The Latest SpaceX Rocket Launches...

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WOW!… I TOTALLY Missed that Landmark… Thanks for the information.

There were even a few more “Mission Met” events that occurred during this Launch and Landing:

(1) The Falcon 9 First Stage Booster used in this Group Satellite Launch today, successfully landed on the Drone Ship “Of COURSE I STILL Love You!” for the Sixth Consecutive Time. The Goal for “reasonable re-usability” set by Elon Musk is that if all the Falcon 9 Boosters can eventually be Launched and Landed Ten Times in a Row… they will have more than paid for themselves.

Think of it THIS way… If SpaceX was Using Up and Discarding their Rockets like Empty Beer Cans at a Company Picnic in the same manner that ULA does, THESE would be the LOSSES that would add up on the Tally for 100 Launches with NO subsequent Hardware Recoveries:

a. 100 Falcon 9 Rocket "Block 5" 210’ Tall Rocket Boosters.
b. 900 Merlin M1-D Low Atmospheric Rocket Engines.
c. 200 Rocket Fairing Halves valued @ $6,000,000 per Side.

So...Yeah… MAN! Savings, Dude... THAT is One Helluva Lotta BREAD!



(2) For the First Time, a Pair of Fairings recovered during a Prior Launch was re-used on Today’s Launch...with ONE getting caught like a Fly Ball in the Net of the Recovery Vessel “Mz. Chief” and the other getting picked up by the Sister Ship, “Mz. Tree” a bit later after a Gentle Parachute Water landing.



(3) I decided to give an Original ‘Nick-Name’ to the Claw-Held Service “Trunk” Module that eventually had to be discarded after being unhooked and cast off simultaneously during a literal “Barrel-Roll” Maneuver performed in Space Low Earth Obit at almost 18,000 MPH from the aft section of the Crew Dragon Capsule Number Two Demo Flight just prior to its recent “Igneous Re-Entry” and Safe Landing Back on The Earth.

I call it… “The Dragon-Wagon…” LOL

This was Today’s Launch Itinerary ...with ALL the activities being safely, efficiently and successfully completed:


This is a Composite Image of The In-Flight Recovery of One of the SpaceX Fairings via “Mz. Tree”. Take notice of the presence of that Brown Canoe-Like Float on the center-aft deck of the Ship.

Apparently it was placed there as a Back-Up & Pick-Up Device to allow the Boat Crew the second chance of recovering the Halves from floating away on the Atlantic Ocean and then tow them right on back along side the Recovery Ship(s).

The other portion of this Image shows the “Lovely and Nice... Ms. Kay Tice” the SpaceX Engineer who performed ALL of the color commentary for Today’s Launch and Landings...Much Obliged, Kay!:

 

[Redbeard]

Ms Tree catches a fairing half

SpaceX’s fairing recovery vessel Ms. Tree catches a Falcon 9 fairing half after launch of SpaceX’s eleventh Starlink mission on August 18, 2020. The fairing used on this mission previously flew in support of SpaceX’s fourth Starlink mission.

"SpaceX's new fairing recovery vessels Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief are so much better at their job than their predecessors Ms. Calculation and Near Ms."

 

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This weekend… SpaceX will Go Live in about 18 Hours to start the Countdown on Sunday, August 30th, 2020 @ 10:15 AM EST for Not ONE but TWO Separate Falcon 9 Rocket Launches for the Closest Rocket Launch Turnaround they have ever attempted, expecting these Launches to happen literally “Back To Back” within just a few hours of each other:

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

Read this Article to gather the “FGD”… (Fine Grain Details):

https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/spacex-closest-ever-launches/

It's hard to believe... but some time Today... the Folks over at the Boca Chica Texas SpaceX Testing Site may ALSO attempt another Starship (SN5) "Hop" ...Rocking & Rolling on their Powerful Raptor Rocket Engines as well... GO SPACEX!

Might as well get caught up on the Recent BIG Construction activities happening down in Texas prepping for more Starship events:

 

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I normally don't post so much "Back To Back" information... but there is also the Late Breaking Story of the Failure-Abort of the ULA (United Launch Alliance) during their efforts to launch an NROL (National Reconnaissance Office) Satellite into Outer Space earlier today that also deserves coverage.

That information comes on the heels of the Law Suit that SpaceX is apparently still pressing over the fact that they believe ULA, Blue Origin and Northrup-Grumman were given an unfair advantage in the bidding on contracts for similar such launches involving Heavy Military and National Security Reconnaissance Satellites... like the one that did NOT get off of ULA's Launch Pad earlier today.

Despite winning contract, SpaceX sticks with lawsuit against feds and rocket rivals

SpaceX is pursuing its lawsuit against the federal government and its launch industry rivals, even though it's been cleared for billions of dollars in contracts

www.geekwire.com

This raises the question as to whether in THIS case, using the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket System in situations would have been:

(A) A WHOLE Lot Less Expensive
(B) Actually WORKED.

The linked Video shows the ULA Triple Orange Drink Bottles filled with LOX (Liquid Oxygen) and LH (Liquid Hydrogen) at first lighting off... and then just as suddenly...NOT going anywhere after an immediate abort and shutdown. Hopefully, they can rectify the situation sooner than later.

Anyhow... its NOT something for anyone to gloat over, since these Satellites are cutting edge and ready to go with providing surveillance information necessary to ensure our National Security. So we really need EVERY Launch to WORK, especially when these launches Cost the U.S. Tax Payers a BOATLOAD of Greenbacks; in THIS case an estimated $400,000.00 per launch.

The last bit of important information on this Video concerns the work and testing that seem to be dragging on FOREVER with the James Webb Telescope after, What is it now...some 15 Years on? ...Without being launched yet... WTF James Webb Guys? Let's GO DAMMIT ...I want to SEE what THIS Damned Thing Can SEE ...B4 I DIE!!!

 

[mrrsm]

The Latest launch of the Starlink Satellites scheduled as the first of two SpaceX Falcon 9 Rockets to be launched today has been scrubbed for typical Bad Tropical Weather we see all day long boiling up from the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...for-another-rocket-flight-tonight/ar-BB18w4Hr

"Standing down from today's launch of Starlink due to inclement weather during pre-flight operations," SpaceX representatives wrote on Twitter. "Next launch opportunity is Tuesday, September 1 at 9:29 a.m. EDT, pending Range acceptance."

However, the second launch is still a tentative “GO” for tonight around 7:00 PM or so for the other Falcon 9 to carry a a Satellite for Argentina into a Polar Orbit (of all things... from Florida instead of California as per their usual approach because it is tough to do so close to the Equator… Hmmm):

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

The idea is also to land the previously Used Falcon 9 First Stage right back at the Cape on the “Terra Firma” Landing Pad purpose built by SpaceX to be “Close to the Facilities...But not TOO Close…” The Night Time, Tail First Landings of these Amazing Machines is always an AWESOME sight to behold.

