Space X - Falcon Heavy Launch

robj144 · #1 02-06-2018, 11:05 PM

Surprise no one has posted this yet. Have you guys checked out the Falcon Heavy launch and landing today?

The landing is crazy:

Although the center crashed trying to land on the drone ship. It's still pretty cool.

Musk also put his Tesla Roadster on top of the rocket which is now on its way to the asteroid belt by mistake:

cotten · #2 02-06-2018, 11:40 PM

Amazing stuff! I had not seen that, though I had heard about it. Thanks for posting!

cotten

Gmountain · #3 02-07-2018, 06:13 AM

It was cool. We went outside and watched. The twin burns of the landing boosters was an amazing thing to see.

matt986 · #4 02-07-2018, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robj144

Musk also put his Tesla Roadster on top of the rocket which is now on its way to the asteroid belt by mistake

Yep. From Elon Musk:

Quote:

Third burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/961083704230674438

How cool is this!

aknow · #5 02-07-2018, 10:23 AM

Really amazing! I have no idea why anyone would want to visit Mars, however.

fumei · #6 02-07-2018, 07:36 PM

As we are sonic-inclined folks...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImoQqNyRL8Y

WEAR HEADPHONES!!!

SpiderTrap · #7 02-08-2018, 03:03 AM

And the point is ???? Private Co Funded by YOU & I ! Same as RVA & FAA
Big Waste of Money

Silurian · #8 02-08-2018, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiderTrap

And the point is ???? Private Co Funded by YOU & I ! Same as RVA & FAA
Big Waste of Money

Well in the short term, the point is to put satellites into orbit for dramatically reduced cost. Telecomms, GPS, weather, monitoring, etc, etc.

flaggerphil · #9 02-08-2018, 03:58 AM

Watched the launch and recovery...absolutely amazing. I think it's great seeing private companies doing so well in the space biz and the U.S. becoming self reliant on launch capability once again.

flaggerphil · #10 02-08-2018, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiderTrap

And the point is ???? Private Co Funded by YOU & I ! Same as RVA & FAA
Big Waste of Money

You're against a company that's come up with a less expensive way to boost satellites that help the U.S. into orbit?

rokdog49 · #11 02-08-2018, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiderTrap

And the point is ???? Private Co Funded by YOU & I ! Same as RVA & FAA
Big Waste of Money

Would that we could all decide what our money is "wasted" on.

valleyguy · #12 02-08-2018, 09:50 AM

As cool as this was, and I'm a big proponent of space exploration, I'm reading that the demand for large rockets is way down as satellites have grown smaller recently. So for your every day need to put a satellite into orbit, this is not the rocket. That's where the demand is today and where there is money to make. The Falcon 9 meets this need nicely. Some are trying to compare the Falcon Heavy to Airbus' A380, a large aircraft no one wants to buy.

Though that is the need in today's market, Musk has clearly stated he's looking to the future for deeper and larger missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. I know there is a consortium exploring mining asteroids. It amazes me there could be a profit in such an expensive endeavor.

I think the move to have private companies manage space is slowly making sense, after a rocky start, where we didn't even have a rocket to put our astronauts on the space station (still don't). After a nice start in the space program, NASA has become too bloated and costly, plus having to contend with Congress' yo-yo funding.

Shoreline Music · #13 02-08-2018, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silurian

Well in the short term, the point is to put satellites into orbit for dramatically reduced cost. Telecomms, GPS, weather, monitoring, etc, etc.

Another similar company was founded by one of my college buddies after he got bored with helping to create the internet. He used to work at NASA/Ames, and wrote the software that fixed the Hubble mirror flaw when he was a teenager. His company, MoonEx, received the first permission ever for a non-governmental entity to launch past Earth's orbit. Their plan is to mine the moon, with an eye to trillions of dollars of raw materials. So this all has the potential to go way beyond satellites. If you're a fan of space, it's a good time to be alive

Gitfiddlemann · #14 02-08-2018, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shoreline Music

He used to work at NASA/Ames, and wrote the software that fixed the Hubble mirror flaw when he was a teenager.

Man, that alone is significant, and worthy of a stellar object being named after him. What an accomplishment to be able to claim that on your resume.

The world needs more Elon Musks. Glad we have at least one amongst us in our lifetime.

Edgar Poe · #15 02-08-2018, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aknow

Really amazing! I have no idea why anyone would want to visit Mars, however.

Because it's there, and we can.

Ed