NASA PICKS SPACEX TO LAUNCH CREW QUARTERS OF LUNAR GATEWAY STATION

Futurism ^ | February 10 2020 | VICTOR TANGERMANN

[SmokingJoe]

SPACEX WILL LAUNCH THE PART OF THE STATION WHERE THE ASTRONAUTS WILL ACTUALLY LIVE. NASA Lunar Gateway NASA has chosen SpaceX to launch the first parts of the Lunar Gateway, a crewed outpost about a tenth the size of the International Space Station. The plan is for it to orbit the Moon — where it will be a stepping stone for future Artemis missions to the lunar surface.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy, a reusable heavy-lift rocket that has only launched three times since 2018, will carry NASA’s Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) from launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no sooner than May 2024, according to the agency.

It’s a major coup for SpaceX — which will get paid a whopping $331.8 million for the project — and potentially a huge step toward sending humans back to the Moon.

Stepping Stone The PPE is a spacecraft that will allow the outpost to communicate with the Earth, control attitudes, and push the Gateway into various lunar orbits.

ADVERTISEMENT HALO is where astronauts will actually spend time while waiting to get down to the lunar surface. It will also serve as the docking hub and support science investigations as well as supplementing life support systems aboard Orion, the agency’s spacecraft designed to ferry astronauts to the Gateway.

[SmokingJoe]

Also, an interesting thing is that the gravity field at the ISS is almost as strong as on the ground.

I think you are confused. You don't float when gravity is the same as on earth. Otherwise we'll ail be floating.
Do you float in your house everyday?

[SmokingJoe]

JPL is doing some impressive , cutting edge work as well on traveling faster than the speed of light.

https://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/05/28/nasa-admits-they-are-working-to-travel-faster-than-the-speed-of-light/

[cgbg]

There is a reason that unmanned space expeditions (to the moon and elsewhere) have been amazingly successful and productive, while manned exploration has been stuck in simulation mode for decades.

As I say, though—some lessons just have to be learned the hard way.

[cyclotic]

A few weeks ago I watched a Moon launch denier begin lecturing my son all about the radiation conspiracy theory and and how the moon landing was faked.

He didn’t know my son is an astronautical engineer who works at NASA.

My kid wisely let him pontificate without destroying his delusions. (Although it would have been fun to watch)

[SmokingJoe]

The only reason manned space flights to the moon and other planets stopped was because funding was stopped.
Later on, even funding for the Space shuttle was stopped too.
We have been relying on Russian rockets to get to the Space Station for approx 10 years until Elon Musk and SpaceX came along.
It was pure short sightedness on the part of congress.
Had nothing to do with alleged dangers of going to the Moon.
As far as I remember we never actually lost even one astronaut on any mission to the moon.

Thankfully, Musk now has more then enough money to fiance his superb rockets and space missions, with or without the US government , congress or Dementia Joe's super corrupt dictatorship.

[SmokingJoe]

A few weeks ago I watched a Moon launch denier begin lecturing my son all about the radiation conspiracy theory and and how the moon landing was faked.

I remember the first Moon landing very well. It's one of the greatest experiences of my life.

He didn't know my son is an astronautical engineer who works at NASA.

Chuckle.

[nuke_road_warrior]

Agreed. Total waste of time when NASA's primary mission is muslim outreach.

China Joe will make sure the crew is composed of Muslim women of color. He'll also make sure China gets all the technology from SpaceX.

[markman46]

It called political will and money to move to the moon and Mars with manned flights, lots of research is done everyday on the iss.

[clearcarbon]

"Agreed. Total waste of time when NASA’s primary mission is muslim outreach."

[cgbg]

lots of research is done everyday on the iss.

This is like researching the Congo from your living room--total apples and oranges.

I am surprised that Freepers have not figured this out--fortunately NASA astronauts know the difference.

[PreciousLiberty]

Weren’t you the one who posted the gravitational equation? lol

The gravity field strength ratio is thus proportional to the distance to the Earth’s center, squared. The Earth’s radius is 3,963 miles, and the ISS orbits 600 miles further out.. So, the ratio of the strength is:

3,963^2 / (3,963+600)^2 = .76, or 76%.

The reason it acts like “no gravity” is because the spacecraft is falling around the Earth, it’s just not hitting it (we call this state orbiting). So, free-fall.

The same principle is at play with the “Vomit Comet” aircraft, or an elevator when the cable snaps, friction neglected.