Posted on 10/13/2024 7:11:09 AM PDT by Lazamataz
SpaceX launched its fifth test flight of its Starship rocket on Sunday and made a dramatic first catch of the rocket’s more than 20-story tall booster.
The achievement marks a major milestone toward SpaceX’s goal of making Starship a fully reusable rocket system.
Elon Musk’s company launched Starship at 8:25 a.m. ET from its Starbase facility near Brownsville, Texas. The rocket’s “Super Heavy” booster returned to land on the arms of the company’s launch tower nearly seven minutes after launch.
“Are you kidding me?” SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said on the company’s webcast.
“What we just saw, that looked like magic,” Huot added.
It really is. Landing rockets on their butt ends alone brings back an entire generation of Amazing Science Fiction covers. This one has me shaking my head, though. You can't do that. You just can't do that.
Musk had the correct idea: What powers UP can power DOWN.
Yes, we are. I never thought I would see such a space age accomplishment. Something people forget is Musk is making big bucks with his Falcons placing numerous satellites in orbit, paid by many players. I believe that was instrumental in developing the Starship.
I've been saying since the Falcon boosters that NASA is falling behind. Looks like Bezo's Blue Origin isn't doing so well either. And why is NASA obsessed with the Moon as they make little to no headway getting to it?
Dangit, I missed that. The Tesla gig, that is. Linky?
Saw Heavy Metal dozens of times and own several NIB copies for "just in case". d;^)
No, it’s not the NASA of yore. And until US.gov is purged of “Didn’t Earn It” it won’t be.
BUT ...
The NASA of yore isn’t necessarily what some people think it was.
NASA doesn’t build rockets, and never did.
NASA did not build the Mercury spacecraft, nor the Redstone and Atlas rockets which launched them.
NASA did not build the Gemini spacecraft, nor the Titan-II rockets which launched them.
NASA did not build the Apollo spacecraft, nor the Saturn rockets with launched them.
NASA did not build the STS “space shuttles”.
NASA did not build the various Atlas, Titan, Delta rockets it used to launch various robotic spacecraft.
Etc.
And now, NASA doesn’t build the Falcon and Vulcan rockets on which its present day missions are launched.
Contractors built all those things. NASA has from its beginning had a very close relationship with and dependence upon its contractors.
SpaceX is, and has been for essentially its entire existence, a NASA contractor. Falcon-9 and both versions of Dragon are built, in part, to meet the requirements of NASA (and USAF/USSF) missions. NASA’s vision for a return to the Moon includes Starship.
To pit NASA and SpaceX against each other represents a failure to understand history and present day reality.
(BTW, the abortion that is “SLS” can be laid almost entirely at the feet of Congress.)
As a relevant aside. USAF doesn’t build airplanes. USN doesn’t build ships or aircraft. USMC doesn’t build rifles. Etc.
See #66.
“NASA’s moon rocket”, in the long run is Starship. SLS was intended to be a temporary vehicle while the much more ambitions Starship went through development. (And Congress imposed idiotic requirements on it, because Congress is largely composed of idiots.)
Starship, for all its amazing capabilities so far demonstrated, has yet to complete a single Earth orbit.
SLS/Artemis has orbited the Moon and returned (unmanned).
Let’s all try to remain grounded in reality.
Yes....this is why I want the Artemus program functional >> to [re]claim the dominance in the development of the Moon in preparation for manned missions to Mars.
Even tho Elon has them as a priority, it’s looking like I will run out of life before the Mars missions occur.
🤩😍🤩
Just how cool whuzzat?😁👍 Thankyasir!!
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