Falcon Heavy launch

[MarinePMI]

Just watched the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch. That was f*cking amazing engineering!

I'm curious to see of the third booster actually landed safely on the floating drone ship.

 

[Waorani]

That was impressive to watch the two smaller boosters land. Supposedly third landed on barge but video cut out just before.

 

[Subwrx300]

Okay. I just watched the replay.... Seriously, amazing to watch simultaneous landings of the boosters on land and main stage a few minutes later on a drone ship! That's awesomeness in action right there!

 

[Mike Casselton]

Linky please. I'm at the barbers and didn't get to watch it

 

[2ndamendfan]

That was badass. booster landing was fucking amazing.

 

[308pirate]

Murica, FUCK YEAH

Nobody does space travel like the USA.

 

[ArmyJerry]

too much hype, this is puny compare d to the shit they were doing in 67/68

 

[Holliday]

That was impressive to watch the two smaller boosters land. Supposedly third landed on barge but video cut out just before.

Was like watching one of those 50s Sci-fi shows. I always thought it would just tip over.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Went to every Shuttle Launch between Intelsat Capture and Hubble Repair. My missions... was at the JIPC less than a mile from the pad for every one. Every American should see a spaceshot.... Shuttle was amazing. but the 'old-timers' in my NASA dept were Apollo veterans. And they used to compare the Shuttle vs. Apollo as a bottle-rocket vs. a V2.

May have to make the trek down to see a heavy launch once they get these normalized. There is nothing like having a rocket blow your tie over your shoulder from a mile away!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[...]

students wanted to watch so i pulled up the live stream for them during class......pretty encouraging to see them excited over it.

i may think Musk is a cunt......but i gotta hand it to SpaceX, theyve been doing some amazing work.

 

[Nik H]

I wonder what the thrust specs are like compared to the Saturn V that launched the Apollo craft

 

[Rthur]

I wonder what the thrust specs are like compared to the Saturn V that launched the Apollo craft

Found an article on this comparison:
https://www.universetoday.com/129989/saturn-v-vs-falcon-heavy/

R

 

[Nik H]

Found an article on this comparison:
https://www.universetoday.com/129989/saturn-v-vs-falcon-heavy/

R

Thanks!!

Just skimmed it and Saturn V was still bigger but this is a revolution in terms of the cost of putting payloads out there.

Private sector versus Government...LOL

 

[308pirate]

Private sector versus Government...LOL

I doubt the private sector could have gotten Mercury/Gemini/Apollo done (from nothing) in ten years including a moon landing.

SpaceX is riding on NASA's work.

 

[ArmyJerry]

Gotta agree, can't believe I am supporting a government program.

I doubt the private sector could have gotten Mercury/Gemini/Apollo done (from nothing) in ten years including a moon landing.

SpaceX is riding on NASA's work.

 

[308pirate]

It's easy to see what things a national government should do, as they do them exceedingly well. By definition, that is a very short list of things.

 

[2ndamendfan]

I doubt the private sector could have gotten Mercury/Gemini/Apollo done (from nothing) in ten years including a moon landing.

SpaceX is riding on NASA's work.

And NASA rode along way on Wernher von Braun's work.
The government of the 1930-1970s is not the government of today. Go to Hover dam and marvel in awe at it. Was built 1931-1936. Ask yourself if it could ever be built today, (never) on time and on budget (no fucking way).

Then take the advanced tour. Go inside the interior tunnels and have the tour guide tell you that prior to the 1980's if a light bulb in a vertical shaft went out it was noted on inspection sheet and next guy to inspect that shaft took a bulb with him.

Now a form must be filled out with an "action plan" on how the bulb will be replaced, what safety produres will be used, how many people will be required (minimum of 3 on vertical shaft). That form must be sent to D.C. department of the interior. For approval. Approval is normally between 5-7 months.

NASA could not do today what NASA did back in the '60s.

 

[2ndamendfan]

It's easy to see what things a national government should do, as they do them exceedingly well. By definition, that is a very short list of things.

What in the fuck does our goverment do well or in any sort of efficienct manner?

 

[softcock]

I don't quite get the whole Tesla cruiser-Starman symbolism ? .
edit add:
Other than the obvious end result. a Tesla convertible and a Mannequin, are going to be orbiting Mars for eternity with David Bowie playing on the CD player ?
-

-

 

[308pirate]

What in the fuck does our goverment do well or in any sort of efficienct manner?

Obviously nothing, according to you

 

[MtnCreek]

I don't quite get the whole Tesla cruiser-Starman symbolism ? .
edit add:
Other than the obvious end result. a Tesla convertible and a Mannequin, are going to be orbiting Mars for eternity with David Bowie playing on the CD player ?
-

-

30 yrs from now spacex sends people to mars for first paying passenger trip to mars. Upon approach, this thing slams into the ship killing all on board, including musks head that's attached to a robot body.

 

[Mike Casselton]

What in the fuck does our goverment do well or in any sort of efficienct manner?

They are very efficient at wasting our money

 

[308pirate]

with David Bowie playing on the CD player ?

Who's going to hear that in a vacuum?

