Fire, noise, and potential explosions?

And math and shiat?

Rocketry is like NASCAR for nerds.

*And I am all for it.

Sweet, I'm rooting for the explosion.

An Aluminum Falcon?

25% success rate? yeah, that's basically a planned explosion..

//hoping no one gets hurt, but awaiting the fireworks..

now, this sounds like something to make time for!

Well they've got NASA's odds beat

Today's second chance at rocket failure brought to you by SpaceX. Their Falcon 1 (25% success rate) launches today. Webcast begins at 7:40pm EDT. LGT stream

Wouldn't 3:40pm PDT be 6:40pm EDT?

TheYeti: Rocketry is like NASCAR for nerds.

True words, man, true words.

I interviewed with SpaceX. They didn't like me, so out of spite, I'm rooting for the explosion.

I'm kidding, of course, if the private sector could take over LEO and GTO operations, it would free up NASA to get back to working on the really hard stuff, like space colonization.

at work - i wonder what the bookies have on this

So is it one or two stage D engines?

Waiting for their crap media player to load isn't really explaining this project to me.

They may have a 25% success rate, but the box score says they're currently on a 1 launch success streak!

Man why do they keep screwing up? Not like this is rocket . . . ooh wait

APPROVES
http://tinyurl.com/n9p9gv
(copy and paste)

Nothing quite like a bunch of fat couch typers cheering against technology and those who take risks in the name of science.

groininjury: Well they've got NASA's odds beat

How many rockets have they lost lately? Because they have, like, hundreds if not thousands of successful launches for various rockets.

ktvegas: Nothing quite like a bunch of fat couch typers cheering against technology and those who take risks in the name of science.

Welcome to Fark

Today's second chance at rocket failure brought to you by SpaceX. Their Falcon 1 (25% success rate) launches today. Webcast Webcrash begins at 7:40pm EDT. LGT stream


/ftfa

This is relevant to my interests. I'm currently researching a subsonic ion pulse drive that will allow me to break the sound barrier while sorting particles of time- to be flawlessly discerning snark, troll, and irony in Fark threads, all while blaming the libs.

/mmm rocketry

There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would die. Their controls would freeze up, their planes would buffet wildly, and they would disintegrate. The demon lived at Mach 1 on the meter, seven hundred and fifty miles an hour, where the air could no longer move out of the way. He lived behind a barrier through which they said no man could ever pass. They called it the sound barrier.

The Right Stuff.

I'm pretty psyched that SpaceX exists and has put the Falcon 1 into orbit before. I'll be much more excited once they've gotten the Falcon 9 off the ground though. That's the one that can do some real work up there.

Thus far, it looks like private space industry is starting to gather steam.
We got SpaceX working on orbital launches to put satellites into space on the cheap.
We got Richard Branson's company offering suborbital space flight to civilians.
And then there's the Bigelow Aerospace space hotel which looks like it might actually get made some day.

I'm hoping that sometime before I die it becomes affordable for average Joes to take a space holiday.

Antimatter: groininjury: Well they've got NASA's odds beat

How many rockets have they lost lately? Because they have, like, hundreds if not thousands of successful launches for various rockets.

Not a lot of comfort there if you pay NASA to get your $1B satellite into orbit and they have to blow it up 'cause it's gone horribly off course.

I'd heard that for a while there, insurers were steering commercial interests away from NASA and over to France since the French had a better success rate with satellites.

PianoJosh: I interviewed with SpaceX. They didn't like me, so out of spite, I'm rooting for the explosion.

I'm kidding, of course, if the private sector could take over LEO and GTO operations, it would free up NASA to get back to working on the really hard stuff, like space colonization.

So that in 50 years we can have ten scientists rotating in and out of a base on the moon? Mehhh. Private companies will probably take the lead on that too.

NASA hasn't launch commercial satellites for a long time. And its science satellites go up on commercial launch vehicles (Atlas, Delta, Pegasus, etc)

UtileDysfunktion: Not a lot of comfort there if you pay NASA to get your $1B satellite into orbit and they have to blow it up 'cause it's gone horribly off course.

