SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy successfully - biggest rocket since Saturn V

[pinger]

I think i am slowly becoming a flat earther

You already have no credibility on here, a bit of flat earthing won't harm your reputation.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

That's the thing about him. I don't follow him but the more I read about him the more he proves to everyone he is a genius.

I was in Australia for vacation and he is highly regarded there. He recently built the largest battery to help deliver power to NSW to ease the blackouts and increased cost they've been experiencing. The contract was to build it in 100 days upon signature and he even made a bet with the Australian government that if it was not operational within the 100 days he would pay for it. He (meaning his company of course) got it done in 63 days. A bit showy and definitely done for dramatic and self adivertising effect but people are talking about him.

I didn't know he did this until my cousins there brought him up in a convo..

That started on Twitter I believe

 

[SaiWa]

That started on Twitter I believe

I don't follow twitter. I get my twitter news from other media (CNN, fox, USAToday, etc...)

 

[Cocrehamster]

That's the thing about him. I don't follow him but the more I read about him the more he proves to everyone he is a genius.

I was in Australia for vacation and he is highly regarded there. He recently built the largest battery to help deliver power to NSW to ease the blackouts and increased cost they've been experiencing. The contract was to build it in 100 days upon signature and he even made a bet with the Australian government that if it was not operational within the 100 days he would pay for it. He (meaning his company of course) got it done in 63 days. A bit showy and definitely done for dramatic and self adivertising effect but people are talking about him.

I didn't know he did this until my cousins there brought him up in a convo..

I admit I'm a big fan of his, but I admit some of people's criticisms of him are valid, like that he doesn't delivery on the time-frames he promises. But I think a lot of people don't understand the significance of what he has accomplished - like landing rockets, or literally creating the electric car industry, which many of the major auto makers have committed to completely switching to in the coming years. And he's not just the "money guy," there are plenty of billionaires who have failed in the rocket industry, and he was nowhere near being a billionaire when he started SpaceX. Also, when was the last successful American care-maker startup before Tesla? I believe Ford is the only other American auto-maker that actually makes cars that has never gone bankrupt.

 

[SaiWa]

I admit I'm a big fan of his, but I admit some of people's criticisms of him are valid, like that he doesn't delivery on the time-frames he promises. But I think a lot of people don't understand the significance of what he has accomplished - like landing rockets, or literally creating the electric car industry, which many of the major auto makers have committed to completely switching to in the coming years. And he's not just the "money guy," there are plenty of billionaires who have failed in the rocket industry, and he was nowhere near being a billionaire when he started SpaceX. Also, when was the last successful American care-maker startup before Tesla? I believe Ford is the only other American auto-maker that actually makes cars that has never gone bankrupt.

I work for the DOD. We have contractors who can't even meet their deadline with old ancient tech (ww2 era) deliveries..

At least he's pushing the envelope of his fields...

 

[V-2]

Because they are focused on designin incredibly complex deep space observation instruments and interplanetary robotics -- they cant afford to do that and build transportation devices -- the complexities of the james webb telescope, mars rovers, and the plethora of probes show NASA is very much into play. Oh, and you're an environmental guy - NASA's work with NOAA have done leaps and bounds in measuring practical earth analytics.

You do realize the vast majority of rockets nasa used througout its history have been provided by private companies -- the caveat with spaceX is that they are hiring themselves and running their own missions.

The JWST is utterly ridiculous. We're not only talking about the largest space telescope ever constructed, but one which has a mirror three times the size of the HST with a light collecting area seven times greater whilst having one-tenth the mass of Hubble's mirror. It'll be able to detect infrared light that's 400 times fainter than any currently operational space telescope can manage and will also be searching for bio-markers by characterizing the atmospheres of exoplanets.



Anyone who believes NASA doesn't want SpaceX to succeed and hasn't actually helped Elon's company along is mistaken. People who think they've been twiddling their thumbs for the last few decades simply hasn't been paying attention. The JPL facility in Pasadena in particular has pretty much top-to-bottom wrote the fucking history book on robotic interplanetary space exploration. The twin Voyager probes in particular that were launched in 1977, still operational and returning interstellar data today are arguably the greatest mission ever as far as I'm concerned.

It's great SpaceX has got people reinvigorated about Space, so why not go all in folks? See what you've been missing out on and enjoy what's to come.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

The JWST is utterly ridiculous. We're not only talking about the largest space telescope ever constructed, but one which has a mirror three times the size of the HST with a light collecting area seven times greater whilst having one-tenth the mass of Hubble's mirror. It'll be able to detect infrared light that's 400 times fainter than any currently operational space telescope can manage and will also be searching for bio-markers by characterizing the atmospheres of exoplanets.



Anyone who believes NASA doesn't want SpaceX to succeed and hasn't actually helped Elon's company along is mistaken. People who think they've been twiddling their thumbs for the last few decades simply hasn't been paying attention. The JPL facility in Pasadena in particular has pretty much top-to-bottom wrote the fucking history book on robotic interplanetary space exploration. The twin Voyager probes in particular that were launched in 1977, still operational and returning interstellar data today are arguably the greatest mission ever as far as I'm concerned.

