Space and Science BS Thread

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1402579173013663746?s=21


Reports are that OCISLY is heading to the west coast via the Panama Canal to support increased launch cadence from Vandenberg. It’ll be replaced by A Shortfall of Gravitas.

 

Yeah, I heard that they are going to be doing some Starlink launches from Vandenberg. Might have go watch one or 2 of them, if only it wasn't a 7 hour drive...

 

I hear ya.

With the uncertainties of every launch, it’s hard to commit to such a drive.

Make a weekend out of it, maybe you’ll luck out.

Better yet, go on your birthday- worked for me to see STS-122 in person.

(On a side note, beware of further conversations on this subject. It might trigger a Get-A-Room post by @CaptAmerica )

 

I drove down (5+hrs & 350mi) for three shuttle launches and ended up only catching STS-134. Now, obviously a shuttle launch is miles ahead of a falcon9 launch but an orbital launch is something to behold! Would have loved to see a Saturn5 go. Maybe one day we can all see SH in person.

 

The only launches I've been able to see are the rocket ones from Virginia. They are few & far between.
It's been a few years but the last one was quite a sight.

 

I kept a vigil for the sounding rocket out of Wallops last month but the night it actually went we had mostly cloudy skies :/

 

I've already seen one. It was the one right at dusk that had everyone tripping out because of the light show it provided. Vandenburg isn't the best for viewing though. You're 3-4 miles from the pad with a mountain in the way. These could be my last chances to see a west coast launch though. And even though the viewing isn't the best I could imagine, a rocket launch is still an awesome thing to see and feel.

 

Oooo,

https://twitter.com/spacenews_inc/status/1402634216383389699?s=21

 

The plot thickens:

https://twitter.com/richardbranson/status/1402645423949553665?s=21

 

This is only referring to an unmanned flight. No pee-pees are being measured yet.

*edit: I'm assuming since his attached image of Launcherone

 

Yeah VO != VG

 

Hey folks, I’m hoping to tap into some expertise here for those of you in the aerospace field.

My bud’s son just graduated high school and is going into, get this, an undergraduate aerospace engineering program in the fall. How cool is that!

Any ideas for something I can get him that could help him begin this journey? Something that might not necessarily be on a syllabus or book list from the school. Something useful from an insiders perspective.

Thanks in advance

 

Biographies.

-

$13 The Wright Brothers

Wright Brothers
-

$28 Sikorsky Legacy

Igor Sikorsky
-

$14 Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed

Lockheed Skunk Works

If they have Amazon Prime, watch "

$29 From the Earth to the Moon - Season 1

From the Earth to the Moon" miniseries. Outstanding, with a heavy focus on the engineering decisions made and why they made them.

Other fun reads.
- Yeager
-

$40 T. Wolfe's The Right(The Right Stuff [Paperback])2008)

The Right Stuff
-

$27 The Apollo Chronicles: Engineering America's First Moon Missions

The Apollo Chronicles

I'm sure once you start looking through these, more and more options will pop up.

Good luck!

 

Appreciate the time and thoughtfulness @CaptAmerica

 

Tweets not related to SpaceX operations…with one exception
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1403076353432461312?s=21

and

https://twitter.com/nasa_sls/status/1403071977489903617?s=21

and

https://twitter.com/nasahistory/status/1403064428317364226?s=21

and

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1403017221312483497?s=21

Is it tall enough to finish the job? Time’ll tell.

https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1403092355318751233?s=21

 

Curious if he wants to be more of a software guy doing design or if he wants to be more of a hardware hands on mechanical engineer type. I am an aerospace technician working closely with engineers and I would say it always helps if the engineer (at least thinks) they can do the work I perform. He should know tools and their purpose either way.

The business is obviously booming and there are plenty of jobs to be had. Tell him to get his degree, move wherever the jobs are and let the company he works for pay for his masters program.

 

No, but it's easier to lift something hanging from a 50' rope than a 150' rope.

 

Thanks @Hunterdc1 , I appreciate your insight and time to write this up

Yeah, I understand aerospace is a huge field and I don’t know where he’s leaning. The good thing about undergrad is that he’ll be exposed to the breadth of it and can go on from there. Excellent points all! Thanks again.

 

The thing is a monster as is. Can’t imagine it being lengthened further.

Surprised they didn’t go with one of those static, vertical cranes they use for building skyscrapers.

 

I think the problem is weight. This crane will go to 220 meters and lift 1,350 Tons. A tower crane can get the height, but they would most likely have to build it up piece by piece instead of the 5-7 segments that they're doing.

What's really crazy is that it's not even the biggest crane they make. Here is a video of a crane picking it up while it's picking up another crane...
https://youtu.be/gYpMz63WAjM