SpaceX's Big Falcon Topic 2

[maarsen]

3 minutes ago, Week said:

Also the drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, is named after Culture spacecraft from Iain M. Banks' series of Culture books.

(also the first drone ship, Just Read the Instructions)

Iain Banks would have loved to see the  video of the roadster in orbit also. 

 

10 minutes ago, Ghjhero said:

Can't say my elders were ever into either of those icons unfortunately. I have heard of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; one of my friends is reading it and offered to lend it to me once he is done with it, but I didn't realize Douglas was the author.

Very cool, I will have to look up those songs and their lyrics. My dad is an engineer and he first got me into all the space stuff, but not the cultural aspect so much.

Put the Culture books on your list also. You will not be disappointed. Iain Banks was one of the greatest  of SF writers. 

[SpaceChampion]

2 minutes ago, Free Northman Reborn said:

Live view from Starman

 

Oh wow.  Hadn't seen that link yet.

[SerHaHa]

So awesome.  I remember the first successful Falcon launch, when the whole team and company went berserk cheering when the wings deployed on Falcon - I've know Wil Wheaton since we were both 13, when I spoke to him the next day (he was there), he said there wasn't a dry eye in site.  I hope it was the same today for SpaceX and every supporter who was on hand.  Shows what a great mind, some attitude, and an espirit de corps can bring.  I wish we'd cut the defense budgets worldwide and put it into health and space tech.  What a world we are capable of building.  New worlds even.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Any word on why the core was lost?

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

I can't wait to hear what the Flat Earthers make of Starman and his views.

[SpaceChampion]

30 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Any word on why the core was lost?

 

No, but the center core is essentially a new rocket design.  Something to tweak for the next launch.  The side boosters having flown previously, would have had no excuse if they had failed.

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

Is the centre core definitely lost?

I watched it earlier and it was fucking awesome. The two side cores landing simultaneously was the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.

[SpaceChampion]

14 minutes ago, Stannis Eats No Peaches said:

Is the centre core definitely lost?

No official word yet.

In terms of sci-fi connections, the payload included a laser etched quartz digital copy of the entire Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov.  The Arch Mission Foundation's website doesn't say much but lists it as a "Solar Library" so it's possible it contains more than just the Foundation series.  They apparently have plans to send a library to the Moon and Mars too.  No doubt with SpaceX.

[Ghjhero]

55 minutes ago, maarsen said:

Iain Banks would have loved to see the  video of the roadster in orbit also. 

 

Put the Culture books on your list also. You will not be disappointed. Iain Banks was one of the greatest  of SF writers. 

I’m planning on reading Dan Simmons Hyperion series next and Clarke’s Rama is on deck as well. I was thinking of hitting up The Expanse next, but then I’d be down to check Banks out. 

[maarsen]

16 minutes ago, Ghjhero said:

I’m planning on reading Dan Simmons Hyperion series next and Clarke’s Rama is on deck as well. I was thinking of hitting up The Expanse next, but then I’d be down to check Banks out. 

All is forgiven then, young millennial. Just look for Iain M. Banks, as Ian Banks are his non SF books. Great reads also but not SF. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, SpaceChampion said:

Oh wow.  Hadn't seen that link yet.

Probably a dumb question, but when viewing the "dashcam" footage from the dummy's perspective, what are the small bright dots moving through the picture? Debris? Satellites?

[Jace, Extat]

14 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Probably a dumb question, but when viewing the "dashcam" footage from the dummy's perspective, what are the small bright dots moving through the picture? Debris? Satellites?

Those are the mirrors that make the Earth look round by obstructing the filtration of light through bendy straws.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

Those are the mirrors that make the Earth look round by obstructing the filtration of light through bendy straws.

Mystery solved

[SpaceChampion]

39 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Probably a dumb question, but when viewing the "dashcam" footage from the dummy's perspective, what are the small bright dots moving through the picture? Debris? Satellites?

