The Astronomy Thread

Mudcrush Durtfeet · Jul 20, 2021

Gavinmad said:
I realize I'm a bit late to the NERV discussion, but that's the whole goddamn point of super efficient low TWR engines, they're designed to only be viable in later stages.

I feel like experience playing KSP should be a prerequisite to being allowed into these discussions.

No one is arguing otherwise, but what *I'M* saying is NERVA style engines will not lead to cheap space travel any time before there is a cheap way to orbit in the first place, and infrastructure in space in significant amounts. Until then it's just going to be too expensive to do missions like that.

Big Phoenix · Jul 20, 2021

Gavinmad said:
I mean its less about the patting themselves on the back and more about the unimpressive feat that they're patting themselves over.

Thats a better way to put it.

SpaceX a private company sent 3 people to the ISS last year. Bezos and Branson going sub orbital in dead end vehicles in Branson's case isnt impressive in 2021 yet theyre acting like theyre accomplished some new feat. See;

Kiroy · Jul 20, 2021

Gavinmad said:
I mean its less about the patting themselves on the back and more about the unimpressive feat that they're patting themselves over.

this - and I don't even care about their patting themselves on the back. It's the media's just furious jerking of their dicks that's annoying. Considering the resources they have to work with and the foundation they have to work from, they didn't do anything at all special.

Cybsled · Jul 20, 2021

Kiroy said:
people say spacex is only working towards space tourism?

No, the “solve X problem with your money instead of sending people to space” bullshit

Kiroy · Jul 20, 2021

Cybsled said:
No, the “solve X problem with your money instead of sending people to space” bullshit

oh ya, well that's retarded, they can do what they want with their money. You wanna bitch about something like that take a look at the yacht bezos is building. 500 million yacht that has a smaller yacht in the big yacht, now that's a douchebag thing to do

Ravishing · Jul 20, 2021

I don't get the "historic" part since SpaceX has already blown away both Blue Origin & Virgin Galactic. But I do support as much investment into Space as possible. Solving earth's problems isn't a monetary thing. Investing in Space is the wiser decision.

Cybsled · Jul 20, 2021

The historic part would be oldest and youngest person sent to technically space. Orbital would be the next distinction.

Big Phoenix · Jul 20, 2021

Cybsled said:
The historic part would be oldest and youngest person sent to technically space. Orbital would be the next distinction.

Thats not really an accomplishment. Nothing stops you from launching with a 1 year old and a 90 year old other than ethics.

Mudcrush Durtfeet · Jul 20, 2021

Cybsled said:
The historic part would be oldest and youngest person sent to technically space. Orbital would be the next distinction.

What BO and co are doing is not 'historical' - no one will care in a week. It's just marketing at this point. Gross. Trying to create a need in people's mind to buy their way overpriced junk.

If you really want to see advancement in meaningful space technology, support SpaceX or Rocket Labs or any other companies actually operating useful technology as well as pushing cheaper access to space.

***

It's all about cheaper access to orbital space at this time.

Kharzette · Jul 20, 2021

I was stuck in the hospital this morning and was really surprised how much TV time this bezos mission got. They acted like we haven't been to space since the shuttle.

rad · Jul 20, 2021

Mudcrush Durtfeet said:
It's just marketing at this point. Gross. Trying to create a need in people's mind to buy their way overpriced junk.

If you really want to see advancement in meaningful space technology, support SpaceX or Rocket Labs or any other companies actually operating useful technology as well as pushing cheaper access to space.

***

It's all about cheaper access to orbital space at this time.

How do you in good faith make that statement while sucking down Elon dick?

Trying to minimize what BO has done or is attempting to do is odd considering the projects they're currently working on. It shows me you don't know nearly as much about this topic as you try to pass off.

Mudcrush Durtfeet · Jul 20, 2021

rad said:
How do you in good faith make that statement while sucking down Elon dick?

Trying to minimize what BO has done or is attempting to do is odd considering the projects they're currently working on. It shows me you don't know nearly as much about this topic as you try to pass off.

I'll keep it short for you, because you are dumb. Actual real things that really exist NOW.

SpaceX:
Autonomous Landing Barges. Allows recovery of rockets allowing them to land at sea for most launches.
Falcon 9, 100 recovered first stage launches of cargo in the tons to LEO at a launch cadence of as little as a month between reuses. Usually ends up landing on barges at sea.
Starlink: Over 1000 internet satellites in LEO providing internet in a beta program to rural customers.
Falcon Heavy: Heavy lift vehicle, reusable first stage cores, beautiful double landings. Musk's car now in solar orbit.
Dragon Capsule: Cargo carrier to Space Station, reusable.
Crew Dragon: MANNED capsule to Space Station, has carrued people to station and back. I believe this is reusable too.
Raptor Engine: In use on prototypes in testing.
Starship: Second Stage for Super Heavy Rocket, successfully flown miles up, crazy landing maneuver and successfully landed. The thing is huge for a second stage.
Super Heavy Booster: Third prototype has done a static fire. It's supposed to get an orbital test in the near future (probably not July).

Blue Origin:
Their sub orbital rocket: Has been used ten times in test. Took people to the edge of space for a few minutes, once.
BE4 engine: Still in testing. Inferior to SpaceX's Raptor engine.
Heavy Lift Rocket: Unknown if a prototype is yet under construction with a test date of some kind. Not being used for Amazon's constellation of internet satellites, being passed over in favor of Atlas.