It's great SpaceX has got people reinvigorated about Space, so why not go all in folks? See what you've been missing out on and enjoy what's to come.

The craziest part is that they are launching it assembled, not in pieces and assembled in space -- the fact that they are so confident in the design of instruments so delicate is a feat in engineering. The have a 24 hour live feed of it -- you can check out the videos of the stress testing, incredible stuff.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

Yeah, but do you know the time frame that would involve? That's just for humans landing in Mars. Than what? Have you, or Musk, thought of the logistics of a human colony in Mars? Oxygen, water, food, electricity, etc. Maybe it would be easier to build a human colony in space. Like the Von Braun space station from 1952 mentioned above by @V-2. But as you mentioned, I think life on Earth will end with an asteroid hit. It needs to be 50 miles in diameter or larger for it to work. There are plenty of them floating in space. It will happen before the sun runs out of fuel or we get swallowed by a 'black-hole'. Why does the human species need to exist forever? We are certainly not alone in this big universe. We may also be saved by another species (alien).

Yes it's a long time but from Musks perspective, there was a problem that needed solving and he set about solving it . And yes he and others have definitely thought about the logistics of mars colonization , decent article here

https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/08/how-and-why-spacex-will-colonize-mars.html/5


Are we alone .....? Are you familiar with the Fermi paradox .....basically we should have found someone if anyone is out there but there are interesting theories as to why we haven't .

https://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/details/fermi-paradox

 

[Thepaintbucket]

Man this is a good thing. Space exploration has been left in it's track because of Federal government cut backs and crippled further by overpriced contractors who had no competition.

 

[Prokofievian]

They're in entirely different categories, nevermind brackets.

Von Braun was not only one of the greatest minds and visionaries in all of recorded human history but easily one of the most significant figures of the 20th Century and equally indispensable at different periods to both the Third Reich and post-war American hegemon during global conflicts on the scale and level of World War II and Cold War. Just think about that for a second, to be so god damn relevant that it could almost make Albert Einstein blush.

I'm not really bothered about the USSR's admittedly impressive list of 'first's in space' because the Space Age did not start with the USA nor USSR, but in Germany during the 1940s with rockets engineered by Von Braun himself. The V-2 was the first man-made object to cross beyond the Earth's atmosphere as well as photograph it from outer space. The foundation of Soviet rocket program was dependent on V-2 technology and Sergei Korolev's initial R1/R2 rockets were just larger copycats with heavy assistance from engineers they had taken out of Germany as part of their own post-war spoils.

Not only that, but it's worth noting that Wernher von Braun was initially working for the Department of Defense upon immigration to the United States, he wasn't even transferred to NASA until after the Soviet Union had already successfully launched the first satellite and animal into low Earth orbit. Korolev was most definitely brilliant in his own right and would design his own insanely dependable launch vehicles, but a man-rated SHLLV rocket to the moon was and is still is on a completely different level and he was simply no match for WvB.



If all that weren't enough, he's also quite easily the most important and influential popularizer of space exploration in history with everything from numerous features he wrote in Colliers Magazine to his friendship with the ATG English science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke which in turn inspired creative talents on the caliber of Stanley Kubrick, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Elton John among others, with works that have become timeless artistic contributions to Western Culture on the whole. Not to mention he also founded the National Space Institute which was the first non-profit space exploration advocacy group of its kind, later merged with the L5 Society and still going.

Look familiar?

Interestingly enough when von Braun wrote a novel published in 1949 about a mega-works 1980s space exploration project to colonize Mars which discovered that the planet was already inhabited by an advanced civilization, the leader of the Martian government was given the name Elon.

 

[Phr3121]

@AnGrYcRoW
Those were great articles. But again, why go to Mars? Mars will face the same fate the Earth will. So, a Mars colonization makes no sense. The human colony needs to be able to move in space. A space station or a space ship.

The 'Law of Total Probability' alone proves that there has to be life outside of our solar system. The universe if fucking huge:

"The farthest known galaxy discovered in the universe is MACS0647-JD. It appears very young and is only a fraction of the size of our own Milky Way. The galaxy is about 13.3 billion light-years from Earth, the farthest galaxy yet known to man."

There has to be alien life. We have not found it yet, but it is out there. My bet is that they are much smarter than us and mean us no harm. They know we are out here. They have no interest in communicating or being found. I wouldn't either. A species that destroys its own kind in war. If they wanted to destroy us, they would have done it by now. I also believe in alien life that is primitive. Like fish in water.

So, in summary: Elon Musk is a cool, rich, smart, eccentric guy. Needs to find a hot, smart, eccentric wife. Falcon Heavy is a cool rocket. SpaceX is a cool company. Mars colonization is stupid. Human life will eventually end. There are other life forms in the universe.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

@AnGrYcRoW
Those were great articles. But again, why go to Mars? Mars will face the same fate the Earth will. So, a Mars colonization makes no sense. The human colony needs to be able to move in space. A space station or a space ship.

