currently humans further from earth than there have been in my lifetime (since Apollo). Pretty cool.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Achievement unlocked - apogee 1,400.7 km<br><br>Forward bulkhead Draco firing during burn [emoji91] <a href="https://t.co/Z7kUTcA2CH">pic.twitter.com/Z7kUTcA2CH</a></p>— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1833676772157833486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A beautiful launch over our nation&#39;s capitol as Polaris Dawn launches to space! <a href="https://twitter.com/PolarisProgram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PolarisProgram</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rookisaacman</a> <a href="https://t.co/VGbpm4FRCC">pic.twitter.com/VGbpm4FRCC</a></p>&mdash; Austin DeSisto (@AustinDeSisto) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinDeSisto/status/1833440626978832437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXGwObwW...jpg&name=large
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpaceX</a> rocket carrying the crew of the historic Polaris Dawn mission passes to the east of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pittsburgh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pittsburgh</a> earlier this morning! The rocket was visible just 7 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral, FL! <a href="https://twitter.com/PolarisProgram?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PolarisProgram</a> <a href="https://t.co/MObjoL7BJ1">pic.twitter.com/MObjoL7BJ1</a></p>&mdash; Dustin McGrew (@dmcgrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/dmcgrew/status/1833468186861199778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tropical Storm (now Hurricane) Francine dumped on us here in the Starbase area. Deluged by several days of rain, finally ended this afternoon. Getting to site meant having to drive through South Bay over Highway 4.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">StarBase is a river right now. <a href="https://t.co/POB7mcbffJ">pic.twitter.com/POB7mcbffJ</a></p>&mdash; Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyFGomez/status/1833130782069518800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Early bird gets the low water crossing? <a href="https://t.co/1YSXsQ5VKY">pic.twitter.com/1YSXsQ5VKY</a></p>&mdash; Coop (@Cooper_Hime) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cooper_Hime/status/1833139261240905749?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NOTHING 👏 STOPS 👏 STARBASE 👏 <a href="https://t.co/602U9z0Rwk">pic.twitter.com/602U9z0Rwk</a></p>&mdash; Anthony Gomez (@AnthonyFGomez) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyFGomez/status/1833522534329045452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But that's not all! Significant Starship Flight 5 licensing delays to top it off.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SpaceX update on Starship. <br><br>Claims SpaceX has been ready to fly since August (vehicle readiness), but &quot;recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA&quot;.<br><br>&quot;This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous… <a href="https://t.co/BvMH0992Ki">pic.twitter.com/BvMH0992Ki</a></p>&mdash; Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1833525964606689699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Not much to look at, but spacewalk success!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Commander <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rookisaacman</a> has egressed Dragon and is going through the first of three suit mobility tests that will test overall hand body control, vertical movement with Skywalker, and foot restraint <a href="https://t.co/XATJQhLuIZ">pic.twitter.com/XATJQhLuIZ</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1834183614898241617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This view had to be amazing.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn crew have completed the first commercial spacewalk!<br><br>“SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.” — Mission Commander <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rookisaacman</a> during Dragon egress and seeing our planet from ~738 km <a href="https://t.co/lRczSv5i4k">pic.twitter.com/lRczSv5i4k</a></p>&mdash; Polaris (@PolarisProgram) <a href="https://twitter.com/PolarisProgram/status/1834210476156129761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Starship Flight 5 not happening any time before late November, due to licensing and regulatory hurdles. Flight 6 testing underway in the meantime.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Six engine static fire of Flight 6 Starship <a href="https://t.co/fzJz9BWBn6">pic.twitter.com/fzJz9BWBn6</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1836606716282311166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Licensing and regulation FTW!!!

Well, this is....different

https://scontent.fmkc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...KA&oe=66F230AF

https://www.usatoday.com/story/graph...5/75260498007/

Huh, that's cool. Bummer you can't really see it, though.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/05...g?v=1704743697

My younger sister is visiting my wife and I here in Deep South Texas. Before taking the SpaceX hovercraft from Starbase over to South Padre Island yesterday evening, we got to venture up to the top level of Megabay 2. Awesome 360º views of South Bay, Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Boca Chica Village, fully stacked Flight 5 Starship at the Orbital Launch Integration Tower, Gulf of Mexico, and the Rio Grande. Top level nearing completion for special event space and bar. Sadly, no photos permitted.

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Flight 5 Starship full stack
 

https://i.postimg.cc/sgJWHddH/Full-Size-Render.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/bJLDL17G/Full-Size-Render.jpg

As it turns out, that's not entirely accurate.

<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@spaceaccordingtoskylar/video/7417277072525217070?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7046183698622891526" data-video-id="7417277072525217070?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7046183698622891526" style="max-width: 600px;min-width: 325px;"><section><script type="text/javascript" src="https://www.embedista.com/j/tiktok.js"></script><div style="overflow: auto; position: absolute; height: 0pt; width: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.embedista.com/tiktok-embed">Tiktok Embed</a> Code Generator</div><div style="position: absolute;width: 91%;bottom: 4px;left: 0;right: 0;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;color: #000;text-align: center;"></div></section></blockquote><script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>

They dragged the fourth booster out of the ocean. Crazy. Wonder what they can learn from that mess.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Starship Super Heavy Booster Flight 4 <a href="https://t.co/EMGpNVn58Q">pic.twitter.com/EMGpNVn58Q</a></p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1838027461268750727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Launch
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dragon’s hatch is now closed. Two hours until Falcon 9’s launch of Dragon to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a></p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1840048239523086559?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Less than 35 minutes until liftoff. Propellant load of Falcon 9 is underway, and Dragon’s escape system is armed</p>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1840069794063941704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>