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**DaFace** · 06-01-2014, 09:40 AM

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.

Lists of Upcoming Missions

Spoiler!

How to Watch a Live Launch

Spoiler!

Where to Learn More

Spoiler!

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.

Hydrae · 03-15-2019, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

Check this shit out:

That was frickin' awesome!

I have to say, this is one of the my favorite, non-Chiefs threads of all time. Thank you to all who keep it updated and please, keep posting. Exciting times we live in and this is bigger than most people realize, IMO.

GloryDayz · 03-15-2019, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eDave

Check this shit out (not SpaceX):

Cool. As. Hell....

And I enjoyed watching the city lights a lot too. Wow!! Earth is COOL!

**DaFace** · 03-15-2019, 11:23 AM

Any thoughts on broadening the scope of this thread vs. keeping it SpaceX? With Boeing close to their demo launch of Starliner, it seems like this is the logical place for discussion about it. Similar for Blue Origin's stuff in the next few years. SpaceX has been the sexy company to watch and probably will still be for a while, but there's lots of other interesting stuff from others not to far into the future.

We could just change it to a "Space Exploration" megathread instead I suppose.

allen_kcCard · 03-15-2019, 11:25 AM

I vote for all of them here personally. If it ever gets to be too much, then we could look at segregating things out later into sub-threads.

Hydrae · 03-15-2019, 11:34 AM

I also would welcome a broader scope for this thread. I have been waiting my whole life (58 years and counting) for private space enterprises and it is finally here! IMO, this is how humanity gets to space, not through governmental programs.

GloryDayz · 03-15-2019, 12:16 PM

I like it here. One stop shopping...

I think the Mods will grant you that latitude..

unlurking · 03-15-2019, 02:54 PM

Expansion is good!

unlurking · 03-15-2019, 04:00 PM

Second SpaceX Falcon Heavy flight gets April 7 launch date:

SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled for its next launch no earlier than April 7 at 6:36 pm ET (22:36 UTC), people familiar with the plans told CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/15/spac...7-sources.html

**DaFace** · 03-18-2019, 03:34 PM

In case anyone's got some time to blow, here's a cool discussion between Jim Bridenstine (NASA Administrator), Elon Musk, and the first astronauts slated to ride on Dragon.

**Donger** · 03-20-2019, 07:53 AM

SpaceX goes all-in on steel Starship, scraps expensive carbon fiber BFR tooling

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-all...p-super-heavy/

O.city · 03-20-2019, 07:54 AM

Realistically, whats everyonens thoughts on the timeline of getting manned missions to Mars?

**Donger** · 03-20-2019, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

Realistically, whats everyonens thoughts on the timeline of getting manned missions to Mars?

2030 earliest.

O.city · 03-20-2019, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

2030 earliest.

So likely in our lifetimes?

**DaFace** · 03-20-2019, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

So likely in our lifetimes?

Well, depends on how old you are.

But yeah, I think we get there in the 2030s. In theory SpaceX wants to get there sooner than that, but NASA seems to have their sights on the moon, so it'll be more of a stretch for SpaceX to do it alone. Here's the general timeline as I see it:

2020-2025 - Rapid expansion of launch vehicle capabilities (New Glenn, Starship, and maybe SLS)
2025-2030 - Manned missions to the moon to start building a base and to test out technology that would allow for long-term habitats. Also, unmanned missions to Mars that take far bigger payloads than we've ever sent there before.
2030-2035 - Manned missions to Mars, but we don't stay longer than we have to. (Granted, we might have to stay quite a while since you have to wait for the right launch window.)
2035+ - Long-term missions to Mars.

Of course, that's all just guessing. We could get there earlier or much later. Or, frankly, it's possible that we never really figure out how to live on Mars long-term. We'll see.

**DaFace** · 03-20-2019, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unlurking

Second SpaceX Falcon Heavy flight gets April 7 launch date:

SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled for its next launch no earlier than April 7 at 6:36 pm ET (22:36 UTC), people familiar with the plans told CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/15/spac...7-sources.html

A tiny bit of extra info:

Meanwhile, at KSC.....

