SpaceX rockets and launches

[T & P]

First stage landed !

On the NASA live channel on YouTube (I’d imagine the same everywhere else) they lost the feed showing stage one about to land just at the wrong fucking moment. Annoying as fuck.

And I’m no conspiracy theorist but I can imagine a conspiraloon getting a hard-on about the length of the loss of feed as well. The screen went black for just 3-4 seconds in my estimation, and when it came back the rocket had fully landed and was at rest with no smoke visible, as if it had landed a good 10 seconds prior.

 

[Detroit City]

Basically you have humans in a small capsule strapped to the top of a massive fucking explosive device, anyone who isn't shitting their pants to some degree has something wrong with them...

indeed

 

[2hats]

On the NASA live channel on YouTube (I’d imagine the same everywhere else) they lost the feed showing stage one about to land just at the wrong fucking moment. Annoying as fuck.

It almost always gets lost as the first stage landing literally rocks the boat and thus disturbs the satellite uplink.

First phasing burn underway. e2a: Burn completed. Nominal. The chase is on.

 

[weltweit]

Even the safest spaceflight is still a hairy business.

Basically you have humans in a small capsule strapped to the top of a massive fucking explosive device, anyone who isn't shitting their pants to some degree has something wrong with them...

They should have a bit more confidence in their engineering teams & technology.

If any of them really thinks they need God's blessing for a safe flight they really are soft in the head!

Since June 2010, rockets from the Falcon 9 family have been launched 87 times, with 85 full mission successes, one partial failure and one total loss of spacecraft (numbers current as of 22 April 2020).

 

[weltweit]

..
First phasing burn underway. e2a: Burn completed. Nominal. the chase is on.

When did the language start using "nominal" for "ok" or "as expected"?

 

[2hats]

When did the language start using "nominal" for "ok" or "as expected"?

Nominal has been used in the US space program[me] since the 60s.

 

[weltweit]

Nominal has been used in the US space program[me] since the 60s.

Is its meaning distinct from as expected or generally ok?

 

[2hats]

Is its meaning distinct from as expected or generally ok?

Functioning within acceptable performance limits/achieving acceptable targets.

 

[2hats]

In about 5 minutes they are going to conduct the first ever manual flight demo with the craft, to test maneuverability prior to ISS docking, for contingency backup scenarios (ie having to hand fly to a docking if the automated 'autopilot' system encounters issues).

PS in the meantime if you want to have a crack yourself try here...

SPACEX - ISS Docking Simulator

This simulator will familiarize you with the controls of the actual interface used by NASA Astronauts to manually pilot the SpaceX Dragon 2 vehicle to the International Space Station.

iss-sim.spacex.com

 

[weltweit]

Looks like they have taken off their gloves helmets and space suit tops now.

 

[Maggot]

The ISS should rise in the west around 2209BST and the Crew Dragon will follow at 2214BST, both tracing a similar low arc from west to south-east via the south.

I saw the ISS but not the rocket.

 

[AverageJoe]

We saw it. It was shifting.

Was saying to the Mrs that two months ago all we'd seen in the sky was planets and stuff, and now we've seen a couple of strings of satellites arcing through the sky and now a Goddamed Actual Space Rocket With People In It.

What a time to be alive!

 

[2hats]

The ISS was an easy target as always but the Crew Dragon was far dimmer. Probably around magnitude +3 at brightest? Hard to see naked eye in a twilight light polluted city sky at low elevation; caught it in binoculars. That's the only realistic viewing opportunity for the UK on this mission. Reports from continental Europe put it as a magnitude +2 object in darker skies. In central Europe folks saw both the Crew Dragon and upper stage (prior to disposal burn) as two closely paired objects on the orbit 1 ascent pass.

The launch was caught in GOES-16's water vapour band imagery.

 

[existentialist]

They should have a bit more confidence in their engineering teams & technology.

If any of them really thinks they need God's blessing for a safe flight they really are soft in the head!

I think, when you are operating at the outside edges of the risk envelope - and that's a lot more true of spaceflight than a quick trip to B&Q on the A30 - you take anything you can get that might improve your chances.

There's no atheists in foxholes, and there probably aren't that many in control of a gazillion pounds of controlled chemical explosion, either.

 

[2hats]

That Crew Dragon capsule has just been named as 'Endeavour'. Crew press conference event underway.

 

[existentialist]

Oh, and if there's anyone still needing persuading of the magnitude of the risks involved in spaceflight, go and have a listen to the second series of "13 minutes to the moon", which is all about Apollo 13.

I dare you to listen to that and remain complacent.

 

[weltweit]

Recent interview with Elon Musk (from 10:37)

 

[teuchter]

I saw a dot moving. But I guess it was probably the ISS?

 

[weltweit]

According to their feed, the capsule is orbiting earth about 16 times a day at the moment.
To help Bob & Doug sleep they have shades to cover the windows.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

That Crew Dragon capsule has just been named as 'Endeavour'.

Nice of them to tribute Inspector Morse like that

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

What time are they due to dock with the ISS?

 

[weltweit]

What time are they due to dock with the ISS?

I don't know yet but will try and find out.

5 minutes to Bob & Doug wake up

 

[weltweit]

I don't know yet but will try and find out.

According to Google :

10:29 a.m. EDT

When will Dragon dock with ISS? If everything goes as planned, the SpaceX Dragon capsule will dock with the ISS on Sunday at 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT) to the Harmony module's International Docking Adapter. NASA is doing a 26-hour long coverage of the entire event.

So 1429 GMT

 

[fishfinger]

According to Google :

So GMT? We are on DST now ..

15:29 BST

 

[DownwardDog]

When did the language start using "nominal" for "ok" or "as expected"?

Ok is not useful for radio comms as it's short enough to be ambiguous if there is static or dropout. Hence, "roger","copy", etc.

 

[tommers]

Can somebody tell me why everyone is going on about this? People go to the ISS all the time don't they? I'm confused.

 

[weltweit]

Can somebody tell me why everyone is going on about this? People go to the ISS all the time don't they? I'm confused.

First time since the stopping of the shuttle program that an American vehicle has taken American astronauts to the space station.

First time a commercial rocket has taken astronauts to the space station.

First time SpaceX has taken astronauts to the space station.

 

[weltweit]

And, first time a reusable rocket has taken a crew to the ISS.

 

[DownwardDog]

It's also the probable death of the Russian space program. No more $80m Ubers to the ISS.

 

[weltweit]

It's also the probable death of the Russian space program. No more $80m Ubers to the ISS.

Shame, reliable technology no?

Is there a schedule of future trips and is there a Russian element to it?