Author Topic: SpaceX manned launch.  (Read 1899 times)

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
SpaceX manned launch.
« on: May 27, 2020, 11:30:24 AM »
Anyone else watching the launch?

Don't the SpaceX spacesuits look like they were sourced from the Hunger Games movies?

Offline Jim Watari

  • Supporter
  • Pre-Registration
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2013
  • Posts: 2275
  • Karma: 0
  • Twitter @jwatari
  • Liked: 584
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2020, 09:58:34 AM »
Well we will need to wait until Saturday , now :(
The more things change, the more they stay the same

Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind!
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: What does that mean?

Friends of Comic Cons

  • Guest
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #2 on: Today at 07:17:45 AM »

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4317
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2020, 11:56:57 AM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Anyone else watching the launch?

Don't the SpaceX spacesuits look like they were sourced from the Hunger Games movies?
I was with my kindergartner: exciting times!  I'm of a generation that was in elementary school (4th grade), watching the space shuttle Challenger launch that exploded.  It traumatized me a little bit: my wife far more so to the extent that she hasn't watched on space launch since.  I've watched the Mars robot landing, and my grandparents lived in FL in the flightpath of shuttles from Kennedy Space Center and I could watch space flights from their backyard.

My youngest son was really excited to see it go, and we'd been watching it for a few hours yesterday before it was canceled.  We'll watch it again Saturday, and hopefully the FL weather is more cooperative!

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2020, 12:33:11 PM »
It's up!

That was an asynchronously launch, at least on CNN, the video showed it off the pad but they were still doing the countdown on the audio.

The new cameras look so good.  The video is so clear.  To my old eyes, that makes it not look real.  It looks like special effects.

Offline TardisMom

  • Supporter
  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Aug 2012
  • Posts: 3346
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1845
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2020, 05:18:22 PM »
Yeh, the countdown didn't match up -- what the network showed versus the NASA feed.  Some sort of lag.

But WOW!  HOW COOL!! 

I do wish there'd been better coverage of the rocket booster landing on the platform after the launch.  That's so cool!

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4317
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2020, 05:26:56 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Yeh, the countdown didn't match up -- what the network showed versus the NASA feed.  Some sort of lag.

But WOW!  HOW COOL!! 

I do wish there'd been better coverage of the rocket booster landing on the platform after the launch.  That's so cool!
Late to this party (it's crazy enough as a music teacher in June ending a year, but in the spring of remote distance learning it's CRAAAAAAZY), but DANG was that an amazing display of technology!!  I had one feed on you tube on a desktop computer in our living room, another feed on our TV via YouTube, and a third feed on my iPad but you're right, there still wasn't perfect cover of that rocket booster landing.  But that blew my mind: that we remotely landed a rocket booster to land on drone ship VERTICALLY!

In these every-devolving times of awful and crazy, Saturday afternoon (in CA) was a real great celebration of how great humanity can be: between the technology to the execution from all facets (the astronauts, the tech crew, support crew, NASA control room peeps, scientists, etc), it was a real nice afternoon for humanity to witness.  I'm a bit traumatized after seeing the Challenger explode live in school (I was literally in my band class as a 4th grader, watching live with some classmates and the band teacher - all excited to see a teacher, not someone like an astronaut that felt like a huge plane of existence above us but a regular teacher, like my teachers, go to space only to watch it explode so soon, before even getting to space kind of broke me: even at that young age), so I don't geek out as much about space launches like some of my friends.  But last weekend felt different: maybe just because it was a source of brightness in what's been a dark (and growing gloomier) 2020.  VERY exciting day I think!!

Offline Jim Watari

  • Supporter
  • Pre-Registration
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2013
  • Posts: 2275
  • Karma: 0
  • Twitter @jwatari
  • Liked: 584
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2020, 05:56:47 PM »
Here is a pretty good explanation of why the signal is lost when landing on the drone ship

The drone ship is quite small and is rocked back and forth which affects the signal being sent to the satellite

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind!
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: What does that mean?

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2020, 09:29:51 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
But that blew my mind: that we remotely landed a rocket booster to land on drone ship VERTICALLY!

That is the coolest thing about these new rockets.  They land vertically.  Very sci-fi.  They've been doing this for years.  I think the coolest one is where 2 landed at the same time.  Other than being manned, this launch was the same thing SpaceX has been doing for years.

My pet peeve is how the media keeps saying this is the first commercial manned launch.  Kind of.  NASA doesn't really build much of anything.  They are a money funnel to companies that do.  The Saturn V was built by Boeing, NA and Douglas among others.  The Space Shuttle was built by Rockwell.  The workhorse of a launch system we've had for all these years, Atlas, was built by Lockheed.  It's program is jointly run by Lockheed and Boeing.  SpaceX isn't even the company that took the biggest gamble.  Since they developed this under a NASA contract.  Lockheed built their own rocket using their own money.  So pretty much all NASA launches have been commercial.  Elon is just much better at marketing.  Using Telsas to drive the astronauts to the pad was a nice touch.  You can't buy that kind of product placement.

