Space Travel & Exploration

[Pann]

This is very... uhm... sci-fi.

Sped up Starship stacking - https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1583466193783910400

[ringpriest]

Agreed, that is very good news. It would be nice to have more than one consistent heavy launch platform for the United States' space needs.

Yes, it would. But SLS is not and will never be a "consistent heavy launch platform for the United States' space needs". It is billions of dollars of pork flung into space (or transformed into flaming debris) that might, incredibly inefficiently, accomplish something useful along the way.

In the unlikely possibility that all five planned launches succeed, SLS as it currently exists will end, because it will be out of legacy Space Shuttle hardware to burn through. It will then keep the name (and the billions-per-launch costs), but switch over to the idiotic nightmare of marrying a sixty-year old underlying design to the teething problems of brand-new launch hardware.

Depending on Congressional will and the stability of the United States, the SLS program may continue past my lifetime, fulfilling its core mission of funneling pork. It may even, thanks to the work of intelligent and hard-working people, manage to occasionally launch, at exorbitant cost. But it is never going to be "a consistent heavy launch platform for the United States' space needs".

Fun fact: when we get to the November launch dates, the SLS SRBs will have been stacked for over 9 months past the point where they ought to have been (at a minimum) de-stacked and inspected. If the SLS does successfully complete its mission profile, that will give NASA management the green light for more of the same corner-cutting that worked so well for the Shuttle program.

[cubby]

Yes, it would. But SLS is not and will never be a "consistent heavy launch platform for the United States' space needs". It is billions of dollars of pork flung into space (or transformed into flaming debris) that might, incredibly inefficiently, accomplish something useful along the way.

In the unlikely possibility that all five planned launches succeed, SLS as it currently exists will end, because it will be out of legacy Space Shuttle hardware to burn through. It will then keep the name (and the billions-per-launch costs), but switch over to the idiotic nightmare of marrying a sixty-year old underlying design to the teething problems of brand-new launch hardware.

Depending on Congressional will and the stability of the United States, the SLS program may continue past my lifetime, fulfilling its core mission of funneling pork. It may even, thanks to the work of intelligent and hard-working people, manage to occasionally launch, at exorbitant cost. But it is never going to be "a consistent heavy launch platform for the United States' space needs".

Fun fact: when we get to the November launch dates, the SLS SRBs will have been stacked for over 9 months past the point where they ought to have been (at a minimum) de-stacked and inspected. If the SLS does successfully complete its mission profile, that will give NASA management the green light for more of the same corner-cutting that worked so well for the Shuttle program.

I was trying to sound optimistic re the SLS consistency statement - but IIRC and understand the mechanics, really, the only consistent launch platform in the world right now is SpaceX.

[PACOX]

Possible Falcon Heavy launch on the 31st. Didn't realize one hasn't flown in 3 years.

[Nerraw]

Possible Falcon Heavy launch on the 31st. Didn't realize one hasn't flown in 3 years.

Payloads keep getting delayed. We were supposed to have 6 launches this year. Now we get one, maybe two if we're lucky.

[plz delete account]

I have a bridge over the East River to sell you.

You should read the article I linked

[PACOX]

Falcon Heavy now set for 9am Nov 1st.

SLS Nov 14 midnight.

Hoping SLS launches just to see a night launch.

No new news on SN24/Starship as far as I know.

[Nerraw]

No new news on SN24/Starship as far as I know.

Last rumor I heard mentioned December. So expect January to avoid disappointment.

[plz delete account]

SLS going orbital and even translunar before Starship will be delicious.

[Nerraw]

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/stat...69797579165696

Looks like this Falcon Heavy launch is delayed.

- - - Updated - - -

Falcon Heavy status not as bad as it seemed, it seems: https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/stat...02691643359234

[Nerraw]

NASA saying first Starship orbital attempt is scheduled for early December: https://twitter.com/wapodavenport/st...94533136957444

[PACOX]

Why do I feel like NASA is a more credible source of information about Starship than Musk?

[Edge-]

Why do I feel like NASA is a more credible source of information about Starship than Musk?

Is it because they're not sharing news stories from a website claiming that Nancy Pelosi died in 2016 and a body double was used for her during the debates?

I think that might be why, and that's a very good reason why lol.

[Nerraw]

Falcon Heavy hasn't missed a beat.

[Pann]

Both boosters from today's Falcon Heavy launch landed.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1587442127214034944

It still amazes me to watch two rockets come back to earth and land side by side.

[PACOX]

Both boosters from today's Falcon Heavy launch landed.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1587442127214034944

It still amazes me to watch two rockets come back to earth and land side by side.

The space shuttles boosters landed...in the ocean.


Im joking. Being able to retrieve them without a dive team with a much faster turn around time is obviously better. One day, maybe soon, we'll see a super heavy booster and Starship land.

[cubby]

Both boosters from today's Falcon Heavy launch landed.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1587442127214034944

It still amazes me to watch two rockets come back to earth and land side by side.

Same here. It's just amazing to watch that sequence. I still have the first SpaceX landing as a gif on my computer.

- - - Updated - - -

The space shuttles boosters landed...in the ocean.


Im joking. Being able to retrieve them without a dive team with a much faster turn around time is obviously better. One day, maybe soon, we'll see a super heavy booster and Starship land.

Indeed. And hopefully we'll start seeing a LOT more launches from SpaceX as they ramp up their launch capability.

[plz delete account]

Gotta hand it to Falcon Heavy, I enjoy watching a rocket land from the view of another rocket

[PACOX]

NASA just rolled SLS back to the pad after it it was put back in VAB as a precaution during the last hurricane that hit Florida. Now there's a small but increasing and uncertain chance they might have to roll to the VAB again just days before before launch like last time. Mind you, tropical systems generally aren't a threat to land this time of year and yet here we are.


The rocket is cursed. Now I'm half worried they say screw it and leave it on the pad and some kind of worse case scenario happens.

[PACOX]

NASA has decided to leave SLS on the pad during the storm. Not completely surprising. Opportunity to further to test the bounds of the rocket before a real mission. Rockets are designed to withstand a lot of stress but only for a brief period of time, now just swaying in the wind relentlessly. It's an opportunity to see just how strong the integrity of SLS is and how well their launch pad procedures hold. Another thing they are going to do be looking at is how quickly they can access and repair anything that happen to one of these rockets on the pad once they get a crew out there after the storm.


Pretty sure they are over the the delays at this point and someone really didn't want to go through the slow rollback process right after the sent back to the pad.



Next launch attempt is next Wednesday. Assuming no other unforeseeable thing happens...like a rare hurricane outside of hurricane season. With their luck it might just snow in Cape Canaveral.