“With Starlink delayed, SpaceX will now focus on tonight's launch of the SAOCOM 1B radar Earth-observation satellite for the Argentina's space agency, the Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE). SAOCOM is short for Satélite Argentino de Observación COn Microondas (Argentine Microwaves Observation Satellite). The mission has been delayed since March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The launch is scheduled for 7:18 p.m. EDT (2318 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at CCAFS and include the launch of two small rideshare satellites: the GNOMES-1 weather satellite by PlanetiQ and the Tyvak-0172 nano-satellite built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems.”

 

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It looks like the Evening Launch of SAOCOM 1B is a GO in around 6 Minutes::

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

 

[mrrsm]

Complete Success with the Polar Orbital Launch of the SAOCOM 1B Satellite (courtesy The Country of Argentina) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sunday August 30th, 2020. Here are the Major Highlights and Time Slots for viewing them (and the final launch of Two Ride-Share Satellites):

For the First Time… SpaceX successfully launched and delivered Three Satellites into a Polar Orbit from the Cape Canaveral Rocket Launch Facilities. Such a Launch from the Cape has NOT been attempted since the1960s.

(1) Watch the First 10 Minutes of the Narration to get the overall Flight Plan.
(2) Terminal Launch Down Count at 16:42.
(3) MECO (Main Engine Cut Off) and separation of the 1st & 2nd Stages at 19:18.
(4) Dual Faring Separation and Fall away exposing SAOCOM 1B at 20:43.
(5) Hyper-Sonic to Trans-Sonic Air Streaming through Titanium Grid Fins at 24:21.
(6) Falcon 9 1st Stage Final Descent, 3 Engine Burn & Pin-Point Landing at 24:30.
(7) Falcon 9 1st Stage achieves its 4th Perfect Landing on Earth at 25:02.
(8) From 25:02 ...segue watch until 26:58 for SECO (Second Engine Cut Off).
(9) From 30:27 Coast Phase to SAOCOM 1B Satellite Launch at 31:05.
(10) From 1:17:00 Launch of (2) Small Satellite Launches via Ride-Share Program.

The spectacular Launch and Landing of the Falcon 9 1st & 2nd Stages really looked amazing in the Twilight conditions with THE BEST Dual Camera Coverage of the Landing EVER.

Go SpaceX!

 

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This Video has some VERY Interesting insights from some 'Overseas Observers' of all the Shenanigans going on with ULA vs.SpaceX concerning their Dwindling Market Share of the prevailing Launch Contracts up for grabs right now:

 

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This Morning's Completely Successful Launch and Landing of the Starlink 11 Group of Satellites (and the recovery of the Falcon 9 Booster for its 2nd Time returning to the Earth after a Launch) brings them up to around 700 so far, sent into LEO (Low Earth Orbit).

Today, we also witnessed the additional progress of proving out the fact that the SpaceX Satellite to Satellite Communications ability of using Lasers to transfer Hundreds of Giga-Bits of Data in between them worked perfectly as part of their New Design for High Speed, Low Latency Internet Access to all parts of the Globe.

Ultimately, there may be as few as 12,000 of these Starlink Satellites in Orbit as necessary for their Full Operational Capabilities to commence. Eventually as many as 40,000 of them may be circling around in Outer Space about 500 Miles above the Earth.

They will be able to maneuver independently of each other by using their Long Life on-board Krypton Powered ION Thruster Engines. These Rocket Motors will make it possible for them to eventually De-Orbit at their End Of Life to safely Burn Up in the Earth's Atmosphere as required to minimize adding to the unnecessary, burgeoning presence of useless Space Debris.

I should add that, My God...The SpaceX Engineer, Ms. Kate Tice is not only gifted with having such a friendly, personable character in her interesting, factual and informative Narration of these events... She is also SUCH a Damned Fine, Good Looking Woman, Too. :>)

 

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I'm going to have to "Up My Game..." in order to stay on top of the rapidity of these Launches...This Morning... I completely missed the Drama of THIS one involving the 2nd Test Launch of a Proto-Type "Silo" of the Starship called (Serial Number Six) or SN-6. Once again... Eleon Musk Keeps The Surprises coming.

If you've been following "BocaChicaGal" in her efforts to cover the Boca Chica SpaceX Activities 24 Hours a Day... 366 Days of the Year...then you know that over this past week, a group of Engineers took Two HUGE Rolls of 304L Stainless Steel weighing 22 Tons to be used as Ballast in stabilizing the upper portion of the Space Ship (...just like it would be with an NROL Heavy Satellite mounted on top) and had them welded in place inside of a Huge Steel Box.

Well... even with that additional, concentrated Payload Burden, they STILL managed to have another Successful Test Launch of the Gigantic SN-6 Rocket Ship to a controlled height of around 150 Meters and then under FULL Control, powered by ONLY ONE RAPTOR ROCKET ENGINE...in glided over to the other Landing Pad and set down as gently as you please. So What about the next one? The Goal Height is 1,200 Meters...

And so, Day by Day... the possibility of us Managing to Get us to The Moon and to Mars and much further Beyond MUCH SOONER THAN LATER , all seems grounded in the reality of this progression of Successful Tests. Elon's relentless pursuit of his Mission; either With ....or Without NASA's Help... is proving to be something that we can ALL believe in.

 

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THIS COMING EVENT IS A VERY BIG DEAL FOR SPACEX...

Next Week… The SpaceX Engineers at the Boca Chica, Texas Facility will attempt to Launch a Fully Assembled Starship … Powered by Three Large SpaceX Raptor Engines; all burning CH4 (Liquid Methane as Fuel) and LOX (Liquid Oxygen as the Oxidizer) to a height of 60,000 Feet.

Then the Enormous Craft is scheduled to tip over on its side at around 11.4 Miles above ground in order to make use of its Giant Body to glide against and resist the Air while slowly steering itself as it falls back down under the Pull of the Earth's Gravity.

The expectation here is that the Craft will then fire its Rocket Motors back up with the intention of performing a typical “Tail Down Attitude Landing” similarly done successfully so many times before by its Falcon 9 First Stage Rocket Booster brethren.

This amazing and seriously accurate HQ CGI Video Simulation demonstrates what will hopefully soon occur... From Rocket Ship Launch... to Rocket Ship Landing:

...and HERE are the most recent ancillary SpaceX Engineering Updates surrounding the Boca Chica Facilities Activities...and MORE:

 

[Redbeard]

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral after earlier scrubs
With the 7:29 a.m. liftoff, the mission is carrying 60 Starlink satellites into orbit.

SpaceX launched a rocket carrying dozens of satellites into orbit just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at Cape Canaveral. Oct 6, 2020.

