Space and Science BS Thread

First NASA Artemis Rocket Core Stage Loaded on Pegasus Barge

https://youtu.be/5AAp3cCcdMo

 

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1218153687429705730


It’s an interesting design for the SuperDraco thrusters. Built into the capsule itself. Two of the exhaust are visible in the pic.

 

Saturday morning will be huge for SpaceX, if this mission is successful, they should be flying astronauts by this summer.
Plus watching rockets explode is pretty spectacular.

 

Will this be the first private company to have the capability to fly astronauts? Or did Virgin beat them?

 

They will be the first to go to the ISS, Virgin does a sub-orbital joyride.

 

So...yes then? Sub-orbital joyrides are just commercialized high-altitude plane rides to me.

 

Once the Crewed Dragon is certified to carry humans, in addition to the taxi flights to the ISS, look for the already-paid-for circumlunar flight carrying two private citizens.
Ushering a new era of deep space travel and a new funding stream...

Kinda related, but has anyone else noticed how SpaceX has mostly, if not totally, avoided contracts supporting the Artemis Program?

They seem to be hell bent on independence and doing their own thing.

 

I hope they continue. I'd like to see space colonized in my lifetime.

 

NASA has passed all the LEO flights/missions to commercial organizations (eg. SpaceX) and is doing the Moon program itself (with partners.)

 

Not exactly. NASA is building the main launch and crew vehicles but wants commercial parties to provide lunar landers, orbiters, gateway station components and resupply runs.

 

How crazy would it be to have SpaceX land a manned mission on the moon before or the same time as NASA?

 

Yes. To put it differently, SpaceX hasn’t joined with the multitude of partners with the moon programs.

Maybe they felt they didn’t have the capacity with all that they have going on. Maybe they felt they didn’t want to join in another or go deeper with the govt. Maybe they had other reasons.

 

Which is why I said "with partners."

 

Yes. They are doing their own program.

I agree with the capacity idea. There is a big difference in a rocket that goes into LEO and one that goes to the moon. I think NASA divested all the LEO work to focus on the moon - limited budget and all.

SpaceX is very deep with the government - most of their funding comes from NASA, if I'm not mistaken.

Either way, there is a lot of work to get done. The more people/companies working on solving the problems, the better off we all will be. Now, to get these companies to share technology...

 

Elon's up for that:
https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-nasa-can-share-spacexs-ip-with-literally-any-1838970366

 

I think SpaceX is trying to avoid the Charlie Foxtrot that the Artemis program will surely turn into.
If NASA is using the SLS rocket for their moon missions, that dog ain't gonna hunt

 

Prediction - Atermis will land to a fully stocked moon base with a couple of starships parked waiting for them. Maybe even carried in the payload bay of a starship until prior to EDL.

Maybe even get launched on a Falcon to meet up with a Orion ferried up by a unmanned starship, heh.

 

Thanks everyone for posting all this info. Very cool stuff. Do you guys/ gals work in this field or just pay attention to it? sorry to pry

 

Just a concerned taxpayer who's tired of our $$ being squandered

 

Elon wants to colonize Mars.