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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.

unlurking · 05-18-2020, 08:25 PM

Sorry. I probably should have been clear why I thought this was significant too.

The F9 booster for Starlink 7 has already flown 4 times. 2 paid and 2 Starlink missions. They could easily choose to make it expendable as it has already been more than paid for. Instead they are accepting a significant delay for a date sensitive series of missions. To meet their agreement with the FCC they need to have ~6000 satellites flying in 4 years. That's 100+ launches in 48 months, or 2 launches per month, not including their launch schedule for other customers. Currently they are planning 3 Starlink launches and a GPS 3 launch for the Air Force in June.

The next few years are going to be INSANE if they can actually meet that launch cadence. SpaceX changed the landscape for launches with it's reusable platform, and we haven't even seen the half of it yet.

Seriously. Over the next 4 years a private company is launching orbital rockets twice a month to blanket the earth with a constellation of 12,000 satellites. That is truly the stuff of science fiction. While I am super excited for DM2 and taking the day off to watch/celebrate, I think that achievement pales in comparison to launching 6000 satellites in 4 years.

RINGLEADER · 05-18-2020, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

For now:

1) Be a member of the military
2) Apply

Is space force essential us space command with a new name?

unlurking · 05-18-2020, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

Is space force essential us space command with a new name?

Starfleet Command actually

Scooter LaCanforno · 05-19-2020, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

For now:

1) Be a member of the military
2) Apply

There are also plenty of contractor jobs with the Space Force.

**BigRedChief** · 05-19-2020, 07:30 PM

I ****ing hate politics being injected into science.

NASA's head of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned — just one week before a historic test flight to send astronauts up in a new space capsule developed by SpaceX.https://t.co/axtNyKIBmR
— NPR (@NPR) May 19, 2020

GloryDayz · 05-19-2020, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I ****ing hate politics being injected into science.

NASA's head of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned — just one week before a historic test flight to send astronauts up in a new space capsule developed by SpaceX.https://t.co/axtNyKIBmR
— NPR (@NPR) May 19, 2020

So what did he do?

**DaneMcCloud** · 05-19-2020, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

So what did he do?

He was caught ****ing aliens.

Again.

Naptown Chief · 05-19-2020, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

So what did he do?

Friend of Epstein's

**Rain Man** · 05-20-2020, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

How do you get into the Space Force?

I'm sure there's a joke about mass and acceleration in here somewhere.

**DaFace** · 05-20-2020, 12:01 PM

I guess we'll see how it plays out, but I suspect we may have to get used to weather-related scrubs on manned launches. This is a lot of stuff that has to be right...

The finalized #SpaceX #CrewDragon launch weather commit criteria for next week. #Demo2 #Falonc9 #NASA pic.twitter.com/oyD0Bqacq4
— Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) May 20, 2020

**DaFace** · 05-20-2020, 12:14 PM

This is a nice profile of the two astronauts set to fly next week.

Meet the first NASA astronauts SpaceX will launch to orbit https://t.co/bOjdKC8d6r pic.twitter.com/nyU9ZATbLP
— The Verge (@verge) May 20, 2020

**Donger** · 05-20-2020, 12:19 PM

T-7 days

unlurking · 05-20-2020, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I ****ing hate politics being injected into science.

NASA's head of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned — just one week before a historic test flight to send astronauts up in a new space capsule developed by SpaceX.https://t.co/axtNyKIBmR
— NPR (@NPR) May 19, 2020

It wasn't politics...

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020...hy-it-matters/

unlurking · 05-20-2020, 07:01 PM

#TheWormIsBack and it’s on the @SpaceX spacesuits that @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken will be wearing next week for our Demo-2 mission! #LaunchAmerica Check it out: pic.twitter.com/e8iSshObWi — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 20, 2020

**DaFace** · 05-20-2020, 09:33 PM

Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 in the hangar at Launch Complex 39A pic.twitter.com/l758CdYXNQ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 21, 2020

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: 51,964

05-18-2020, 08:25 PM	#2626
unlurking MVP unlurking's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2003	Sorry. I probably should have been clear why I thought this was significant too. The F9 booster for Starlink 7 has already flown 4 times. 2 paid and 2 Starlink missions. They could easily choose to make it expendable as it has already been more than paid for. Instead they are accepting a significant delay for a date sensitive series of missions. To meet their agreement with the FCC they need to have ~6000 satellites flying in 4 years. That's 100+ launches in 48 months, or 2 launches per month, not including their launch schedule for other customers. Currently they are planning 3 Starlink launches and a GPS 3 launch for the Air Force in June. The next few years are going to be INSANE if they can actually meet that launch cadence. SpaceX changed the landscape for launches with it's reusable platform, and we haven't even seen the half of it yet. Seriously. Over the next 4 years a private company is launching orbital rockets twice a month to blanket the earth with a constellation of 12,000 satellites. That is truly the stuff of science fiction. While I am super excited for DM2 and taking the day off to watch/celebrate, I think that achievement pales in comparison to launching 6000 satellites in 4 years.
Posts: 10,620

05-19-2020, 07:30 PM	#2630
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills BigRedChief's Avatar Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water	I ****ing hate politics being injected into science. NASA's head of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned — just one week before a historic test flight to send astronauts up in a new space capsule developed by SpaceX.https://t.co/axtNyKIBmR — NPR (@NPR) May 19, 2020
Posts: 79,209

05-20-2020, 12:01 PM	#2635
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	I guess we'll see how it plays out, but I suspect we may have to get used to weather-related scrubs on manned launches. This is a lot of stuff that has to be right... The finalized #SpaceX #CrewDragon launch weather commit criteria for next week. #Demo2 #Falonc9 #NASA pic.twitter.com/oyD0Bqacq4 — Chris G - NSF (@ChrisG_NSF) May 20, 2020
Posts: 51,964

05-20-2020, 12:14 PM	#2636
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	This is a nice profile of the two astronauts set to fly next week. Meet the first NASA astronauts SpaceX will launch to orbit https://t.co/bOjdKC8d6r pic.twitter.com/nyU9ZATbLP — The Verge (@verge) May 20, 2020
Posts: 51,964

05-20-2020, 12:19 PM	#2637
Donger "Think BOOM!" Donger's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W	T-7 days
Posts: 181,332

05-20-2020, 07:01 PM	#2639
unlurking MVP unlurking's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2003	`#TheWormIsBack and it’s on the @SpaceX spacesuits that @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken will be wearing next week for our Demo-2 mission! #LaunchAmerica Check it out: pic.twitter.com/e8iSshObWi — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 20, 2020`
Posts: 10,620

05-20-2020, 09:33 PM	#2640
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 in the hangar at Launch Complex 39A pic.twitter.com/l758CdYXNQ — SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 21, 2020
Posts: 51,964