SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#181

Post by h0l0cube » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:35 AM UTC

kiba wrote: post #153

octaveguin wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Expanse also has UBI on earth. With it, most people still lack opportunity and live a rather destitute, powerless life. Seems like a pretty good perdition of our future, really. UBI recipients with no labor of value to offer won't have power to change their government for long. It's unfortunate that the authoritarian future of Star Trek probably wouldn't lead to paradise. Or at least, that's how our culture's vie…

IIRC, UBI in The Expanse is not really UBI, and more like minimum amount of services to keep you viable, and extreme scarcity of training. There should really be no reason that people can't be trained or educated even if most of the skills are utterly useless in the face of automation.

Also The Expanse isn't facts.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#182

Post by nfoz » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:36 AM UTC

sekai wrote: post #174

kieranmaine wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could it be the case that a bright outlook leads people to overlook issues that need to be addressed. Maybe a more depressive (or realistic) disposition motivates people to enact change.

Let's look at this way, humanity needs to become multiplanetary species to prevent extinction if some sort of cataclysm happens on Earth: nuclear war; Yellowstone erupts, etc. Compared to that, any other problem seems insignificant.

This will sound weird, but I have no idea why anyone cares about the abstract "survival of human species". I care very deeply about the lives of people actually living here right now. But if Earth is wiped out, what does it matter that some humans are alive somewhere? Except of course that I'm glad for them that they didn't get killed. But we're talking about generations from now anyway, and there are more direct ways to stop people from dying here today.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#183

Post by db48x » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:38 AM UTC

smusamashah wrote: post #178

Why is it shaped like this? Why the fire seems to be not exactly in center and how it managed to keep balance with that?

It's a prototype of the lower half of a larger rocket, and it's not intended to fly very high or fast, so it doesn't need a nice nose-cone. The single rocket engine is mounted in the center, and it gimbals to the side to make the rocket move sideways. The on-board computer is balancing the whole rocket on that flame the whole time, adjusting it continuously to keep everything in balance and the rocket moving towards the landing zone; imagine balancing a pencil on your fingertip. The real rocket will have a lot more than just one engine, but for this test they only needed the one.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#184

Post by db48x » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:43 AM UTC

smusamashah wrote: post #177

martindbp wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See also "Youtube face".

There is also a "Dreamworks Face"

Doesn't Japanese television have a lot of reaction shots too?

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#185

Post by shireboy » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:43 AM UTC

ncmncm wrote: post #158

jacquesm wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You write that as if it is a done deal. Mars' atmosphere is roughly .5% of that of Earth and almost exclusively CO2. Temperature ranges are well out of what they are on Earth. It is hard for technology to survive there, it is impossible for people to survive there until there has been an unbelievable investment in infrastructure. If you think there will be a million people colony on Mars in your lifetime than you are…

To get a sense of the difficulty, imagine sending a million people to the South Pole to set up a self-sustaining colony. That would be much more than 1000 times easier than establishing such a base on Mars.

I’ve often said the same thing. South Pole and underwater cities would be easier than mars or even moon colony. As much as I want the later to happen- I think 1 million people on Mars or Moon will require something that makes them more appealing than even the worst Earth locations. That has to be something pretty drastic. Elon says motivation will be “it’d be cool”. I don’t think that is enough motivation. Still, I’d rather have the capability developed than not, and hopefully those motivations present themselves without being too dire (like a comet heading our way)

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#186

Post by QuesnayJr » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:44 AM UTC

themgt wrote: post #52

llboston wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another significant thing is that Starship is designed to be mass manufactured at a relatively low cost. SpaceX can crank out thousands of Starships, fly them to Mars and build a million people colony. Starship is truly a game changer!

