Big Flying Rockets: Space Launches V

[SpaceChampion]

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

7 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

 

Why will they not dig a damn trench?

[SpaceChampion]

Blue Origin-led team selected for the 2nd Artemis lander.

[SpaceChampion]

23 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Why will they not dig a damn trench?

Difficult with the soil conditions at Boca Chica and would take a year or more for the permit.   The water table is too high for instance.  They also believe they have something much better.

Here's a thread that explains what they seem to be doing and why:

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by SpaceChampion

[SpaceChampion]

Falcon 9 is launching the Axiom-2 mission with Astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni, and Rayyanah Barnawi on board. The mission will take 4 astronauts to the International Space Station on Axiom's second all-private astronaut mission to the ISS. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:37 PM EDT (21:37 UTC) from LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This is the first space flight by a Saudi female astronaut and the first planned landing of a booster from a crewed mission on land at LZ-1.

 

[SpaceChampion]

Virgin sacrificed for parts.

 

[SpaceChampion]

Double Falcon 9 launches today, one to take the next group of Starlink satellites to orbit:

and one to launch the next cargo resupply mission to ISS later today, at noon (EDT).

 

[polishgenius]

On 6/4/2023 at 3:23 PM, SpaceChampion said:

one to take the next group of Starlink satellites to orbit:

[SpaceChampion]

19 years after SpaceShipOne flew to space, the same year Virgin Galactic started booking flights (and taking their money) for customers to suborbital rides, the company announces it's now ready to begin commercial operations.

I believe most of that money for the earliest people to put money down on a flight have been returned, only those who have also been investors kept their money in.  Price has doubled too, from $250k to $450k.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65924495

Quote

Virgin Galactic said the first flight will be a scientific research mission, carrying three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy to conduct microgravity research.

The company said its second commercial spaceflight will follow in early August, and it expects to operate monthly spaceflights from then on.

It marks a key milestone for the 19-year-old Virgin Galactic, which has had to overcome a series of accidents and technical challenges.

Quote

Virgin Galactic has sold more than 800 tickets to people who want to ride over 80km (260,000ft) above Earth.

The flights are designed to give passengers views from space at the top of its climb and allow them a few minutes to experience weightlessness. They cost $450,000 (£352,170) per person.

 

While Virgin Galactic focusses on space tourism, Sir Richard also had ambitions to launch satellites with his rocket company, Virgin Orbit.

However Virgin Orbit shut down in May after the failure of a mission which had been billed as a potential milestone for UK space exploration.

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by SpaceChampion

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Does the catastrophic failure of the carbon fiber hull of the Titan raise questions about the hypothetical viability of carbon nanotubes for the construction of a space elevator?

[horangi]

26 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Does the catastrophic failure of the carbon fiber hull of the Titan raise questions about the hypothetical viability of carbon nanotubes for the construction of a space elevator?

No.  It means that when one is trying to do historically challenging things, in extreme conditions, using advanced technologies, one expects to fail a lot.  And if one is going to involve human life, (particularly if they arent signing up to take the risk), extreme levels of testing and regulation are required.  But those should not be 'questions raised' but rather patently obvious statements.

ETA: Since you likely care more about the technology- carbon fiber is too broad a category to draw any meaningful conclusions.  Nor can we account for the quality of the materials or manufacture even if they were using something being considered as a candidate.  Keep in mind, I dont think many engineers think an Earth based space elevator is viable with the current technology.   I have read about potentially viable test versions anchored to the moon that might work, if one has a few Trillion in cash available.

Edited June 22, 2023 by horangi

[Corvinus85]

2 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Does the catastrophic failure of the carbon fiber hull of the Titan raise questions about the hypothetical viability of carbon nanotubes for the construction of a space elevator?

No. In the depths of an ocean, a submarine has to resist the enormous exterior pressure. In space, a vessel has to resist the atmospheric pressure that's inside it. Granted the forces experiences by a vessel at launch and during re-entry must be considered, but in terms of just being in space in a carbon fiber vessel, I don't think that would be a problem.

