Space X

[AJB Temple]

Amazing. Truly historic moment seeing that launch and the incredible camera footage.

 

[doctor Bob]

Great wasn't it.

 

[Fitzroy]

He’s a bloody loony but he’s made an amazing thing happen. The line between genius and insanity is as slim as ever.

Fitz

 

[Nick.]

That was impressive - no two ways about it - watched it live too - I still remember watching the Challenger disaster in 86 - relieved this has worked so far for them - balls of steel for sure those spacemen

 

[Trevanion]

He’s a bloody loony but he’s made an amazing thing happen. The line between genius and insanity is as slim as ever.

We're making steady progress here at the Trevanion Space Program, We're hoping for a manned mission in the next couple of months.

Have we got any volunteers?

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Everyone is very excited that the USA can finally, after I don't know how many years, manage to do what the Russians have been doing continually since the late 50s, and what the USA itself could do up until the 80s. "One small step for Elon". (Not saying it isn't technically outstanding, because I couldn't make one, not even using SketchUp.)

And the Greeks have had a space program for 2,000 years.

[youtube]nkI4Iqm-1Wg[/youtube]

Have we got any volunteers?

Talk to these people - they seem keen:

 

[Rorschach]

Everyone is very excited that the USA can finally, after I don't know how many years, manage to do what the Russians have been doing continually since the late 50s, and what the USA itself could do up until the 80s.

Last space shuttle flight was in 2011, so 9 years.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Everyone is very excited that the USA can finally, after I don't know how many years, manage to do what the Russians have been doing continually since the late 50s, and what the USA itself could do up until the 80s.

Last space shuttle flight was in 2011, so 9 years.

I was thinking about the one shot rockets, which they shelved for the shuttle. The military have been launching satellites all the way through, but a somewhat smaller payload. NASA managed to lose huge amounts of knowledge and records over the years - even moon landing photos and footage. No wonder the conspiracy theorists have so much ammunition.

 

[Rorschach]

The "one shot" rockets have their limitations though. The Russian Soyuz is an excellent reliable bit of kit for putting people into space but it's nothing more than a fancy shipping container where everything is strapped in awkwardly, apparently very uncomfortable to ride in and you can't really do anything once you are up there.
The shuttle was developed as not only a more comfortable vehicle but also to be used as a work platform, it could support a larger crew that could carry out experiments but even more importantly it could carry cargo that you could actually do things with. If the Soyuz is a shipping container the shuttle was more like a motorhome with a workshop. Without the shuttle program the ISS would never have been possible.

The SpaceX and soon to launch Boeing systems are closer really to the Soyuz but a bit more comfortable and much cheaper to run. I guess having the ISS means something like the Shuttle isn't really required.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

What's really needed is mining of the asteroids - everything else is just vanity projects. Strangely, everything else is where all the focus is put, which I find hard to understand. What possible reason is there to go to Mars? Two years to get there, at the bottom of a gravity well, so you have to fight to get back, and no real, worthwhile assets to bring home. We should probably go there at some point, but we should strip-mine all that valuable, available material floating around in space first, and use it to build exponentially.

Assuming there is an economy back on earth to fund such excitement.

 

[Eric The Viking]

The Falcon 9 series is very cost-effective (in its field), and yesterday they got a very nearly perfect landing of the first stage on the barge, too.

We watched it and marveled at the image quality (there was one gorgeous shot of the Dragon+trunk, separated from and seen from the 2nd stage, which they cut away from far too quickly on the official feed). Also the elegance of the whole system, in particular loading LOX to the very last possible minute, so as to have the greatest amount on board. And I still am impressed by the 2nd stage nozzle glowing yellow-hot.

But SpaceX didn't have an entirely successful day yesterday: https://youtu.be/BCUYG5SonCY

It's easy to imagine this stuff is easy, when it's actually very hard, as Boeing seem to be proving too. I know the SLS is a consortium, but Boeing are supposed to be pushing things along and they are presently something like two years late. I wonder how they might have explained that to Richard Nixon in an earlier era...

 

[Sheffield Tony]

What possible reason is there to go to Mars? Two years to get there, at the bottom of a gravity well, so you have to fight to get back, and no real, worthwhile assets to bring home..

Science, curiosity. What makes humans worth their space, rather than dirty moneygrabbing capitalism.

Having made a right mess of our environment on Earth, we should not extend our sane destructive habits into space.

Well done to the excellent set of engineers Mr Musk has managed to assemble.

 

[Richard_C]

I thought Musk wants to be able to escape the Earth just before the world ends. This is a giant test bed paid for from ticket revenue and with others taking the risk.

Anyway, moderators, shouldn't this be in general chat rather than general woodworking? We had pretty good wooden aeroplanes (mosquito for instance) but I don't recall any wooden spacecraft even in fiction. HG Wells relied on steel and Cavorite.

 

[Droogs]

Yeah yeah all marvellous and exiting, but you do realise that if this stuff really does get off the ground then none of us would ever be considered for life in space after all we are the most useless trade in the universe as far as spacemen go.

Remember, In space no-one needs a carpenter

just think on that

 

[Vann]

Remember, In space no-one needs a carpenter

Wot, no trees on Mars? No point in going then (hammer)

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Trevanion]

Have we got any volunteers?

Talk to these people - they seem keen:

Who are these people and how are they ahead of me already!?

 

[novocaine]

I'm giving all credit i can give to the engineers and skilled crafts people who designed and built it. Musk can have everyone elses admiration.

I watched it with my 6 year old son who happened to still be awake and in no way did i keep him awake for it.......... :wink:

As for NASA misplacing stuff,find me a governement agency that doesn't.

10 points to both of them and the teams who did this.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Have we got any volunteers?

Talk to these people - they seem keen:

Who are these people and how are they ahead of me already!?

It's the dangerous sports club: they do what it says on the tin.
[youtube]BqzunKZr3Eg[/youtube]

You've got a bit of catching up to do.

Tesla are in on the enterprise, too.

 

[doctor Bob]

Great coverage on NASA channel, got to love a bit of space adventure.

 

[Rorschach]

Missed the live launch, watched it about an hour later but I was able to catch the docking live today. Amazing we can watch a HiDef colour live video feed of a spaceship docking on a space station flying at 17000mph, 260 miles above the Earth. Incredible achievement.