NASA does not do that. The Air Force runs the test range and makes the call, usually very quickly, if the launch vehicle is a danger to the range or the population around it. If they send destruct to a vehicle, guess what, it wasn't going to make orbit anyway.

You are also wrong on the stats. Here are the two most popular vehicles for satellite launches:

Ariane4: 93% success rate
Delta: 95% success rate

Both % are from totals of hundreds of launches over the last couple decades.

So about as successful as the missile defense system that we are paying for?

YixilTesiphon: PianoJosh: I interviewed with SpaceX. They didn't like me, so out of spite, I'm rooting for the explosion.

I'm kidding, of course, if the private sector could take over LEO and GTO operations, it would free up NASA to get back to working on the really hard stuff, like space colonization.

So that in 50 years we can have ten scientists rotating in and out of a base on the moon? Mehhh. Private companies will probably take the lead on that too.

I'm sure they will, but NASA be handling it for the near future. Ideally, the model will be that NASA will be working on the frontier type operations, and as they determine the basic model for how things work, the private sector will take over, and NASA will move on.

So, once the moon base thing is sort of figured out, private industry takes over, and NASA starts working on Mars. Eventually, private takes that over too, and NASA can start working on Europa, rinse and repeat.

Eventually, the private industry will mature to the point that NASA will be redundant. Then, who knows. A sort of space exploration singularity.

eqtworld: XMark: We got Richard Branson's company offering suborbital space flight to civilians.

really? How much does it cost and how many flights have they launched with passengers?

Starting around $200,000 at the moment so basically only rich people can order them now. They haven't launched anyone into space yet, but will within the next couple of years.

It's not super impressive though, their spaceship only goes about 100KM up, well below low Earth Orbit. High enough to see the curvature of the Earth though, and that's the officially recognized boundary of space.

Personally, I don't count anything under LEO as "space" but that's just me. It's a good first step in any case.

Actually I'd commend SpaceX for their 25% success rate, seeing as how they've only tried 4 times.

eqtworld: I'm going to win this prize (new window)

10,000lb seems a little light on the prize money, considering all the time and money spent on testing wouldn't you think?

Putting a satellite into orbit on your fourth try is rather impressive. Most posters here probably have a poorer record lighting their crack pipes.

Bacontastesgood: UtileDysfunktion: Not a lot of comfort there if you pay NASA to get your $1B satellite into orbit and they have to blow it up 'cause it's gone horribly off course.

NASA does not do that. The Air Force runs the test range and makes the call, usually very quickly, if the launch vehicle is a danger to the range or the population around it. If they send destruct to a vehicle, guess what, it wasn't going to make orbit anyway.

You are also wrong on the stats. Here are the two most popular vehicles for satellite launches:

Ariane4: 93% success rate
Delta: 95% success rate

Both % are from totals of hundreds of launches over the last couple decades.

I will readily admit to not following the space program closely, but I may not be wrong here:

As I recall, in recent years, a NASA rocket (probably an Atlas) carrying a commercial satellite payload had to be destroyed because it was going astray. "Horribly off course" implies that it was never going to make it to orbit. Also as I recall, this was just one of a string of commercial launch failures (again, this was a few years ago).

Insurers might have been looking at recent success-to-failure ratios rather than using figures from over decades. If I were in my seventies or eighties and started having a string of auto accidents, I doubt my insurance company would look to see what my lifetime average was before canceling my policy.

pag1107: Actually I'd commend SpaceX for their 25% success rate, seeing as how they've only tried 4 times.

Remember kids, rocket science is real hard science. Look at the first five or ten launches of a particular rocket design and you'll see similar failure rates.

oh geez no one is gonna read this far anyway

well I do know of one rocket this past saturday that i would have bet money on failing. no the videos are not up yet, here is a pre launch pic



yes it flew. i'll be doing a presentation on it at oshkosh under the name "homebuilt rocketships" this is the 1/6th scale prototype, with a 1/2 scale next year and a full the year after that.....

then manned flights

What the hell is an aluminum falcon?

Fantastic! Thanks submitter. Two launch attempts within 10 minutes of each other (Endeavour and Falcon).

