Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

spacex.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

401–410 of 513 posts

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#401

Post by TheArcane »

prewett wrote: post #329
TeMPOraL wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. For some reason I imagined that orbital-capable rockets use order(s) of magnitude more fuel than airliners...

Depending on how you count, it does. The 747-8 freighter can carry 240k L of fuel [1], and 308k lbs of cargo [2], so 1.3 L/lb. The Falcon Heavy can launch 120k lbs of cargo into low-Earth orbit [3], and according to the grandparent, is carrying 1250k L of fuel (including oxygen, which is an essential component of "fuel" in this case), so 10.4 L/lb. Still, that's better than I expected. And if you want to go to Mars,…

Would it be erreneous to say that no matter how 'green' our industries and power consumption on ground becomes, aviation and space flight would always require carbon based fuel?

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#402

Post by nenreme »

gydfi wrote: post #303
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there isn't anything about a privately funded and established outpost that wants to declare independence Practically speaking, there isn't anything the UN can do if America sticks a base on Mars and calls it sovereign soil. We've already started legalising private ownership of celestial bodies through the SPACE Act, in direct contravention of the Outer Space Treaty.

But practically speaking there's also not much the US can do in that scenario if Russia or China ignores US sovereignty over Mars and sets up their own base. The US's only recourse would be to start a war, and would that be worth it? Sovereignty is more of a practical concept than a legal one: you own what you are both able and willing to defend. See also the Russian bases in the Australian Antarctic territory. Austr…

Australia definitely has the ability to prevent Russia from setting up bases in Antarctica. It more like that they don't intend to do that because all their claims of sovereignty over Antarctica is a joke.

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#403

Post by el_isma »

gravypod wrote: post #133
ctdonath wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference between a human-cargo test run of days vs months/years is substantial.

Exactly and that's not mentioning the benifit of being able to easily recover a failed prototype or even just analysis of a failed prototype. Imagine trying to diagnose a problem that comes up 10 months into the program after the probe is no longer in a direct visual path or while communications via microwaves start taking 10-20 seconds from point to point. There are too many questions to be answered before we can ju…

I don't understand why the human cost of space travel is always weighted so heavily. All exploration costs lives.

How many died conquering America? Exploring the poles? The Everest?

To this day people die in the Everest. It's their choice to risk their lives in such a way. Yet I don't hear people saying "don't go there".

Space is riskier, but also has more rewards.

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#404

Post by simonh »

sandworm101 wrote: post #245
ChuckMcM wrote: post #161

Wow. This sends so many thoughts cascading through my head that I'm dizzy. Some things to consider, China has been working up to getting a space capability to send people to the Moon with the full backing of the government funding, by 2035[1]. They started in 2003. SpaceX was founded in 2002 and they are saying they will fly someone around the moon next year? Dragon has the deltaV to land on the moon (not sure if it…

>> For so long it was only countries that could do something like that, now it is nearly within reach of individuals. And that is something we all need to think long and hard about. Sure, spaceflight is cheaper these days, but we also live in an age of extraordinarily concentrated wealth. The necessary implication of individuals with power enough to rival governments is that, well, they can rival governments . Anyone…

I think you have to do a lot of squinting to see things this way. The vast majority of the funding for SpaceX has come from a government.

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#405

Post by grkvlt »

astrodust wrote: post #358
stephengillie wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hurray for reproducability - we can still do what was last done in 1972 - this is something which eludes most scientists!

Look at F1 in 1972 and F1 in 2017 for an example of what relentless, continuous improvement looks like. Can you imagine what would be like if they'd given up on the series? If all that we had was NASCAR and Indy? The entire automotive industry would be over a decade behind, if not more. Most thigns people take for granted like ABS and traction control might not even exist. Look at SpaceX as an example of what happens…

It's actually a good analogy. The F1 Cars (equals Apollo CSM vs. Crew Dragon 2) have much improved since the 70s, but the Tracks haven't changed and Silverstone is still Silverstone (and the Moon is still where we expect it should be) so the mission parameters are much the same too; you go round and round seventy-odd times (or, once) and come home.

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#406

Post by [deleted] »

astrodust wrote: post #358
stephengillie wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hurray for reproducability - we can still do what was last done in 1972 - this is something which eludes most scientists!

Look at F1 in 1972 and F1 in 2017 for an example of what relentless, continuous improvement looks like. Can you imagine what would be like if they'd given up on the series? If all that we had was NASCAR and Indy? The entire automotive industry would be over a decade behind, if not more. Most thigns people take for granted like ABS and traction control might not even exist. Look at SpaceX as an example of what happens…

[deleted]

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#407

Post by pilsetnieks »

TheArcane wrote: post #401
prewett wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on how you count, it does. The 747-8 freighter can carry 240k L of fuel [1], and 308k lbs of cargo [2], so 1.3 L/lb. The Falcon Heavy can launch 120k lbs of cargo into low-Earth orbit [3], and according to the grandparent, is carrying 1250k L of fuel (including oxygen, which is an essential component of "fuel" in this case), so 10.4 L/lb. Still, that's better than I expected. And if you want to go to Mars,…

Would it be erreneous to say that no matter how 'green' our industries and power consumption on ground becomes, aviation and space flight would always require carbon based fuel?

An electric plane could be a possibility, depending on advancements in battery technology or power storage in general. Space flight would most likely require some kind fuel, at least in our lifetimes - so far we haven't found any other way to move mass in vacuum other than expelling propellant.

However, not all rocket fuel/propellant is carbon based, in fact, most aren't.

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#408

Post by grkvlt »

grondilu wrote: post #312
miketery wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a figure with so much PR fire power tarnish it? If anything it would put space exploration front and center for so many young and adolescence people.

Even if it was Justin Bieber? Instead of "One small step for the man...", we'd have Justin singing "baby, baby, baby..." to promote his latest album.

I think the image that is being tarnished here is yours... Imagine we aren't told who the astronauts are until a long time after the mission (the photos and video have their faces redacted or something) would the revelation that one of them was Mr Bieber really make it suddenly less of an achievement or 'tarnish' it?

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#409

Post by grkvlt »

gleenn wrote: post #94
dwringer wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We choose to not go to the moon, but do the other things, not because they are hard, but because they are relatively easy, and we can make a quick buck.

Everyone replying is missing this oppositized JFK quote: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." -JFK

Sorry, a bit dense maybe, but what's 'oppositized' about it? That looks like a verbatim quote to me.

EDIT: Oh, not your usage! You're suggesting people somehow haven't realised the GP was mis-quoting JFK, I guess? I think it's more likely that everyone reading that GP comment realised, since it was a pretty obvious context for the reference.

Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year

#410

Post by anovikov »

grkvlt wrote: post #399
Retric wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SpaceX is already docking with the space station which is similar difficulty as launching from the moon and docking in lunar orbit. The problem is getting a rocket with enough fuel on the surface of the moon without damaging it, not the docking in orbit. Which is even easier than doing the same thing from the surface of Mars. The only advantage of Mars is you don't need to burn fuel slowing down but that's more than…

Actually, they are Berthing [1][2] the Dragon craft with the ISS, which means something slightly different - grabbed by the thing you are connecting to and pulled in, vs. a (controlled) bumping into the thing. I believe that Nautical terminology is where that comes from, and means the same there e.g. berthing ships with ropes and dock hands. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_and_berthing_of_spacec... 2. http:/…

But crewed Dragon V2 will actually dock.
Post reply on HN