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Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

nytimes.com

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Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#31

Post by yohann305 »

Klathmon wrote: post #8

I can't put into words how excited I am for this launch today. I remember back in 2012 where spacex was still a laughingstock. The idea of landing a rocket from a private company was a joke. But SpaceX always did one thing right, they made many care about space again. They broadcast their launches, made a bit of a show of it, and they weren't ashamed of their failures. Then they started breaking milestones. They incr…

very well said. I also want to add that SpaceX has forced many engineers to rethink their life because they are believing their current job does not matter (for valid reasons), does not make a difference in the world for the sake of GOOD and does not bring actual progress. Many would argue that working for FB, Twitter, IG or other big tech companies merely provide anything good to human existence.

Engineers are builders at heart. They want to put their effort to good use.

Alrighty, feel free to argue!

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#32

Post by TeMPOraL »

pensivemood wrote: post #25
chasd00 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

an exgf of mine describes Musk as an alien stuck on earth and needs humans to help him develop the technology to get back home. It fits haha

An alien won't be this good at human PR.

He really is an alien. Human PR usually involves making a slick show, and having skilled communicators express vague messages full of bullshit. Musk is an exact opposite of that.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#33

Post by imron »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #20
pavel_lishin wrote: post #18

Oh man, I didn't realize this was going to go into a solar orbit! I thought it was just going to stay in LEO and then eventually burn up on re-entry.

If you missed that, then wait until you learn what's the test payload...

For the curious, it's Musk's midnight-cherry red Tesla roadster, with a dummy in a spacesuit in the drivers seat, David Bowie playing on the stereo, and a towel in the glove box along with a copy of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and a sign that says Don't Panic.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#34

Post by Klathmon »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #11
Klathmon wrote: post #8

I can't put into words how excited I am for this launch today. I remember back in 2012 where spacex was still a laughingstock. The idea of landing a rocket from a private company was a joke. But SpaceX always did one thing right, they made many care about space again. They broadcast their launches, made a bit of a show of it, and they weren't ashamed of their failures. Then they started breaking milestones. They incr…

> Now it's weird when a rocket is launched in "expandable mode"! So much this. You just made me realize I don't know when this flipped for me. I remember having fingers crossed for successful landings. But few months back I was checking the launch schedule and found myself completely surprised by no landing plans. Like, "what do you mean you're not landing , because you need to get rid of obsolete reflown boosters ?!…

The diagram in the article really showed just how quickly they came into the game.

I see the little blue lines, a few per year, then all of a sudden there are more than you can easily count!

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#35

Post by 0xfeba »

pensivemood wrote: post #23
verytrivial wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember clearly thinking the whole idea of landing the booster as being completely unrealistic, verging on not possible. I'm really pleased to have been utterly wrong. And 2/3rds of the boosters in today's test have already been into space. Mind blowing. Congratulations to all the hard working engineers at SpaceX!

>I remember clearly thinking the whole idea of landing the booster as being completely unrealistic, verging on not possible Please share why you thought it was not possible. Just curious.

I thought it was kind of unrealistic as well. The reasons were that now you have to store fuel for the return trip of just an "empty can", as well as (possibly) even more launch trajectory restrictions to ensure it can reach the landing site.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#36

Post by treecycle »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #32
pensivemood wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An alien won't be this good at human PR.

He really is an alien. Human PR usually involves making a slick show, and having skilled communicators express vague messages full of bullshit. Musk is an exact opposite of that.

Well, there is Hyperloop. There there is the idea (or is it a promise) 'to take all of us to mars and save from earth!'

The only real things they have done are making Electric cars and Rockets popular.

More PR than hard tech if you ask me...

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#37

Post by Robotbeat »

Falcon Heavy is just a toe in the door of super heavy launch. BFR will have 31 engines at liftoff compared to Falcon Heavy's 27. BFR will be about twice the thrust of Falcon Heavy, and most importantly BFR is not just a launch vehicle (which gives SpaceX a big edge in deploying megaconstellations of low-latency internet satellites), but the upper stage part will be a spacecraft capable of reentering the Earth's atmosphere with a payload and crew like Shuttle but also capable of being refueled and landing on (and taking off from) distant worlds. Falcon Heavy really helps provide this necessary interim step, and will help build a manifest of large payloads that BFR will be able to take over.

SpaceX is increasingly serious about BFR, their next-gen rocket which is like an enormous, fully reusable hybrid of Shuttle and Falcon 9 using soot-free and higher performing methane (which can also be made on Mars in a fairly straightforward process) instead of kerosene.

Musk mentioned BFR multiple times in the pre-launch press conference yesterday: https://soundcloud.com/geekwire/elon-musk-discusses-the-laun...

They're cancelling lunar Dragon+FH to focus on BFR which is making more progress than they expected. They plan to start flight testing the upper stage/spaceship portion of it by next year according to Elon in the prelaunch press conference.

Falcon Heavy was originally supposed to fly about as often as Falcon 9, but they upgraded Falcon 9 so much that now they barely need Falcon Heavy, as amazing as Falcon Heavy is.

Super excited about all this.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#38

Post by mwambua »

chasd00 wrote: post #14
pmcollins wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I remember back in 2012 where spacex was still a laughingstock I can't help but draw a parallel to how Tesla is considered by the old guard to be a laughingstock today. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16305520

an exgf of mine describes Musk as an alien stuck on earth and needs humans to help him develop the technology to get back home. It fits haha

He's basically playing factorio in real-life :)

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#39

Post by TeMPOraL »

yohann305 wrote: post #31
Klathmon wrote: post #8

I can't put into words how excited I am for this launch today. I remember back in 2012 where spacex was still a laughingstock. The idea of landing a rocket from a private company was a joke. But SpaceX always did one thing right, they made many care about space again. They broadcast their launches, made a bit of a show of it, and they weren't ashamed of their failures. Then they started breaking milestones. They incr…

very well said. I also want to add that SpaceX has forced many engineers to rethink their life because they are believing their current job does not matter (for valid reasons), does not make a difference in the world for the sake of GOOD and does not bring actual progress. Many would argue that working for FB, Twitter, IG or other big tech companies merely provide anything good to human existence. Engineers are build…

Count me as one; the activities of Tesla and SpaceX played a huge role in my personal reflections on the direction of my career.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#40

Post by avmich »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #15
Klathmon wrote: post #8

I can't put into words how excited I am for this launch today. I remember back in 2012 where spacex was still a laughingstock. The idea of landing a rocket from a private company was a joke. But SpaceX always did one thing right, they made many care about space again. They broadcast their launches, made a bit of a show of it, and they weren't ashamed of their failures. Then they started breaking milestones. They incr…

Personally I was more excited about the RocketLab launch. This to me feels like a variation on a theme. RocketLab was in may ways a breakthrough. First orbital launch from New Zealand and first orbital launch using electric turbopumps.

I was sad when I learned they've launched half as much as Falcon-1 for (rumored?) almost twice more money spent some 15 years later.

On the other hand, a good demonstration of composites - and yes, electropumps are a good opportunity which now is on the list of "already done".

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