Offline puppy

  • Ballroom 20
  • ****
  • Join Date: Apr 2018
  • Posts: 675
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 251
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2020, 01:02:52 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Late to this party (it's crazy enough as a music teacher in June ending a year, but in the spring of remote distance learning it's CRAAAAAAZY), but DANG was that an amazing display of technology!!  I had one feed on you tube on a desktop computer in our living room, another feed on our TV via YouTube, and a third feed on my iPad but you're right, there still wasn't perfect cover of that rocket booster landing.  But that blew my mind: that we remotely landed a rocket booster to land on drone ship VERTICALLY!

In these every-devolving times of awful and crazy, Saturday afternoon (in CA) was a real great celebration of how great humanity can be: between the technology to the execution from all facets (the astronauts, the tech crew, support crew, NASA control room peeps, scientists, etc), it was a real nice afternoon for humanity to witness.  I'm a bit traumatized after seeing the Challenger explode live in school (I was literally in my band class as a 4th grader, watching live with some classmates and the band teacher - all excited to see a teacher, not someone like an astronaut that felt like a huge plane of existence above us but a regular teacher, like my teachers, go to space only to watch it explode so soon, before even getting to space kind of broke me: even at that young age), so I don't geek out as much about space launches like some of my friends.  But last weekend felt different: maybe just because it was a source of brightness in what's been a dark (and growing gloomier) 2020.  VERY exciting day I think!!

I was in school when they announced over the speaker that it exploded. I was watching this launch hoping it wouldn't explode.

Offline Jim Watari

  • Supporter
  • Pre-Registration
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2013
  • Posts: 2275
  • Karma: 0
  • Twitter @jwatari
  • Liked: 584
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2020, 06:12:01 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
That is the coolest thing about these new rockets.  They land vertically.  Very sci-fi.  They've been doing this for years.  I think the coolest one is where 2 landed at the same time.  Other than being manned, this launch was the same thing SpaceX has been doing for years.

My pet peeve is how the media keeps saying this is the first commercial manned launch.  Kind of.  NASA doesn't really build much of anything.  They are a money funnel to companies that do.  The Saturn V was built by Boeing, NA and Douglas among others.  The Space Shuttle was built by Rockwell.  The workhorse of a launch system we've had for all these years, Atlas, was built by Lockheed.  It's program is jointly run by Lockheed and Boeing.  SpaceX isn't even the company that took the biggest gamble.  Since they developed this under a NASA contract.  Lockheed built their own rocket using their own money.  So pretty much all NASA launches have been commercial.  Elon is just much better at marketing.  Using Telsas to drive the astronauts to the pad was a nice touch.  You can't buy that kind of product placement.

Well it is the commercial manned launch in the way the rockets and capsule were developed. I worked for Boeing . McDonnell Douglas , etc and all previous rockets and capsules were made because the US government put out a request for proposal (RFP) for them.
The more things change, the more they stay the same

Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: It's okay, I'm a leaf on the wind!
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: What does that mean?

Offline chocolateshake

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2016
  • Posts: 3270
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1497
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2020, 08:50:46 PM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
Well it is the commercial manned launch in the way the rockets and capsule were developed. I worked for Boeing . McDonnell Douglas , etc and all previous rockets and capsules were made because the US government put out a request for proposal (RFP) for them.

Which is the same way SpaceX got that contract.  NASA put out a RFP.  Various companies responded with their proposals.  Two were chosen, SpaceX and Boeing.  That's how the government awards contracts.  Well most of them.  Some contracts are awarded non-compete.  But those are generally small and there are extenuating circumstances.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

The only rocket I know of that was commercially developed, was what became known as the Athena by Lockheed.  Commercial in that they used their own money and resources to make a product that they hoped someone would use.  Not because someone like the government placed an order.  I remember when the first launch failed.  The Lockheed engineers had sad faces.

Offline perc2100

  • Volunteer HQ
  • ******
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 4317
  • Karma: 0
  • Liked: 1770
Re: SpaceX manned launch.
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2020, 10:26:56 AM »
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
That is the coolest thing about these new rockets.  They land vertically.  Very sci-fi.  They've been doing this for years.  I think the coolest one is where 2 landed at the same time.  Other than being manned, this launch was the same thing SpaceX has been doing for years.
Yeah, all these years of watching sci-fi movies and TV that show rockets landing vertically like that have always kinda bugged me with their implausibility: now, it's more like "they were just ahead of their times!"

Quote
My pet peeve is how the media keeps saying this is the first commercial manned launch.  Kind of.  NASA doesn't really build much of anything.  They are a money funnel to companies that do.  The Saturn V was built by Boeing, NA and Douglas among others.  The Space Shuttle was built by Rockwell.  The workhorse of a launch system we've had for all these years, Atlas, was built by Lockheed.  It's program is jointly run by Lockheed and Boeing.  SpaceX isn't even the company that took the biggest gamble.  Since they developed this under a NASA contract.  Lockheed built their own rocket using their own money.  So pretty much all NASA launches have been commercial.  Elon is just much better at marketing.  Using Telsas to drive the astronauts to the pad was a nice touch.  You can't buy that kind of product placement.
I'm with you; it's been annoying with the media reporting this way, as if NASA has their own manufacturing division and hasn't relied on commercial companies its entire existence.  And you're right: the other companies did their thing fairly quietly while Elon Musk was much more publicly vocal about his company's involvement.