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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.

Fish · 06-03-2020, 05:56 PM

Humans, for scale...

It’s hard to fathom the scale of the Falcon 9 that launched humans to space last weekend until you see people working on the booster! from r/space

**DaFace** · 06-03-2020, 06:04 PM

If any of you find yourselves in LA with some time to spare, it's worth it to drop by SpaceX and check out the booster there. Here it is with my wife for scale.

Kman34 · 06-03-2020, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

If any of you find yourselves in LA with some time to spare, it's worth it to drop by SpaceX and check out the booster there. Here it is with my wife for scale.

Dude... I like you so I'm not going to...

MagicHef · 06-03-2020, 08:03 PM

Drone ship feed didn’t cut out during landing. I wonder if they’ve made an upgrade.

**DaFace** · 06-03-2020, 09:05 PM

SpaceX has been given NASA approval to fly flight-proven Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon vehicles during Commercial Crew flights starting with Post-Certification Mission 2, per a modification to SpaceX's contract with NASA.https://t.co/BxHlFqt9sK pic.twitter.com/lRsthoBw8T
— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) June 3, 2020

Kind of crazy when Demo-2 isn't even back yet. Speculation is that Boeing is gonna continue getting delayed, and NASA is wanting SpaceX to fill the void by reusing Dragons (since it's a lot faster to refurbish than it is to build a new one).

**Donger** · 06-05-2020, 09:32 AM

Falcon 9 flew for the first time ten years ago today. Completing 85 missions to date, Falcon 9 is now the most flown operational rocket in the United States. pic.twitter.com/duuMDuyv7t
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 4, 2020

MagicHef · 06-05-2020, 12:40 PM

Wow

Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2020

**Donger** · 06-05-2020, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Wow

Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2020

That seems.... rather optimistic.

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-05-2020, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

That seems.... rather optimistic.

I don't think he's too off the mark in terms of cargo but a manned mission to Mars in 2024?

Has Space X even built whatever ship is taking the astronauts on their 18 month journey?

Won't they need a ship in orbit and a lander, too?

**Donger** · 06-05-2020, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I don't think he's too off the mark in terms of cargo but a manned mission to Mars in 2024?

Has Space X even built whatever ship is taking the astronauts on their 18 month journey?

Won't they need a ship in orbit and a lander, too?

Well, I presume he's talking about Starship. And those keep blowing up and hasn't even sniffed space.

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-05-2020, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Well, I presume he's talking about Starship. And those keep blowing up and hasn't even sniffed space.

Thanks! Hopefully, they'll have the rocket ready by the end of 2022 but it sure seems like it's going to take much longer before they can send humans to Mars.

I should probably do more research but have NASA and Space X figured out how to protect the astronauts from radiation during the 18 month journey to and from Mars?

**Donger** · 06-05-2020, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Thanks! Hopefully, they'll have the rocket ready by the end of 2022 but it sure seems like it's going to take much longer before they can send humans to Mars.

I should probably do more research but have NASA and Space X figured out how to protect the astronauts from radiation during the 18 month journey to and from Mars?

Musk has a history of being a tad optimistic with timelines.

Last I heard, they are looking at a four month duration to Mars, which will lessen the exposure. And I think I read that they plan to have a shelter for emergencies.

**DaFace** · 06-05-2020, 01:04 PM

Gwynne Shotwell is probably a more reasonable gauge of timelines. Here's what she said recently:

Outlook from @spacex's Gwynne Shotwell: "We've learned so much in the last six years, I'm sure we will have people flying in Starship in less than six years. It would be a major company fail if we're not flying people in like half that amount of time or less." -AvWeek interview
— Irene Klotz (@Free_Space) May 25, 2020

Note that she's just talking about flying (at all). It's hard to imagine Mars being only a couple years away.

But I will say that, once you understand "Elon Time," you get it. He says "we'll do it in 2 years" when everyone else thinks it'll take 10. Then when it's done in 5, it's still a big win.

**Donger** · 06-05-2020, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Gwynne Shotwell is probably a more reasonable gauge of timelines. Here's what she said recently:

Outlook from @spacex's Gwynne Shotwell: "We've learned so much in the last six years, I'm sure we will have people flying in Starship in less than six years. It would be a major company fail if we're not flying people in like half that amount of time or less." -AvWeek interview
— Irene Klotz (@Free_Space) May 25, 2020

Note that she's just talking about flying (at all). It's hard to imagine Mars being only a couple years away.

But I will say that, once you understand "Elon Time," you get it. He says "we'll do it in 2 years" when everyone else thinks it'll take 10. Then when it's done in 5, it's still a big win.

He stole that from Scotty.

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-05-2020, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Musk has a history of being a tad optimistic with timelines.

Last I heard, they are looking at a four month duration to Mars, which will lessen the exposure. And I think I read that they plan to have a shelter for emergencies.

4 months? Holy cow! That's nearly 31,000 miles per hour.

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: 51,736

06-03-2020, 05:56 PM	#3016
Fish Ain't no relax! Fish's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2005	Humans, for scale... It’s hard to fathom the scale of the Falcon 9 that launched humans to space last weekend until you see people working on the booster! from r/space
Posts: 47,462

06-03-2020, 06:04 PM	#3017
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	If any of you find yourselves in LA with some time to spare, it's worth it to drop by SpaceX and check out the booster there. Here it is with my wife for scale.
Posts: 51,736

06-03-2020, 08:03 PM	#3019
MagicHef The Seated Villain MagicHef's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle	Drone ship feed didn’t cut out during landing. I wonder if they’ve made an upgrade.
Posts: 10,518

06-03-2020, 09:05 PM	#3020
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	SpaceX has been given NASA approval to fly flight-proven Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon vehicles during Commercial Crew flights starting with Post-Certification Mission 2, per a modification to SpaceX's contract with NASA.https://t.co/BxHlFqt9sK pic.twitter.com/lRsthoBw8T — Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) June 3, 2020 Kind of crazy when Demo-2 isn't even back yet. Speculation is that Boeing is gonna continue getting delayed, and NASA is wanting SpaceX to fill the void by reusing Dragons (since it's a lot faster to refurbish than it is to build a new one).
Posts: 51,736

06-05-2020, 09:32 AM	#3021
Donger "Think BOOM!" Donger's Avatar Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W	Falcon 9 flew for the first time ten years ago today. Completing 85 missions to date, Falcon 9 is now the most flown operational rocket in the United States. pic.twitter.com/duuMDuyv7t — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 4, 2020
Posts: 180,619

06-05-2020, 12:40 PM	#3022
MagicHef The Seated Villain MagicHef's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle	Wow Yes — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2020
Posts: 10,518

06-05-2020, 01:04 PM	#3028
DaFace Kind of a mod DaFace's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land	Gwynne Shotwell is probably a more reasonable gauge of timelines. Here's what she said recently: Outlook from @spacex's Gwynne Shotwell: "We've learned so much in the last six years, I'm sure we will have people flying in Starship in less than six years. It would be a major company fail if we're not flying people in like half that amount of time or less." -AvWeek interview — Irene Klotz (@Free_Space) May 25, 2020 Note that she's just talking about flying (at all). It's hard to imagine Mars being only a couple years away. But I will say that, once you understand "Elon Time," you get it. He says "we'll do it in 2 years" when everyone else thinks it'll take 10. Then when it's done in 5, it's still a big win.
Posts: 51,736