Space and Science BS Thread

Ax on the move:
https://twitter.com/a_leinfelder/status/1651667146936659968?s=46&t=ZWAonNuCnFLAEBU4RlcJGA

 

Awesome! Thanks

Any others to share?

 

Well, that would suck if they can’t get it open:
https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/1651939236839399424?s=46&t=ZWAonNuCnFLAEBU4RlcJGA

 

They got too scared to change anything after it exploded. After that it was doomed.

 

My point is that it’s precisely because it’s so hard to do and pushes the limits of technology right to the edge that it’s inevitable that something will go south. We plan rotating missions to the ISS but there’s no ability to bring about an emergency evacuation on short notice (no ready ship(s) on permanent or rotating stand by) and as routine as Soyuz and Crew Dragon mission SEEM to have become Murphy could pierce that veil in an instant. You’d have to include the Chinese as well. And when crewed launches and platforms also become commercialized and/or expand outward to the moon and beyond the risk will continue rather than abate. For the foreseeable future we will always be in an experimental stage and even when we’re not the consequences of a system failure, accident, or unanticipated collision could be catastrophic. I’m not saying this to paint a gloomy picture but to dispel any notion that we can prevent bad things from happening when the universe has something else in mind. For example: what’s the difference between the smallest object we can track and the largest object a ship or station could resist?

 

That’s one take on it. Another is hubris with lack of safety as a priority.

 

BO (& friends) bs anew:
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2023/04/28/dock-access-has-port-canaveral-commercial-space-companies-in-conflict/70154347007/

Nice to read SpX works to be one of the community rather than seeking specialized and preferential treatment.

 

Haha just saying I'd never put any thought into the oms

 

The one in the back flew…

 

Found this on youtube.


Working in construction I've lost track of the number of times there was a big hole where there shouldn't be one. Many on the internet were losing their everliving mind about the damage, but I knew the SpaceX construction crews would be right on it. I love the "can do" attitude of those guys.

 

Regarding F9 & FH in expendable mode:

At one point, wasn't there a preference for older boosters or is/has it always been 'next one (or three) that are ready for flight'?

Bonus Q/musing:

More variables than I'll understand but for the same mass to orbit: what is the additional orbital height that's achievable for an F9 & FH when side and all three cores are expended?

 

Lotsa good info from Musk on the flight, current status and near future plans for Starship:
https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1652451971410935808?s=46

 

That’s good news. The hole itself is just dirt but I would not have been surprised to hear that some of the remaining foundation concrete had been compromised by the heat after being so rudely exposed. It’s a bit concerning that the hexagonal grade beam will no longer be a monolithic pour but at least the steel is still continuous.

It seems a bit premature anyway since none of them are using it very much even including Spacex. It’s possible to imagine them requiring the lion’s share of access in the future but it’s a pretty far off need and may not materialize.

 

https://twitter.com/rgvaerialphotos/status/1652470230331817986?s=46
https://twitter.com/rgvaerialphotos/status/1652468998297067521?s=46

 

Having unlimited funds definitely fosters a "can do" attitude.

 

Neat bit of history:
https://twitter.com/astro_cady/status/1652664112990519297?s=46

 

The projects I work on are far, far, FAR from unlimited funds. Not everything is about money. The guys I work with will point at a building with pride and say "I built that."

 

"I built that" is not the same as a "can do" attitude.

If you pay me enough, I "can do" pretty much any project faster. If i can rent 10 demo excavators instead of 5, I've doubled my "can do". Spacex has unlimited funds.

 

I don’t know if that’s the driving factor. Look at BO with similar access to $$.