nortex97 said:

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There's always going to be something going wrong with this ludicrously complex $4 billion single-use dinosaur they have constructed from outdated frankenstein parts at elaborate cost.

It will be a miracle if it ever takes off and performs as advertised, just as one would expect from an evolution of the grossly more expensive than planned space shuttle launch system it is descended from. As though we didn't waste enough money on the space shuttle for 4 decades, when we coulda just kept doing Saturn V launches. At least the shuttle was nominally re-usable. I hope they at least get some great camera shots/video of the tank/RS-25's plunging haplessly into the ocean.

But anyway, it's a big rocket, built without using Russian parts. I just wanted to say something nice about it on this thread.

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It's also really tall and has a big lift capability!

You know, if they figure out how to get through the procedure

Update on SpaceX’s proposed launch site in South Texas. https://t.co/bL2QGVmNyj

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 6, 2022

Permitting process for an expansion of the Starbase launch site to include a second orbital pad has been paused. Presumably, the expansion is not a priority for SpaceX at this point. Focus right now is on the existing Starbase orbital pad and the Florida buildout. https://t.co/8ERnzSkkPK

— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) April 6, 2022

Does anyone on this thread know anyone at SpaceX?

I work daily with the issues in the Verge article, and while I don't have a clue who was hired to do the initial work for SpaceX, I think my firm could help them with the mitigation as we are coastal experts....

I think SpaceX has given up on building the second tower at Starbase so it's not really necessary.

OnlyForNow said:

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Does anyone on this thread know anyone at SpaceX?

I work daily with the issues in the Verge article, and while I don't have a clue who was hired to do the initial work for SpaceX, I think my firm could help them with the mitigation as we are coastal experts....

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Yeah I mean it's not a bad question to ask - who knows if they just don't have a slam dunk solution so they've been reprioritizing things to work around it. If you have expertise it's worth a shot!

But the consensus seems more like they have different irons in the fire right now. Let us know if you make some headway and can share any news!

Decay said:

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nortex97 said:

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There's always going to be something going wrong with this ludicrously complex $4 billion single-use dinosaur they have constructed from outdated frankenstein parts at elaborate cost.

It will be a miracle if it ever takes off and performs as advertised, just as one would expect from an evolution of the grossly more expensive than planned space shuttle launch system it is descended from. As though we didn't waste enough money on the space shuttle for 4 decades, when we coulda just kept doing Saturn V launches. At least the shuttle was nominally re-usable. I hope they at least get some great camera shots/video of the tank/RS-25's plunging haplessly into the ocean.

But anyway, it's a big rocket, built without using Russian parts. I just wanted to say something nice about it on this thread.

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It's also really tall and has a big lift capability!

You know, if they figure out how to get through the procedure

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"Ya know Bob, the shuttle launch system just never could work, it was enormously more expensive/took longer to refurbish the shuttles between launches, and wound up costing an order of magnitude per launch more than planned, plus was basically more expensive than the Saturn V and, oh, more dangerous to boot."

Sure, Jim, but hear me out, let's just take that hardware (pull some out of long term storage), stretch it out a bit, throw a dozen or two billion at it, and make it non-reusable. It's 40 years old now so we have the bugs worked out."

Genius. Dumb and Dumber have been running Nasa since before I was born.

nortex97 said:

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There's always going to be something going wrong with this ludicrously complex $4 billion single-use dinosaur they have constructed from outdated frankenstein parts at elaborate cost.

It will be a miracle if it ever takes off and performs as advertised, just as one would expect from an evolution of the grossly more expensive than planned space shuttle launch system it is descended from. As though we didn't waste enough money on the space shuttle for 4 decades, when we coulda just kept doing Saturn V launches. At least the shuttle was nominally re-usable. I hope they at least get some great camera shots/video of the tank/RS-25's plunging haplessly into the ocean.

But anyway, it's a big rocket, built without using Russian parts. I just wanted to say something nice about it on this thread.

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Underrated post. Bravo sir.

OnlyForNow said:

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Does anyone on this thread know anyone at SpaceX?

I work daily with the issues in the Verge article, and while I don't have a clue who was hired to do the initial work for SpaceX, I think my firm could help them with the mitigation as we are coastal experts....

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I know lots of SpaceX people but none at Boca Chica or in their environmental world.

My wife works with the corps on permitting projects all the time and just assumed SpX just didn't know what they were doing, but I suspect they just walked away from that application while they prioritize other things.

So Axiom, SpaceX's first actual tourist flight, launches tomorrow. Wasn't Tom Cruise supposed to be on this?

https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/launch/falcon-9-block-5-axiom-space-mission-1/

If your wife works with SWG (Galveston) she knows their tendencies, so I also imagine they didn't give SpaceX any leeway on things.

But I am interested in who they had do they work, local experts>>>>non-local firms, at least in my opinion.

I wonder how the current residents of ISS feel about playing host to space tourists?