The things that look like flakes? 

 

[SpaceChampion]

Press conference looks like it's about to start:

 

[SpaceChampion]

From the press conference:

• The center core could only relight one engine, the other two that were suppose to light didn't, and it hit the ocean hard at about 300mph.  There was no intention to ever refly it anyway, so they're just going to put the side boosters on display somewhere.
• If they can recover the cameras they should have pretty spectacular video of the center core's failed landing.
• This has given Musk a lot of confidence they can make the BFR design work, and can do launchings/landings a lot.
• F9 & FH have the same level of expendability -- only thing expended is the upper stage.  Even the fairing will be recovered.
• "You can tell it's real because it looks so fake.  If we did it with CGI it'd look so much better."
• "It's still tripping me out.  I'm tripping balls here."
• FH can launch things direct to Pluto, without gravity assist.
• Can send a bunch of people to the moon with orbital refilling with 2 or 3 FHs if you want, but the new BFR architecture is the way to go.
• Wants a new space race so he hopes other companies and countries gets in the game.
• Will probably have a dozen or so launches of FH by the time they do a first national security mission, so they are not going to struggle to be qualified for it by then.
• Had to redesign the grid fins, the center booster, and the structure that holds it all together.
• Total investment in FH is over half a billion, probably more.
• The Tesla batteries are going to last about 12 hours.  After that, it'll be dead in space forever after.
• BFR -- short hopper flights with the spaceship upper stage maybe next year.  Could be in Texas, or could be ship to ship hop.  It's capable of single stage to orbit if you fully load the tanks.  Need to test the heat shields next.
• Falcon 9 and Heavy will level off design work at Block 5, and Dragon at version 2.  May be small updates, but most of their design & testing attention will be towards BFR.
• BFR ship is harder than the BFR booster, feel they understand the latter well now.  Should be a full up ship + booster test in 3 or 4 years.
• Starman's spacesuit is a mannequin inside, it is a production design of the SpaceX suit.  Took them 3 years to design it, to make it work and look good at the same time.
• center core hit the water about 100 meters from drone ship, enough to take out two drone ship thrusters and shower deck with shrapnel.
• Fairing recovery has proven surprisingly difficult. We'll solve it in about 6 months.  It's been a low priority so far, but we're on to fairing version 2 soon, so don't really care about recovering version 1.
• Going to catch the fairing in a big net on a ship; could catch the Dragon 2 as well by that method if NASA wants.
• pad in good shape after the launch.
• making great progress on Crew Dragon. “absolute priority” now; hope to fly crew by the end of the year.

   

 

[Xray the Enforcer]

thanks for the summary of the press conference.

[Ghjhero]

Per the last bullet point about the conference, would this crew be who would take tourists around the moon or the crew that would take colonists to Mars?

[The Anti-Targ]

A great step in the next leap forward in space activity and exploration.

I think it's about time we blew the dust off the Moon Treaty made sure it is fit for our current reality (and future proofed to the extent possible), and ratified by a majority of nations, at least by those who have an active space programme.

The landing of those side boosters though. Damn, if there was ever anything orgasmic about space flight that was it.

[SpaceChampion]

28 minutes ago, Ghjhero said:

Per the last bullet point about the conference, would this crew be who would take tourists around the moon or the crew that would take colonists to Mars?

No, this is about the Dragon 2 capsule, that rides on Falcon 9.  It's main mission it to the International Space Station.  SpaceX's cargo flights to ISS have been successful (except that one that blew up a few years ago) and they're obligated to upgrade Dragon for human crews.  It has 7 seats but NASA just wants about 4 seats per flight.  A few tourists might go up in the remaining seats.  No pilot is needed, it's all autonomous.

Dragon will likely never go to Mars.  It was on track to do so in the Red Dragon mission plan to deliver robotic payloads there, but once again BFR is just the better option so they're not going to spend time and limited resources on it.