...

**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.

**Easy 6** · 02-08-2015, 05:14 PM

Welp, shit... the stream crashed, swear to allah that happens every single time a cool stream is posted up on this board.

Pepe Silvia · 02-08-2015, 05:16 PM

Incredible.

**DaFace** · 02-08-2015, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Welp, shit... the stream crashed, swear to allah that happens every single time a cool stream is posted up on this board.

Launch got scrubbed at the last minute, so you didn't miss much. Apparently Air Force RADAR went down.

Try again tomorrow at the same time (6:10pm EST), though weather may be an issue.

**Easy 6** · 02-08-2015, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Launch got scrubbed at the last minute, so you didn't miss much. Apparently Air Force RADAR went down.

Try again tomorrow at the same time (6:10pm EST), though weather may be an issue.

I should be home in time for that tomorrow, cool.

**DaFace** · 02-10-2015, 04:11 PM

Game on again (hopefully) in an hour.

**Ming the Merciless** · 02-10-2015, 04:18 PM

aww yah

link to stream

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

**Ming the Merciless** · 02-10-2015, 04:18 PM

Alternate one:

http://new.livestream.com/spacex/events/3783845

mikey23545 · 02-10-2015, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Original OP:

SpaceX expects manned flight to ISS in 2016-2017

I've always casually paid attention to what SpaceX is up to, but I had no idea they were this far along. I'll post a few articles and videos, but here are the high points:

It's a three-stage system, and their goal is that ALL THREE will be 100% reusable, dramatically reducing the cost of space flight.
The crazy thing about that is that the three stages will all land themselves on land (no splashdowns, no parachutes) right back at the launch site.
The passenger module can handle up to seven crew at a time (compared to 3 for the Soyuz), again increasing the ability to move people back and forth easily.
As you might imagine, the technology in this thing is way beyond the Shuttle or Soyuz, so in theory, it'll be considerably safer since it can handle more situations automatically.

Here's the announcement page from SpaceX to get you started.

http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/05/3...ned-spacecraft

And here's a general CNN article from CNN with some videos. I'll try and post the good ones.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/29/us/spacex-new-spacecraft/

-----

Here's an animation of the capsule re-entry and landing:

OMG?!?!?! You mean we'll actually reach earth orbit again in 2016 because of our incredible effort under Obama to return to space!

**DaFace** · 02-10-2015, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey23545

OMG?!?!?! You mean we'll actually reach earth orbit again in 2016 because of our incredible effort to return to space!

It's looking like it will probably be 2017-2018 at this point just because of scheduling, but yes. And hopefully shortly after we'll actually break orbit again. It's been too long.

eDave · 02-10-2015, 04:29 PM

Big day for SpaceX!

Another Stream:

http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-tele...-space-tv.html

**DaFace** · 02-10-2015, 04:34 PM

For those who don't follow it very closely, this will be attempt #2 at landing the first-stage rocket vertically on a barge in the middle of the ocean. Last one was the first time they'd tried it, and they got close...

It's not quite as exciting but, by coincidence, the CRS-5 capsule returning from ISS will be splashing down in the ocean around 40 minutes after this one launches.

Busy day for SpaceX.

**DaFace** · 02-10-2015, 04:51 PM

Winds are too strong up high at the moment. Seems like every time they do one of these things at a time I can watch, they get postponed.

**DaFace** · 02-10-2015, 04:54 PM

Scrubbed again. Dammit.

Could go again tomorrow.

eDave · 02-10-2015, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Winds are too strong up high at the moment. Seems like every time they do one of these things at a time I can watch, they get postponed.

Always a big letdown when they have to scrub.

**Ming the Merciless** · 02-10-2015, 05:07 PM

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.spacex.com/launches/ 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; 10-13-2024 at 07:17 AM..
Posts: 52,508

02-08-2015, 05:14 PM	#46
Easy 6 pie is never free Easy 6's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat	Welp, shit... the stream crashed, swear to allah that happens every single time a cool stream is posted up on this board.
Posts: 94,795

02-08-2015, 05:16 PM	#47
Pepe Silvia MVP Pepe Silvia's Avatar Join Date: Oct 2012	Incredible.
Posts: 17,388

02-10-2015, 04:11 PM	#50
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Game on again (hopefully) in an hour.
Posts: 52,508

02-10-2015, 04:18 PM	#51
Ming the Merciless Emporer of Mongo Ming the Merciless's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Milky Way	aww yah link to stream Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
Posts: 44,822

02-10-2015, 04:29 PM	#55
eDave Banned Join Date: Jan 2013	Big day for SpaceX! Another Stream: http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-tele...-space-tv.html Last edited by eDave; 02-10-2015 at 04:38 PM..
Posts: 53,803

02-10-2015, 04:34 PM	#56
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	For those who don't follow it very closely, this will be attempt #2 at landing the first-stage rocket vertically on a barge in the middle of the ocean. Last one was the first time they'd tried it, and they got close... It's not quite as exciting but, by coincidence, the CRS-5 capsule returning from ISS will be splashing down in the ocean around 40 minutes after this one launches. Busy day for SpaceX.
Posts: 52,508

02-10-2015, 04:51 PM	#57
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Winds are too strong up high at the moment. Seems like every time they do one of these things at a time I can watch, they get postponed.
Posts: 52,508

02-10-2015, 04:54 PM	#58
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Scrubbed again. Dammit. Could go again tomorrow.
Posts: 52,508

02-10-2015, 05:07 PM	#60
Ming the Merciless Emporer of Mongo Ming the Merciless's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Milky Way	uggh
Posts: 44,822