OK, guess I will be hanging around the computer for the next couple hours.

Also, they put one of the launch cameras ON BOARD the rocket. The last launch had some fantastic views from that angle.

eqtworld: There's a shuttle launch tonight too

Link (new window)

That's just farking weird! I LOVE it!

UtileDysfunktion: I will readily admit to not following the space program closely, but I may not be wrong here:

As I recall, in recent years, a NASA rocket (probably an Atlas) carrying a commercial satellite payload had to be destroyed because it was going astray. "Horribly off course" implies that it was never going to make it to orbit. Also as I recall, this was just one of a string of commercial launch failures (again, this was a few years ago).

Insurers might have been looking at recent success-to-failure ratios rather than using figures from over decades. If I were in my seventies or eighties and started having a string of auto accidents, I doubt my insurance company would look to see what my lifetime average was before canceling my policy.


You are getting even further from reality now:

Atlas III and V vehicles have a 100% success rate. So, the specific vehicle you mentioned, over a decade. Insurers are not stupid.

Look, just admit you heard or read something and either got it wrong or the source was full of crap. NASA* doesn't do as much commercial satellite stuff anymore because they are damn expensive, not because their rockets are blowing up too often.

I will also point out that the space shuttle has a 98% success rate, so the Delta % I quoted is about the worst commercial stuff that NASA does.

*By the convention "NASA" I assume that we are talking about the complex of Boeing, Rocketdyne, LockMart, etc vehicles launched at KSC.

Tater1337: this is the 1/6th scale prototype, with a 1/2 scale next year and a full the year after that.....

Nice. I've never built anything that big but I've seen some cool launches.

/not a rocket scientist
//but I play one on the weekends

Hnakrapunt: Telcom... isn't that the satellite thats raining debris all over Europe?

Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?

Am I alone in believing that NASA should never have dropped the Delta Clipper project?

Looks like they changed the time again, pushing it back another 3 hrs.

Their website is showing a broadcast time of 6:40pm pacific, or maybe I'm just reading it wrong. anyone know whats going on?

It now says webcast pending. Maybe 6:40PDT was a typo.

An Orion launch from the ground would burn a farking hole in the atmosphere. We need to develop a space elevator first so we can build Orion ships in orbit.

Travlar: Their website is showing a broadcast time of 6:40pm pacific, or maybe I'm just reading it wrong. anyone know whats going on?

It is delayed by 3 hours due to weather.

PianoJosh: ...NASA can start working on Europa...

Not so much, I think. All the other moons are ours, though.

Victoly: PianoJosh: ...NASA can start working on Europa...

Not so much, I think. All the other moons are ours belong to us, though.

FTFY

Wasn't that launch GREAT!?

Travlar: Their website is showing a broadcast time of 6:40pm pacific, or maybe I'm just reading it wrong. anyone know whats going on?

It said 3:40 PDT earlier.

shiat. Wrong thread.

durr hurr

eqtworld: omg wtf bbq

Meh, they do this every time.

eqtworld: )

Not working for me either. Firefox 3.0

PsyLord: So about as successful as the missile defense system that we are paying for?

your an idiot.

eqtworld: Manic_Repressive: eqtworld: omg wtf bbq

Meh, they do this every time.

so there is no feed?

Is there any place on the web to watch the launch? Is this even the right time?

Apparently it is delayed for 2 or 3 hours.

eqtworld: Zamboro: Am I alone in believing that NASA should never have dropped the Delta Clipper project?

I'm an Orion fan myself (new window)

I never got the clipper project, the amount of fuel it would have used would have reduced efficiency making it worse than conventional landers

Dude, way cool. Thanks for posting that.

"4:01pm PDT: Webcast pending--please check back for updates."

eqtworld: "I'm an orion fan myself:

As am I. It's a shame NERVA didn't perform as well as expected. It would have been a more sensible solution than Orion imo.

However it only makes sense to use it for propulsion between the planets. I'm envisioning something like the Discovery or the Leonid, a reusable missions platform with plenty of redundant supplies of oxygen, water and food so that we don't have any repeats of Apollo 13.

jfarkinB: Victoly: PianoJosh: ...NASA can start working on Europa...