As for carbon nanotubes for a space elevator, there are other practical considerations that make an elevator just not viable at this point, the major ones being distance of travel and a way to anchor. I don't think the Moon can be used as anchor. I'm pretty sure the anchor has to be in geostationary orbit. So a large rock needs to be found and placed about 22,000 miles from the Earth at the right speed.

[SpaceChampion]

1 hour ago, Corvinus85 said:

As for carbon nanotubes for a space elevator, there are other practical considerations that make an elevator just not viable at this point, the major ones being distance of travel and a way to anchor. I don't think the Moon can be used as anchor. I'm pretty sure the anchor has to be in geostationary orbit. So a large rock needs to be found and placed about 22,000 miles from the Earth at the right speed.

The Lunar Space Elevator idea is not about anchoring one end to the Earth and one to the Moon.  It's about a space elevator going to the Lunar surface from Lunar orbit or from the L1 point.  Another from the L2 has been considered to raise things from the Farside up to L2 and fling cargo/ships off to deep space.   Since the moon's gravity is much less, it can be done with currently existing materials, such as Kevlar, Zylon or high-density polyethylene.

It's not anchored either.  Gravity acting on each end would balance out, so it would essentially hang there a bit above the surface. There would be some sort of tower and mechanism to load and unload the elevator, but not actually be attached to it, at least not with any tension to hold it down.  Maybe just bearings to keep it from swinging sideways.

I don't think it would cost trillions either.  The likely materials are easily mass produced.  It's just launch costs that are the main expense, and that'll come way way down with reusable rockets.

Edited June 23, 2023 by SpaceChampion

[Corvinus85]

@Ser Scot A Ellison by the way, the one thing I've been pondering is if some of the people on the dearMoon project are having extra jitters as a result of the Titan disaster. Of course, the main difference is that this billionaire didn't build his own spaceship out of PVC pipe, as the trip will rely on a SpaceX starship. 

[SpaceChampion]

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

9 minutes ago, SpaceChampion said:

 

Is that the Hellas basin jumping out on the right?

[SpaceChampion]

3 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Is that the Hellas basin jumping out on the right?

No, right one is all northern hemisphere.  I had to stare at it a while to figure it out.  Both scans appear to be centered on the same longitude, as the spacecraft flew South to North I think, around longitude 330 degrees (or -30).  I noticed a set of craters that made a triangular shape on the UV and found it on the MOLA map in the area about 10 West / 20 north, but its relatively small to see.

Purple on the top is ozone in the north pole. 

 

[polishgenius]

On 6/23/2023 at 8:35 PM, Corvinus85 said:

Of course, the main difference is that this billionaire didn't build his own spaceship out of PVC pipe, as the trip will rely on a SpaceX starship. 

 

I remind you that Tesla had to recall 120,000 cars in March because they delivered them with missing parts that meant the steering wheel would fall off while driving. 

[SpaceChampion]

Virgin Orbit is bankrupt and has sold off its assets, but Virgin Galactic is just starting suborbital spaceflights.  As Shatner discovered with Blue Origin, just a suborbital flight was enough to give him the "Overview Effect", so I'd like to beleive $450k a ride is worth it.

Quote

The overview effect is a cognitive shift reported by some astronauts while viewing the Earth from space. Researchers have characterized the effect as "a state of awe with self-transcendent qualities, precipitated by a particularly striking visual stimulus". The most prominent common aspects of personally experiencing the Earth from space are appreciation and perception of beauty, unexpected and even overwhelming emotion, and an increased sense of connection to other people and the Earth as a whole. The effect can cause changes in the observer’s self concept and value system, and can be transformative.

 

[Kalbear]

Not precisely rocket based but cool as shit - we are using pulsars around the galaxy to create a gravitational telescope to measure gravity waves the size of solar systems.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/06/nanograv-picks-up-signal-of-cosmic-choir-of-supermassive-black-holes/