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SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

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Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#71

Post by mattgibson »

gallonofmilk wrote: post #47
neals wrote: post #28

I always try to watch the webcasts and I can't help but cringe so hard when they start chanting 'USA USA USA', every single time. What is up with that?

please explain why this is a bad thing? American industry pushing the envelope and the people doing it aren't allowed to have pride?

Maybe not bad per se, but from a British perspective, it's certainly quite strange.

I would never identify my own or my company's achievements as evidence that the UK was great as a nation. I'd be doing the same in whatever country I lived in. In some ways, we achieve things despite being in the UK rather than because of it. Crushing inequality, expensive education, corrupt politics, lack of housing. These are not very business or tech friendly and are less of a problem elsewhere.

Aside from that, feeling proud because of other people's achievements just because you were born in the same country as they were is not really very common in Europe as far as I can tell.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#72

Post by andygates »

downandout wrote: post #54
kirrent wrote: post #7

For those wondering, this isn't a simple repeat of CRS8 which landed on a drone ship about a month ago. CRS8 was a mission to low earth orbit which left the first stage with plenty of fuel to effect a landing. The landing was made as slow as possible and limited only by how low a single engine could be throttled. The re-entry burn which slows the rocket down before the landing burn was also more agressive. This missi…

From the video it looks like it lands on a ship in rough seas and they do nothing to secure it. Won't it just fall over if the seas are rough enough, and if so, why don't they have some sort of robotic system that locks it down tight the moment it lands?

If the sea is still enough to land, it's still enough to take time securing. The previous stage was secured by tying down the thrust structure ("octaweb") to tack-welded fixings on the deck with hoofing big chains. There may also have been shoes, we couldn't see clearly.

Tack-welding fixtures to a steel deck is apparently SOP in big shipping, so it's not as radical as it sounds.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#73

Post by vermontdevil »

bkor wrote: post #59
robin_reala wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of the centre of gravity is low down with the engines. The rest is basically just a thin empty tube.

To add to above: In the previous barge landing they did weld the landing legs to the barge using some kind of bracket. But they discovered that the centre of gravity is low enough to not need any welding. During the previous attempt the sea was heavier than this time. Maybe they still weld it this time, but that is done by having someone go to the barge and do it.

Actually no they did not weld anything to the legs. Elon said that they realize it wasn't needed. They did use octojack though to support the weight off the legs.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#74

Post by gizmo »

andygates wrote: post #72
downandout wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the video it looks like it lands on a ship in rough seas and they do nothing to secure it. Won't it just fall over if the seas are rough enough, and if so, why don't they have some sort of robotic system that locks it down tight the moment it lands?

If the sea is still enough to land, it's still enough to take time securing. The previous stage was secured by tying down the thrust structure ("octaweb") to tack-welded fixings on the deck with hoofing big chains. There may also have been shoes, we couldn't see clearly. Tack-welding fixtures to a steel deck is apparently SOP in big shipping, so it's not as radical as it sounds.

Securing is purely a safety precaution, it's not actually required.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/726218218109444096

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#75

Post by vidarh »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #61
vidarh wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it is the chant we are talking about. I can't think of anywhere else I've been where someone starting to chant the country's name in response to the actions of a single company wouldn't lead to embarrassed looks and face-palming from people around them. This is not about there not being nationalism elsewhere, but about how US nationalism gets expressed in contexts that is not seen as representative of the nation…

You're thinking about SpaceX as just a random company in a random industry. It's not. SpaceX is the space company. On PR area they compete with NASA, the space agency. I can imagine that for many SpaceX employees, their work is synonymous with getting America back into space exploration game.

And I still think that is an American cultural quirk. To me that notion is bizarre.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#76

Post by neals »

gallonofmilk wrote: post #65
neals wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it makes the whole think look like a Trump rally. Have some class, show some dignity.

the world has changed... in older generations you were allowed to be patriotic without being dumped on

I think you were supposed to be patriotic, with the cold war and all.

Now a days, you are supposed to understand that governments indoctrinate patriotism and purposely inflict unneeded international distrust and tensions for their own selfish agenda.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#77

Post by sandworm101 »

gizmo wrote: post #74
andygates wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the sea is still enough to land, it's still enough to take time securing. The previous stage was secured by tying down the thrust structure ("octaweb") to tack-welded fixings on the deck with hoofing big chains. There may also have been shoes, we couldn't see clearly. Tack-welding fixtures to a steel deck is apparently SOP in big shipping, so it's not as radical as it sounds.

Securing is purely a safety precaution, it's not actually required. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/726218218109444096

With respect to Musk, that is total bunk. Any structure like this will have to be secured to the deck. The fact that it is a rocket doesn't matter. He may think that it is safe from falling over, but the insurance company and/or the health and safety people will tell him that cargo that tall needs to be secured. Ropes, chains, welding ... it cannot just sit there. A Volvo station wagon, on that deck at sea, would be tied. A box of onions would at least be secured so that it doesn't shift onto someone's foot. Boats move, cargo cannot.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#78

Post by patates »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #64
oska wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a tribal chant, which is a bit different to having pride. Obviously the SpaceX staff can do whatever they want when they're celebrating a successful launch and landing. But all non-Americans who are watching and also feeling a lot of pride in what the company has achieved instantly feel alienated when the chant gets going because it's exclusionary. Whether the staff care about this alienation is another matter,…

> But all non-Americans who are watching and also feeling a lot of pride in what the company has achieved instantly feel alienated when the chant gets going because it's exclusionary. Yes, it is, and yes, as an non-American I feel alienated. But I suck it up. Because I'm just a supporter. A fanboy, for a lack of better world. In reality, this is not my success, but the success of men and women working there, almost e…

I didn't really look it up but it would be hard to believe SpaceX being a strictly American company with 100% American workforce. Hell, even if it were, it would still be troublesome if the company didn't position itself as an American nationalistic company - think about all the stakeholders. Maybe some supporters wouldn't be so passionate and some suppliers wouldn't be so perfectionist if they felt they were there for the success of a group that they are not a member of (Humanity vs citizens of USA). From that perspective, it would be even weird for NASA employees to do this, let alone a private company's.

Re: SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

#80

Post by deanCommie »

neals wrote: post #28

I always try to watch the webcasts and I can't help but cringe so hard when they start chanting 'USA USA USA', every single time. What is up with that?

Ugh, I completely agree. I'm Canadian and it's been a dream of mine for a long time to work for SpaceX.

I'll gladly take a big paycut and live in bumfuck nowhere, California to do it (my wife is another story but that's a different discussion).

But every time this USA chant comes up I just imagine what it would be like to be in that crowd and be absolutely exhilarated at each success - not just for the company but for HUMANITY (which I already do through the webcast), and feel nothing but cringe and exclusion when the USA chant started.

They really gotta reign that in because you just KNOW it's a couple of aggro-patriotic douchebags that start it and everyone else joins in out of excitement and tribal cohesion not because it's the thing that everyone feels in that moment.

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