History, Politics And Current Affairs

I saw an x post saying the pics of the seal are from tests from the Delta program.

The problem is if you can't tell he's joking, then you think it's likely true. Which tells you something about the priorities of government.

SpaceX Video of Starship 5th flight. Some very good never before seen video from some unique camera positions.

https://youtu.be/hI9HQfCAw64?si=xmX6M4-nbgWIPqnw

SpaceX is moving towards flight 6 with a current date of NET November 18th. I have a feeling that Trump has told Elon that he wants to see boots on the ground on the lunar surface sooner rather than later.

Objectives for Flight test 6.

Starship’s upper stage will fly the same suborbital trajectory as the previous flight test, with splashdown targeted in the Indian Ocean. An additional objective for this flight will be attempting an in-space burn using a single Raptor engine, further demonstrating the capabilities required to conduct a ship deorbit burn prior to orbital missions.
Several thermal protection experiments and operational changes will test the limits of Starship’s capabilities and generate flight data to inform plans for ship catch and reuse. The flight test will assess new secondary thermal protection materials and will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed on either side of the ship in locations being studied for catch-enabling hardware on future vehicles. The ship also will intentionally fly at a higher angle of attack in the final phase of descent, purposefully stressing the limits of flap control to gain data on future landing profiles. Finally, adjusting the flight’s launch window to the late afternoon at Starbase will enable the ship to reenter over the Indian Ocean in daylight, providing better conditions for visual observations.

Y'know, with the way SpaceX is performing... they could do Project Icarus for real if necessary.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboo ... don-186815

clancyphile wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 12:01 pm Y'know, with the way SpaceX is performing... they could do Project Icarus for real if necessary.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboo ... don-186815

Remember, though, they did say there was a significant chance of fragmenting the target without altering the trajectory.

A better plan would be to use Orion (the One True Orion, as foretold by the Prophets Taylor and Dyson, Peace Be Upon Them) to launch some Interceptors that would soft-land and then use their nuclear propulsion charges to systematically shove the rock to one side.

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 4:36 pm

clancyphile wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 12:01 pm Y'know, with the way SpaceX is performing... they could do Project Icarus for real if necessary.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboo ... don-186815

Remember, though, they did say there was a significant chance of fragmenting the target without altering the trajectory.

A better plan would be to use Orion (the One True Orion, as foretold by the Prophets Taylor and Dyson, Peace Be Upon Them) to launch some Interceptors that would soft-land and then use their nuclear propulsion charges to systematically shove the rock to one side.

Yes, that is the National Interest website. About the most clickbait of defense websites.

Besides, the better way would be to soft land, then use the main propulsion systems to provide a sideways vector. It doesn't take much to make a miss, if the interception is early enough.

kdahm wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 6:52 pm

Poohbah wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 4:36 pm

clancyphile wrote: ↑Sun Nov 17, 2024 12:01 pm Y'know, with the way SpaceX is performing... they could do Project Icarus for real if necessary.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboo ... don-186815

Remember, though, they did say there was a significant chance of fragmenting the target without altering the trajectory.

A better plan would be to use Orion (the One True Orion, as foretold by the Prophets Taylor and Dyson, Peace Be Upon Them) to launch some Interceptors that would soft-land and then use their nuclear propulsion charges to systematically shove the rock to one side.

Yes, that is the National Interest website. About the most clickbait of defense websites.

Besides, the better way would be to soft land, then use the main propulsion systems to provide a sideways vector. It doesn't take much to make a miss, if the interception is early enough.

Honestly, having multiple tools in the box is best. Orion, Project Icarus, modified NEAR-Shoemaker... for varying amounts of warning time.

Latest SpaceX Video. IFT-6 is still planned for tomorrow.

Update- Rumors that Trump will be attending the IFT-6 flight tomorrow. Hopefully the SpaceX team doesn't get go-fever.

Making Life Multi-Planetary

https://youtu.be/T43sbhCKvBY?si=FWGbSesCd1cevq_B

They had to abort the tower catch... but still highly successful...

brovane wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:04 pm Latest SpaceX Video. IFT-6 is still planned for tomorrow.

Update- Rumors that Trump will be attending the IFT-6 flight tomorrow. Hopefully the SpaceX team doesn't get go-fever.

Making Life Multi-Planetary

https://youtu.be/T43sbhCKvBY?si=FWGbSesCd1cevq_B

Since they aborted the tower catch, the SpaceX team played it safe.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 12:48 am

brovane wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:04 pm Latest SpaceX Video. IFT-6 is still planned for tomorrow.

Update- Rumors that Trump will be attending the IFT-6 flight tomorrow. Hopefully the SpaceX team doesn't get go-fever.

Making Life Multi-Planetary

https://youtu.be/T43sbhCKvBY?si=FWGbSesCd1cevq_B

Since they aborted the tower catch, the SpaceX team played it safe.

The default setting is a off-shore landing attempt. Everything has to be green in order to commit to a catch attempt by the flight director. I think the team was professional and something wasn't green so they didn't commit to the catch attempt. Which is what they should have done and shouldn't have allowed the in person attendance of the once and future POTUS to sway their decision making. There is pictures on the Internet showing a damaged communication antenna on top of the launch tower from the lift-off. This is what could have tripped up the catch attempt. Overall a very good test flight and the last flight of V1 Starship. Now on to V2 and hopefully full orbits and a future landing attempt with both stages.

