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Originally Posted By RinsableTick: We went on vacation in South Padre last week and we drove over to Boca Chica/SpaceX on Monday morning, 6/26. No need to post pics, as there's plenty of pics online that are better than I can take. It was incredible! My two biggest takeaways were 1) gosh this place is remote. There's NOTHING out here. NO public facilities...I had to pee behind a dumpster. And 2) holy crap this place is busy! Everywhere you look was non-stop infrastructure expansion. I don't mean people standing around watching others work, I mean continuous construction, everywhere you look. Rockets being assembled here, megabay being constructed there, another building there, a trench with cables in it going from the Spaceport to the launch tower area, non-stop trucks, truck, and more trucks! Like, watch where you're walking so you don't get flattened! We parked right near the Rocket Garden and saw the Starships and Heavy Boosters there, as close as we could get. I met a photographer named Chief who works for What About It youtube channel, and he helped point out what I was looking at. I highly recommend going there if you get the chance. View Quote Going out there was incredible for me. As soon as I saw the rockets in the distance Tool's Rosetta Stoned started playing at full volume in my head and when I got to the launch pad there was a photographer there wearing a Tool hoodie. "Alrighty then, picture this if you will." |
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The water plate is being moved under the launch platform.
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
Originally Posted By woodsie: I know people have this idea of Starship being exactly what Elon says it's going to be and taking off and landing exactly according to his aspirational goal of catching them with a tower and turning them around in a matter of hours like a 747 but I'd never dismiss the possibility of certain things getting scaled back as development progresses. I think there's a real possibility that the final 1.0 production version of Starship lands on legs like a Falcon and without people on board but still changes the world profoundly by enabling a total payload to LEO and cost per kg that exceeds anything that we've ever seen. That would be true even if Starship never launched and returned humans too. Even if the booster and ship catching is ultimately deemed a bridge too far, the tower design still retains it's utility for stacking and launching as has already been demonstrated with the first test flight. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By woodsie: Originally Posted By AmericanPeople: Originally Posted By redoubt: Yes. Starship is meant to be caught on the tower, too. Lunar Starship and probably the first Mars ships will have landing legs. But the LEO one's won't. You may be right but that sounds like another SpaceX fuckup in the making. I know people have this idea of Starship being exactly what Elon says it's going to be and taking off and landing exactly according to his aspirational goal of catching them with a tower and turning them around in a matter of hours like a 747 but I'd never dismiss the possibility of certain things getting scaled back as development progresses. I think there's a real possibility that the final 1.0 production version of Starship lands on legs like a Falcon and without people on board but still changes the world profoundly by enabling a total payload to LEO and cost per kg that exceeds anything that we've ever seen. That would be true even if Starship never launched and returned humans too. Even if the booster and ship catching is ultimately deemed a bridge too far, the tower design still retains it's utility for stacking and launching as has already been demonstrated with the first test flight. One thing I've learned is... Never, ever doubt Elon can do something. Weather that translates into a catch system is yet to be seen but there in NFW I'd place a bet against it.... |
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Originally Posted By Cobradriver: One thing I've learned is... Never, ever doubt Elon can do something. Weather that translates into a catch system is yet to be seen but there in NFW I'd place a bet against it.... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Cobradriver: Originally Posted By woodsie: Originally Posted By AmericanPeople: Originally Posted By redoubt: Yes. Starship is meant to be caught on the tower, too. Lunar Starship and probably the first Mars ships will have landing legs. But the LEO one's won't. You may be right but that sounds like another SpaceX fuckup in the making. I know people have this idea of Starship being exactly what Elon says it's going to be and taking off and landing exactly according to his aspirational goal of catching them with a tower and turning them around in a matter of hours like a 747 but I'd never dismiss the possibility of certain things getting scaled back as development progresses. I think there's a real possibility that the final 1.0 production version of Starship lands on legs like a Falcon and without people on board but still changes the world profoundly by enabling a total payload to LEO and cost per kg that exceeds anything that we've ever seen. That would be true even if Starship never launched and returned humans too. Even if the booster and ship catching is