OT: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch...just wow

[Dove]

Falcon Heavy Test Flight | SpaceX

The launch of the most powerful rocket ever was mesmorizing. Then seeing the two side boosters come back to Earth and landing side by side in unison successfully? Holy crap!

Watch:

 

[Paesano]

Falcon Heavy Test Flight | SpaceX

The launch of the most powerful rocket ever was mesmorizing. Then seeing the two side boosters come back to Earth and landing side by side in unison successfully? Holy crap!

Watch:

My son did an internship there last summer and worked on some of the propulsion components in those rockets. It was brutal having him that far from home but how could I argue with that opportunity! He had a blast...

 

[Fishy]

Falcon Heavy Test Flight | SpaceX

The launch of the most powerful rocket ever was mesmorizing...

The Saturn V would kick sand on that SpaceX firecracker. It’s still the most powerful rocket we’ve ever launched.

But the twin landings of the boosters was spectacular. And the guy who does the play by play on the SpaceX livefeed is the best.

 

[gtcam]

Simply fantastic
Some things I still cannot believe are possible but the truth is in the video
OMG
Eat that North Korea

 

[Paesano]

The Saturn V would kick sand on that SpaceX firecracker. It’s still the most powerful rocket we’ve ever launched.

But the twin landings of the boosters was spectacular. And the guy who does the play by play on the SpaceX livefeed is the best.

The Saturn V was a monster. It's payload was huge. But the Falcon Heavy has a greater thrust to weight ratio and the cost difference is astronomical. In today's dollars, a Saturn launch would cost over $1.1 Billion. A Falcon Heavy launch costs $90 Million and the cores are reusable, although it looks like they lost one this time. The Saturn was like a pickup truck and the Falcon Heavy is like a sports sedan.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Two most nervous people on Earth @ 31:00...

 

[phillionaire]

 

[Dove]

The Saturn V would kick sand on that SpaceX firecracker. It’s still the most powerful rocket we’ve ever launched.

But the twin landings of the boosters was spectacular. And the guy who does the play by play on the SpaceX livefeed is the best.

I see this picture and I feel for all the ibis that died that day.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Coolest thing I've had the chance to do professionally was be with a team that had full access at KSC for 4-5 days. Shuttle recovery runway, assembly building and launch pad with a shuttle on it.

 

[CL82]

Coolest thing I've had the chance to do professionally was be with a team that had full access at KSC for 4-5 days. Shuttle recovery runway, assembly building and launch pad with a shuttle on it.

View attachment 28403

That is pretty cool. For what reason Chin?

Remember when the reentry tiles were falling off the shuttle back in '82-'83? A friend of mine from UConn worked on the team that developed the replacement glue that held them on. Not all that sexy sounding -

"Oh you work at NASA? What do you do?"
"I make glue."​

- but still pretty cool. She was a UConn engineering grad. Very smart, super nice.

Anyway, I thought the launch was terrific. The spacecraft was accelerated to something like 16,000 mph. The recovery of the boosters was spectacular to see. I'm curious about how efficient the set up actually is. Remember the shuttle was pitched as being really cost effective due to the reuse of the boosters. That really didn't work out that way.

Love the use of the Tesla Roadster and the little "matchbox" version and the the SpaceX flight suit. Musk is brilliant as cross promotion.

 

[huskyrob1]

The Saturn V would kick sand on that SpaceX firecracker. It’s still the most powerful rocket we’ve ever launched.

But the twin landings of the boosters was spectacular. And the guy who does the play by play on the SpaceX livefeed is the best.

What's interesting is the design philosophy comparison, the Saturn V had five massive F1 engines for the first stage, while the Falcon Heavy has 27 smaller engines. Nine each on the two boosters and nine on the center rocket.

 

[CL82]

Falcon Heavy: 54,400 kg (119,900 lbs) to LEO and 22,200 kg (48,900 lbs) to GTO, as well as 16,000 kilograms (35,000 lbs) to translunar trajectory and 13,600 kilograms (31,000 lbs) on a trans-Martian orbit to Mars, and 2,900 kg (6,400 lbs) to Pluto.

