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Neonmoon

By Neonmoon
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RamjetFDO
RamjetFDO
RamjetFDO
RamjetFDO

Got a buddy who does launch photography at the cape ... this is one of his (just released):

RamjetFDO
RamjetFDO

Couple more from my launch photography friend ... cool time lapse shots:  

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RamjetFDO

RamjetFDO 10575

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Just now, horncyclist said:

I don't really understand this. It was more likely than not it was going to crash into the pad and FAA cleared it. Seems like it went exactly as planned, including the possibility of a crash. What's to investigate? Or are they just going to do this every time now? Did they after SN8?

 

Are you familiar with general ineptitude by government agencies?

The FAA "clearance" was probably given by a bureaucrat who was sweet-talked into giving it ... "OF COURSE we're gonna stick the landing!  Just think of the positive press for you, Mr. FAA Man, when you approve this!"

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TommyJ

TommyJ 2

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9 hours ago, Sam Lin said:

Artemis is too much of a jobs and social program to get canceled. It'll fly, and then quietly fade out of memory while still being funded at (very expensive) maintenance levels.

Do you disapprove of such missions?
I understand what you mean. Funding such a project takes effort. And these efforts could bring more direct benefits to humanity. Are you talking about this?
Lately, I often meet people who do not support such missions and all have completely different motives.
Indeed, such funding could be used for other projects, even in the space industry. For example, why not launch a national satellite internet?

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Captainant

Captainant 27625

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8 hours ago, TommyJ said:

Do you disapprove of such missions?
I understand what you mean. Funding such a project takes effort. And these efforts could bring more direct benefits to humanity. Are you talking about this?
Lately, I often meet people who do not support such missions and all have completely different motives.
Indeed, such funding could be used for other projects, even in the space industry. For example, why not launch a national satellite internet?

It's not a misnomer to call NASA a job program - it was built to be just that during the 50's and 60's, and is a big part of why NASA's costs are always so high compared to vertically integrated businesses like SpaceX. They have to source parts from multiple vendors in multiple states, do inspections and testing on all of them, and bring them all to one location for integration - and that all costs money. SpaceX just buys raw materials and builds it all themselves from engine to tanks to systems to final integration.

And on top of that - the Artemis program is WAY off schedule, and failed their most recent engine test fire and systems test. 

I'm all for space travel and exploration, but it's not going to scale up until costs come down and speed of development picks up. And the way NASA is structured, they just aren't going to beat SpaceX's pricing or development speed. 

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TommyJ

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13 hours ago, Captainant said:

It's not a misnomer to call NASA a job program - it was built to be just that during the 50's and 60's, and is a big part of why NASA's costs are always so high compared to vertically integrated businesses like SpaceX. They have to source parts from multiple vendors in multiple states, do inspections and testing on all of them, and bring them all to one location for integration - and that all costs money. SpaceX just buys raw materials and builds it all themselves from engine to tanks to systems to final integration.

And on top of that - the Artemis program is WAY off schedule, and failed their most recent engine test fire and systems test. 

I'm all for space travel and exploration, but it's not going to scale up until costs come down and speed of development picks up. And the way NASA is structured, they just aren't going to beat SpaceX's pricing or development speed. 

I agree with you. And perhaps this applies not only to such global missions. Even in the smallest detail, almost any private space company will be less limited in decisions and freer to act. If the development of a small space tug for some young company in the private sector takes 3-5 years, then NASA will take 10 years with all the approvals.
Perhaps, given the number of private companies in the space industry now, we will soon see something like a private space market.

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TommyJ

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I would like to see that people support not only big and advertised projects. After all, besides this, there are at least 60 more private space companies. And they are all beautiful in their own way.
I recently came across a page with this beautiful rocket https://www.skyrora.com/skylark-l
I think it is quite good example of what people can do without govnt funding.
It seems to me that thanks to a multitude of similar projects around the world, in some 10-20 years we may have private space companies that will only deal with space tourism. And there will be many companies that are engaged in only one specific area of space activity. I think that highly specialized companies can achieve greater success than those who do everything at once.

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TommyJ

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On 2/12/2021 at 9:12 PM, Neonmoon said:

 

 

It's pretty. In general, nowadays, many things are becoming beautiful.
I wonder if they will ever make a spaceport for a full-size rocket from a truck?
It would be great to be able to launch from anywhere on the planet, wouldn't it?

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thunderlounge

thunderlounge 7813

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1 hour ago, TommyJ said:

It's pretty. In general, nowadays, many things are becoming beautiful.
I wonder if they will ever make a spaceport for a full-size rocket from a truck?
It would be great to be able to launch from anywhere on the planet, wouldn't it?


Soviets, and others have already done that. Not for manned flights, but the low orbital ones that come back down and make a big boom. 

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bolverk

bolverk 29651

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Details:

Elon Musk is attempting to create a city in South Texas.

He wants to incorporate Boca Chica Village, where his company SpaceX is developing and launching prototypes of its Starship spacecraft, into a city.

It would be called Starbase, Texas, Musk announced via Twitter on Tuesday.

Boca Chica Village, not far from Brownsville, is a tiny unincorporated area of Cameron County. County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. confirmed the news, saying Cameron County had been officially approached by SpaceX over the past few days.

“If SpaceX and Elon Musk would like to pursue down this path, they must abide by all state incorporation statutes,” Treviño said in a statement. “Cameron County will process any appropriate petitions in conformity with applicable law.”

There’s a process to creating a city. First, the area must have at least 201 inhabitants, said Kellen Zale, associate professor at the University of Houston Law Center who specializes in land use and local government law.

For areas with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, the city cannot be larger than 2 square miles — that’s 1,280 acres.

“The steps for incorporation are pretty minimal,” she said. “It’s just that population requirement and the territorial requirement, and then you need to get a certain number of signatures and then hold an election.”

Boca Chica Village was developed in 1967 by Chicago radio personality John Caputa, who aimed his sales pitch at working-class Polish immigrants, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

The community initially had a restaurant and hotel, as well as water treatment plant, sewer and electricity service. But a hurricane in 1967 destroyed the restaurant and utility system. Electricity was restored, but not water. To this day, residents have water delivered by the county.

SpaceX committed to building a launch site near Boca Chica Village in 2014. Progress was initially slow, but in 2019 the company began testing a 65-foot-tall prototype called the Starhopper. The Starhopper had one engine; SpaceX has since progressed to the larger, more complex Starship prototype with three engines.

When the Chronicle visited toward the end of 2019, the community was a mix of overgrown yards and carefully manicured properties. One house lacked a roof and had a tree growing in it, but down the street, homes display the touches of proud owners, with dolphins painted on storm shutters and buoys decorating a fence.

SpaceX has purchased many of the properties, and former residents have moved elsewhere. There is disruption for those living there as SpaceX must evacuate residents when testing its Starship spacecraft, which the company hopes to one day pair with its Super Heavy rocket and launch people from South Texas to Mars.

Zale said there are many reasons why a community might incorporate into a city. It allows residents to create rules more tailored to their area and to issue municipal bonds to make improvements in that direct area.

Bob Stein, a fellow in urban politics at Rice University’s Baker Institute, said incorporating into a city could also be a tactic to protect SpaceX operations in the area.

“It struck me as he’s doing it as a means to protect himself against jurisdictions that might not like what he’s doing,” Stein said.

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