Not so much, I think. All the other moons are ours belong to us, though.

FTFY

NIGIRTFT

/ No, I got it right the first time
// "All these worlds" are ours
/// "All your base" are belong to us

for those looking for a feed - CNN seems to be active. Last status says it was scrubbed due to weather again. Starting to feel sorry for the astronauts at this point. can anyone confirm?

Somaticasual: for those looking for a feed - CNN seems to be active. Last status says it was scrubbed due to weather again. Starting to feel sorry for the astronauts at this point. can anyone confirm?

I think you're in the wrong launch thread. STS-127 scrubbed for today, but Falcon 1 is still go.

Webcast is at least loading now. No content yet though.

Jesus Christ, just light the candle and move on already. Imagine if the airline industry was run this way...???

Bacontastesgood: UtileDysfunktion: I will readily admit to not following the space program closely, but I may not be wrong here:

As I recall, in recent years, a NASA rocket (probably an Atlas) carrying a commercial satellite payload had to be destroyed because it was going astray. "Horribly off course" implies that it was never going to make it to orbit. Also as I recall, this was just one of a string of commercial launch failures (again, this was a few years ago).

Insurers might have been looking at recent success-to-failure ratios rather than using figures from over decades. If I were in my seventies or eighties and started having a string of auto accidents, I doubt my insurance company would look to see what my lifetime average was before canceling my policy.


You are getting even further from reality now:

No, I really think I'm pretty firmly grounded in reality here.

Atlas III and V vehicles have a 100% success rate. So, the specific vehicle you mentioned, over a decade. Insurers are not stupid.

I don't recall mentioning a specific vehicle. I said it was probably an Atlas. I have no idea if it was an Atlas I, II , III or XIX. I wouldn't know the difference, so why would I even try to cite a specific model?

Look, just admit you heard or read something and either got it wrong or the source was full of crap. NASA* doesn't do as much commercial satellite stuff anymore because they are damn expensive, not because their rockets are blowing up too often.

Oh... I'd being willing to bet that my memory serves me better than your sense of superiority.

I will also point out that the space shuttle has a 98% success rate, so the Delta % I quoted is about the worst commercial stuff that NASA does.

I have no idea what that means.

*By the convention "NASA" I assume that we are talking about the complex of Boeing, Rocketdyne, LockMart, etc vehicles launched at KSC.

Duh.

1930PDT?

sheesh. make up your mind!

Hnakrapunt: Telcom... isn't that the satellite thats raining debris all over Europe?

/Obscure?

Why do you think I'm all brains, no penis?

scandalrag: Hnakrapunt: Telcom... isn't that the satellite thats raining debris all over Europe?

/Obscure?

Why do you think I'm all brains, no penis?

Can you hammer a 6 inch spike through a board....?

UtileDysfunktion: I have no idea what that means.

This is pretty much all you needed to say from the very beginning.

Bacontastesgood: UtileDysfunktion: I have no idea what that means.

This is pretty much all you needed to say from the very beginning.

Pfffft. I have encountered greatness.

Tater1337: oh geez no one is gonna read this far anyway

well I do know of one rocket this past saturday that i would have bet money on failing. no the videos are not up yet, here is a pre launch pic



Uh, that looks like a section of culvert with some plywood fins. You first...

drsmith: Jesus Christ, just light the candle and move on already. Imagine if the airline industry was run this way...???

You ever shoot bottlerockets at someone's car? You ever shoot bottlerockets at someone's beer can across a corn field?

It's kinda hard to aim these flying bombs...

Latest update from SpaceX:

5:32 pm PDT: Estimated T-zero at 7:30pm PDT

For those who want some extra info check this site they have a live blog about the launch

Nobody hangs out in space because its too expensive to get there. If SpaceX succeeds, the cost of launching stuff into orbit will decrease more than 50% almost immediately. This is BIG! If you care in any away about humanity doing cool things in space, this is the company to be rooting for.

Launch in one hour

Will the Borg shoot this one down too?

