it reminded me of something that would have been on the 60's tv show Thunderbirds or the cartoon Scott Mcloud Space Angel.
Posted on 08/08/2021 3:27:33 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Together, the integrated Starship stood around 120 meters (390 feet) tall, while the addition of the orbital launch stand increased that to 145 m (475 feet) – which is taller than the Pyramid of Giza (138.5 m; 454 ft). The stacking was the first time that the Starship and Super Heavy were fully integrated, a major milestone for the company that puts them one step closer to making an orbital flight test.
The integration was part of an accelerated work order that came to be nicknamed the “Warp 9” surge. This included bringing hundreds of employees in from other sites around the country to assist in operations. By Friday, Aug. 6th, The two elements were integrated just long enough to get a sense of how they would hold up on flight day; and, of course, for observers to take millions of pictures, shoot videos, and live-tweet the event!
They were then unstacked, and the SN20 was returned to the High Bay while the BN4 remained on the orbital launch stand. Next, the two elements are expected to undergo a series of ground tests, which will likely include Static Fire tests for the BN4 booster. This will allow the company to complete and integrate the final elements of the Starship at the Orbital Launch Site (OLS), which is where it will launch to conduct the orbital test flight.
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
That would make sense.
It! the Terror from Beyond Space 1958
I watched Alan Shepard do his sub-orbital and Glenn when he did his orbits.
This stuff at SpaceX has blown away NASA in design and functionality.
RE: Size of this machine and flying: it’s all math. I’m not good at math and I know it. For almost 40 years at work I used Lotus and XL to do my math for me. I knew formulae but lacked the DNA to understand them.
Today, we are learning math is racist because it requires precision and understanding…tell that to future passenges, decimals are racist!
My father was part of the training group for the Astronaut Corps in the 60s and 70s and I saw several Saturn V launches up close (as close as a civilian could be) as a child. I'll never forget the sight, sound, and feeling. This one is even larger.
My oldest son works now in the space program as well, and has been very much a part of the design team for the SLS system. He is one of the designers of the solid fuel jettison motor at the top of the rocket. This launch vehicle will go into space this November in an unmanned free-return mission around the moon (similar to Apollo 8). He will get to witness that in person, and I'm hoping to find a way to get close to the launch site with him.
There's a lot coming up in this field. It's quite exciting where things are headed.
You had me for a few seconds there!🤪
It’s gonna be something to see, for sure!
I didn’t see the stacking, have to look for video…
“The sclerotic intellects at NASA never could give up their boring white and black paint scheme.”
The paint scheme wasn’t for decoration, it was functional. It allowed easier identification of various parts of the vehicle when viewing, particularly the long range camera shots.
What you miss in this is job's program for whom. It's really a jobs program of incompetent federal bureaucrats who have to be fed and managed by a host of not much more competent, but far better paid, corporate bureaucrats who give the federal bureaucrats excuses to hire more feds which requires more corporate bureaucrats in an ever expanding circle of incompetence which produces nothing.
Musk took the off ramp and said I am going my own way. Want bureaucracy and razzle dazzle and positive demonstration of bureaucratic compliance - go with Boeing or LockMart or some such. Want a missile that works - well for that you are talking SPACEX or one of their spin-offs. But buying a missile that actually works from one of them breaks all the rules in DC.
All they need is a “Robbie” the robot to pilot the thing.
Seev chart for payload size. Saturn 5 (310,000 lb vs Starship (220,000–330,000 lb
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_heavy-lift_launch_vehicle
Everything above the big black midsection on the Starship goes into orbit. I believe only the part on the Saturn V about level with the bottom of the flag on the Starship made it into orbit.
I did too. It was an amazingly fast process. Roll out , Stack, Unstack, and Roll back, in a couple of hours.
Starbase Tour with Elon Musk
https://youtu.be/SA8ZBJWo73E
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