I'll admit, I'm a bit surprised that Musk didn't tell them to try to catch it anyway. Maybe he learned something from the rocket that ripped the hell out of the launch pad a while back.

Or maybe the launch team learned something from that.

Belushi TD

Belushi TD wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:27 pm I'll admit, I'm a bit surprised that Musk didn't tell them to try to catch it anyway. Maybe he learned something from the rocket that ripped the hell out of the launch pad a while back.

Or maybe the launch team learned something from that.

Belushi TD

Either way, they're unafraid to make mistakes and learn from them.

Belushi TD wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 1:27 pm I'll admit, I'm a bit surprised that Musk didn't tell them to try to catch it anyway. Maybe he learned something from the rocket that ripped the hell out of the launch pad a while back.

Or maybe the launch team learned something from that.

Belushi TD

After launch they go through a serious of health checks on the tower and the chop sticks and they have just a couple of minutes to make a decision to commit to a catch attempt. I am sure the team just followed procedure, not much time to actually have a discussion. After the road opened, crews have been performing inspections of the chop stick arms. Looks like the once and future POTUS got to watch a good show.

Does anyone want to bet Trump will send JD Vance into orbit once the Starship is man rated and made a few successful round trips?

jemhouston wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 2:13 pm Does anyone want to bet Trump will send JD Vance into orbit once the Starship is man rated and made a few successful round trips?

Before the Shuttle Challenger explosion, NASA used to have a program that sent "congressional observers" into space. Representative Bill Nelson and Senator Jake Garn flew on Shuttle missions.

It's notable that they didn't actually get all of the possible information that they could have from the Starship re-entry. With the tiles that had been removed and the rather extreme programmed maneuvers, they didn't actually test to destruction. Without a ship shattering kaboom, they still don't know the exact limits of the vehicle.

As one commentator at Ars Technica put it, the Artemis team are still pondering the Orion heatshield two years after the initial launch. The Starship team had an FAA license for a similar launch to Test 5, had a spare booster and a Starship v1 they didn't really need, and therefore said, "F-it. Let's pull some tiles off, launch it, and see what happens."

kdahm wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 5:23 pmAs one commentator at Ars Technica put it, the Artemis team are still pondering the Orion heatshield two years after the initial launch. The Starship team had an FAA license for a similar launch to Test 5, had a spare booster and a Starship v1 they didn't really need, and therefore said, "F-it. Let's pull some tiles off, launch it, and see what happens."

NASA and most of the rest of the industry ("old space"), and really the FAA and most of the public too, can't get their heads around the mindset change. Rule 0: Don't Fail In Public led to development being driven by "minimize number of failures until success" weighted by "maximize number of involved Congressional districts".

SpaceX optimizes development by "minimize calendar time until operational". They don't have to worry about funding drying up because of "BOOM".

kdahm wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 5:23 pm It's notable that they didn't actually get all of the possible information that they could have from the Starship re-entry. With the tiles that had been removed and the rather extreme programmed maneuvers, they didn't actually test to destruction. Without a ship shattering kaboom, they still don't know the exact limits of the vehicle.

As one commentator at Ars Technica put it, the Artemis team are still pondering the Orion heatshield two years after the initial launch. The Starship team had an FAA license for a similar launch to Test 5, had a spare booster and a Starship v1 they didn't really need, and therefore said, "F-it. Let's pull some tiles off, launch it, and see what happens."

I have bolded and increased the font size of the important bits. SpaceX is NOT a government entity, and it can do this without having to face public inquiry and pillory for having exceeded what some recessed skull senator thinks should be its budget.

Belushi TD

Belushi TD wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 7:26 pm

kdahm wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 5:23 pm It's notable that they didn't actually get all of the possible information that they could have from the Starship re-entry. With the tiles that had been removed and the rather extreme programmed maneuvers, they didn't actually test to destruction. Without a ship shattering kaboom, they still don't know the exact limits of the vehicle.

As one commentator at Ars Technica put it, the Artemis team are still pondering the Orion heatshield two years after the initial launch. The Starship team had an FAA license for a similar launch to Test 5, had a spare booster and a Starship v1 they didn't really need, and therefore said, "F-it. Let's pull some tiles off, launch it, and see what happens."

I have bolded and increased the font size of the important bits. SpaceX is NOT a government entity, and it can do this without having to face public inquiry and pillory for having exceeded what some recessed skull senator thinks should be its budget.

Belushi TD

That is what happens when you have a hardware rich development cycle.

They are just cranking out Starship hardware and not afraid of going back and changing hardware as necessary. 2025 will be really interesting. A draft of the Environmental Assessment from the FAA shows SpaceX receiving permission to launch 25 times a year from Boca Chica.

"FAA has concluded that the modification of SpaceX’s existing vehicle operator license for Starship/Super Heavy operations conforms to the prior environmental documentation, consistent with the data contained in the 2022 PEA, that there are no significant environmental changes, and all pertinent conditions and requirements of the prior approval have been met or will be met in the current action," the federal agency stated in its conclusion.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/11/s ... -launches/