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral after earlier scrubs

With the 7:29 a.m. liftoff, the mission is carrying 60 Starlink satellites into orbit.

www.tampabay.com

 

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This is a News Brief excerpted from the SpaceX YouTube Channel of Today's Launch along with the Video of the Full Successful Event:

“On Monday, October 5 at 7:51 a.m. EDT, 11:51 UTC, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported launch of Crew Dragon’s first flight to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts onboard and the ANASIS-II Mission.

Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. One of Falcon 9’s fairing halves supported two previous Starlink launches. The Starlink satellites deployed approximately 1 hour and 1 minute after liftoff.

Earlier this week, emergency responders in Washington State shared their experience using Starlink. In the wake of the wildfires that devastated areas of the state in August, first responders there have been using the service for their purposes and to help bring the residents of Malden internet service while they rebuild their community. Malden is located about 35 miles south of Spokane, Washington, which falls within the northern latitudes our satellites currently service.

The way emergency responders deployed Starlink in this context is representative of how Starlink works best—in remote or rural areas where internet connectivity is unavailable. Our Starlink network is still in its early stages, but as our network grows our coverage will grow as well. If you would like to receive updates on Starlink news and service availability in your area, please visit starlink.com.”

 

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SpaceX had a Successful Launch of a group of 60 SpaceX Starlink Telecommunication Satellites today, Sunday, October 18th, 2020 with a finely nailed landing of their Falcon 9 Booster onto their Drone Ship out in the Atlantic Ocean around 350 Nautical Miles off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. This is the 14th of the 18 Starlink Launches planned for this year and the 6th time for the Falcon 9 First Stage Booster Rocket to head out into space and land safe;y back on the Earth.

This brings the current total of these satellites being successfully launched into Low Earth Orbit to 800 Units circling the Earth in Outer Space. The Fully operational number of them will be between 12,000 and 14,000 for the Complete Coverage needed for Satellite to Satellite Laser Communications being faster than anything terrestrial happening right now.

Presently, the Starlink Technical Staff are testing the intercoms between sets of Starlink “Birds” and for ground stations reception as they go along.
Each Starlink Satellite weighs 260 Kilograms or 571.2019 Pounds or 34392.114 Pounds for All 60 being Launched in their Group.

This was the preliminary Launch News Release:

SpaceX is targeting Sunday, October 18 at 8:25 a.m. EDT, 12:25 UTC, for its fourteenth Starlink mission, which will launch 60 Starlink satellites to orbit. Falcon 9 will lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and a backup opportunity is available on Monday, October 19 at 8:06 a.m. EDT, 12:06 UTC. Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported Crew Dragon’s first demonstration mission to the International Space Station, launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, and three Starlink missions this year. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” Drone Ship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s fairing halves each previously supported two missions.

On a more personal note… SpaceX CEO & Chief Rocket Engineer Elon Musk recently endured the same Neurosurgery on his Cervical Spine (C-5 & C-6) that I underwent back in 1992 after suffering an on-duty combat training injury. From personal experience, I can testify that he probably felt SO MUCH BETTER after he woke up… But he’ll be in for at least a 6 Month Long Rehab. If he is Smart, he will go at it very slowly. (No Question about THAT).

 

[mrrsm]

So… How Much SpaceX Hardware and Customer Money has been Saved by the ability of SpaceX to Launch and Recover the Falcon 9 First Stage Rocket Boosters by Land and by Sea over the Last Few Years?

THIS Was the Very First One that Finally Made it to the Autonomous Drone Ship:



After that, as we head towards the end of 2020:

63 Falcon 9 Boosters have been Successfully Launched, Landed and Recovered containing:
603 Merlin M1D (Atmospheric) Rocket Engines
63 Merlin MVAC (Space Vacuum) Engines (In Space NOT Recovered...Yet)
252 Titanium Hyper-Velocity Guide Fins
? Recent Fairing Recoveries

This is an “Older” Article from back in 2016 (with some very interesting Reader Comments) published just after the First Falcon 9 Booster landed atop “Of COURSE I Still Love You”. The Technical and Financial Analysis back then presented a fairly grim and sobering picture of what the prevailing beliefs were about the realistic possibilities of “reuseability” of any Recovered First Stage Rockets.

So, at the present time, after having more than exceeded what the Article Writer(s) believed was possible, it makes for a stark contrast with just how Wildly Successful the SpaceX approach to Rocket Launches, Landings and Recoveries have actually been turning out:

https://spacenews.com/spacexs-reusable-falcon-9-what-are-the-real-cost-savings-for-customers/

If you've ever wondered,

"What are the Differences are between the (9) Merlin M1D Rocket Engines in the Base of the Falcon 9 First Stage Rocket Booster versus the Single Merlin MVAC Rocket Engine powering the Second Stage with various Payloads?"

Here is a Side-By-Side Comparison of their Consecutive Design Generations that started in the Mid 2000s and have evolved over the years with Engineering Design Improvements in their Materials, Appearances and Improved Performance as shown from Left to Right in this image:



The Second Stage Single Merlin MVAC Rocket Motors have the Longer "Skirt" Length in their Bell Shaped Rocket Nozzle Design due to the lack of any external Atmospheric Pressure that ordinarily surrounds the Merlin M1D Rocket Exhaust right up to the very limit of the Earth's Air Envelope. This Extra Containment is necessary to Focus the exiting Rocket Exhaust into the Vacuum of Outer Space.

The Merlin MVAC Rocket Motors give slightly better power and performance in Outer Space than the Merlin M1D Rocket Motors do within the Atmosphere of the Planet Earth. This of course also means that were it necessary for ALL of the Rocket Engines to have those "Longer Skirts" down here... The SpaceX Engineers would NOT have been able to squeeze all (9) MVAC Engines under the super-structure of the Falcon 9 First Stage Rocket Booster! (Good Thing...)

 

[mrrsm]

On September 11th, 1999, during an effort to identify potentially dangerous, Earth-crossing Asteroids, the Scientists running the LINEAR Project set up for this Mission discovered, among many other Space Borne Objects, a Bizarre, “Spinning Top”- like Asteroid called “Bennu”. A "Day" on "Bennu" is only 4.5 Hours long.



This is arguably THE Best and Most Complete "Story of Bennu" describing the Mission and the Shape of Things to Come with that effort:

Due to the threatening size and Risk of Impact from this Thing being around 1/3 of a Mile Across, NASA made the commitment to Design, Build and Launch the OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft to pursue an arrival and orbit “Bennu” to make an ‘Up Close and Personal’ long term study of this Ancient Relic in Space. Asteroid “Bennu” was created from the light gravitational attraction of some coalesced rugged, leftover debris that was created during the formation of Solar System around 4.5 Billion Years ago.

We would NOT like it if "Bennu" placed a "Bullseye" upon us... and struck our planet at its orbital velocity of 65,000 MPH. Please visit this linked WIKI for more detailed information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101955_Bennu

On December 3rd, 2018, the OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft arrived at “Bennu” after a two-year long journey and was successful in establishing a very close orbit around the Asteroid at 2,000 Feet above its surface. Ever since, the Spacecraft Onboard Sensors and Cameras have been actively studying everything about this weird object and has transmitted that Data back to the Earth.