Saturn V: 111 meters, or 363 feet, tall and was 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter, without fins. Fully fueled, the Saturn V weighed 2,950 metric tons (6.5 million pounds), and it had a payload capacity estimated at 140,000 kg (310,000 lbs) to LEO but was designed for the purpose of sending 48,600 kg (107,100 lbs) to translunar insertion.

Looks like the nod goes to the Saturn V, so far.

 

[huskyrob1]

Falcon Heavy: 54,400 kg (119,900 lbs) to LEO and 22,200 kg (48,900 lbs) to GTO, as well as 16,000 kilograms (35,000 lbs) to translunar trajectory and 13,600 kilograms (31,000 lbs) on a trans-Martian orbit to Mars, and 2,900 kg (6,400 lbs) to Pluto.

Saturn V: 111 meters, or 363 feet, tall and was 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter, without fins. Fully fueled, the Saturn V weighed 2,950 metric tons (6.5 million pounds), and it had a payload capacity estimated at 140,000 kg (310,000 lbs) to LEO but was designed for the purpose of sending 48,600 kg (107,100 lbs) to translunar insertion.

Looks like the nod goes to the Saturn V, so far.

One Saturn V F1 engine had a little over ten times the thrust of the Merlin 1D engine that powers the Falcon Heavy. I'm sure most on the board know who that is in the picture.

 

[Chin Diesel]

That is pretty cool. For what reason Chin?

Remember when the reentry tiles were falling off the shuttle back in '82-'83? A friend of mine from UConn worked on the team that developed the replacement glue that held them on. Not all that sexy sounding -

"Oh you work at NASA? What do you do?"
"I make glue."​

- but still pretty cool. She was a UConn engineering grad. Very smart, super nice.

Anyway, I thought the launch was terrific. The spacecraft was accelerated to something like 16,000 mph. The recovery of the boosters was spectacular to see. I'm curious about how efficient the set up actually is. Remember the shuttle was pitched as being really cost effective due to the reuse of the boosters. That really didn't work out that way.

Love the use of the Tesla Roadster and the little "matchbox" version and the the SpaceX flight suit. Musk is brilliant as cross promotion.

I was in the Navy and we were there for an air show in the fall of 2008. We went in the assembly building and saw one of the shuttles being built and were working out of the building on the runway where they recover the space shuttle. One day they brought some buses to take us to the launch pad. I was on the bus that drove up to the top of the pad. We got to get out and take pictures from the land. The bus with the pilots had Kennedy's Public Affairs Officer and got to walk up on launcher itself.

You know that picture of VP Pence touching tiles that said "Do Not Touch"? I've done the same thing at same room.

You talk about smart people. I think the janitors had PhD's in aerospace engineering.

 

[Paesano]

Falcon Heavy: 54,400 kg (119,900 lbs) to LEO and 22,200 kg (48,900 lbs) to GTO, as well as 16,000 kilograms (35,000 lbs) to translunar trajectory and 13,600 kilograms (31,000 lbs) on a trans-Martian orbit to Mars, and 2,900 kg (6,400 lbs) to Pluto.

Saturn V: 111 meters, or 363 feet, tall and was 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter, without fins. Fully fueled, the Saturn V weighed 2,950 metric tons (6.5 million pounds), and it had a payload capacity estimated at 140,000 kg (310,000 lbs) to LEO but was designed for the purpose of sending 48,600 kg (107,100 lbs) to translunar insertion.

Looks like the nod goes to the Saturn V, so far.

I don't see another Saturn V effort in humanity's near future. The cost is just way too high. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by space and rockets. I wanted to be an astronaut. I loved Star Trek (still do). But now I look back on the Apollo program and wonder if it was worth it. One thing that comes from efforts like that are new technologies that get applied to other applications. So it is hard to say what the value is, exactly. But, man, did we spend a lot of money in that space race with the Soviets. It is inconceivable to see such a program getting funded in congress today. Elon Musk is doing amazing things, given the amount of money that is being spent. And even he is losing money at this point. But it is still incredible to see the cost effectiveness relative to anything NASA ever did.

 

[uconnfan68]

Coolest thing I've had the chance to do professionally was be with a team that had full access at KSC for 4-5 days. Shuttle recovery runway, assembly building and launch pad with a shuttle on it.