Falcon Heavy is getting closer.

*PRELIMINARY* (Dates are "PENDING", but now on the Range):
Static Fire: NET March 31.
Launch: NET: April 7 - Window: 22:36 UTC to 00:35 UTC.
39A T/E Rollback is the next milestone.@TheFavoritist's iconic photo: pic.twitter.com/Z7KSVwznKT
— Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) March 20, 2019

06-01-2014, 09:40 AM
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Space Exploration megathread 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. Lists of Upcoming Missions Spoiler! General lists: https://nextspaceflight.com/ http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ SpaceX specific list: https://spacexnow.com/upcoming.php How to Watch a Live Launch Spoiler! SpaceX: https://www.youtube.com/user/spacexchannel ULA: https://www.youtube.com/user/UnitedLaunchAlliance RocketLab: https://www.youtube.com/user/RocketLabNZ NASATV will also cover some launches (primarily ISS resupply missions): https://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision Where to Learn More Spoiler! Some cool pics... https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/ https://www.instagram.com/spacex/?hl=en Twitter feed is usually interesing... https://twitter.com/SpaceX https://twitter.com/elonmusk The SpaceX sub is a great source of info... https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/wiki/index And for a more forum-style discussion board... http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php#c17 And there are plenty of YouTube channels with great content... Joe Scott - Lost of "future" discussion. Some about rockets and space. Much that goes beyond. Scott Manley - Super smart dude (engineer) who reviews a lot of major events in space exploration. Frazer Cain (Universe Today) - Podcast-style videos that go in-depth into space topics. 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. Last edited by DaFace; 12-10-2020 at 03:36 PM..
Posts: 51,966

03-15-2019, 11:23 AM	#2073
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Any thoughts on broadening the scope of this thread vs. keeping it SpaceX? With Boeing close to their demo launch of Starliner, it seems like this is the logical place for discussion about it. Similar for Blue Origin's stuff in the next few years. SpaceX has been the sexy company to watch and probably will still be for a while, but there's lots of other interesting stuff from others not to far into the future. We could just change it to a "Space Exploration" megathread instead I suppose.
Posts: 51,966	1 0

03-15-2019, 11:25 AM	#2074
allen_kcCard Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kansas City	I vote for all of them here personally. If it ever gets to be too much, then we could look at segregating things out later into sub-threads.
Posts: 2,768

03-15-2019, 11:34 AM	#2075
Hydrae Sandbox: Leander Lasercats Hydrae's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Austin, Tx	I also would welcome a broader scope for this thread. I have been waiting my whole life (58 years and counting) for private space enterprises and it is finally here! IMO, this is how humanity gets to space, not through governmental programs.
Posts: 14,698

03-15-2019, 12:16 PM	#2076
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) GloryDayz's Avatar Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving	I like it here. One stop shopping... I think the Mods will grant you that latitude..
Posts: 115,808

03-15-2019, 02:54 PM	#2077
unlurking MVP unlurking's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2003	Expansion is good!
Posts: 10,620

03-15-2019, 04:00 PM	#2078
unlurking MVP unlurking's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2003	Second SpaceX Falcon Heavy flight gets April 7 launch date: SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled for its next launch no earlier than April 7 at 6:36 pm ET (22:36 UTC), people familiar with the plans told CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/15/spac...7-sources.html
Posts: 10,620

03-18-2019, 03:34 PM	#2079
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	In case anyone's got some time to blow, here's a cool discussion between Jim Bridenstine (NASA Administrator), Elon Musk, and the first astronauts slated to ride on Dragon.
Posts: 51,966

03-20-2019, 07:53 AM	#2080
Donger "Think BOOM!" Donger's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W	SpaceX goes all-in on steel Starship, scraps expensive carbon fiber BFR tooling https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-all...p-super-heavy/
Posts: 181,390

03-20-2019, 07:54 AM	#2081
O.city In Search of a Life O.city's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2009	Realistically, whats everyonens thoughts on the timeline of getting manned missions to Mars?
Posts: 81,434