 

[Maggot]

This is how the Muslims do it. I know fake but still cool

 

[Rthur]

This is how the Muslims do it. I know fake but still cool

Are you sure?
Guy could've been gay...

R

 

[2ndamendfan]

Center stage did not land successfully. Only one of three thrusters ignited. hit the water at about 300mph about 300 ft from the drone ship. damaged the drone ship slightly.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16980954/spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-middle-core-failed-landing

 

[Waorani]

The car also apparently missed it's orbit around Mars and is headed elsewhere looking for a charging station.

 

[MarinePMI]

Not surprising, as that is the (technically) most difficult aspect of the launch (recovery of the booster at sea). Still, it's a pretty successful launch, all things considered.

As to missing Mars, they're saying it is headed to towards the asteroid belt at this point. Since the main goal of this was to prove Falcon Heavy could successfully launch, I'd say the missed target window and center stage recovery are just adding more data (lessons learned) so that future launches have a higher degree of success.

 

[2ndamendfan]

Not surprising, as that is the (technically) most difficult aspect of the launch (recovery of the booster at sea). Still, it's a pretty successful launch, all things considered.

As to missing Mars, they're saying it is headed to towards the asteroid belt at this point. Since the main goal of this was to prove Falcon Heavy could successfully launch, I'd say the missed target window and center stage recovery are just adding more data (lessons learned) so that future launches have a higher degree of success.

Right. Going a little deaper into space than planned. unless it hits something it will still have an elliptical orbit around the sun for avery very long time.

 

[alpine44]

And NASA rode along way on Wernher von Braun's work.
The government of the 1930-1970s is not the government of today. Go to Hover dam and marvel in awe at it. Was built 1931-1936. Ask yourself if it could ever be built today, (never) on time and on budget (no fucking way).

Then take the advanced tour. Go inside the interior tunnels and have the tour guide tell you that prior to the 1980's if a light bulb in a vertical shaft went out it was noted on inspection sheet and next guy to inspect that shaft took a bulb with him.

Now a form must be filled out with an "action plan" on how the bulb will be replaced, what safety produres will be used, how many people will be required (minimum of 3 on vertical shaft). That form must be sent to D.C. department of the interior. For approval. Approval is normally between 5-7 months.

NASA could not do today what NASA did back in the '60s.

However, today's NASA deserves credit for breaking the stranglehold of corporate collusion (a.k.a Launch Alliance) by giving new kids on the block like SpaceX a chance even against the headwind of politicians who were in the pockets of the big space/defense contractors.

Before joining the team to start SpaceX, Tom Mueller built rockets in his garage because he had no outlet for his creativity at his employer TRW, who was and still is mired in bureaucracy, politics and -subsequently- mediocrity. Now, the bright minds of this country have a place to go to achieve greatness - for a while at least.

Laziness, inertia, and corruption is not restricted to .gov. It infects all places of business sooner or later. Compare the Lockheed during Kelly Johnson's tenure to the Lockheed of today. Back then it was a leading company of a superpower. Today it is a Banana Republic in itself buying rocket motors from Russia and selling them to Uncle Sam with an outrageous markup that they call "integration".

The government employees who were supposed to raise the BS flag on this didn't do anything because they were offered lucrative consultant "retirements" by the vendors they were supposed to scrutinize. As a taxpayer, I am happy that someone like SpaceX stirred that rats nest up by showing that you can build the whole thing here in the USA, faster, for less money, and with more capabilities.

 

[fdkay]

Went to every Shuttle Launch between Intelsat Capture and Hubble Repair. My missions... was at the JIPC less than a mile from the pad for every one. Every American should see a spaceshot.... Shuttle was amazing. but the 'old-timers' in my NASA dept were Apollo veterans. And they used to compare the Shuttle vs. Apollo as a bottle-rocket vs. a V2.

May have to make the trek down to see a heavy launch once they get these normalized. There is nothing like having a rocket blow your tie over your shoulder from a mile away!

Cheers,

Sirhr

My Dad worked for Bendix, a huge contractor for the space program. He worked at the tracking station in Bermuda for the Mercury and Apollo missions (that is how I ended up an onion). He worked there up through several of the Shuttle Missions. Sat the console in footage that I believe was used in I Dream of Jeannie. After the Apollo missions ended he worked primarily at Goddard with many trips to Houston.

Also, The deal with the car was pretty cool. Does no one remember Heavy Metal???

 

[Waorani]

 

[Holliday]

What in the fuck does our goverment do well or in any sort of efficienct manner?

Precisely......

 

[diverdon]

Just watched the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch. That was f*cking amazing engineering!

I'm curious to see of the third booster actually landed safely on the floating drone ship.

Isn't that where instead of spending one billion dollars on a rocket, the US government gives one billion dollars to Jizz Gobbler Musk and guarantees him two billion dollars worth of cost plus contracts, indemnifies him from liability risk, then touts the glory of private industry.

If it is private let him pay for it. If it is public let us own it. I wonder how many politicans Musk has bribed in his life.

 

[FS1]

What in the fuck does our goverment do well or in any sort of efficienct manner?

Tax and Spend