OKCAg2002 said:

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I wonder how the current residents of ISS feel about playing host to space tourists?

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If they're bringing fresh food with them, they will be welcomed with open arms.

lb3 said:

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OKCAg2002 said:

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I wonder how the current residents of ISS feel about playing host to space tourists?

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If they're bringing fresh food with them, they will be welcomed with open arms.

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*as long as they don't clog up the toilets.

OKCAg2002 said:

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I wonder how the current residents of ISS feel about playing host to space tourists?

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There have been 7 tourists on the station in its history. The commander of the mission has been on the station before as an astronaut.

I don't have a screenshot, but they're broadcasting the Axiom-1 launch, and they just did a drone fly-by shot of the Falcon 9 on 39A, and in the background you see the SLS on 39B...and as big of a boondoggle as that rocket is, my God that was an awesome shot...

The drone shot starts at T-2:39:34 if you want to back up the feed to see it

Brad06ag said:

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What's that big orange thing in the background?

Expensive

bthotugigem05 said:

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Expensive

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But dumb and useless, like most orange things.

Axiom-1 launch in about 5 minutes! video above.

A is A said:

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that first stage landing will NEVER get old.

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I love when we actually get good video from both the Falcon 9 and the drone ship cameras!

Brad06ag said:

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A is A said:

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that first stage landing will NEVER get old.

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I love when we actually get good video from both the Falcon 9 and the drone ship cameras!

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agreed

Brad06ag said:

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A is A said:

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that first stage landing will NEVER get old.

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I love when we actually get good video from both the Falcon 9 and the drone ship cameras!

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They've installed a Starlink receiver on the drone ships. It's easier to keep that link aligned than the previous system they used. Only downside is (this will go away with the laser linked Starlink sats) that the droneship and the ground node have to be within the coms radius of the overhead satellite.

Kenneth_2003 said:

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Brad06ag said:

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A is A said:

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that first stage landing will NEVER get old.

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I love when we actually get good video from both the Falcon 9 and the drone ship cameras!

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They've installed a Starlink receiver on the drone ships. It's easier to keep that link aligned than the previous system they used. Only downside is (this will go away with the laser linked Starlink sats) that the droneship and the ground node have to be within the coms radius of the overhead satellite.

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Nice.

One thing I never really thought about is the scale of the drone ships (common issue with everything SpaceX really for me). These things are the size of a football field - 300'L x 170'Wide.

Here's a pretty good comparison between SpaceX's Raptor 2s and Russia's rocket engine

TTT!

Webb Telescope's Coldest Instrument Reaches Operating Temperature

Quote:

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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will see the first galaxies to form after the big bang, but to do that its instruments first need to get cold really cold. On April 7, Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) a joint development by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) reached its final operating temperature below 7 kelvins (minus 447 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 266 degrees Celsius).

Along with Webb's three other instruments, MIRI initially cooled off in the shade of Webb's tennis-court-size sunshield, dropping to about 90 kelvins (minus 298 F, or minus 183 C). But dropping to less than 7 kelvins required an electrically powered cryocooler. Last week, the team passed a particularly challenging milestone called the "pinch point," when the instrument goes from 15 kelvins (minus 433 F, or minus 258 C) to 6.4 kelvins (minus 448 F, or minus 267 C).

"The MIRI cooler team has poured a lot of hard work into developing the procedure for the pinch point," said Analyn Schneider, project manager for MIRI at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "The team was both excited and nervous going into the critical activity. In the end it was a textbook execution of the procedure, and the cooler performance is even better than expected."

The low temperature is necessary because all four of Webb's instruments detect infrared light wavelengths slightly longer than those that human eyes can see. Distant galaxies, stars hidden in cocoons of dust, and planets outside our solar system all emit infrared light. But so do other warm objects, including Webb's own electronics and optics hardware. Cooling down the four instruments' detectors and the surrounding hardware suppresses those infrared emissions. MIRI detects longer infrared wavelengths than the other three instruments, which means it needs to be even colder.

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Absolutely incredible. Hat's off to the JWST team.

Slightly OT:

I love that Elon wants to buy Twitter.

I fear the backlash this is going to cause him.

Ultimately, I think it delays SpaceX.

The Atlas V rocket first stage for the Starliner OFT-2 mission has arrived in Florida. I'm still hearing good things about the launch date sticking in late May for the uncrewed test flight. https://t.co/JbV5lU9spb

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 13, 2022

Good Morning from the @Space_Station!

— Michael L-A (@CommanderMLA) April 14, 2022

will25u said:

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The Atlas V rocket first stage for the Starliner OFT-2 mission has arrived in Florida. I'm still hearing good things about the launch date sticking in late May for the uncrewed test flight. https://t.co/JbV5lU9spb

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) April 13, 2022

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Nice double entendre, using the word "sticking" when the valves being stuck is what scrubbed the last launch.

Looks like the delays caused by feds sandbagging rocketeering approval processes backfired on the liberals. Techno King with extra time on hand is going to do Techno King things.