SpaceX? that's right in my backyard. The last time they had a rocket test it freaked out all the residents in Waco. Idiots (the Wacoans...not SpaceX)

Delta 2 has the worlds record for successful launches in a row.
Presently at 88 and counting!!!!!! I think about 142 out of 143 launches since 1987.
And when we did blow one up it's good enough to get on Fox's best explosions!!!

DELTA 2 is the best ever -too bad our country is throwing it away for sparrow 1/5/9 and the other paper rocket Taurus 2...

// tested all D2's prop/hyd systems.

// Last GPS next month.

// A few more commercial and science payloads to go.

T-30 minutes. There's a good feed at Spacevidcast

psperl:

When Space X has to do all the stupid government stuff the
rest of us have to it will be as least as expensive!!

/I know...seen it cheap turned into expensive....

Rocketdude:

I really hope you are wrong about that, but having been an engineer for a gigantic military industrial company, I understand where you're coming from.

Cameron_Talley: SpaceX? that's right in my backyard. The last time they had a rocket test it freaked out all the residents in Waco. Idiots (the Wacoans...not SpaceX)

Ha I remember that night. But this McGregor is just a test facility not a launch site, so the actual rocket I belive will be fired from either California or Florida.

Frankiesuicide: Cameron_Talley: SpaceX? that's right in my backyard. The last time they had a rocket test it freaked out all the residents in Waco. Idiots (the Wacoans...not SpaceX)

Ha I remember that night. But this McGregor is just a test facility not a launch site, so the actual rocket I belive will be fired from either California or Florida.

Falcon 1s are launched from an island in the Pacific. Their next launch, a Falcon 9, will be from Florida

psperl:

I hope I'm wrong too -but it's getting really stupid out there anymore.

TSE: An Orion launch from the ground would burn a farking hole in the atmosphere. We need to develop a space elevator first so we can build Orion ships in orbit.

The fallout would kill a few people (*IF* the linear hypothesis is right--there's a good chance it's not and the expected death toll would be zero) but it won't burn a hole in the atmosphere.

drsmith: Jesus Christ, just light the candle and move on already. Imagine if the airline industry was run this way...???

Rockets are built as light as possible. That means they don't build them to take weather while in flight.

The Bestest: Frankiesuicide: Cameron_Talley: SpaceX? that's right in my backyard. The last time they had a rocket test it freaked out all the residents in Waco. Idiots (the Wacoans...not SpaceX)

Ha I remember that night. But this McGregor is just a test facility not a launch site, so the actual rocket I belive will be fired from either California or Florida.

Falcon 1s are launched from an island in the Pacific. Their next launch, a Falcon 9, will be from Florida

Thanks,

Launch is delayed for another half hour.

shot's up
t minus 30 min

That wind looks WAY to strong for them to launch. No way it's going to happen, or if it does, I predict disaster.

/Hope for the best though.

Tater1337: "oh geez no one is gonna read this far anyway"


What is this "read" of which ye speak? I am come seeking pix of astounding funnel and tooter-tube homemade rokkitz.

Happy exploderating!

Maybe they can make that banner on the bottom a little bigger so that the rest of the screen doesn't block it.

Drakin020: That wind looks WAY to strong for them to launch. No way it's going to happen, or if it does, I predict disaster.

/Hope for the best though.

Looks like an ordinary tropical breeze to me.

The T countdown has begun at the Live Stream. Footage is rolling. 24 minutes remaining.

Thunder showers approaching...

bloody typical for today!

/god doesn't want any rocket launches today it seems

global wombats: Thunder showers approaching...

bloody typical for today!

/god doesn't want any rocket launches today it seems

Just rain showers.

Weather just confirmed no Thunderstorms on the way. Just light rain. Which isn't a problem.

Cheops: Just rain showers.

"All green" they said, fingers crossed.

Maybe it will go.

Range control is anticipating a 30 minute weather hold.

Sounds like another delay.

Shot planned hold at T -15 for weather just to make sure rain/wind are not gonna be an issue.

Hold at T - 15

estimated t0 at 10:35 pacific..
so another 47 min to kill

Exactly the same as the shuttle earlier today, 20 minutes ago the sky was clear, now is overcast with deep storm clouds.

