The SpaceX Thread

[cc bcc]

It's a very international team. Musks dream is not chauvinistic, in fact it's the opposite. Securing a future for all of mankind by colonizing the solar system.

 

[PsionEdge]

cc bcc[/url]":2gjgkr6a]It's a very international team. Musks dream is not chauvinistic, in fact it's the opposite. Securing a future for all of mankind by colonizing the solar system.

I think it's a product of who he hires, most US college kids. And it does feel like a significant national accomplishment.

I don't doubt that a Russian, Japanese, or Chinese, private company landing a person on the moon would cheer their nation. The only reason I don't mention a Euro nation there is it seems none are willing to spend the money on their own even if they think it's worth doing.

 

[Skoop]

I don't doubt that a Russian, Japanese, or Chinese, private company landing a person on the moon would cheer their nation.

I do. When it comes to a private company endeavor. The national sports team, on the other hand, sure.

SpaceX is doing what the national space agency is unfunded and ill-equipped to do (not their fault), so chanting "USA" is rather misapplied in this case. Still, kids gotta yell, so there you go.

 

[Sev]

cc bcc[/url]":hl42oex8]It's a very international team. Musks dream is not chauvinistic, in fact it's the opposite. Securing a future for all of mankind by colonizing the solar system.

Afaik you need US security clearance to work for SpaceX, ergo, SpaceX employee's are almost entirely American and not especially international. It is quite a one-nation effort.

 

[PottedMeat]

neat - there are going to be 6 vehicles docked at the station in a few mintues

 

[UserJoe]

Skoop[/url]":1sop4qbk]

I don't doubt that a Russian, Japanese, or Chinese, private company landing a person on the moon would cheer their nation.

I do. When it comes to a private company endeavor. The national sports team, on the other hand, sure.

SpaceX is doing what the national space agency is unfunded and ill-equipped to do (not their fault), so chanting "USA" is rather misapplied in this case. Still, kids gotta yell, so there you go.

Well, the USA does give them the money.

 

[Skoop]

Payment for services rendered.

 

[sryan2k1]

ITAR means any job related to the actual rocket parts are Americans only. So yes. USA.

 

[longhornchris04]

sryan2k1[/url]":3nbbi3jk]ITAR means any job related to the actual rocket parts are Americans only. So yes. USA.

Bingo. Not that I agree with it, but nearly all things space related have been put on the US Munitions list, and therefore are covered under the International Trafficking in Arms (ITAR). This stemmed from (among other things) US satellite companies (notably Space Systems Loral) providing technical assistance to the Chinese after their Long March 3 rockets destroyed a few comms satellites.

The end result has been that US companies involved in the space industry have to be VERY careful who they hire as employees and do business with. One of the more insane examples I've heard of was Sea Launch. The rocket used was a modified Russian Zenit vehicle, but Boeing was the manager. There were strict firewalls in place between the Russian & American staffs, to include separate control rooms on the control ship, to stay within ITAR compliance.

Now, what does this mean for SpaceX. Well, simply put I expect greater than 90% of their employees - and probably all of their technical employees - are US citizens. This avoids one of the major headaches with ITAR because now the only way foreign nationals are exposed to ITAR restricted data would be their customers.

 

[Statistical]

It's a very international team. Musks dream is not chauvinistic, in fact it's the opposite. Securing a future for all of mankind by colonizing the solar system.

Not really. Sadly ITAR sort of prevents that. Technically ITAR doesn't absolutely require a 100% US labor force but in the real world compliance with a mixed nationality labor force is next to impossible. Nobody even tries.

https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comment ... s_citizen/

 

[Skoop]

SpaceX is working on recovering the Falcon 9’s clamshell-like nose cone after launches. If achieved, that would offer savings on the order of several million dollars, according to Musk.

How do you think that they might do this? Parachutes on each one? But how do you slow them down before popping a chute?

What effect might seawater have on the shell halves?

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

Skoop[/url]":3v50i2ps]

SpaceX is working on recovering the Falcon 9’s clamshell-like nose cone after launches. If achieved, that would offer savings on the order of several million dollars, according to Musk.

How do you think that they might do this? Parachutes on each one? But how do you slow them down before popping a chute?

What effect might seawater have on the shell halves?

Since they are composite instead of metal, I don't expect short seawater immersion to have much effect.

Parachutes seem the simplest answer. You can start with a ribbon/drogue chute at supersonic speed, pop the bigger chute when you get slow enough. Soyuz uses 4 parachutes sequentially: 2, 1, 1.

 

[self_proclaimed_guru]

I don't doubt that a Russian, Japanese, or Chinese, private company landing a person on the moon would cheer their nation.

I do. When it comes to a private company endeavor. The national sports team, on the other hand, sure.

SpaceX is doing what the national space agency is unfunded and ill-equipped to do (not their fault), so chanting "USA" is rather misapplied in this case. Still, kids gotta yell, so there you go.

