Space and Science BS Thread

You couldn't slap the dropship back on a rocket and send it back up empty or with supplies?

 

That sounds more like Starship, but I don't know if they have designed in the ability to catch Starship with a full payload. Seems to me it would need more fuel for landing burn.

I assumed you meant, in your previous reply, that it would be a capsule type container with parachutes, etc.

 

Figured I’d park this here ‘cause I don’t know of any other threads where Musk come up..
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585619322239561728?s=46&t=2O4ubcz491CdUFPEvpiiNg

 

Getting it down is easy, getting it down and being able to find/use it afterwards is a different story

 

Minor details...

 

It's not that it's not possible, it's that it's not financially viable. Like going to Mars to harvest ice that you then import to earth for water. Sure everything is possible, but you won't get nestle to invest.

 

They found that spinlab test fairly easy. It only took an excavator...

 

I think it has a lot to do with Costs, and the fact that bringing in all that metal would make metal dirt cheap from a supply/demand aspect. No corp is going to invest in something that'd crash it's own market. If they did, they'd wait till it was less viable to mine on earth before taking on that endeavor, simply because then they'd be able to control the market by only 'importing' to Earth enough to keep up with demand.
That coupled with the cost of the infrastructure needed to even get started mining the asteroids, the time to do so and so on wouldn't turn a profit fast enough. Not in any one Corporate Monarch's life time anyway.

 

And that only fell back from 25,000 ft. Low density payloads might be possible since that’s essentially what a returning starship is but anything solid like a load of ore or refined metals will drop like, well, a rock and would need a lot more propellant mass for braking.

 

SpaceX launch from Vandenberg tonite at 6:14 Pacific, probably be too early to see a lot

 

I’m confused, they’re only breaking ground on the factory now?
https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1585724654282424320?s=46&t=5hNuzLEW_-xQPMOyR92jfg

I wonder if they’ll have the engines to fly ‘em.

 

I'd be surprised (but still pleased) if they had enough for a New Glenn by next June. They opened the plant last winter but we’re still hiring staff this summer. TBH, they might not go into full production until after Vulcan flies successfully. Or they might already have some in process, they aren’t very up front.

 

Should be a P.O. Glow tonight.

 

Was able to see 1st stage burn, stage separation, a quick flash of the fairings dropping, 2nd stage lighting, saw 1st stage re-entering, didn't see reentry burn, lost it behind some trees.

 

And just like that, there’s a FH doing a static fire:
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1585783930485096450?s=46&t=_hRLRVbfXmtA2YrK3HL_2g

 

I decided to watch that instead of the Vandenburg launch.

 

From Tuson according to Reddit:

 

Stratolaunch just took the Talon hypersonic test vehicle on a captive test flight. That was pretty cool!

 

My view from imperial,CA.

 

People’s creativity never fails to amaze:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221028.html