Maybe it is the odd-gods not wanting us off the planet today.

Oh well, time for another beer.

GAH! Commentary! NO!

At least the chick is different this time, and possibly better, we shall see.

Zamboro: Am I alone in believing that NASA should never have dropped the Delta Clipper project?

It's not dead yet... shhhhh....

Rain Delays, as reported. stream now shows the hold going up gradually due to weather.

Looks to be clearing up in whatever direction is opposite the steam. Hopefully they get this one up!

Somaticasual: Rain Delays, as reported. stream now shows the hold going up gradually due to weather.

They farked up and started the hold timer at 30 minutes and had it count up instead of down.

There doing a weather brief now, we'll know soon.

actually the hold clock is a count up clock that counts the total time that the countdown has been on hold.
Weather report was good; countdown to resume in 3 minutes.

Countdown to resume in a few minutes...

Wind is still way to strong, no way it's going to happen.

X15: Somaticasual: Rain Delays, as reported. stream now shows the hold going up gradually due to weather.

They farked up and started the hold timer at 30 minutes and had it count up instead of down.

There doing a weather brief now, we'll know soon.

I thought it was counting how long the countdown had been on hold.

T minus 15!

NEWSFLASH: T-15 and counting. stream is rolling.

Looking good for a liftoff I reckon

Pop Goes The Weasel: X15: Somaticasual: Rain Delays, as reported. stream now shows the hold going up gradually due to weather.

They farked up and started the hold timer at 30 minutes and had it count up instead of down.

There doing a weather brief now, we'll know soon.

I thought it was counting how long the countdown had been on hold.

When they started the hold the counter started at 30 minutes, so unless they had a previous 30 minute hold that wasn't webcast...

Clock is ticking again.

Being too lazy to go upstairs and look, is this being broadcast on NASA TV or just Webcast?

Webcast at SpaceX.

http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php

Countdown has resumed. Currently T-12 minutes.

Yes, this is my Boobies in 7 years :)

11 min and counting down... launch is on

mistrowl: Webcast at SpaceX.

http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php


Thanks

Pop Goes The Weasel: X15: Somaticasual: Rain Delays, as reported. stream now shows the hold going up gradually due to weather.

They farked up and started the hold timer at 30 minutes and had it count up instead of down.

There doing a weather brief now, we'll know soon.

I thought it was counting how long the countdown had been on hold.

Ahh, that makes more sense. I was assuming it was autocalculating for emerging weather patterns..

//another fine example of "KISS"

8 minutes to go! finally

Freakin PR people. STFU.

... sofa line?

mistrowl: Freakin PR people. STFU.

This being a private company, I'm surprised this whole thing isn't slicker looking. At least get some better PP presentations!

These people all sound like dweebs.

X15: Pop Goes The Weasel: X15: Somaticasual: Rain Delays, as reported. stream now shows the hold going up gradually due to weather.

They farked up and started the hold timer at 30 minutes and had it count up instead of down.

There doing a weather brief now, we'll know soon.

I thought it was counting how long the countdown had been on hold.

When they started the hold the counter started at 30 minutes, so unless they had a previous 30 minute hold that wasn't webcast...

I thought they had a 30 minute delay earlier today, but I'm not sure.

and at least find someone who doesn't say "gonna"

Way to come through there RCO, nice job.

Saw the last two of these. The first that was aborted a couple of minutes in, and the second that made it. It was freakin' awesome to be alive in these times to see it (almost) live.

ohboyohboyohboyohboy

Man I hope this works. I love spacex!

/got an offer to work for them
//still wonder if I should have done it

no whammies no whammies no whammies no whammies

Guys I accidentally the rocket...

Sweet!

Liftoff baybee!

Wow that's sweet stage separation!

Nice. Go bird go.

BOOO!


I wanted booms :(

4150meters per second that's fast.

Gorgeous shot of earth below

/drifting, falling

SECO!!! Congra-rats to SpaceX!

I love it when a plan comes together.

No booms tonight....decent but bumpy launch.

woohoo! it made it!

Misha80: 4150meters per second that's fast.

Not as fast as

Holy crap! It worked! Go SpaceX!