This fascinating Video will show those remarkable, almost “3D” like images captured by this Capable Craft during this study period with a beautiful, almost “3D CGI” like quality of these recorded movie sequences:

On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, NASA reported that information and imagery received from the OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft proved that the “Collection Arm” portion of that Space Machine was able to briefly land on the surface of “Bennu” and collect a substantial Sample of the Asteroid Regolith Rubble, Sand and Rocks with the intention of sending that "Fresh Soil Sample" back to the Earth by the Year 2023:

Nice Work... NASA.

 

[Redbeard]

Accuracy:

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft passed by Pluto two years ago. It was a three-billion mile trip that took nine and a half years. According to NASA, the trip “took about one minute less than predicted when the craft was launched in January 2006. Think about that. In an untested, decade-long journey, NASA’s forecast was about 99.99998% accurate. That’s like forecasting a trip from New York to Boston and being accurate to within four millionths of a second.

from the book "the psychology of money" by Morgan Housel. page 200 softcover.

 

[mrrsm]

In around Two Hours from now… SpaceX will launch the Fourth mission of a GPS III Satellite Space Vehicle atop a Brand New Falcon 9 First Stage Rocket Booster on a Mission for the “United States Space Force” :

https://www.spacex.com/launches/

 

[mrrsm]

11 Minutes to Launch:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

 

[mrrsm]

On Sunday, November 8th, 2020... The Four Human Beings who will occupy Cabin Seats aboard the next Crew Dragon Capsule being called "Crew 1" arrived quietly by a NASA Business Jet on site at the NASA facilities at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. There will be No More Crew Demo Space Vehicles being Tested from this point on.

Crew Dragon Astronauts Arrive in Florida for Launch Preparations

Astronauts hope Tropical Storm Eta doesn’t delay the 2nd SpaceX crew flight. Four astronauts appeared at Kennedy Space Center on Sunday in preparation for SpaceX's second crew flight departing next weekend.

www.sciencetimes.com

Here you can see the Crew Dragon Space Capsule, Cargo and Life Support Section and the Second Stage Falcon Booster fitted with a hidden single, Merlin Vacuum Rocket Engine capable of delivering around 220,000 Pounds of Thrust, This version is slightly more efficient than any of the 9 Merlin M1D Engines snugged up below in the base of the First Stage Booster. Once Again... NASA hearkens back to a time when the "Red Worm" LOGO was the Standard Stencil and Decal of the Agency, going back to the halcyon days of the Appolo Missions from the 1960s and 1970s:



This planned "Flight of Four" will be the inaugural launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule Spacecraft capable of carrying One More Crew Member than is ordinarily possible when traveling inside of the Old but Reliable Russian Soyuz Capsules. The State Sponsored Soviet Cosmonauts have been using it to travel by leaving the Earth from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome Spaceport in Kazakhstan from the Earth ...heading right up to the ISS as often as needed and eventually, arriving safely back down on the Earth, time and time again for almost 60 years on now.

Baikonur Cosmodrome - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

We shouldn't be too smug about just how reliable; albeit primitive the Old Russian Soyuz Capsules have been and remained so over the many decades since the Russians became the first people to successfully Launch Yuri Gagarin into a Stable Orbit around the Planet and marking that "Space" with a symbolic Human Footprint. They have performed reliable service with rare technical difficulties that have since been sorted out for the sake of better safety.

But... to get back to the latest accomplishments of SpaceX and their Crew Dragon Design is the reason for us to focus on a the Dream of Elon Musk to return America to making Regular. Affordable Manned Space Flights to and from the ISS... The Moon and eventually ...The Planet Mars. His hopes are wrapped up in our being able to move to and from these bodies, roaming rapidly and comfortably through the Blackness of Space, allowing Mankind to successfully become a Multi-Planet Species.



The New "Crew 1" Dragon White Capsule is capable of carrying as many as (7) Seven Crew Members (or Passengers) if necessary... a VERY nice feature if you need to transport EVERYONE off of the ISS in the case of any serious Emergency. These Folks are scheduled to take flight atop a Brand New Falcon 9 Block 5 Rocket Booster on Saturday, November 14th, 2020 for an anticipated Launch at around 7:49 PM from Cape Canaveral facilities.

In the mean time... they'll have the chance to get oriented and finalize their Space Flight Plans before the Scheduled Launch. The Latest Tropical Weather may be the deciding factor at to whether this Launch will be a "GO" as we are having Late Season Tropical Weather threatening and which will definitely factor in to the scheme of being able to launch within a safe level of upper atmosphere High Winds.

 

[mrrsm]

This is literally an "AWESOME Site" in every sense of the word "Sight" because it shows the level of Scientific and Technological Progress NASA has been able to achieve for the On Site-In Situ Kind of studies of our Solar System Bodies that are being done here with literally being able to "Watch What Bennu....Is Getting UP To..." any time they want...

Bennu - NASA Science

Asteroid Bennu was the target of NASA's first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx. The spacecraft delivered a sample of Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023.

solarsystem.nasa.gov

So why would it be so important to orbit an object over One and Half Billion Miles away from the Earth shaped like a 'Child's Spinning Top' and gather granular information about it? Well... take a gander at what Scientists managed to discover back in 2015 ...hidden under 300 Meters of Ice flowing into the Greenland Hiawatha Crater and filling a space made by the impact that is over 31 Kilometers wide::

Knowing as much we can about these Near Earth Asteroids might give us enough time to figure out how to Re-Direct them at great distances...with just enough deflection for them to MISS hitting the Earth like THIS one did quite recently in terms of geological time frames.

Somewhere between 3,000,000 Years Ago to as recent as 12,000 to 20,000 Years Ago... During the latter part of the most recent Ice Age... an Object approximately One Mile Across did THIS to the edge of Northwest Greenland, The LINEAR Near Earth Passing Asteroid Project is looking for these things threatening our world ...right NOW:



...and a SECOND Crater in the same area? Sure... just look at the other YouTube Videos shwoing the Schumacher-Levy Asteroid breaking up as it was torn apart by the enormous gravitational tidal forces before plunging through the Atmosphere of the Gas Giant Planet: Jupiter. So THIS Second Object that caused the other Impact Crater may have behaved in the very same way as it approached the Earth:

 

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The “Crew 1” Dragon Capsule Launch to the ISS from Cape Canaveral, Florida is scheduled for this coming Sunday, November 15th, 2020 at an “Instantaneous Launch Time” of 07:27 AM EST:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

 

[mrrsm]

The "Crew 1" Crew Dragon Launch has been re-scheduled to happen in around 4 Hours:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

Actually... NASA has jumped in already to show their pre-launch people... so if you want their take on the NASA side of the story before SpaceX gets into what they will be doing... that is being covered live ...now 11/15/2020 @ 3:32 PM.

