911–920 of 926 posts
Fuck Snapchat filters, fuck another JavaScript framework being released, fuck Google releasing another chat app, fuck the next iPhone having wireless charging. This is innovation. This is the future. This, and Tesla, are the biggest technological breakthroughs since the iPhone.
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The goal back then was to make things possible. Right now, especially with SpaceX shaking the competition up a bit, the process is making things cheaper, which enables space access for uses that have been cost-prohibitive in the past. However, I guess cubesats and tiny launchers are just as much a part of that development as SpaceX' work on reusability. And the landing shots are just damn cool.
Ok, so Musk is basically doing the job of the Chinese companies of the past: producing cheaper copy of other people's inventions. And yet, some call him "visionary" or "genius" :)
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And there's still more! Live Webcam from Spaceman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M
All of this insane expense and amazing science and they couldn't make a VR360 camera happen. :(
Then again he calculated it, which is more than we can say for the countless teenagers trying to flip bottles in on their tables for views.
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> Once Prometheus flies Sounds like they are not that committed to the project and if it happens at all it will be a long way off. Will it be worth competing with both SpaceX and Blue Origin? “We could replace Vulcain 2.1 by Prometheus,” Bonguet told SpaceNews. “Or Prometheus can be the first brick to build the next generation. We will see where we are in 2025 or 2030, and then decide on the right time whether to go…
Prometheus is finished, production on the prototype has started, and the first flights of the prototype are expected in 2020. If Arianespace follows that schedule, they’ll be a decade late compared to SpaceX, but still ahead of all other competitors in this.
Prometheus or not, Ariane 6 is an expendable rocket in any form that currently or will soon exist. By the time they figure out the very basics of first-stage reusability on a launcher that is roughly equivalent to Falcon 9 FT, SpaceX will have BFR ... likely for quite a while.
At least their reusability plans are not a joke like ULA.
Love that SpaceX’s own team shoots, announces, and switches the live production in-house rather than hiring a production company. Also love seeing machinists side by side cheering with software engineers, standing by a mission control which is placed feet from where engines are assembled on the shop floor. Open company culture well-executed. Congratulations to all there!
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But. We are making them! I've almost lost hope around the end of the Space Shuttle program. I thought it will be only satellites, ISS and occasional science probe launches. SpaceX single-handedly restored my faith in the future of space activities again, and with other player on the scene, we now have realistic hope of seeing an actual industry in space within our lifetimes.
And the amazing thing is, even if SpaceX should fail, an entire industry has started to happen. Arianespace has spent years developing new rocket engines specifically for reusability, and has started building prototype rockets. Bezos’ company has mastered landing, and is directly building their mars rocket. In 5 years we’ll likely see at least 3 major companies up there with SpaceX, and true competition in space.
It rather looks as if the tail-landing reusable booster stage is a "steam engine" type of eureka form factor, and everyone's going to be doing it. Yay!
There was something doubly awesome about the two falcons landing at the same time right next to each other!
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I do find that super weird. You would think one of the nearby ships would have a feed as well no?
Yes, very hard to believe this was a technical failure/limitation. My money would be on a deliberate cut, possibly even automated, when the systems became aware of impending failure. It'd be important for SpaceX that any negative outcomes are delayed from public release in order to control what makes it into the headline news. The fate of the reusable components would be a particularly sensitive aspect of the PR camp…
They're not interested in the extra hassle of continuity for the sake of putting on a live show. The droneship has tons of cameras, the booster has tons of telemetry, that's all they're interested in.
(if you must spin a conspiracy, the one where they deliberately don't upgrade to keep their fans guessing is more credible - it's zero effort)
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The main argument for Falcon Heavy over Ariane 5 is cost, not reliability. Ariane 5 remains the most reliable heavy launcher, so that's the launcher you want for JWST.
if it isn't too expensive to build 3 of your payload, falcon heavy could blow up twice and still be cheaper! Obviously JWST does not fall into that category. I imagine if it blows up, it is just done forever?
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https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/7vt7ru/tesla_spends_0...
> That includes things like launch parties. They don't do traditional advertising.