How is it missapplied? "USA" doesn't just apply to the US government, its agents or affiliates. Americans' use of it is akin to how they use the flag--which everybody appropriates to mean what they think the US stands for (i.e., American "ideals").

You'll see many protesters and others who have deep dislike or distrust of their government and politicians still proudly wear, wave or use it some manner. To reiterate, chanting "USA" or waving the American flag doesn't imply approval, agreement or sanction of US government actions, laws or policies.

As SpaceX is an innovative, privately-funded, immigrant-founded, U.S.-based company at the forefront of technology, it's actually a lot of closer to American ideals than NASA is right now. In other words, it's an excellent representative of America at its best.

 

[tie]

Skoop[/url]":1i0mm21h]SpaceX is doing what the national space agency is unfunded and ill-equipped to do (not their fault), so chanting "USA" is rather misapplied in this case. Still, kids gotta yell, so there you go.

NASA is SpaceX's largest customer, by far. NASA also pays SpaceX for developing technologies, and not just for launches to orbit.

So NASA is obviously funded sufficiently well to do the same thing. The issue isn't funding, it is NASA's wasteful and dysfunctional development programs. (It's popular to blame Congress, but NASA deserves a huge amount of the blame, too.)

 

[Megalodon]

Sounds like Dragon is successfully installed on ISS.

tie[/url]":uxvpig6q]So NASA is obviously funded sufficiently well to do the same thing. The issue isn't funding, it is NASA's wasteful and dysfunctional development programs. (It's popular to blame Congress, but NASA deserves a huge amount of the blame, too.)

Blame balance is shifting more and more to congress IMO. Commercial Resupply which is the bulk of SpaceX's past NASA business is a wild success, and the only problem with Commercial Crew is that it's under funded.

Look, the chanting is a bit over the top but they are justifiably proud, and and the pride isn't hermetically sealed inside SpaceX. SpaceX happened in the US, probably could only have happened in the US.

 

[Frennzy]

All politics aside, this is seriously fucking cool. This is the stuff of fantasy from when I was a kid. Seriously? Landing a rocket on a goddamned boat? I'm gonna buy a Tesla just because of this.

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

Frennzy[/url]":2sbxe3cl]All politics aside, this is seriously fucking cool. This is the stuff of fantasy from when I was a kid. Seriously? Landing a rocket on a goddamned boat? I'm gonna buy a Tesla just because of this.

Sign up soon for your Model 3. Only 350k reservations ahead of you....

 

[Frennzy]

Frennzy[/url]":1vbq4t4x]All politics aside, this is seriously fucking cool. This is the stuff of fantasy from when I was a kid. Seriously? Landing a rocket on a goddamned boat? I'm gonna buy a Tesla just because of this.

Sign up soon for your Model 3. Only 350k reservations ahead of you....

Which will work out just about perfectly, for me. I really want a model S, but I can use a model 3

 

[Mhorydyn]

Tom the Melaniephile[/url]":khzhj2x9]

Frennzy[/url]":khzhj2x9]All politics aside, this is seriously fucking cool. This is the stuff of fantasy from when I was a kid. Seriously? Landing a rocket on a goddamned boat? I'm gonna buy a Tesla just because of this.

Sign up soon for your Model 3. Only 350k reservations ahead of you....

He'll just hold off on monocles for a bit and grab a Model S, naturally.

Adding to the merriment, Musk tweeted (and then deleted) this: https://youtu.be/lSx4DGBstYA (potentially NSFW due to language)

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

Mhorydyn[/url]":2k54bet6]

Tom the Melaniephile[/url]":2k54bet6]

Frennzy[/url]":2k54bet6]All politics aside, this is seriously fucking cool. This is the stuff of fantasy from when I was a kid. Seriously? Landing a rocket on a goddamned boat? I'm gonna buy a Tesla just because of this.

Sign up soon for your Model 3. Only 350k reservations ahead of you....

He'll just hold off on monocles for a bit and grab a Model S, naturally.

Adding to the merriment, Musk tweeted (and then deleted) this: https://youtu.be/lSx4DGBstYA (potentially NSFW due to language)

Yeah, I was chided by Mrs. Melaniephile for messaging her a link without a NSFToddler notation...

 

[Dan Homerick]

Tom the Melaniephile[/url]":1soz2bih]

Mhorydyn[/url]":1soz2bih]

Tom the Melaniephile[/url]":1soz2bih]

Frennzy[/url]":1soz2bih]All politics aside, this is seriously fucking cool. This is the stuff of fantasy from when I was a kid. Seriously? Landing a rocket on a goddamned boat? I'm gonna buy a Tesla just because of this.

Sign up soon for your Model 3. Only 350k reservations ahead of you....

He'll just hold off on monocles for a bit and grab a Model S, naturally.

Adding to the merriment, Musk tweeted (and then deleted) this: https://youtu.be/lSx4DGBstYA (potentially NSFW due to language)

Yeah, I was chided by Mrs. Melaniephile for messaging her a link without a NSFToddler notation...

A very brief sidetrack about your nom de plume... surely her name is just "Melanie", no? Or is there some other backstory for your username?

