The flying water tower of Boca Chica, otherwise known as the Starship second stage of the vehicle in development by SpaceX in south Texas, flew for over six minutes yesterday, reaching airliner cruise altitude. Three engines and a nose cone were installed, unlike the previous one engine flat top hops to 150 meters.
Some features:
1. Sequential engine shut-downs, going from three to two to one engine while rising steadily.
2. drifting sideways under single engine thrust near maximum altitude.
3. rapid tilt to intended sideways fall position after engine shutoff using cold gas thrusters and flaps.
4. very stable sideways fall under flap control from over 10,000 meters to near the ground.
5. relight of two engines which under heavy gimbaling flipped the vehicle up from sideways to near vertical.
Then things went a bit wrong.
Green flame, at first momentary, indicated inadequate methane (fuel) flow, while full oxygen flow continued.
One of the two burning engines shut down, likely prematurely.
The remaining engine produced too little thrust to get speed down to zero when altitude reached zero.
Kaboom!
But the crater was in the right place.
Youtube has a video in which Scott Manley splices together a great compendium of the best video from SpaceX with his own commentary. Twelve minutes, but not much boredom.
Scott is a bit of an acquired taste, so if he annoys you just mute the sound. But these are spectacular pictures. I suggest you listen. Most of what he says adds value on this one.
Video taken by at least three other cameras operated by gifted amateurs is edited into another youtube video which is worth watching if you have an appetite to get more details by seeing things from a considerably different angle. On that one the sparse primary commentary is provided by on-screen text, so the audio is just a lot of engine and wind noise and mostly awed exclamations by a small group near the microphone. The edited version combining views comes first, then straight runs from individuals.
A photographer name Steve Jurvetson got access to the landing pad/crash site the morning after the one and only flight of Starship SN8.
He posted some stunning photos of various portions of the remains, with coincidentally a few humans also viewing the sights. I think both of the primary leaders of SpaceX are in a shot or two.
The wonderful resolution means I don't think I should use an IMG tag to make anything actually display here.
But if you click on this link you'll find yourself looking at remains of the header tank, and various other bits. Clicking the arrow to either side will sequence you through others of the couple of dozen photos Steve took on the occasion.
A photographer name Steve Jurvetson got access to the landing pad/crash site the morning after the one and only flight of Starship SN8.
He posted some stunning photos of various portions of the remains, with coincidentally a few humans also viewing the sights. I think both of the primary leaders of SpaceX are in a shot or two.
The wonderful resolution means I don't think I should use an IMG tag to make anything actually display here.
But if you click on this link you'll find yourself looking at remains of the header tank, and various other bits. Clicking the arrow to either side will sequence you through others of the couple of dozen photos Steve took on the occasion.
Very nice, thanks!! Those tanks are surprisingly thin but I guess as thin as will do the job to save weight.
After more than one delay day, SpaceX currently plans to launch a mission they call Transporter-1 Rideshare from the Cape this morning. Here are a few tidbits.
As the Rideshare name suggests, this mission carries a large number of mostly quite small payloads from varied sources. It is also carrying a few of SpaceX's own Starlink low Earth orbit communication satellites. These will be the first StarLink satellites launched on a different inclination than all the others to date. I think all of the many hundreds currently up use 53.2, and based on the most recent licensing update I can find, expect that these few will go to 97.6. Launches to the third inclination currently expect, 70, will presumably come later. If you live much north of London or the main US-Canadian border, you'll need some of the higher inclination birds up to get useful service.
For those of us who spent decades expecting that polar orbit inclinations launched from the west coast Vandenberg site, and most substantially lower inclinations sites used the Cape, it is of interest that this is a rather polar launch. While not official, this approximate launch path image turned out by a fan gives an idea of how the stages will execute a bit of a dogleg to get to a polar inclination while not doing a low pass over heavily populated areas. It also suggests how the first stage and fairing recovery locations fit into the ocean ducking Cuba and the Bahamas.
The image was originally posted at the interesting website nasaspaceflight.com. It is definitely not an exact path (don't expect sharp corners).
While not official, this approximate launch path image turned out by a fan gives an idea of how the stages will execute a bit of a dogleg to get to a polar inclination while not doing a low pass over heavily populated areas.
Interesting. Passes by my house without the "possibility" of a "low flyby".
EDIT: ~10:05 est just heard the "rumble" as it shook my house and rattled the windows. but for shear noise and power nothing comes close to the shuttles.
I was scrolling thru the tv channels last night and happened upon a new show where they show the efforts to solve mysteries and they were talking about how to find the plane that went done MH370 and how there are underwater hydrophones operated by an International group listening for evidence of nuclear bombs going off. Well this Scientist has come up with using them to find where the place crashed by listening for Underwater Gravitational Waves. Apparently everything dropped into the ocean makes a ripple that can be heard by these hydrophones and then triangulated to there locations. He thinks he knows where the place went down but the US Government is withholding some info from the hydrophones near Diego Garcia, a military base, you can hear submarines moving around with the data as well, and they have suppressed some of the data. With the data they did release and the hydrophone info he got from Australia he thinks they were searching in the wrong place!!!
That would be cool but what caught my ear was Underwater Gravitational Waves...here at Einstein we search for Gravitational Waves as well, just not underwater ones.