ultimately deemed a bridge too far, the tower design still retains it's utility for stacking and launching as has already been demonstrated with the first test flight. One thing I've learned is... Never, ever doubt Elon can do something. Weather that translates into a catch system is yet to be seen but there in NFW I'd place a bet against it.... I don't doubt that he can do it. I just doubt that it will fit into the timeline for Artemis, the next generation of Starlink satellites, and I can only presume a growing list of commercial and government customers who are going to want to launch some bigger payloads than what the launch industry can currently provide. I also think when they start to contemplate the risk to Stage 0 each time while they are trying to perfect it, they are going to think better of it unless they just having stunning degrees of success mock landing these in the ocean right out of the gate. Elon is the king of setting high aspirational goals, pushing them hard, and then settling into more attainable goals as things progress. Even Starship itself started out as the ludicrously massive ITS before settling into the more "modest" design that they are currently building. |
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Originally Posted By SoCalExile: SpaceX already has an escape capsule in the Dragon, I would think translating it over to the SS wouldn't be a huge deal. View Quote That is a whole crew capsule. I think starship should have individual pods that double as sleeping quarters and launch seat. Stick a small rocket and chute on each and maybe even ablative heat shield and bobs your uncle. |
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Looks like the water plate is now being layed into place below the launch platform.
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
Originally Posted By Master_of_Orion: The water plate is being moved under the launch platform. View Quote laying it down now Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility |
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This really helps the sense of scale.
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Oh Hello! Booster moving down the street now.
Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility |
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
Seems like booster 10 is heading the the Massey's test site.
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
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Originally Posted By Chokey:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0ou0U9WAAEWpnM?format=jpg&name=4096x4096 View Quote
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Another 20% of thrust? Holy crap. That would push it over 20 million lbf of thrust. Saturday V was 7.7
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Starship Upgrades REVEALED! Major Upgrades Incoming. |
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A Grendel's Love is different from a 5.56's Love
SC, USA
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Originally Posted By Chokey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hukjMVIecdU View Quote Fly what you got. Upgrades end up being vaporware at some point if you aren't flying the silos. |
Leave me alone. I’m a libertarian. CW vet x7, give away a kidney to a loved one if they need it.
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Any news on how the OLM updates are proceeding? Do they have the steel plates installed?
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"Your boos mean nothing. I've seen what makes you cheer."
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Originally Posted By kill-9: Any news on how the OLM updates are proceeding? Do they have the steel plates installed? View Quote Funny you ask....go back to 1:22PM Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility |
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Originally Posted By The_Syndicate: Funny you ask....go back to 1:22PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhJRzQsLZGg View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By The_Syndicate: Originally Posted By kill-9: Any news on how the OLM updates are proceeding? Do they have the steel plates installed? Funny you ask....go back to 1:22PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhJRzQsLZGg |
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"Your boos mean nothing. I've seen what makes you cheer."
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Originally Posted By The_Syndicate: Funny you ask....go back to 1:22PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhJRzQsLZGg View Quote |
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For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson "He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige |
Don't have to find it.
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But he sure found out the hard way
That dreams don't always come true |
SpaceX Starbase 4K Water Cooled Steel Plate First Test with Water 7/17/23 Texas Day 342 |
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Zack mistimed his video
SpaceX Begins Commissioning Super Heavy Booster Bidet System |
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They might beat my 6-month prediction before next test launch.
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"Your boos mean nothing. I've seen what makes you cheer."