Yeeha!

now granted it was due to weather and no malfunction and also granted the launches were on opposite sides of the world, but its still a bit profound to me that a private company, one only a few years old at that, has a successful launch the same day NASA has to postpone theirs.

If only they kept the audio going. I wanted to hear if the second stage would relight and if deployment was successful live.

That recycling of a system with only 3 minutes to launch, and still being calm enough to get it Green and launch it... Wow

Check ain't in the mail til spacecraft separation, but from the looks of it they're gonna get that check. They got past the hard parts beautifully.

IC Stars: and at least find someone who doesn't say "gonna"

Was so sure it was gonna go boom!

After the first stage separation, when it blew up last time I watched, you just knew this thing is gonna go all the way.

For a dodgy outfit, Spacex did a great job here.

Well done guys, gonna have a few more beers celebrating your success.

And video from 260 kilometres up, that is gonna be impressive!

Gonna go now.

The Bestest: now granted it was due to weather and no malfunction and also granted the launches were on opposite sides of the world, but its still a bit profound to me that a private company, one only a few years old at that, has a successful launch the same day NASA has to postpone theirs.

SpaceX would not have had so much derring-do if they were carrying humans on-board.

I congratulate SpaceX. Job well done.

I did notice that they lost communications because of the curvature of the earth and the signal was line of site. If only there were a group of communication satellites that circled the earth that could prevent that from happening.

Honestly, job well done.

global wombats: For a dodgy outfit, Spacex did a great job here.

After two successful launches in a row, they are quickly leaving dodgy territory and heading to reputable launch provider.

jw1776:

That recycling of a system with only 3 minutes to launch, and still being calm enough to get it Green and launch it... Wow

That was my thought... I have no idea what the RCO system is, but having it go red 4 minutes before launch has to be a big "Uh-oh!"

W. T. Fark: The Bestest: now granted it was due to weather and no malfunction and also granted the launches were on opposite sides of the world, but its still a bit profound to me that a private company, one only a few years old at that, has a successful launch the same day NASA has to postpone theirs.

SpaceX would not have had so much derring-do if they were carrying humans on-board.

True, but their next launch is the maiden flight of the Falcon 9, which will ultimately carry their Dragon manned vehicle.

X15: GAH! Commentary! NO!

At least the chick is different this time, and possibly better, we shall see.

So much better then before! The last chick was horrible, and someone finally told them both to not talk over the loop.

Private companies can't afford as much CGI time as NASA or the Soviets.

Now if Elon Musk can make his Electric cars work...

I feel silly. I posted the image in the Endeavor thread.

The screenie i took in the live feed. I suck cause all i have is Microsoft Paint and an image resizer.



Same image seen in story
No I don't know how to do new windows, so control clicky please.

Amdahl's street justice: YES YOU BLOODY WELL SHOULD HAVE

/No hate, just mega-jealous

The Bestest: now granted it was due to weather and no malfunction and also granted the launches were on opposite sides of the world, but its still a bit profound to me that a private company, one only a few years old at that, has a successful launch the same day NASA has to postpone theirs.

To be fair, this thing didn't launch from Florida where the weather problems were, so they didnt have the same conditions. Also, NASA tends to err on the side of caution more than they might if they weren't launching people.

That said, it was an awesome launch.

Well done, SpaceX!

Fragility: I feel silly. I posted the image in the Endeavor thread.

The screenie i took in the live feed. I suck cause all i have is Microsoft Paint and an image resizer.



Same image seen in story
No I don't know how to do new windows, so control clicky please.

you should check out GIMP if you can't afford one of the graphics editors - it's a freebie open-source photoshop substitute..

Somaticasual: Fragility: I feel silly. I posted the image in the Endeavor thread.

The screenie i took in the live feed. I suck cause all i have is Microsoft Paint and an image resizer.



Same image seen in story
No I don't know how to do new windows, so control clicky please.

you should check out GIMP if you can't afford one of the graphics editors - it's a freebie open-source photoshop substitute..

Ya, I had GIMP on my old computer. I just built a new one and haven't installed it yet. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Another option is Paint.NET, which is also free.