Yep, and in addition to both of these, Starship is also designed: * to be fueled / ignited such that it can be refueled in-situ on Mars & then launched back to Earth, without advanced rocket fuels or the TEA-TEB chemical igniter. * to be able to refuel from another Starship in-orbit The combination of all of this, if they pull it off, will be the ability to send truly massive payloads to Mars, faster and cheaper than…

To be fair to NASA, they would never have been allowed to pursue a Starship-like strategy. Look at the Space Shuttle, which had all kinds of requirements ladled on top of the program, such as DoD requirements.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#187

Post by phtrivier » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 11:51 AM UTC

bfieidhbrjr wrote: post #55

Does anyone else get super depressed by this? I did some great work today. I coded something pretty cool and useful. I built a little deck to explain it. My coworkers loved it. My job security went up. I enjoyed it. The journey is the reward. But these guys are making rockets in tents. Should I be rethinking life? Because that's how it feels. I love it. I admire them. But it feels unobtainable. I want to make that ki…

Out of curiosity and without any condescention implied, are you saying this because the business you're currently working on seems less important / relevant / urgent, to you, than space exploration ?

Because, "these guys are making rockets in tents", sure ; but, meanwhile, someone is "fixing up human beeings in an hospital", "teaching kids how to read in a school", "writing poetry in a basement", etc...

There probably isn't any objective way to rank pursuits (or at least, no "objective" way that does not end up in a dystopian society and / or Golgafrincham [1].)

And it's not like anyone is actually counting score (unless you're Chinese. Someone is counting score on you at the moment. Deities have mercy on you.)

Those precautions aside, if such an event is triggering you to pause and reconsider you life choices, than go for it ! Maybe you actually need to branch and try and get to work in space exploration after all.

And if you're not clever enough, educated enough, US Citizen-enough, etc... there are opportunities to inspire others, educate others, help others...

And in the end, just plain looking at the sky. This thing is darn cute.

Enjoy the journey.

[1] https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Golgafrinchans

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#188

Post by ZitchDog » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 12:06 PM UTC

h0l0cube wrote: post #180

sekai wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's look at this way, humanity needs to become multiplanetary species to prevent extinction if some sort of cataclysm happens on Earth: nuclear war; Yellowstone erupts, etc. Compared to that, any other problem seems insignificant.

Life will go on in other parts of the universe, and all life, no matter where they locate themselves, will have some kind of existential threat. And it doesn't matter how many Dyson spheres are made, if humans aren't dedicated to improving the collective opportunity to live life without suffering, there's little real 'significance' to extending the project of humanity compared to any other life-form.

I’m sure you’re right, although I’m not convinced that anything like human consciousness will be reproduced, which is a shame.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#189

Post by chasd00 » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 12:16 PM UTC

bfieidhbrjr wrote: post #55

Does anyone else get super depressed by this? I did some great work today. I coded something pretty cool and useful. I built a little deck to explain it. My coworkers loved it. My job security went up. I enjoyed it. The journey is the reward. But these guys are making rockets in tents. Should I be rethinking life? Because that's how it feels. I love it. I admire them. But it feels unobtainable. I want to make that ki…

every time i start thinking i'm hot shit i go watch some falcon 9 launches/landings on youtube. It's truly humbling and inspiring at the same time.

Re: SpaceX test flight of Starship SN-5 [video]

#190

Post by bigbizisverywyz » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 12:22 PM UTC

h0l0cube wrote: post #181

kiba wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC, UBI in The Expanse is not really UBI, and more like minimum amount of services to keep you viable, and extreme scarcity of training. There should really be no reason that people can't be trained or educated even if most of the skills are utterly useless in the face of automation.

Also The Expanse isn't facts.

But in some way it may still influence the future.

If the negative aspect of the future portrayed in the Expanse are culturally absorbed, then there is a strong possibility that the people dreaming of and building the future could see that as a road sign to help them avoid that future.

E.g. it makes the point that we would need to work out ways to create better habitats in space and to concentrate on making a workable biosphere where enough food can be cultivated and raised (yes, cows in space) to survive.