 

[mrrsm]

When SO Much is at stake... Being so aware of the Lives of Four Human Beings... Sitting for hours on end inside of a Capsule atop 1,000,000 Pounds of Rocket Fuel and Oxidizer... With All of the complex Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic and Hydraulic Systems having to work PERFECTLY in tandem and in sequence to meet every requirement necessary for a "GO" Signal and a Final Countdown Sequence to Start.... is ALWAYS a Nerve-Wracking Experience.

For the long hours of TV Wathcing In between though, I caught myself allowing my mind to wander to questions like,"With Three Men... One Woman On Board... And One Toilet... Who gets to Prioritize Access...and in "Zero" Gravity, Too...?" Then there was the fact that after NASA-TV took over the SpaceX Channel... there was that same old tiresome, repetitive NASA Narration droning On and On and On over EVERYBODY else familiar to us from SpaceX.

Ordinarily, the Men and Women from SpaceX chosen as Narrators are actually Engineers themselves. So we know them from many other Launch Events as being parsimonious in their speech, accurate about their Technical Content and as always very Friendly and Spot-On for accuracy... without just repeating" What the Cap-Com JUST Said" when providing Launch Updates.

But... After a few hours of listening to this nonsense,.. I found myself Yelling at the NASA Narrator on my Laptop Screen, "Lady... For Chrissakes... WIll You PLEEEEAZE Just STFU!".



I wanted to hear from the Engineers like Ms. Kate Tice and Mr. John Insperger from SpaceX... NOT from someone wearing a NASA Scientist's "White Lab Coat-Flight Jacket" who had to ask Kate..."Which End does the Fire come out of...?"



And then finally... They Fired Off the "TEA-TEB" (Tri-Ethyl-Aluminum--Tri-Ethyl-Borane) Green Igniter Flame...The RP-1 and Liquid Oxygen Mixed and Burned a Bright Orange Flame from the Nine Merlin M1-Rocket Engines... and the Four Astronauts were OFF THE PAD AND ON THEIR WAY TOWARDS A LOW EARTH ORBIT.

Elon Musk's SpaceX Team is just about as GOOD as it GETS. First... He and his Engineers have created their Space Machines out of "Whole Cloth" with New and Innovative Ideas and Designs fit for delivering regular, predictable results (even though NOTHING about Rocketry and Space Travel should EVER become Routine). Second... He has managed to accomplish so much just about as Economically as it can all possibly be done.

Contrast the Fresh Faces from SpaceX with the "Stiff Shirts" that still seems to permeate the ranks of the NASA Corporation with "That Good Ol' NASA Philosophy" they can't seem to shake loose, is their absurd need for sloppy, ill timed, obsequious sentimentalism right up to Launch Time.

Who's Big Idea was it to have the Entire Families of the Astronauts greeting them with NO proper respect for the need to keep the COVID-19 Virus from being carried up to the International Space Station ...just so "America can see that "One Last Good-Bye" before these folks have to climb inside of their Spaceship?! Who DOES That?! And then there was Everybody from NASA using SpaceX Hardware as their Back Drop and trying to make it look like THEY created all of this Stuff? WTF? NASA? Supplied the Astronauts... SpaceX? Supplied EVERYTHING ELSE!

Okay... The NASA Rant's Over... Here is the Full Day-One Launch Saga from YouTube....Warts and All...With more to come over the next few days as they Crew 1 Dragon Capsule tailgates the ISS and then Docks to the Special Port:

 

[mrrsm]

Starting at around 7 Hours and 19 Minutes into this first video you get a GREAT VIEW of the approach of the SpaceX Crew 1 Capsule in the Free-Fall Orbit of Space arriving at and then ...moving slowly in towards the ISS with the Canada Arm extended outwards for Exterior Video Capture. It follows on from there until Crew Dragon Docking and Vestibule Pressurization happens at around 8 Hours and then with Crew Ingress to the ISS at around 10 Hours into the Video. Playing these segments a 2Xs Speed gives a better indication of contrasting motion:

Bravo SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Rocket and Falcon Second Stage too for giving the SpaceX Crew 1 Folks such a Smooth and Safe Ride from our Planet up and into Space and through numerous Low Earth Orbits at just under 18,000 MPH to close in on the ISS. Bravo SpaceX in Hawthorne, California for their efforts with NASA in getting them Automatically Docked and Safely aboard the ISS, courtesy the work of Astronaut Kate Rubens.

She carefully prepared the Three Hatches from within the Space Station to the Space Capsule and then after equalizing the Atmospheric Pressure, she invited the Four American Astronauts to float on through the Hatchways in “Zero Gravity” and greet Ms. Rubens and the Two Russian Cosmonauts. This successfully raises the compliment of ISS On Board Personnel from Three to a “Lucky Seven” where the Four Members of the Crew 1 Group will remain on board the ISS for an extended Six Month Mission.

Afterwards, SpaceX CEO and Engineer Gwen Shotwell said that she has already got plans for a LOT more Crew Dragon Missions; some of which may also involve the participation of "Private Astronauts" as The First Commercial Paying Customers to be sent into Outer Space.

The Latest Rumor about this idea is that The Actor Tom Cruise may be doing just that in order to Film an Action Movie on board the ISS in "Real Zero Gravity".

 

[mrrsm]

It is probably worth noting the contrast of a 60 Year Old Technology that, for the most part has reliably carried Russian Men and Women... and Our Astronauts as well, up and into Outer Space ever since the American STS Program was Moth-Balled for being" TOO Expensive to Continue". We are talking of course of the original USSR Soyuz Expeditions Program that continues to be the "Old Iron Horse for Russian Space Travel" for the present Russian Federation.

Historically, the Russian Space Program has also contributed to support the likes of ULA (United Launch Alliance) with their Amazing Four Nozzle RD-180 Rocket Engines that a group of American Businessmen negotiated for what they considered back then to be "Mere Peanuts" by purchasing around 100 RD-180s for use on American Rockets.

They did so during "The Glasnost Period" after the Cold War thawed out; presumably because it was Cheaper to Buy these Better Russian Rocket Motors than it was for ULA to spend the money on the Research necessary to Innovate, Design and Build their OWN Rockets right here on American Soil ...which they also knew would NEVER be able to achieve the same high level of Rocket Power and Performance produced by the Russian RD-180s.

Glasnost - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

RD-180 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That was all Well and Good for ULA... right up until Elon Musk and SpaceX arrived on the Space Flight Game Playing Mesa as an "Upstart" that many in this "Space Business" did NOT want competing for their overly lucrative contracts ....using 1950s Technology. The rest of the story now as we all know it... literally IS History for the Wildly Successful Private and Governmental Business known as ...SpaceX.

