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Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

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Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#121

Post by TeMPOraL »

snrplfth wrote: post #119
TeMPOraL wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I addressed Hyperloop elsewhere, but RE Mars: > It wold have held more water, if they said it after making real tech breakthroughs Going to Mars is literally the only reason they're in the rocket business . Like everything behind their breakthroughs, which they had a few - including landing and turnaround times - is meant to enable the Mars mission. They've been explicit about this since day one. > stunts like landin…

> Like everything behind their breakthroughs, which they had a few - including landing and turnaround times - is meant to enable the Mars mission. They've been explicit about this since day one. It's not so much a rocket company with a Mars objective, it's a Mars cult with a rocketry front operation. Somehow, people get the idea that they're "not really serious" about the one driving goal that they've never deviated…

Whatever. Freedom of religious worship and all...

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#122

Post by jacquesm »

somesayso wrote: post #44
TeMPOraL wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, hyperloop was kind of bullshit that now appears only made up for cheap publicity aka PR stunt. Then there is the promise of taking humanity to "mars", which quite honestly, sounds a bullshit claim at this point . It wold have held more water, if they said it after making real tech breakthroughs (Ie not stunts like landing a rockets, which only guillable people finds magical because they were not tech savvy to k…

What you refer to as a 'stunt' is not magical but a very important step in reducing costs to get a certain mass to orbit.

Whether Musk gets to take humans to Mars or not remains to be seen, but in the meantime he's making a lot of progress that is going to be super useful to humanity.

Whether it was possible or not is irrelevant, what matters is that someone actually went and did it.

After all, the internal combustion engine could have probably been built in 1750 or so, but nobody did...

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#123

Post by jacquesm »

snrplfth wrote: post #119
TeMPOraL wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I addressed Hyperloop elsewhere, but RE Mars: > It wold have held more water, if they said it after making real tech breakthroughs Going to Mars is literally the only reason they're in the rocket business . Like everything behind their breakthroughs, which they had a few - including landing and turnaround times - is meant to enable the Mars mission. They've been explicit about this since day one. > stunts like landin…

> Like everything behind their breakthroughs, which they had a few - including landing and turnaround times - is meant to enable the Mars mission. They've been explicit about this since day one. It's not so much a rocket company with a Mars objective, it's a Mars cult with a rocketry front operation. Somehow, people get the idea that they're "not really serious" about the one driving goal that they've never deviated…

Who cares what their personal goals are as long as they keep moving the needle it is fine by me.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#124

Post by snrplfth »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #121
snrplfth wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Like everything behind their breakthroughs, which they had a few - including landing and turnaround times - is meant to enable the Mars mission. They've been explicit about this since day one. It's not so much a rocket company with a Mars objective, it's a Mars cult with a rocketry front operation. Somehow, people get the idea that they're "not really serious" about the one driving goal that they've never deviated…

Whatever. Freedom of religious worship and all...

That's not a criticism. The Mars cult is a very good thing. For forty years, most space programs have been motivated by the burning urge to...uh...send some more people to Low Earth Orbit, I guess, and eke out marginal improvements on technology that never really changes.

The force of the idea of Mars keeps people focused on what really matters.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#125

Post by ChuckMcM »

Klathmon wrote: post #115
ChuckMcM wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that many aerospace engineers were skeptical it would be possible to achieve ignition when facing "backwards" during hypersonic flight. No way to get the right mixture in exhaust chamber.

Even engines that "startup" more than once were pretty "out there". Over the years watching along, I've gotten the feeling that getting the engines to restart at all, and then restart in the right order and with enough consistency was one of the major breakthroughs.

I found the NASA blog entry on engine ignition pretty interesting (https://blogs.nasa.gov/J2X/tag/ignition/). Doing that when you have mach 6 winds blowing always seems amazing to me.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#126

Post by toomuchtodo »

dogma1138 wrote: post #47
chasd00 wrote: post #13

was planning on buying tickets but they sold out before I could get arrangements made with work and family. I grew up in Port Orange FL and could see the shuttle launch from New Smyrna Beach, there's nothing like seeing a launch in person. My colleagues are a little annoyed how excited I am but I can't help it hah. Weather looks good so here's hoping for no delays!

You can watch the launch without buying tickets to KSC there are plenty of spots hobbiest go to watch them without tickets.

Sitting on the bleachers just inside Canaveral AFB watching now, no tickets required!

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#127

Post by sitkack »

greenhouse_gas wrote: post #99
sitkack wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This whole thread should review Clarke's Three Laws[0] 1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, they are almost certainly right. When they state that something is impossible, they are very probably wrong. 2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. 3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishabl…

The (counter) corollary to rule #1: They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.

To my defense, I never said getting laughed at makes one's idea any good.

Re: Watch the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Today

#129

Post by Sammi »

emilecantin wrote: post #120
MLR wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the things that slowed it down a lot was the continual development of the Falcon 9. With the Block 3/4/5 series of the Falcon 9 (5 is the final design and mostly focused on reusability upgrades, 4 is interim) they have a relatively stable base rocket to develop the Heavy variant against.

Yeah, the regular Falcon 9 is so much stronger nowadays, it can basically do what was planned for Heavy back in ~2015. Just at the thrust difference between Merlin engine iterations ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(rocket_engine_family) ), and add the fact that the stage is longer than before, and you have a pretty capable base rocket.

You can read about the dramatic improvements here too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9
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