View attachment 28403

Never got that close but did see the shuttle mounted on the 747 at Edwards AFB, from a hill on their golf course.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Never got that close but did see the shuttle mounted on the 747 at Edwards AFB, from a hill on their golf course.

All my trips out to Edwards were post space shuttle. They still have all the towers and runways and stuff.

So, when we were at Kennedy Space Center we worked on the big square pavement below and worked out of the building to the right of the white jet. As you can see the parking lot is relatively small and right next to the building. But, you better believe there were signs with reserved spots for Mission Commanders, then Pilot and finally Space Shuttle Crew. There is still a pecking order. The spot on the top center of the picture where the pavement is a bit more white and sticks out is the spot where they would have recovered the 747 and pulled the space shuttle off the top. You can see the extension on the pavement where the nose of the 747 would go. If you look carefully there are three towers that can be configured with cranes to remove the shuttle.

 

[huskypantz]

The FB Live comments were great. There was a "Spoiler Alert "for flat earthers when they show the camera looking back to Florida.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Never got that close but did see the shuttle mounted on the 747 at Edwards AFB, from a hill on their golf course.

Closing the subject circle with Edwards and Space X. Much of the development and testing was done about 10 miles to the northeast at the Mojave Spaceport.

Space Startups Are Booming

Edwards still has the runways labeled on the desert floor and the world's largest compass rose for calibrating compass systems.

Just to the east of the Mojave Spaceport is a Hyundai/Kia test track/facility.

And to the south in Palmdale every major defense contractor has secure facilities for test and development (Skunk Works, stealth aircraft, weapon systems, radar, etc.) Palmdale and Lancaster don't look too exciting on a map and it sucks balls working in the Mojave during the summer, but there are loads of really smart people living in that area.

And yes, that drive from the Rosamond exit on 14 to the gate at Edwards is still a long, straight drive. I've broken 100mph on my off the base on that road.

 

[uconnfan68]

Closing the subject circle with Edwards and Space X. Much of the development and testing was done about 10 miles to the northeast at the Mojave Spaceport.

Space Startups Are Booming

Edwards still has the runways labeled on the desert floor and the world's largest compass rose for calibrating compass systems.

Just to the east of the Mojave Spaceport is a Hyundai/Kia test track/facility.

And to the south in Palmdale every major defense contractor has secure facilities for test and development (Skunk Works, stealth aircraft, weapon systems, radar, etc.) Palmdale and Lancaster don't look too exciting on a map and it sucks balls working in the Mojave during the summer, but there are loads of really smart people living in that area.

And yes, that drive from the Rosamond exit on 14 to the gate at Edwards is still a long, straight drive. I've broken 100mph on my off the base on that road.

View attachment 28411

Don’t remember exact driving directions, but we used to stop on the way to a military golf tournament (was run by Showboat Hotel) in Vegas. We’d play there, MCAS Barstow, and another course in Vegas, then a 3-day, multicourse scramble. Rotated all team members daily. Open to active and retired. Some of my best memories, albeit hazy.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I don't see another Saturn V effort in humanity's near future. The cost is just way too high. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by space and rockets. I wanted to be an astronaut. I loved Star Trek (still do). But now I look back on the Apollo program and wonder if it was worth it. One thing that comes from efforts like that are new technologies that get applied to other applications. So it is hard to say what the value is, exactly. But, man, did we spend a lot of money in that space race with the Soviets. It is inconceivable to see such a program getting funded in congress today. Elon Musk is doing amazing things, given the amount of money that is being spent. And even he is losing money at this point. But it is still incredible to see the cost effectiveness relative to anything NASA ever did.

Interesting question
Do the great advances in technology that we’ve seen happen in the last 40 years occur without the The Apollo program.
If it’s only indirectly that investment was well worth it.

 

[TheChamps990411]

For those that see this a no big deal i think youre thinking very small. This is the foundation, the infancy of a new space age that will see us do some amazing things over the next 50-100 years. Tesla man imho is kind of like the Wright bros with less than a hundred years later having the SR71.

 

[CL82]

For those that see this a no big deal i think youre thinking very small. This is the foundation, the infancy of a new space age that will see us do some amazing things over the next 50-100 years. Tesla man imho is kind of like the Wright bros with less than a hundred years later having the SR71.

SR72