Earlier in the Russian Soyuz Program, (back in 1971) they suffered in the same way and with the same difficulties that the Americans would have to overcome ...and STILL must do so... likewise today with ALL Space Flights. They endured the tragic loss of all three of their Cosmonauts on board the Soyuz 11 Capsule that failed to function with its Life Support System on its return flight from orbit:

In Memory of the Crew of Soyuz 11:

Cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev.

Soyuz 11 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Unfortunately, after un-docking from the World's First Space Station called the Russian "Salyut 1" ...as the capsule de-orbited and dropped through the High Altitude regions of the Atmosphere, the Crew Cabin accidentally de-pressured. Due to a flaw in their Capsule Emergency Operations, there was No Back Up Oxygen being fed into the Cosmonauts' Space Suits.. All of the Crew were trapped inside while plummeting towards the ground...but in fact, were lost due to suffocation even before the Capsule touched down under parachutes and cleverly designed reaction rockets allowed the Soyuz 11 capsule to land softly ...back on Russian Soil.

We should pause often enough to realize that as on the Earth...In Space...There is NO Place for Politics or Language Differences... No Place for Cultural Barriers... No Place for Racism or Sexism. The lives of ALL these Astronauts and Cosmonauts will always depend upon their being able to work and live together in an Environment that will KILL HUMAN BEINGS Instantaneously if they ever become distracted, thoughtless or act carelessly towards one another out there in the Black Emptiness of Outer Space. They must all live and work together to become ONE FAMILY on board the ISS ... Looking Out for Each Other... and Surviving Because of THAT Effort:

This is The Launch of the Soyuz Expedition #63 to the ISS:

 

[mrrsm]

Earlier on Saturday, November 21st, 2020, we had a rare Daytime West Coast Launch of a Very Special Satellite that is capable of combining the technologies of several other systems; including some designed and up in space already courtesy the ESA (European Space Agency).

Dubbed the NASA Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite, this one has among many of its other sensing capabilities, the ability to measure the Heights of Ocean Waves to within Centimeters. Good Information to Know if you live in Amsterdam, New York or Miami as the World's Ice Caps melt under the onslaught of Global Warming or are facing the grim reality of rising sea levels at landfalls during major storms

I'm opting for the inclusion of this NASA Video in order to describe What it is and How this Machine looks and behaves. Sadly, once again within the last several days (God... I hope they don't make a habit of doing this every time SpaceX is making a Launch of NASA Hardware) ...the NASA NOOBS have unfortunately dominated the SpaceX Broadcast Channel with people who neither work for SpaceX nor have any rational idea of what proper Space Launch Etiquette involves.

If they DID ...they would know well enough to STOP REPEATING AND OVERSTATING THE OBVIOUS THINGS WE CAN ALL SEE ON THE TV SCREEN . Jesus Palomino Guys... Really... Just Watch how the SpaceX Folks do this part and learn that The Best Thing To Do...is to JUST STFU!

For anyone feeling unfulfilled with the abbreviated version shown below, they can always seek out "The Long Hand Version" over on YouTube covering this Launch, That one includes all of the other materials that may prove interesting for NASA followers and anyone else interested in the tangential stories. This time, I'm only linking to the foreshortened SpaceX Launch and Landing version this time. But first... Here is a short NASA Production Video about the NASA Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite:

And here is the "CLIFF Notes" version of Today's Launch and Landing of the Falcon 9 System. This happened on what can only be described as a PERFECT DAY for doing so. We get a rare glimpse of the Crystal Clear Skies over the California Coast at Vandenberg Air Force Launch Facilities and we can clearly see the SpaceX Hardware performing well in all its glory with the Magic of 10 Merlin Engines (9 below and 1 above).

Try not to let the Gabby Guts NASA NOOB who talks incessantly; gushing for every second during the Landing of the Falcon 9 Rocket DEAD CENTER at Vandenberg Launch Complex ruin this cool experience for you. Unlike him...You've all had the chance to SEE this happen at least 63 times before.

 

[mrrsm]

At the end of a remarkably Busy Week of two earlier launches... Here again in less than 17 Hours on Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 at 9:56 PM EST *** ...SpaceX will Launch yet again another group of 60 StarLink Satellites for their Starlink Communications Constellation.

I'm very happy to know now that Canada has already granted a Telecommunications License for StarLink Services becoming available for Canadian Citizens under their "Better Than Nothing Beta Test" Services Program for areas in Southern Canada presently without High Speed, Low Latency Broadband Internet Communications. The details are listed in the attached image below:



The Falcon 9 Block 5 Booster being flown on this Mission has been to Outer Space and Landed back on the earth on (6) prior successful Missions. This effort demonstrates the sincere determination of SpaceX to prove their idea of Realistic, Economic, Reliable Re-Usability by challenging their company with making (10) Space Launches and Landings per Booster before retiring them from service.



It is an important distinction that no other Space Faring Nations nor any Private Space Launch Corporations have managed to achieve this level of proven economic efficiencies by following the SpaceX Standards and Principles for Safe and Affordable Space Launch Deliveries of Man. Machines and Materials. Of course...they also do NOT have the Genius of Elon Musk to help them along with these issues... now do they? ;>)

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

And while the Topic of the SpaceX Starship Heavy Launch Vehicle down in Boca Chica, Texas probably deserves its own separate Posting... I'll tack it on here instead. Our interesting Foreign Correspondent here is Felix Schlang, the Host of the WAI (What About It?) Channel on YouTube.

He always does SUCH a good and comprehensive job whenever playing "catch-up" for us on this amazing subject matter and in this particular report, he stresses all of the important facts about the most recent problem of SpaceX not having a Flame Diverter Chute built down into the ground under the Huge Launch Platform Facilities.

There have also been so many new and very troublesome developments plaguing the ESA (European Space Agency) with its problematic VEGA Rocket System failing over and over that also merits our close attention. So let's let this excellent Video-Blog speak to ALL of these issues:

*** 38 Years ago today, at the Ripe Old Age of 33... I Ran and Completed the British - American Marathon...Starting at "The Old Sombrero" Sports Stadium in Tampa, Florida and finishing at the St. Petersburg Florida Waterfront near Al Lang Field for a completion distance exactly equal to that of the Classic Greek Marathon (shown below) for a Total Distance of 26 Miles 385 Yards.



"Time of Your Life... Eh Kid?" Guido The Killer Pimp ...from "Risky Business"

 

[mrrsm]

The Latest Starlink Satellite Mission is a GO in about 7 Minutes:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

Damn... Sorry about this... The Launch Schedule Timer just flipped over for another 23 Hours or so. Oh Well... Better safe ...Than Sorry.

 

[mrrsm]

Bumping Post #149 for the Latest Launch of the 60 Starlink Satellites tonight... in around 25 Minutes...

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

 

[mrrsm]

Man... I thought THIS One would NEVER get to Launch... LOL... Finally...Here We GO!

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

Anybody who just stumbled into this Thread and won't admit that the only reason they watch these Starlink Launches is to be able to SEE and HEAR ...Ms. Kate Tice... is Lying.. :>)

 

[mrrsm]

"Heading Back to Boca..."

