Posted on 02/06/2018 11:36:57 AM PST by Robert DeLong
It's going to go in the general direction of Mars. There was no scientific package that would have a meaningful purpose, and which would be cheap enough that they would be willing to risk on a test flight.
That's an incredible sight.
The sound of the launch reminded me of the Saturn V.
And then the video of the car which is in orbit right now. The last firing to achieve escape velocity is about five hours away.
The employees going nuts in the background made it great, too.
He could have put a love doll in the other seat, but then Musk would have gotten sh*t from the feminists.
What an absolutely wasteful stunt, launching a car into space. Is there some scientific purpose I’m not aware of?
...
It’s an experimental launch. The free advertising Musk gets for his companies will more than pay for the launch. It’s a stunt worthy of Trump.
It was. As a kid who was born in 1961 so was too young to remember the the Mercury missions but grew up watching all the Gemini and Apollo launches and later just about all of the Shuttle launches, it still sends a shiver up my spine. And the landing of the two booster rockets was also amazing.
It is not so much a "stunt" but a test of just the kind of heavy rocket needed to get us and a heavy payload to Mars and beyond one day. And also another great test of successfully landing not one, but two reusable booster rockets.
Space X has also launched satellites for the US military, so I'd say it is not a waste of money.
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting the simultaneous landing of the side boosters. It looked like something from a special effects reel. Amazing.
A mass simulator is required. Why not make it fun?
Oh, yeah! I forgot...an enlightened expert like you, setting the standards for us underlings, must discipline us for frivolousness.
Yep. Will be 6 hours before rockets are ignited to escape Earth.
Said several things could happen.
Hydrogen could blow off
and or fuel could freeze.
It did almost look like CGI. LOL! I'm sure some of our resident conspiracy experts will eventually come along and say it was. /s
But seriously. This was a great success.
And now as Buzz Aldrin has been saying "Let's get our ass to Mars!"
I was born in 1947. I grew up during the space race. What an exciting time to be a kid!
Watching this launch took me back to those wonder years. After watching NASA piss away all of those efforts, it is exciting to see humans get the lead out!
Or, it could be a success...but, then, that isn’t what you are wishing for, is it?
I know that I am coming across as an acrimoneous prick, but growing up in the “Yes, We Can!” Years, I am sickened by the negativity on this thread!
You enlightened jerks are self-fulfilling negative prophesies! I pity you!
I lived in Cape Canaveral and worked at NASA for a short period. One of my most favorite places to live and work. Moved into my condo on the beach and that night there was a night launch of a rocket with a satellite that lite up my room as it raced paced my window, what a spectacular sight.
What? I’m rooting for Falcon Heavy.
I was just quoting Musk saying they are not
out of the woods yet.
And he mentioned the two reasons I posted.
And those 2 issues are part of the test too
because it will be 6 hours before refiring the rockets
to break Earth’s gravity.
Normally it would not be 6 hours.
That is why he mentioned the 2 issues.
Have I cleared it up for u?
Falcon Heavy will be good for some military launches and a very small number of commercial launches. It’s actually not good for interplanetary launches due to the fuel used on the second stage. SpaceX is unlikely to invest more in the Falcon Heavy, because early development of the next rocket (BFR) is going well. BFR will be more powerful than a Saturn V and be completely reusable. My guess is it will be about the same cost to the customer as a Falcon 9, maybe less.
Good answer. Thanks!
‘Bout what I expected from you!
Here is a quote from Musk on an article I found at CBS after launch
“Once we reach orbit, we’ve got a very long coast, we’ve got a six-hour coast before restart, which is twice as long as we’ve ever coasted a stage,” he said. “So we could see the fuel potentially freeze, because it’s out there in deep space and when it’s not facing the sun it’s at three degrees above absolute zero.
“So it could easily freeze, or the liquid oxygen could boil off, so there’s a lot that could go wrong.”
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