Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 12:38 pm
Octopus Overlords
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons bring us some web forums whereupon we can gather
http://www.octopusoverlords.com/forum/
SpaceX
Page 10 of 11
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 12:39 pm
you guys
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 1:30 pm
Spacex: The Movie
Ten Men Left...Six Came Back
Ten Men Left...Six Came Back
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 4:33 pm
For those who might care, Elon Musk will be hosting Saturday Night Live next Saturday May 8th.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 7:28 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 6:41 pm
Starship SN15 just launched and landed. Appears to be the first good landing. Was a small methane flare for a few min post-landing, but it's now out and the vehicle has vented. Unlike the last landing that then blowed up real good a few min later, this time the landing legs look good.
Hopefully a good sign that the next test will be well beyond 10 km.
Hopefully a good sign that the next test will be well beyond 10 km.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 10:08 pm
That's good news. I know they skipped from SN11 to 15 because 15 has so many improvements that it's next-generation. They would have been pretty unhappy with another RUD.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed May 05, 2021 10:29 pm
What a couple of weeks for the company. Launched some astronauts. Got a major contract. Landed some other astronauts. Launched and landed the next-gen vehicle. Oh, and a couple of 'normal' launch/landings for Starlink, including one booster's 9th landing.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 5:10 pm
For those interested...
I'm just wondering if they are going to be inviting the CEO of Boeing anytime soon
I'm just wondering if they are going to be inviting the CEO of Boeing anytime soon
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 1:55 pm
His hosting appearance was not the disaster I feared. That said, SNL still isn't nearly as funny as I remember from the old days.
The 100% on-topic sketch:
The 100% on-topic sketch:
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 2:19 pm
We watched it yesterday and he actually did better than a lot of the actors do.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 2:51 pm
I didn't cringe too much. I mean I did cringe a couple times, but not too much.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 2:55 pm
Murrdurr durrdurr!coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 2:51 pm I didn't cringe too much. I mean I did cringe a couple times, but not too much.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun May 30, 2021 11:40 pm
Good detailed summary of what SpaceX is up to at the moment.
The short version is they'd love to put a Starship in orbit before the end of the year, which is gonna require a Super Heavy, and that means they're cranking out Raptor engines. Each SH needs 29 engines and the first mission or two will be splashdowns. I don't think you can reuse a rocket engine that's been bobbing in seawater.
The short version is they'd love to put a Starship in orbit before the end of the year, which is gonna require a Super Heavy, and that means they're cranking out Raptor engines. Each SH needs 29 engines and the first mission or two will be splashdowns. I don't think you can reuse a rocket engine that's been bobbing in seawater.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 12:04 am
We recovered all the shuttle SRBs
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 12:21 am
Shuttle SRBs were thick steel cylinders filled with solid propellant. The Raptors are complex liquid propellant engines made up of a lot of parts, many of which are quite delicate when it comes to dunking them in seawater.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 12:25 am
I'd say there's a lot more than just solid propellant in them. NASA seems to think there were some lessons learned.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 12:44 am
For some definition of 'refurbished.'
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 1:05 am
SpaceX is all about rapid turnaround. They're building a new Raptor every 48 hours. It would surely take longer than that to recover and refurbish engines that fell into the drink, and without testing they'd be iffy. Although the linked article doesn't say as much, SpaceX is probably writing those off.
If you need 32 engines for your booster + spacecraft and it takes you 64 days to make them, you can't afford to throw them away more than once or twice.
If you need 32 engines for your booster + spacecraft and it takes you 64 days to make them, you can't afford to throw them away more than once or twice.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 3:19 pm
Sure, I didn't mean literally that they had just solid propellant with nothing else. But they were designed from the beginning to splash down under parachutes while the Super Heavy wasn't meant to get its toes wetIsgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 12:25 am I'd say there's a lot more than just solid propellant in them. NASA seems to think there were some lessons learned.
By the way, we didn't recover all the SRBs. We lost both of them from STS-4 due to parachute malfunctions and of course the ones lost during the Challenger accident.
In case you were interested in what happened during STS-4:
What caused the parachute failure was that a new device had been added to the system. The device was a series of explosive charges that were supposed to sever half of the parachute risers when the SRB hit the water. This would allow the canopies to deflate so as to not drag the floating boosters with the wind. Those charges were triggered by “G-switches” that would sense the SRBs hitting the water. Unfortunately, the “G-switches” were set too low and when the frustums (the lower conical portions of the nosecones) that covered the parachutes was jettisoned, the shock of the jettison caused the charges to detonate before the parachutes ever deployed. As a result, all six parachutes turned into streamers and the high-speed impact with the water caused the booster casings to sink in about 3,000 feet of water. The loss cost the program $58,000,000.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 3:25 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:55 am
Starbase tour by the Everyday Astronaut, with Musk.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:46 pm
Absurd.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:58 pm
I wonder why the interior of some nozzles are whitish while most are not.... 
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:13 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:04 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:24 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2021 9:58 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2021 10:12 pm
Crank up the speed.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2021 10:14 pm
Yep, 1.25 is my default and works for most things pretty easily. 1.5 for slow-talkers.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 11:52 pm
OK, now this pandemic thing is starting to have serious consequences: SpaceX is facing a liquid oxygen shortage.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Liquid oxygen (LOX) is in short supply as demand rises with COVID-19 cases in the United States. But as hospitals struggle to figure out how to treat patients, SpaceX worries the shortage could also jeopardize upcoming launches.
With the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, cases are on the rise as we push through the second year of the pandemic. Hospitals treating COVID-19 patients rely on LOX for ventilator treatments, and with rising numbers, LOX is becoming hard to find.
However, as SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell pointed out during the 36th annual Space Symposium here on Tuesday (Aug. 24), this shortage could impact upcoming launches, as many launch providers rely on LOX, a commonly used propellant.
"We're actually going to be impacted this year with the lack of liquid oxygen for launch," Shotwell said.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:08 pm
Yeah, I default to 1.5x and only go back to 1x when I'm watching something with music I want to hear.
Even at 1.5x three hour-long videos is two hours of watching in three 40-minute chunks. Time, like LOX, is in short supply sometimes.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:28 pm
FAA has opened the 30-day public comment period on SpaceX's Starship environmental assessment.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:39 pm
We might be going to Texas next month. I wonder what kind of visitor access is available at Boca Chica? Anybody been there or have some info?
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:55 pm
I don't think they have much in the way of guest access, but my understanding is you can get close enough to see cool stuff from the road.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:21 pm
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 8:30 pm
Pretty crazy announcement from T-Mobile and SpaceX tonight: v2 Starlink sats launching next year will communicate direct to existing phones over PCS midband spectrum of T-Mobile, completely eliminating dead zones.
Will initially be for low-bandwidth applications, mostly messaging, will likely be included on existing plans. T-Mo looking to add reciprocal roaming with other carriers who want to participate.
Will initially be for low-bandwidth applications, mostly messaging, will likely be included on existing plans. T-Mo looking to add reciprocal roaming with other carriers who want to participate.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 9:02 pm
No, crazy news would be providing service to people even marginally along the time line provided. When I first signed up, they said late 2020. Right now, my account says mid-2022. *checks calendar*.
Re: SpaceX
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 4:31 am
Hmmm. Since Google Fi uses T Mobile (and others) I wonder if Fi users will get this as well?