Last week, The SpaceX Starship Team in Boca Chica, Texas conducted a safe, successful and complete Static Test Fire of the huge Raptor Engines under the restrained SN-8 Starship in broad Daylight. What happened is the final sorting out of the remaining "bugs" in the bonnet of this Gigantic Machine... much of which was NOT related to any Poor Engineering on the part of the Rocket Ship Design.

Rather, this damage was incurred when the Rocket Exhaust Stream from the Fiercely Powerful Raptor Engines purging the "Flame-Crete" synthetic stuff they have to use to reduce the serious flame erosion right off of the surrounding Concrete Platform and ejecting some of the material underneath the lower skirt and damaging some of the then unprotected Raptor Engine Harnessing and Piping.

In response (and in very short order), those items that seemed so delicate around the Raptor Rocket Motors have since been re-designed to fit within Special Piping, making them less susceptible to impact damage from large pieces of this awful, brittle White Stuff. You will get to see this stuff literally being propelled under the Escaping Raptor Rocket Thrust. Take some time (about 10 Minutes or so) and just look at this Amazing Machine being studied at High Speed and in Slow Motion. Observe that even during such a brief exposure to the Rocket Flame column, those Large White Flakes emerge like they were part of a Grenade Explosion.

If I've never stated my particular concern about this... I will NOW. Recently, I noticed just how much Dirt and Rubble was being ejected during the last Starship "Test Hop" and wondered with serious concern whether or not the Starship Design of having that Extended Lower Skirt might accidentally invite and guide the surface regolith to ricochet around and up inside of that Engine Nacelle during any Moon Landings and risk damaging the Machine even as it Lands.

The Starship Design in this Video HAS been selected for the Moon Launches and Landings. Please remember... Without any Atmosphere or Weather to wear down the surface materials laying loose on the Moon... they are now and have remained ...Sharp, Jagged and Dangerous for 4.5 Billion years. So Beware if any of them accelerated towards the underside of the Space Craft.

The FAA is conducting an Environmental Impact Study with the idea leaning towards the Certification of the Boca Chica Space Port as a Certified Launch Site with similar Launch and Landing abilities to those of Cape Canaveral in Florida and that of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California... Except THESE Rocket Ships coming and Going into Outer Space will be "Ridiculous Big".

 

[mrrsm]

So far... SpaceX has been maintaining a Breathtakingly Rapid and Diverse Launch schedule that will NOT let up this December in 2020. Start with Friday, December 4th, 2020 and look at the Pending Schedule for a whole raft of Launches coming this weekend and in the days that follow on.

The Caveat here of course is that we are talking about ROCKETS...and that implies that all matters relating to Safety and Security will shred any Calendar Schedule into a pile of confetti. With this in mind, we should all 'Keep Our Fingers Crossed" fro the Friday Launch of Starship SN-8:

SpaceX Rocket Launch Schedule: Video Feed, Today & Upcoming - Space Launch Schedule

SpaceX Rocket Launch Schedule: Live Video Feed, Trajectory, Location, Booster Landing Information Today & Upcoming - Space Launch Schedule

www.spacelaunchschedule.com

But for Now... And in some of the Future Posts ...I'm going to pepper the content here on the Thread with images that will emphasize One Concept;

SCALE:

We've all seen THIS Image of the Falcon 9 Booster landing on The "OCISLY" Drone Ship...



But most of us have never seen what it looks like to stand on the deck... Right Next to that Big Booster:



Next, take for example of the Starship SN-8 that will be Testing its 'Chops and its Wings' in a Near Vertical Test Flight from the Boca Chica Texas Space Port by attempting to Lift Off and Rocket itself to an Altitude of 15 Kilometers ...and then lay over on the side that has some Test Heat Shield segments while using its "Four Wing-Lets" on its way back down to attempt a Controlled Vertical Landing on a New Hardened Concrete Landing Pad at the Boca Chica Space Port:



I have to laugh... Back in 2002 ...Had Elon Musk told the Congress and the Senate how he and SpaceX would be able to create Spacecraft capable of reliably launching Payloads into Outer Space... then safely return Re-Usable Rockets back down on the Earth economically and Beat Lockheed-Boeing to the Punch with succeeding with Manned Spaceflight at the same time ...they probably would have looked at him like he was crazy. But ...He Did It.... and He is STLL Doing It.

It is very easy to miss just how dramatically GIGANTIC the Starship Hardware really is in comparison to the size of One Man. Here is a beautiful Twilight Image illustrating this contrast that should be in the forefront of our minds when the Three Raptor Engines Light Off and make this effort to advance Humankind towards going to The Moon and The Planet Mars.

 

[mrrsm]

The CRS-21 SpaceX Cargo Mission CRS-21 Launches LIVE ...NOW In 12 Minutes:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

EDIT @ 12:23PM EST:

As SpaceX Chief Engineer John Insprucker has famously said on more than one occasion...

"The SpaceX Launch just went according to our Instantaneous Launch Schedule... and Everything behaved "NORMINALLY"."

A Perfect Launch, A Perfect First Stage Landing, a Perfect Second Stage Orbital Insertion and a Perfect Deployment of the CRS-21 Dragon Capsule.

Check back around 11:30 AM on Monday, December 5th, 2020 for the Docking Procedures with the ISS. If all goes well... this will be the First Time that the ISS has had TWO Dragon Capsules Docked and Aboard simultaneously!

One Last 'Honorable Mention' Here...

Rest In Peace... Arecibo Radio-Telescope... Down in Puerto Rico ...Thanks to you for Serving the Astronomical Sciences so well...for so many years. We'll NEVER forget what you did for the SETI Program and we will all really miss you:



"And Flights of Angels ...Sing Thee to Thy Rest..." Wm. Shakespeare

 

[Redbeard]

SpaceX preparing for 1st rocket launch of 2021 on Monday Jan 4, 2021.​

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX is preparing for its first rocket launch of 2021.


The launch is reportedly scheduled for Monday, with the launch window opening at 8:27 p.m. and going until 12:29 a.m. at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The space company is expected to bring a communications satellite for a Turkish satellite operator into space, helping establish television broadcast services over Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
This launch was originally scheduled for November 30th, 2020 but was delayed.

SpaceX reschedules 1st rocket launch of 2021 for Thursday

When the launch does happen, the space company is expected to bring a communications satellite for a Turkish satellite operator into space.

www.fox13news.com

 

[Redbeard]

SpaceX preparing for 1st rocket launch of 2021 on Monday Jan 4, 2021.​

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX is preparing for its first rocket launch of 2021.


The launch is reportedly scheduled for Monday, with the launch window opening at 8:27 p.m. and going until 12:29 a.m. at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The space company is expected to bring a communications satellite for a Turkish satellite operator into space, helping establish television broadcast services over Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
This launch was originally scheduled for November 30th, 2020 but was delayed.