The 'Law of Total Probability' alone proves that there has to be life outside of our solar system. The universe if fucking huge:

"The farthest known galaxy discovered in the universe is MACS0647-JD. It appears very young and is only a fraction of the size of our own Milky Way. The galaxy is about 13.3 billion light-years from Earth, the farthest galaxy yet known to man."

There has to be alien life. We have not found it yet, but it is out there. My bet is that they are much smarter than us and mean us no harm. They know we are out here. They have no interest in communicating or being found. I wouldn't either. A species that destroys its own kind in war. If they wanted to destroy us, they would have done it by now. I also believe in alien life that is primitive. Like fish in water.

So, in summary: Elon Musk is a cool, rich, smart, eccentric guy. Needs to find a hot, smart, eccentric wife. Falcon Heavy is a cool rocket. SpaceX is a cool company. Mars colonization is stupid. Human life will eventually end. There are other life forms in the universe.

Mars isn't the end goal , it's Mars and then another planet further and so on and so on , at least that is Musks vision.

I used to think like you that there had to be intelligent life out there ( Carl Sagan shout out ) just based on the vastness of space but now I'm not as sure , what if by some chance we are unique ?

I think be multiplanetary is fundamentally logical if you want Humans to survive in the long long long term lol

Musk has had hot wives the issue seems to be the 10 hours a week he sets aside for them isn't enough to keep them happy

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I like Musk. If I could afford a Tesla I would own one. NASA is doing amazing shit. Space X is doing amazing shit. But what is ULA up too? Vulcan Centaur?

 

[woodguyatl]

Super shitty. Damn. That sets them back

Glad the 300 mph crash landing was on this test and not once they start putting people on board

Edit: I see someone else already commented.

 

[tramendous]

You act like that was all him like he doesn't have scientists and engineers on the payroll.

Im not sure what youre trying to say. We get hes not the only one involved but management and direction and leadership is a skill and Elon is a genius at that.

~Pfft alexander a genius? Didnt he have like soldiers n shiet doing that for him???~

^thats you right now.

 

[V-2]

The craziest part is that they are launching it assembled, not in pieces and assembled in space -- the fact that they are so confident in the design of instruments so delicate is a feat in engineering. The have a 24 hour live feed of it -- you can check out the videos of the stress testing, incredible stuff.

Man this is a good thing. Space exploration has been left in it's track because of Federal government cut backs and crippled further by overpriced contractors who had no competition.

So, in summary: Elon Musk is a cool, rich, smart, eccentric guy. Needs to find a hot, smart, eccentric wife. Falcon Heavy is a cool rocket. SpaceX is a cool company. Mars colonization is stupid. Human life will eventually end. There are other life forms in the universe.

I like Musk. If I could afford a Tesla I would own one. NASA is doing amazing shit. Space X is doing amazing shit. But what is ULA up too? Vulcan Centaur?

Meanwhile, a big round of applause for the People's Republic of China and their space exploration achievements, ladies and gentleman. Come give it up for your boys, @Orgasmo.

China's Out-of-Control Space Station Is About To Fall From The Sky

China’s Tiangong-1 space station has been completely out of control for months now, and space agencies from all over the world are expecting it to come crashing down to Earth in early 2018. Unfortunately, nobody knows exactly when or where the massive hunk of space junk will land.

Tiangong-1 — which means “Heavenly Palace” — hosted a number of Chinese astronauts during its brief lifespan, but after its extended mission ended in 2016, the Chinese space agency revealed that it had lost communication with the spacecraft and that its decaying orbit would eventually result in it plummeting to Earth. That’s not great news.

According to an FAQ about the Tiangong-1, the actual impact of the debris might not even be the most dangerous part about its tumble toward Earth. Potentially hazardous materials, including hydrazine, a highly toxic chemical used in rocket fuel, might survive re-entry. If any humans or animals come into contact with the substance, it would be very bad news.

You know, NASA works with (Putin's) RosCosmos on pretty much a daily basis aboard the ISS and the construction of it was largely a joint venture. The PRC is a completely different story: Congress has banned any bilateral space collaboration whatsoever between NASA and the CNSA, there are zero federal funds to ever be contracted to Chinese companies and Chinese officials have been prohibited from stepping foot onto NASA facilities.

Gotta love China thinking it's cool to obliterate a weather satellite with a ballistic missile for target practice, debris all over the fucking place and even taking out a Russian earth science orbiter along with it. The truth is, they're more chest thumping and bombastic with their bullshit than the US could ever be (pre-Trump) and I personally tire of it along with the veiled threats from the land of little manhoods. Zero ethics or class in their step. Fuck those cunts, straight up.

 

[Damien Karras]

This is the stuff that MAGA

not your stupid walls

 

[Bloodworth]

Should have been shown in all the schools like they use to .

Very huge achievement

 

[Phr3121]

China's Out-of-Control Space Station Is About To Fall From The Sky

Yeah, someone was saying how Chinese technology was so advanced. If that thing lands in my house I'm suing. They should stick to making chopsticks.

 

[Videer]

Yeah, someone was saying how Chinese technology was so advanced. If that thing lands in my house I'm suing. They should stick to making chopsticks.

Of course it comes down from LEO as it is no longer boosted to a higher orbit.