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Originally Posted By DarkGray: They are just going to reinforce the top dome and add another ring section to the otherwise complete booster. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By DarkGray: Originally Posted By kill-9: Have they started building a booster designed to support hot staging? They are just going to reinforce the top dome and add another ring section to the otherwise complete booster. That's sort of my impression as well. The physical changes don't seem like they would really be that big or difficult. Some additional reinforcement on the top of the booster, as well as venting holes/grates/whatever. I imagine the software/control systems to manage the hot staging and separation is the more complicated part. IIRC, they already raised the quick-disconnect arm for Starship to account for the additional height that the booster will have. |
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“A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.” -- Tsunetomo Yamamoto
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For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson "He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige |
Booster 9 on the Move out to the launch pad area.
SpaceX Rolls Starship Booster 9 to Launch Site at Starbase |
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
Originally Posted By Chokey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTvS4jTfQ2k View Quote I wonder if the hotstaging is also due to fears of a post-separation collision. Didn't that happen on one of the first Falcon 1(?) launches and almost sink SpaceX? They may not want to do a total MECO on the booster so it could still be accelerating at separation. |
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Originally Posted By dedreckon: I wonder if the hotstaging is also due to fears of a post-separation collision. Didn't that happen on one of the first Falcon 1(?) launches and almost sink SpaceX? They may not want to do a total MECO on the booster so it could still be accelerating at separation. View Quote The first test failure was because of the wierd flip they were using to try and separate. Something held them together. |
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Originally Posted By Orion_Shall_Rise: The first test failure was because of the wierd flip they were using to try and separate. Something held them together. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Orion_Shall_Rise: Originally Posted By dedreckon: I wonder if the hotstaging is also due to fears of a post-separation collision. Didn't that happen on one of the first Falcon 1(?) launches and almost sink SpaceX? They may not want to do a total MECO on the booster so it could still be accelerating at separation. The first test failure was because of the wierd flip they were using to try and separate. Something held them together. I was referring to flight 3 of Falcon 1. Here's what Musk said happened and a video: We have a definitive understanding of what went wrong on Flight 3. The problem was due to a design error not a production or quality assurance issue. The thrust transient was longer than it was for the prior flight. The previous flight had an ablatively cooled engine. Flight 3 had a regeneratively cooled engine. The gap between engine cut off and staging was 1.5 seconds - which was fine for the ablatively cooled engine on Flight 2. But on Flight 3, with the regeneratively cooled engine, there was some residual thrust after engine shut down and this caused the first stage to be pushed back toward the second stage after separation and there was a recontact between the stages. Falcon 1 Flight 3 |
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Booster 9 lift to OLM:
SpaceX Lifts Starship Booster 9 to Launch Pad at Starbase |
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Originally Posted By dedreckon: I wonder if the hotstaging is also due to fears of a post-separation collision. Didn't that happen on one of the first Falcon 1(?) launches and almost sink SpaceX? They may not want to do a total MECO on the booster so it could still be accelerating at separation. View Quote If they boost as they flip, they won't get ullage collapse in Superheavy. Won't need a repress. The Starship also doenst get ullage collapse with hot staging as it's always under acceleration. |
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Preferred Pronoun: Space Lord Mutherfucker
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another booster on the move...
I think this is the one that was at the massy's test site... But I'm not sure as I just got up and all I see is a booster on the move... Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility |
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
They updated the onscreen text.
Booster 10 returning from Massey's. Booster 9 is the one at the launch pad. |
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"Never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to sheer stupidity." LTC (CENTCOM)
"Round is a shape, right? I have the body of a god...Just happens to be Buddah! Az_Redneck |
Originally Posted By Master_of_Orion: They updated the onscreen text. Booster 10 returning from Massey's. Booster 9 is the one at the launch pad. View Quote Nick |
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If the enemy is range, so are you.
Don't mind Sylvan, he's fond of throwing intellectual Molotov cocktails. |
getting frosty
Starbase Live: 24/7 Starship & Super Heavy Development From SpaceX's Boca Chica Facility |
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SpaceX Test Booster 9 On The Orbital Launch Mount |
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Originally Posted By Chokey: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F1v1I8bXwAAI-UZ?format=jpg&name=4096x4096 View Quote That is an incredible amount of rebar. |
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Seriously... unTex the Mex..
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