** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

Only got to look at the launch of Apollo 12 and the heart attacks that caused to see the dangers of launching in crappy weather!

 
Skillmister said:
Not sure about using touch screens though. They are hard enough to use in a car let alone the shakes of being on a rocket. Hope the launch escape system has a physical button
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I'm pretty sure those sort of functions will be completely automated, right? To be honest I'm not sure what the screens are even for.

Boge said:
As a human being living on a planet protected from the sun by a gaseous layer I'm a bit bothered by all these Billionaires trying to outdo each other burning bloody great holes through it to get their Ego kicks.

The Space Race has a lot to answer for.
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Please - in the nicest way possible - go away and do some research on the topic you're posting about and only return when you are suitably equipped with the knowledge required to contribute productively. I understand your intent may be good, but you come across as misinformed at best, and willfully ignorant at worst.
 
I just hope that the Falcon 9 has a "ludicrous" setting on the dash ala Tesla cars, just for the fun of it if nothing else :D
 
VaderDSL said:
They can't launch from anywhere else for missions like this, it has to be launched eastwards due to the ISS orbit and you don't want to drop rockets on populated areas, unless you're China. And you want a site as near to the equator as possible to take advantage of the free delta v, plus logistics, large open areas of space etc. :)
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Oh I understand the equator etc. I just thought there must be somewhere, even non mainland, with a better odds for the weather. Must admit I have no idea of the percentages for where they launch the Ariane rockets. Maybe no where in that part of the world is much better on average.

Oddly my main thought was due to the budget and I hadn't actually considered logistics :p.
 
All that money and they didnt put window wipers on it...

Still a single shot window on Saturday as well?
 
Trig said:
All that money and they didnt put window wipers on it...

Still a single shot window on Saturday as well?
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As far as I know they have to launch at a specific, absolute time to ensure they meet the ISS at the correct point when they do the obit while coming up to it's level. Too late or early, and they will miss the window to dock.
 
The margins they work too are fascinating. Bit gutted it didn't take off yesterday but looking forward to Saturday. What I would give to experience the sensation of the feeling and the noise of being in a space shuttle, it would probably feel out of this world (I'm not even sorry!)

When I was younger I saw a shuttle take off from Cape Canaveral (I think this must've been 96/97) and I'll never forget the noise. we must've been miles away yet the noise was still deafening.
 
russell664 said:
As far as I know they have to launch at a specific, absolute time to ensure they meet the ISS at the correct point when they do the obit while coming up to it's level. Too late or early, and they will miss the window to dock.
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That and also the propellant being super-cooled, -200C ish, on the Falcon 9 which restricts them on the launch window. They have mentioned in the past they can purge/de-tank and refill but it'd take ~1:30hr (iirc) and adds complications.

Other launch vehicles, Antares etc, can sit on the pad(s) fuelled for a lot longer hence launch windows are generally pretty wide.
 
dunker said:
wow they can safely escape from launch all the way to orbit, hopefully not needed today.
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The ability to safely abort a launch/eject is pretty much a standard feature of every single manned space vehicle except the space shuttle. Which is somewhat silly considering that missing safety feature killed a shuttle crew and then the shuttles continued to operate for an additional 25 years without ever having it retrofitted.


Skillmister said:
Pretty nuts how they've managed to make the inside of Dragon, the suits, screens and everything all look "futuristic".
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One of the things I find most amazing about it, is that a huge amount of the SpaceX staff who worked on all this weren't even alive when some of the ISS core modules were built O.O
 
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Would appear that starship SN4 is preparing for another static fire. Fingers crossed it survives.

edit: Looks like it was either just a pressure test or the static fire was aborted.

edit: Road closure extended. Static fire attempt may be back on.

edit: Static fire complete!
 
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