Space News buries the lede
In reporting the information revealed in an audio report of two SpaceX engineers to Elon Musk, Space News completely misses the main reason Musk posted this video.
The focus of Jeff Foust’s report is the technical problems the engineers revealed that occurred during the descent of Superheavy during the last flight. According to them, one particular parameter related to the Raptor engines was one second away from demanding an abort, whereby the rocket would not attempt to be captured by the tower chopsticks but instead crash along side it. In addition, these engineers reported the worrisome consequences when a chine on the booster ripped off shortly before landing.
All interesting, but the real reason Elon Musk posted this clip from a much longer audio report is what one engineer says about two thirds of the way through:
Given that that is the first launch [#6] in a long time — well, really, ever — that we’ve not been FAA driven, we’re trying to go do a reasonable balance of speed and risk mitigation on the booster, specifically.
Musk wished everyone to know without question the perspective of his employees when it comes to the red tape of the FAA. It hasn’t been our imagination. For the past three years the FAA has determined the test schedule, slowing it down significantly while costing SpaceX a lot of money.
Space News, which generally has been in the tank for the regulators and the FAA, puts this quote to the very end of its article, almost as an aside. I suspect the outlet would have liked to leave it out.
I have posted the video below, so my readers can listen at their leisure.
T150 clear in 3:25. Too much time spent killing minions vs elites. Had <3 min potential. pic.twitter.com/oYRqqpVyGe
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 25, 2024
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
In reporting the information revealed in an audio report of two SpaceX engineers to Elon Musk, Space News completely misses the main reason Musk posted this video.
The focus of Jeff Foust’s report is the technical problems the engineers revealed that occurred during the descent of Superheavy during the last flight. According to them, one particular parameter related to the Raptor engines was one second away from demanding an abort, whereby the rocket would not attempt to be captured by the tower chopsticks but instead crash along side it. In addition, these engineers reported the worrisome consequences when a chine on the booster ripped off shortly before landing.
All interesting, but the real reason Elon Musk posted this clip from a much longer audio report is what one engineer says about two thirds of the way through:
Given that that is the first launch [#6] in a long time — well, really, ever — that we’ve not been FAA driven, we’re trying to go do a reasonable balance of speed and risk mitigation on the booster, specifically.
Musk wished everyone to know without question the perspective of his employees when it comes to the red tape of the FAA. It hasn’t been our imagination. For the past three years the FAA has determined the test schedule, slowing it down significantly while costing SpaceX a lot of money.
Space News, which generally has been in the tank for the regulators and the FAA, puts this quote to the very end of its article, almost as an aside. I suspect the outlet would have liked to leave it out.
I have posted the video below, so my readers can listen at their leisure.
T150 clear in 3:25. Too much time spent killing minions vs elites. Had <3 min potential. pic.twitter.com/oYRqqpVyGe
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 25, 2024
The support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Four years ago, just before the 2020 election I wrote that Joe Biden's mental health was suspect. Only in this year has the propaganda mainstream media decided to recognize that basic fact.
Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Even today NASA and Congress refuse to recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation:
5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.
I’m still not convinced this wasn’t just a bit of carelessness by Elon, which he’s now decided to shrug off and run with, but I’m also open to the idea that your theory is right, Bob.
But either way, we can all agree that this recording confirmed something many of us, especially you, have suspected for a long time: The FAA has been the main driver of the Starship testing schedule. And everyone on the Starship team appears to know it — and share Elon’s frustration.
Now, finally, we get to see what happens when they are not the driver.
Richard M: For only the sixth launch. The seventh will likely introduce a new flight plan, and the FAA will once again dither about it — unless there is new leadership in the White House.
They aren’t as bad as THE SPACE REVIEW, which censored/eliminated my comment on two anti-spaceflight authors
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4875/1
Remember that study about who was willing to fight if America was invaded–now they have spun it to where folks who don’t support forever wars have their patriotism questioned:
https://phys.org/news/2024-10-immigrants-canada-native-born-citizens.html