 

[Alamout]

Clearly her name is Melanie Melaniephile. She changed it when they got married.

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

Alamout[/url]":3j8ipj4x]Clearly her name is Melanie Melaniephile. She changed it when they got married.

 

[bluesdrivemonster]

cc bcc[/url]":3m6o36cq]It's a very international team. Musks dream is not chauvinistic, in fact it's the opposite. Securing a future for all of mankind by colonizing the solar system.

Hopefully done before we blow the whole planet up

 

[.劉煒]

I'm excited about BEAM. Any word?

Also, USA! USA!

 

[Barmaglot]

BEAM installation is scheduled for April 15-16, inflation for May 25-26.

 

[Lee L]

So, it sounds like for some time, like a year or two, they will not allow astronauts into the BEAM at all. I assume that they will pressurize it and then keep the hatch sealed in case something happens during the test phase.

 

[Statistical]

So, it sounds like for some time, like a year or two, they will not allow astronauts into the BEAM at all. I assume that they will pressurize it and then keep the hatch sealed in case something happens during the test phase.

They will allow astronauts to enter but only briefly to record the condition of the module. Even after inflation the hatch will remain sealed at all times during those infrequent inspections. NASA doesn't yet consider inflatable modules to be TRL 9. One of the purposes of the BEAM experiment is to prove that the module can function as expected so that a future module could be certified for full time habitation.

Station astronauts will periodically enter the BEAM to check whether its thick yet flexible walls, which include layers of Kevlar, adequately block the twin hazards of space travel: radiation and micrometeoroids traveling faster than bullets.

“The plan is to have the hatch closed most of the time, with the crew going in and out a few times a year to collect data,” Garver said. The module will stay attached to the station for two years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

 

[Zich]

Will the astronauts be suited up, or just pick their heads in and hope for the best?

 

[Xavin]

Bingo. Not that I agree with it, but nearly all things space related have been put on the US Munitions list, and therefore are covered under the International Trafficking in Arms (ITAR)

It's the only sensible thing to do, rockets are just ICBMs that miss the Earth and end up in space. Even taking conversion to direct weapons off the table, there are a lot of countries that could do a lot of damage if they got into space. Space infrastructure is increasingly important and completely defenseless. It's going to start being a much bigger issue as space becomes more accessible. Eventually, ITAR restrictions will be futile (none of this tech is really secret, just very hard to implement), but for now they put off the crisis for another day.

How do you think that they might do this? Parachutes on each one? But how do you slow them down before popping a chute?
What effect might seawater have on the shell halves?

The plan is parachutes and then helicopters catching them on the way down, so no seawater.

 

[new2mac]

Barmaglot[/url]":2a6d9a7e]BEAM installation is scheduled for April 15-16, inflation for May 25-26.

Tnx!

 

[smartalco]

Xavin[/url]":37oasexv]

How do you think that they might do this? Parachutes on each one? But how do you slow them down before popping a chute?
What effect might seawater have on the shell halves?

The plan is parachutes and then helicopters catching them on the way down, so no seawater.

I, uh, don't want to be that pilot.

 

[Megalodon]

smartalco[/url]":11vj71ez]I, uh, don't want to be that pilot.

That's how they recovered spy satellite film back in the day.

 

[Xavin]

That's how they recovered spy satellite film back in the day.

Yeah, surprisingly it's not anything new and the tech already exists. The hardest part will probably be correctly projecting the trajectory of the fairings and getting the helicopters in the right place.Current fairings aren't exactly aerodynamically stable.

The real trick for SpaceX will be second stage reuse.

 

[Ecmaster76]

Any news on the barge and first stage returning to port?

Seems like in the past it took 48-72 hours to come back.

Granted they may be taking it more slowly this time due to the sensitive cargo.

I'm really looking forward to pictures of it tied up on the dock.

 

[Xavin]

It's still on its way, apparently they are avoiding some weather. It was originally supposed to get back Sunday.

 

[blargh]

Megalodon[/url]":30783jfx]

smartalco[/url]":30783jfx]I, uh, don't want to be that pilot.

That's how they recovered spy satellite film back in the day.

Yeah, the Wikipedia article on mid-air retrieval has some good schematics and photos. It took a fleet of 4 C-130s to have good confidence of recovery, but I'm sure the telemetry available in 1960 was a lot more primitive than we have today.

 

[Ecmaster76]

Xavin[/url]":126c7hls]It's still on its way, apparently they are avoiding some weather. It was originally supposed to get back Sunday.

That's handy, thanks

If they keep up the current rate then tomorrow afternoon is a likely ETA.

 

[new2mac]

The next item for reuse seems to be the nose fairing. Hard to believe those things cost a few million. You'd think it's just some reinforced fiberglass or something.

 

[PsionEdge]

new2mac[/url]":iz562xtw]The next item for reuse seems to be the nose fairing. Hard to believe those things cost a few million. You'd think it's just some reinforced fiberglass or something.

Or carbon fiber wrapped aluminum honeycomb.