Did I miss anything?

***

Sorry I couldn't keep it short. Damn those SpaceX peeps for having so many real accomplishments!

BrutulTM · Jul 20, 2021

I think Musk has a pretty good answer to the people saying "use your money to make earth better" since he pretty much single-handedly brought back electric cars and also owns a solar panel company and is pushing forward the battery tech that is needed to make solar and wind viable on a large scale. He's doing more to make earth better than pretty much any "environmentalist" you can point to since most of them don't do anything except complain about people who actually do stuff.

Oldbased · Jul 20, 2021

On Starlink, over 1300 are switched on and everyday more come online. Currently ~2300 up there all to be flipped on in the next month.

https://starlink.sx/

Mudcrush Durtfeet · Jul 20, 2021

BrutulTM said:
I think Musk has a pretty good answer to the people saying "use your money to make earth better" since he pretty much single-handedly brought back electric cars and also owns a solar panel company and is pushing forward the battery tech that is needed to make solar and wind viable on a large scale. He's doing more to make earth better than pretty much any "environmentalist" you can point to since most of them don't do anything except complain about people who actually do stuff.

Preach it Brother Brutal!

BrutulTM · Jul 20, 2021

Oldbased said:
On Starlink, over 1300 are switched on and everyday more come online. Currently ~2300 up there all to be flipped on in the next month.

https://starlink.sx/

Jesus how could I leave out Starlink. Really hoping that is going to make MY life better sooner than later.

rad · Jul 20, 2021

Mudcrush Durtfeet said:
I'll keep it short for you, because you are dumb. Actual real things that really exist NOW.

SpaceX:
Autonomous Landing Barges. Allows recovery of rockets allowing them to land at sea for most launches.
Falcon 9, 100 recovered first stage launches of cargo in the tons to LEO at a launch cadence of as little as a month between reuses. Usually ends up landing on barges at sea.
Starlink: Over 1000 internet satellites in LEO providing internet in a beta program to rural customers.
Falcon Heavy: Heavy lift vehicle, reusable first stage cores, beautiful double landings. Musk's car now in solar orbit.
Dragon Capsule: Cargo carrier to Space Station, reusable.
Crew Dragon: MANNED capsule to Space Station, has carrued people to station and back. I believe this is reusable too.
Raptor Engine: In use on prototypes in testing.
Starship: Second Stage for Super Heavy Rocket, successfully flown miles up, crazy landing maneuver and successfully landed. The thing is huge for a second stage.
Super Heavy Booster: Third prototype has done a static fire. It's supposed to get an orbital test in the near future (probably not July).

Blue Origin:
Their sub orbital rocket: Has been used ten times in test. Took people to the edge of space for a few minutes, once.
BE4 engine: Still in testing. Inferior to SpaceX's Raptor engine.
Heavy Lift Rocket: Unknown if a prototype is yet under construction with a test date of some kind. Not being used for Amazon's constellation of internet satellites, being passed over in favor of Atlas.

Did I miss anything?

***

Sorry I couldn't keep it short. Damn those SpaceX peeps for having so many real accomplishments!

You've missed the entire point... I did not dismiss the accomplishments of SpaceX, I'm calling out your childish sports team mentality.

Oldbased · Jul 20, 2021

I don't see it that way. I am cheering on the one actually really doing shit and being super transparent about it at that while others just show you a drawing and saying soon™

Vanessa · Jul 20, 2021

Between watching a livestream of Bezos going up there, reading comments from actual Amazon employees on Facebook, and watching the 5 on Fox of them talking about it, I learned that this triggered the left (because how dare they waste such massive amounts of money on such jovial games like going to space for 11 minutes when all his workers are like... literal slaves) so great... makes me like Bezos more than I already did. Imagine having a life so awful that you get angry about a white man going into space because HE should be paying YOU better wages... it's unreal.

Mudcrush Durtfeet · Jul 20, 2021

rad said:
You've missed the entire point... I did not dismiss the accomplishments of SpaceX, I'm calling out your childish sports team mentality.

I think you are just angry because you are pro-BO and can't stand to see someone call it as it is about them and SpaceX.

Your complaint was that I praise SpaceX while 'minimizing' Blue Origin (in comparison). I post a good reply to that, explaining my point very well and you move the goal posts and call me childish.

SpaceX >>> Blue Origin, fuck off until you have something meaningful to relate on this subject.

****

Back when SpaceX had 'just' done reusable boosters and none of the other stuff, I took what they said with a large grain of salt. They said they'd do the Falcon Heavy, they'd do manned transport to the space station, an internet constellation, a super heavy launcher. I was cautiously optimistic but didn't take any of this as something that was guaranteed to happen. A lot of companies have a lot of talk, but I wanted to see results.

Since that time SpaceX delivered (or is about to deliver). I give them the benefit of the doubt on their near term projects now and assume they'll accomplish their near term goals just like these previous things which did seem rather ambitious.

If BO makes progress, I'll preach their praises too. But things aren't looking too good. They don't have much in the way of customers, Amazon themselves passed them up. They've done a lot of talk, but all they've SHOWN is a sub orbital reusable manned rocket. So for now, they're well behind. After NASA passed on their lunar lander (spoiler: it needed complete redesign), they went and got congress to try to strong arm NASA to hire them anyway.

***

So, let me turn your attitude back on you. Why do you like BO over SpaceX?

The Astronomy Thread

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