Comments on: Watching the second attempt to launch Starship/Superheavy to orbit

By: profligatewaste

profligatewaste — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:29:39 +0000

Right off the bat, three engines not working; some debris flying at launch. At about +28 seconds, more debris then a flash. Dissapointing, but not unexpected. Nevertheless a good learning experience.

By: Jeff Charles

Jeff Charles — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:06:52 +0000

Now that was a damned exciting countdown, liftoff, and flight. The supersonic aerobatics were pretty spectacular as well. FTS to the rescue, let’s do it again!!! Kudos, SpaceX Team!!

By: sippin_bourbon

sippin_bourbon — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:49:28 +0000

WOW.

It was a RUD somewhere around planned stage sep, but still. It flew.

By: Mike Borgelt

Mike Borgelt — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:52:24 +0000

“I was too young to visually see Sputnik pass overhead, did anyone?”

Saw it in Perth, Western Australia as a nine year old. Also watched Apollo 13 pass at 4am after half an orbit. Very bright but fuzzy from the attitude gases etc.

By: Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 03:51:53 +0000

To GaryMike, it wasn't Sputnik people saw but the R-7 core tumbling after it, most likely. Without the heavy nuke or later upper stages, the core could orbit like LM-5, or Atlas Score. Alabama could have put a Redstone-Explorer up earlier had we not been interfered with. Instead, the ABMA was killed.

By: Edward

Edward — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 22:46:35 +0000

“As I have noted many times, the historical significance of this rocket cannot be overstated. It is twice as powerful as NASA’s Saturn-5 rocket and almost three-times as powerful as NASA’s new SLS rocket, and went from concept to launch in about seven years. Its development was funded entirely by private investment capital, at a fraction of the cost of either of the government’s rockets. And it will be completely reusable once operational, reducing the cost exponentially of getting large 100-ton payloads into orbit.”

In addition, reusability allows for more frequent launches using fewer resources. The cost per pound drops dramatically, allowing for far more to be done in space than ever before. We can have goods manufactured in space, presenting us with material properties that we could not get before. Superior medications have been predicted and studied for decades.

Jeff Bezos’s dream of moving much of the polluting industry to space can soon be realized, reducing the pollution here on Earth. We the People dreamed that possibility and can make it come true — in more than half a century, government didn’t do it or think of it.

It could become possible to realize Gerard K. O’Neill’s dream of space colonies and space-based solar power generation for beaming back here to Earth, further reducing pollution, increasing our total power usage, yet reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

These were only two free Americans with their own personal dreams. We have three hundred million more.

The Falcon 9’s reduction in the price to get to orbit made a major change in the way we think of and use space. The reduction in price due to Starship should be even more remarkable. With the Falcon 9, we expected this decade to have a rapid change in the commercial use of space. With Starship, it could be even more rapid — even more dramatic — than we expected.

“And most important, it was developed by free Americans, following their own personal dreams.”

Amen!

By: john hare

john hare — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 21:22:25 +0000

@Ray,
Well under two decades. Less than twelve years from Sputnik 1 to Apollo 11.

By: Ray Van Dune

Ray Van Dune — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 15:37:41 +0000

I participated in one of the early “Moonwatch” exercises, where kids used little mirror devices to observe a Sputnik pass. I saw it once, but was skeptical of the point (or lack thereof) of the exercise, since there was no scientific result derived. It did generate awareness, and a little over two decades later, we went to the moon. Then the Democrats began their long project of convincing us we didn’t care anymore about space!

In between I participated in one of the first amateur team attempts to observe a grazing lunar occultation of a visible star. It was a flop due to clouds, but I briefly glimpsed the star a few minutes ahead of the occultation.

My fondest memory of those years is measuring the speed of light using a photocell, a corner reflector, and an oscilloscope. My science teacher had to convince the cops that a bunch of kids out in a park after dark were not up to mischief! We got the right answer too!

By: GaryMike

GaryMike — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 02:30:43 +0000

Once upon a time, I was a science educator gifted press credentials from a local tv/radio station w/news.

I was able to get press access to the first launch and landing of the Shuttle. Before that, Voyager@Saturn at JPL.

Because of that KSC access, I moved to Florida. I’ve seen many launches. Set my alarm clock to many a different launch time.

I was too young to visually see Sputnik pass overhead, did anyone?

I remember watching Echo pass overheard many times. An artificial star.

Those were baby steps. It’s evolution, after all. Including Shuttle, Soyuz, Ariane and STS.

This is more adult-like stuff.

By: Gary

Gary — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 01:34:47 +0000

Usually, I couldn’t care less about launches. Really haven’t since the later STS days. But I find myself actually interested again with SpaceX’s stuff, oddly enough. It was really interesting watching the boosters land, or occasionally NOT land. Was neat watching the vehicle belly flop most the way down and flip upright to land. Still an odd way of doing it, but whatever, it obviously works. I guess maybe the whole thing being a bit unconventional has peaked my interest again. I’m not sure, but it is fun again. Though I do find the commentators a bit annoying sometimes, but that’s what dialing down the volume is for.