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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.

**DaFace** · 03-30-2018, 11:24 AM

Since this was clearly a highly exciting launch (/s), here are the only things that you really need to know:

Mission success. All 10 satellites deployed and operating properly.
No landing attempt for the first stage on this one. They're still clearing out old boosters it seems.
Still no success on catching the fairing. Apparently they're having trouble getting the parafoil guidance system to work right because the fairing itself is messing with the air flow. Still a work in progress.

**DaFace** · 04-02-2018, 11:58 AM

Dropped the ball on my usual 24-hour bump, but ISS-bound Dragon launches today at 4:30pm Eastern. No landing - they're still plowing through boosters apparently.

**DaFace** · 04-02-2018, 02:04 PM

NASA coverage is live. SpaceX coverage should be in 5-10 minutes.

ping2000 · 04-02-2018, 02:23 PM

Launch this Royals team into orbit please.

ThaVirus · 04-02-2018, 02:36 PM

I’m at Cocoa beach today. Had no clue this was happening but about 15 minutes ago a bunch of people started pointing their cameras toward Canaveral.

Looked like a successful launch.

**DaFace** · 04-02-2018, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I’m at Cocoa beach today. Had no clue this was happening but about 15 minutes ago a bunch of people started pointing their cameras toward Canaveral.

Looked like a successful launch.

So far so good at least.

MagicHef · 04-02-2018, 02:40 PM

Experimental landing maneuvers? Interesting, but we won't hear any more about it, apparently.

**DaFace** · 04-02-2018, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Experimental landing maneuvers? Interesting, but we won't hear any more about it, apparently.

Yeah, they've been doing a bunch of weird stuff on the landings lately for these launches where they're dumping the booster. Probably not much that's exciting for us laymen - just seeing how far they can push the limits and still keep things in control.

MagicHef · 04-02-2018, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Yeah, they've been doing a bunch of weird stuff on the landings lately for these launches where they're dumping the booster. Probably not much that's exciting for us laymen - just seeing how far they can push the limits and still keep things in control.

I was hoping for some sweet flips.

ChiliConCarnage · 04-02-2018, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

SpaceX won approval from the FCC for their satellite internet constellation.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/fcc-...-services.html

If they do it, it'd be a minimum of 45 launches and up to 250 to get it going. Guess they're counting on this reusability thing to actually work because that's a **** ton of launches.

Interesting, I'd seen it got approval but hadn't seen details. Fiber speeds sounds pretty crazy for satellite. Then again, fiber speeds doesn't really define much. If you're in the boonies, it's almost assuredly better than DSL though.

ThaVirus · 04-02-2018, 08:56 PM

The sound was intense.

It was miles away from us but when the sound finally reached us it was like a subwoofer in my ear with the bass to the max.

Scooter LaCanforno · 04-03-2018, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

The sound was intense.

It was miles away from us but when the sound finally reached us it was like a subwoofer in my ear with the bass to the max.

The Space Shuttles had three times the Sound.

**DaFace** · 04-15-2018, 05:27 PM

24-hour bump for TESS. The launches are becoming a bit mundane, but this is the coolest payload SpaceX has ever launched. Assuming the mission goes well, you'll hear about the exoplanet discoveries being made with TESS for years. Here's a brief overview video:

Aside from that, there's this goofy bastard.

SpaceX will try to bring rocket upper stage back from orbital velocity using a giant party balloon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 15, 2018

-----

Scrubbed until Wednesday.

Standing down today to conduct additional GNC analysis, and teams are now working towards a targeted launch of @NASA_TESS on Wednesday, April 18.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 16, 2018

**DaFace** · 04-18-2018, 02:55 PM

Bump. Should be on in 2 hours.

GloryDayz · 04-18-2018, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Bump. Should be on in 2 hours.

Yay, I made it..

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: 51,768

03-30-2018, 11:24 AM	#1741
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Since this was clearly a highly exciting launch (/s), here are the only things that you really need to know: Mission success. All 10 satellites deployed and operating properly. No landing attempt for the first stage on this one. They're still clearing out old boosters it seems. Still no success on catching the fairing. Apparently they're having trouble getting the parafoil guidance system to work right because the fairing itself is messing with the air flow. Still a work in progress.
Posts: 51,768

04-02-2018, 11:58 AM	#1742
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Dropped the ball on my usual 24-hour bump, but ISS-bound Dragon launches today at 4:30pm Eastern. No landing - they're still plowing through boosters apparently.
Posts: 51,768

04-02-2018, 02:04 PM	#1743
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	NASA coverage is live. SpaceX coverage should be in 5-10 minutes.
Posts: 51,768

04-02-2018, 02:23 PM	#1744
ping2000 Changes pants while driving Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Washington D.C.	Launch this Royals team into orbit please.
Posts: 15,771

04-02-2018, 02:36 PM	#1745
ThaVirus Settle this once and forever ThaVirus's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2007	I’m at Cocoa beach today. Had no clue this was happening but about 15 minutes ago a bunch of people started pointing their cameras toward Canaveral. Looked like a successful launch.
Posts: 44,261

04-02-2018, 02:40 PM	#1747
MagicHef The Seated Villain MagicHef's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle	Experimental landing maneuvers? Interesting, but we won't hear any more about it, apparently.
Posts: 10,537

04-02-2018, 08:56 PM	#1751
ThaVirus Settle this once and forever ThaVirus's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2007	The sound was intense. It was miles away from us but when the sound finally reached us it was like a subwoofer in my ear with the bass to the max.
Posts: 44,261

04-15-2018, 05:27 PM	#1753
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	24-hour bump for TESS. The launches are becoming a bit mundane, but this is the coolest payload SpaceX has ever launched. Assuming the mission goes well, you'll hear about the exoplanet discoveries being made with TESS for years. Here's a brief overview video: Aside from that, there's this goofy bastard. SpaceX will try to bring rocket upper stage back from orbital velocity using a giant party balloon — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 15, 2018 ----- Scrubbed until Wednesday. Standing down today to conduct additional GNC analysis, and teams are now working towards a targeted launch of @NASA_TESS on Wednesday, April 18. — SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 16, 2018 Last edited by DaFace; 04-16-2018 at 02:45 PM..
Posts: 51,768

04-18-2018, 02:55 PM	#1754
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Bump. Should be on in 2 hours.
Posts: 51,768