SpaceX lands rocket at sea second time after satellite launch

Post by searine » Fri, May 06, 2016, 4:21 PM UTC

simonh wrote: post #37

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?

As a Brit we don't have anything as catchy. UKGBNI, or even just UK doesn't have the same ring to it. 'Enganld' wouldn't work because we're too diverse. It would be a bit like the SpaceX folks cheering 'California' in that I'm sure a lot of them are from elsewhere. I've come across it in a few other contexts and I take it like a football chant.

Post by cloudwalking » Fri, May 06, 2016, 4:22 PM UTC

samstave wrote: post #309

Can someone please explain to me how the falcon orients itself during this total process?? Does it use fins, or simply engines and whatever those little jets are that, say, the space shuttle had around its nose... How does the falcon manage to physically orient its body? Also, is that process completely autonomous? Is there a remote flight engineer steering this to the barge - or is it completely self-guided

Post by lmm » Fri, May 06, 2016, 4:26 PM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #179

LocaX wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I attended a conference from the head of the CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, ~ French NASA) in Paris a week ago and he talked about that. Ariane 6 is going to be built with a cost effective approach and trying to focus on market needs (3D printing of parts, reusability of the first stage, etc.) At first, concerning SpaceX, his group of experts told him that the design of the rocket wasn't going to work and…

I can't imagine how anyone with the slightest clue could conclude that the first stage would sink the barge. The scales are just too different; the barge outweighs the rocket by orders of magnitude. I hope this is one of those "lost in translation" things, because otherwise I fear for that group of supposed experts.

Post by pdkl95 » Fri, May 06, 2016, 4:28 PM UTC

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?

Post by Udik » Fri, May 06, 2016, 4:35 PM UTC

jklinger410 wrote: post #245

sjtrny wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well the advances remain to be seen in the decades to come. I could understand that level of excitement for putting a person on Mars but not for a satellite deployment or ISS restocking mission. Maybe it's just a cultural difference but there is something unsettling and cringey about seeing those employees act so enthusiastic. Is it genuine? Maybe for some employees. But the camera setup makes me think there is some…

>I could understand that level of excitement for putting a person on Mars but not for a satellite deployment or ISS restocking mission. I have seen that level of excitement over a soccer match. I think your priorities are personal, and you should maybe not project them to other human beings. Not everything is objective.