The flying water tower of
)
The flying water tower of Boca Chica, otherwise known as the Starship second stage of the vehicle in development by SpaceX in south Texas, flew for over six minutes yesterday, reaching airliner cruise altitude. Three engines and a nose cone were installed, unlike the previous one engine flat top hops to 150 meters.
Some features:
1. Sequential engine shut-downs, going from three to two to one engine while rising steadily.
2. drifting sideways under single engine thrust near maximum altitude.
3. rapid tilt to intended sideways fall position after engine shutoff using cold gas thrusters and flaps.
4. very stable sideways fall under flap control from over 10,000 meters to near the ground.
5. relight of two engines which under heavy gimbaling flipped the vehicle up from sideways to near vertical.
Then things went a bit wrong.
Green flame, at first momentary, indicated inadequate methane (fuel) flow, while full oxygen flow continued.
One of the two burning engines shut down, likely prematurely.
The remaining engine produced too little thrust to get speed down to zero when altitude reached zero.
Kaboom!
But the crater was in the right place.
Youtube has a video in which Scott Manley splices together a great compendium of the best video from SpaceX with his own commentary. Twelve minutes, but not much boredom.
Scott is a bit of an acquired taste, so if he annoys you just mute the sound. But these are spectacular pictures. I suggest you listen. Most of what he says adds value on this one.
Video taken by at least three other cameras operated by gifted amateurs is edited into another youtube video which is worth watching if you have an appetite to get more details by seeing things from a considerably different angle. On that one the sparse primary commentary is provided by on-screen text, so the audio is just a lot of engine and wind noise and mostly awed exclamations by a small group near the microphone. The edited version combining views comes first, then straight runs from individuals.
Re: SpaceX - if at first you
)
Re: SpaceX - if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!!!
A photographer name Steve
)
A photographer name Steve Jurvetson got access to the landing pad/crash site the morning after the one and only flight of Starship SN8.
He posted some stunning photos of various portions of the remains, with coincidentally a few humans also viewing the sights. I think both of the primary leaders of SpaceX are in a shot or two.
The wonderful resolution means I don't think I should use an IMG tag to make anything actually display here.
But if you click on this link you'll find yourself looking at remains of the header tank, and various other bits. Clicking the arrow to either side will sequence you through others of the couple of dozen photos Steve took on the occasion.
archae86 wrote: A
)
Very nice, thanks!! Those tanks are surprisingly thin but I guess as thin as will do the job to save weight.
After more than one delay
)
After more than one delay day, SpaceX currently plans to launch a mission they call Transporter-1 Rideshare from the Cape this morning. Here are a few tidbits.
As the Rideshare name suggests, this mission carries a large number of mostly quite small payloads from varied sources. It is also carrying a few of SpaceX's own Starlink low Earth orbit communication satellites. These will be the first StarLink satellites launched on a different inclination than all the others to date. I think all of the many hundreds currently up use 53.2, and based on the most recent licensing update I can find, expect that these few will go to 97.6. Launches to the third inclination currently expect, 70, will presumably come later. If you live much north of London or the main US-Canadian border, you'll need some of the higher inclination birds up to get useful service.
For those of us who spent decades expecting that polar orbit inclinations launched from the west coast Vandenberg site, and most substantially lower inclinations sites used the Cape, it is of interest that this is a rather polar launch. While not official, this approximate launch path image turned out by a fan gives an idea of how the stages will execute a bit of a dogleg to get to a polar inclination while not doing a low pass over heavily populated areas. It also suggests how the first stage and fairing recovery locations fit into the ocean ducking Cuba and the Bahamas.
The image was originally posted at the interesting website nasaspaceflight.com. It is definitely not an exact path (don't expect sharp corners).
archae86 wrote: While not
)
Interesting. Passes by my house without the "possibility" of a "low flyby".
EDIT: ~10:05 est just heard the "rumble" as it shook my house and rattled the windows. but for shear noise and power nothing comes close to the shuttles.
Something made public in
)
Something made public in December 2020....really cool!!!
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2020_Phase_I_Phase_II/lunar_crater_radio_telescope/
I was scrolling thru the tv
)
I was scrolling thru the tv channels last night and happened upon a new show where they show the efforts to solve mysteries and they were talking about how to find the plane that went done MH370 and how there are underwater hydrophones operated by an International group listening for evidence of nuclear bombs going off. Well this Scientist has come up with using them to find where the place crashed by listening for Underwater Gravitational Waves. Apparently everything dropped into the ocean makes a ripple that can be heard by these hydrophones and then triangulated to there locations. He thinks he knows where the place went down but the US Government is withholding some info from the hydrophones near Diego Garcia, a military base, you can hear submarines moving around with the data as well, and they have suppressed some of the data. With the data they did release and the hydrophone info he got from Australia he thinks they were searching in the wrong place!!!
That would be cool but what caught my ear was Underwater Gravitational Waves...here at Einstein we search for Gravitational Waves as well, just not underwater ones.
Thanks for the highlights,
)
Thanks for the highlights, Mikey. What was the show? Or do you know if it be on again and when? I'd like to watch it.
Proud member of the Old Farts Association
George wrote: Thanks for the
)
Jeremy Wade was the host of the show [rl]https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/mysteries-of-the-deep/episodes-season-1/1000363013/[/url]
And apparently was a repeat of the July 9th 2020 show, episode 9