Space and Science BS Thread

If technology can be weaponized, the government is interested. New technology is better invented and developed by private entities. If the government(military/police) can use it, they will take/buy it.
Our society has failed to acknowledge or understand the effects of technology on society in general, this will become a major issue in the next decade or so.

 

While I agree with the "rapid" re-usability idea, the 1st flight of this Dragon was in 2014...

 

They’re at the infant stage of developing the capability.

 

Is anyone else returning science cargo from the ISS and reusing the capsule?

 

Virgin certainly isn't and neither is the ESA

 

Not Orbital or JAXA either, so SpaceX is the most rapid

 

'Reuse with extensive refurbishment due to salt water landings'.

About as resuable as the shuttle, iow. I can't wait until they can just go with gas-and-go.

 

FIFY

 

I don't understand this. Why does a salt water landing make the booster need "extensive refurbishment"?

 

Dragon 'reuse', not F9 first stage reuse.

Dragons have water landings and the salt water does a number on their systems.

 

Salt water is incredibly corrosive and the capsule gets a thorough soak on landing.

 

Ah. I misunderstood what you were referring to. I did not realize the Dragons splashed down in the water. I assumed they caught them with the drone ships like the F9's.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8PVtJgDOIY

 

Salt + water + heat = mondo corrosion. Ask undersea well drillers about that. (I used to work in tech among a bunch of metallurgy nerds.)

 

This is a bit disturbing..

https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-20-005.pdf

Due to delays in SpaceX and Boeing getting their shit together, the US is at risk of only having a single, station-keeping crew member in 2020.

 

I don't think all of the blame is on Boeing and SpaceX, I think NASA shares some as well

 

I know.

I was just poking at you.

 

Don't forget about the physical damage when the moving spacecraft impacts the rigid water surface.

 

Not so much NASA as the politicians who fund NASA and the general public that is not interested in space exploration.

 

Read the report. Yes, NASA deserves equal if not more criticism but if Boeing and SpaceX kept their end of the deal, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
After reading it, seems to me NASA’s in w Boeing and Boeing’s playing the “we’ll drop out of the CPP if you don’t give us more $$” game.