Orraloon Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Today Space X were due to launch their resupply rocket. It's now been delayed until Friday. This will be their 5th mission to resupply the ISS. Nothing new there, but what they are trying to do for the first time is to recover the Falcon 9 first stage rocket by landing it on a floating platform in the Atlantic. In order for it to work the are looking an accuracy of about 10 meters. To me, just imagining that something like this is possible is just mind bogging. http://www.spacex.com/news/2014/12/16/x-marks-spot-falcon-9-attempts-ocean-platform-landing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffer Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Yeah, it's pretty cool. It's interesting watching all these different launch vehicles that are under development at the moment. Someone is going to really shake up the space industry by producing a step change in the cost of launching satellites in the next ten years, and then there will be a real kick on in the sector. Having said that, I'm not convinced that there isn't a bubble in the space industry at the moment, and a lot of people basing businesses on poorly understood economic values and 'look-at-this-isn't-it-really-cool' business cases. Edited January 6, 2015 by biffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Bit of a bump this. SpaceX heavy duty rocket is having its maiden flight in a couple of hours. Elon Musk's old car is being launched into solar orbit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Go for launch at 20:45. Watch it live on youtube... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Talking to myself here it seems but that was incredible! Took me back to being a nipper watching the Apollo and Space Shuttle launches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eisegerwind Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 That was fun. Have they lost a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 23 minutes ago, Eisegerwind said: That was fun. Have they lost a bit? Seems to be a lot of confusion over what happened to the centre booster that was supposed to land on the ship. SpaceX twitter silent on the matter so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 (edited) There's a sports car in orbit! Edited February 6, 2018 by Toepoke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffer Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Awesome. Live pictures of the whole earth. With a fucking sports car. Looks like they lost the centre core, but no matter. The dual landing of the boosters was a thing of beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Bongo Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Anyone else awaiting Scotty's take ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huddersfield Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 7 hours ago, Ally Bongo said: Anyone else awaiting Scotty's take ? I watched as well & was thinking of Scotty. Not so much from a point of proving him wrong, as I'm sure Hollywood could have knocked that together if they'd wished, but rather that someone with so much belief wouldn't see the hand of God in something so beautiful as that footage of the Earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 They are great images. The fact it's unmanned means it can orbit much higher among the Van Allen radiation belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 12 hours ago, biffer said: Awesome. Live pictures of the whole earth. With a fucking sports car. Looks like they lost the centre core, but no matter. The dual landing of the boosters was a thing of beauty. I saw the central bit land on the droned ship last night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailender Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 No, it missed, and crashed into the sea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 29 minutes ago, Squirrelhumper said: I saw the central bit land on the droned ship last night? You might have seen a replay of a previous one landing on a ship? They didn't get last nights one. https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16980954/spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-middle-core-failed-landing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phart Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 It's really cool. I like the "Don't Panic" sign. Hopefully got some good data for the next one and they can recover as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 1 hour ago, Orraloon said: You might have seen a replay of a previous one landing on a ship? They didn't get last nights one. https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/6/16980954/spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-middle-core-failed-landing Aye, think that's it actually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 8 minutes ago, phart said: It's really cool. I like the "Don't Panic" sign. Hopefully got some good data for the next one and they can recover as much as possible. I like the quirky humour of the things they are doing. It might just spark some more of the public's imagination to get interested in space exploration again. Anybody who can remember the moon landings will be over 50 now. It's time for the younger generations with bigger ideas to take over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 7 minutes ago, phart said: It's really cool. I like the "Don't Panic" sign. Hopefully got some good data for the next one and they can recover as much as possible. Apparently there's a copy of H2G2 in the glove box Had a google there and the next Falcon Heavy launch will be in a couple of months, the more practical payload of a communication satellite for Saudi Arabia. It looks like the BFR will take mind blowing to a different level... https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/02/falcon-heavy-proved-computer-software-for-designing-big-falcon-rocket.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDange Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 15 hours ago, Toepoke said: There's a sports car in orbit! Better keep that image off the Flat Earth thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Craig Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 This could be the first step to Mars. Elon Musk has been planning to land man on Mars and the development of this rocket was a big step towards that goal. A real step forward in rocket launching technology and cost-cutting at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 7 hours ago, Squirrelhumper said: Aye, think that's it actually! This is the way it's supposed to work. And a good explanation of why they want to land on the sea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 The final photo of Starman before the camera batteries died... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 53 minutes ago, Toepoke said: The final photo of Starman before the camera batteries died... Why didn't they wire the camera up to the car battery? Would've lasted for yonks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 11 minutes ago, Orraloon said: Why didn't they wire the camera up to the car battery? Would've lasted for yonks. Maybe the alternator has packed in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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