SpaceX reschedules 1st rocket launch of 2021 for Thursday January 7, 2021​

The launch was reportedly scheduled for Monday but was postponed. On Tuesday, the space company announced that they will now try the launch on Thursday at 8:28 p.m. from Cape Canaveral.

The Kennedy Space Center said that SpaceX will bring a communications satellite for a Turkish satellite operator into space this launch, helping establish telecommunication services over Turkey and other countries.

 

[mrrsm]

It has been quite a while since I’ve regaled this Thread after realizing that the predictable regularity and reliability of SpaceX Satellite and Human Cargo Spacecraft Launches would eventually dull our senses by excess familiarity and the seeming sameness that might invite our contempt.

But consider that since my last post here, these events and so many others have been happening so often that by now, nearly 230 successful SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket launches and landings of the Amazing Falcon 9 Boosters have passed with each one in the Fleet being re-used more than ten times on average. These occurrences have virtually eclipsed every other Government and Privately Owned Space Technologies...leaving them all in the dusty wakes of these Falcon 9 Rocket Plumes and then returning back to the Earth

All of this will pale by comparison if the next event is allowed to unfold as planned… for on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 we will be privileged to witness an advance in Mechanical and Chemical Technologies that will be no less stunning than if we saw the Great Stone Sphinx wake itself and stand up on its four Lion Legs and after shaking all the dry sand loose, climb upon the steep sides all the way to the very top of the Great Pyramid of Cheops.

At that surprising site, the Pyramid would then break loose at its granite foundations and rise into the thin air above the desert sands of Egypt, moving faster and faster until it managed to achieve an orbital velocity of 18,000 MPH while circling the Planet Earth:



None of these allusions will seem ‘too over the top’ after we witness an equally stunning occurrence that we’ll NEVER forget once the ground begins to shake everything around the base of the 500 Foot Tall Launch Tower on the SpaceX Starbase of Boca Chica, Texas. It is destined to rise under the power of 33 Raptor 2 Engines bearing the weight of the Super Booster #7 while carrying its companion Starship #24 higher and higher while reaching for the outer Stratosphere and ultimately, the vacuum of Outer Space.

The Power involved here will be TWICE that which was necessary for the Saturn 5 Booster to launch the Apollo 11 and all other similar 17 successful Human Missions to the Moon. We are talking here about 15,000,000 staggering Pounds of Thrust needed to raise 5,000 Tons of a Gleaming Stainless Steel Tube along with its pointed, Jet Black Ceramic Clad Cylinder ...higher and higher along their amazing trek.

This “Stainless Steel Arrow” will need to Thread The Needle of traveling upwards and outwards over the Gulf of Mexico and be able to pass through the narrow sea water channel between the Florida Keys and Cuba. From there, the Giant Booster is meant to separate from the Starship Rocket and flip around in Outer Space only to power its way back towards the Gulf of Mexico and attempt a relatively soft landing, slowly splashing down and into its salty waters.

Meanwhile, it’s companion Starship will speed on ahead and try to achieve orbital velocity above the Earth only to begin to glide at its Maximum Velocity on the other side of the planet like a Giant Whale attempting to Belly-Flop onto the thick carpet of Earth’s Atmosphere. The plasma vapor caused by the friction with this Spacecraft will work to slow it down with the hope that its thousands of hand-baked Ceramic Tiles will remain intact and prevent it from melting and coming apart at over Mach 30.

If this Heat Shield performs to everyone’s expectations… the Starship will eventually slow down while free falling sideways until it suddenly flips upright as it gets within 1,500 feet of the waters of the Pacific Ocean around 60 miles off the coast of Hawaii and there…attempt a controlled vertical water landing.

Many new and untested systems must perform flawlessly for all of these actions to take place and really work. But remember this… No matter what happens… Nothing as remotely phenomenal and ambitious in the designing, building and testing of any such Machine has EVER been so attempted ...and everyone on this planet who is privileged to bear witness to this event will remember every moment of this day for as long as they live upon this world.

 

[mrrsm]

Live Today April 20th, 2023 in about 30 Minutes...

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

 

[mrrsm]

Contrary to what many uninitiated observers might think regarding the ultimate FAILURE of the Upper Stage (Starship #24) to maintain its nominal Flight Path and separate seamlessly from the Super Booster during this event... THIS First Test was WILDLY Successful!

During the construction of the 500 Foot Tall Launch Tower and the OLM (Orbital Launch Mount Donut with Legs) Chief SpaceX Rocket Designer and Engineer Elon Musk was being interviewed by Tim Dodd..."The Everyday Astronaut" and when asked,

"How will you Measure Success during the First Starship Test Flight?"

Musk replied,

"If the Rocket clears Stage "0" without Exploding and Destroying the OLM and the Tower... I'll call THAT a Success..."

Musk was reflecting on the fact that when fully loaded... the combined weight of the Liquid Methane and Liquid Oxygen is around 10,000,000 Pounds... and so he felt certain that any such Explosion would probably result in the Destruction of this Important Basic, Necessary Infrastructure ...and set the Starship Program back by Three Years...

My own observations of the launch have prompted my "Inner Engineer" to think differently about how to avoid this from happening again:

(1) The presence of the Starship (Taller than the Statue of Liberty) atop the Super Booster makes this combination WAY TOO TOP HEAVY.

(2) The Loss of the 5 Rocket Engines in the then lop-sided thrust producing array of the 33 Raptor 2 Engines caused an excessive DELAY in reaching the correct velocity and HATE (Height Above The Earth) and resulted in EXCESS FUEL CONSUMPTION in order to compensate during the necessity of correcting the rocket engines thrust vectors. In this instance... approximately 15% of the Initial Engine Power and Thrust was Lost due to these Early Engine Flame Outs:



(3) Any Long Delays preventing the rapid achievement of the proper Attitude, Altitude and Velocity will vacate WAY TOO MUCH MASS... WAY TOO SOON from inside of the Super Booster "Giant Thermos Bottles" below the Starship and cause an irretrievable shift in the Weight and Balance of the combined assembly... something akin to trying to Balance a Crankshaft on the Tip of an Inflated Party Balloon.

(4) Musk may have to "Go BACK To The Drawing Board" and consider designing a Two Stage Booster to avoid this inevitable 'Weight and Imbalance Issue' from regularly occurring. This would allow the Three Stage Assembly to shed 1/3 of the exhausted non-contributing Mass SOONER than LATER and be able to achieve the proper Velocity and Vector with the Inner Stage Rocket Booster...still heavy-laden with Fuel and Oxidizer such that the Over-Sized Starship payload would not be able to overcome the differences in the said obvious Weight and Balance.

We'll see what the collection of Flight Data suggests...

 

[Redbeard]

NOT trying to take over MRRSM posts regarding SpaceX, but watch these arms Catch a "falling" rocket!

Just Friggin Unbelievable!!!