JoeSchmuckatelli

To that point - I would not be surprised to see a new pad being poured downrange.

Would have been my guess - but @Spaceceptionpoints out they're still prototyping and advancing the tech... So - what he said

Earlier, people speculated about space piracy / privateering / prize taking with this - and then speculated about how easy it is to prevent your spysat from getting snatched. Wouldn't it be easier to just pull up next to the offending spysat and just pop a can of glitter?

Talk about propitious timing

post-1006036089-0-37624900-1620256525.jpg (1151×586) (wargaming.net) This was the image as I paused the feed. Thought it looked cool.

I just watched the SpaceX feed a second time. Looks like only two Raptors relit? (and they landed on both) EDIT: oh - and they were just baaaaarely on the pad. Landed very, very close to the dirt; Bravo Zulu (and whew!)

Weather dot Kom radar and my neo meteorological skills suggest the cloud cover is moving toward clearing Boca Chica, TX, United States of America Weather and Radar Map - The Weather Channel | Weather.com (enable clouds and play)

From what I can see... it will happen during the time I have to take my kid to practice. Grumble. My guess, based upon no information other than that there's a crane next to the ship, is that it will fly between 3:30 and 4:30 EST if they go forward. (Also, because that's when I will be AFK)

I'd want a wand. That way I can aim. Although, with an amulet, I could give it to someone I don't like, and tell them the magic word... Hmmmm....

Anything to pay for the fuel, eh? "You pay half gas, and I'll get you to Mars orbit; just don't expect me to hang around... Bradbury expects me" 2IFjkkVOL9pb9_MqE2W9KbwadV8wqH5aKEPPjnW62n4FXwiBpAUfxV2mO1ks1a7Cv0jyn8YRJKgC-P7_nYVcjZTu6vMZOL1YDw79CIHx0eNJ44hk2xSrarv-MO6qXfYjU0ACQR82ddNsPWJRVlKh8Saj=w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu (375×630) (googleusercontent.com)

I'm actually excited about the prospect of SX crashing a few prototypes into the Moon and Mars in my lifetime. Because I'm confident that after a few - they'll stick the landing... And we are off to the races

Is it though? I remember reading waaay back when that the real cost was losing the rocket engine - and that fuel was comparatively inexpensive -so a loss of performance but an economic gain?

I think that is the piece of the picture I was missing / looking for. If pe and ap are flipping - that looks like what I remember from playing with nearly circular low altitude atmosphere braking reentry in KSP

Right - but doesn't that mean that the apogee needs to be in the atmosphere (to some degree, however slight) to adjust the perigee to hit the planet? ... Or is the perigee enough in the atmosphere to slow it down to... (God this stuff twists my brain)...

That was cool Remind me how this works? The craft at perigee is low enough to encounter atmosphere (likely of different densities) which slows it down somewhat - which is why we see the perigee track decline... But this has a greater impact on the apogee which is why it is declining faster... Given the method of deceleration, will the apogee track have to drop to the perigee altitude before reentry occurs?

I must have missed it - what day is it expected to reenter?

For those checking in: they are currently speculating on attempting after Noon, today. Primarily concerned about the wind conditions.

Fly-through? Extra service with a full tank of gas?

I asked a similar question the other day* and folks were kind enough to answer. Fact is that there are many here who are in the enthusiast-to-expert range of knowledge on this and other topics... and others like me that are basically interested Neanderthals who enjoy talking to the highly educated. Point being: sometimes its fun to chat with the community, even when a dry 'google' might reveal the answer. *I may not be a full-on troll, but I do have a snarky sense of humor.

This makes a lot of sense: Now I can explain it to my kids!

Thanks for the term: it's more in line with what I meant: a 'ring' around the sun, rather than a ring around the comet, like Saturn's. Torus is closer to what I meant to communicate. So the meteors really could be part of the comet then, given the total time it's been orbiting. Small perturbations over time, just enough to tug one piece into a slightly longer period, or drop another into a lower orbit, and then over time the shards fill the full orbit?

So... Given Halley's long period, would it be correct to assume that the ice and rocks that we see while the comet itself is far away are not actually part of the comet, but merely co-orbiting remnants of the solar system's formation? Because if that's true: how or what is making this ring find or remain in Halley's orbital path such that we uniquely encounter these things during our intersections with the orbit, rather than passing through a constant rain of meteors? or if this is the case: then the particles are / were part of the comet itself -- so how do some of them find themselves on the complete opposite side of the orbit from the comet that we can still experience the Eta Aquarid while Halley's is at its extreme distance from the sun?

I've read that the regular, annual meteor showers are remnants of comets, such as the Eta Aquarid - which has been traced to Halley's Comet. Question is: how does debris from a comet spread out along the orbital path? From what little I know about orbital mechanics: The comet's orbital path must cut across Earth's so that once (or twice) a year we intersect the path of debris and experience the meteor shower Objects in the same orbit all travel at the same speed ... and here's the source of my confusion. If we get an annual / biannual meteor shower from a comet, what you have is, effectively, a 'ring' of debris with the comet itself being just the most clustered/concentrated part of the ring. So how does something that we thing of as 'a thing' get broken up into a ring without all the pieces just being flung all over the solar system?

Okay - so 20 year old information... but the answer is, "It's doable, but competitive". I have friends who were / are Naval and Marine Corps Aviators. I'm not 100% certain how the Navy did their selection, but with the Marines, candidates came in on a "Flight Option" program. Meaning they were offered the opportunity, but not guaranteed to be assigned to flight roles. This was after a lengthy selection process that looks at physical ability, test scores and other things. The Marine Flight Option lieutenants still had to pass the Basic School with their opportunity intact - meaning there's lots of opportunity to screw things up. The best person to talk to would be an OSO (Officer Selection Officer) for either (and I recommend, both) the Navy and Marines. They can tell you all about the qualifications and selection process. A caution: don't take a certain test (can't remember the name) for any more than one service. Doing so within a certain timeframe is disqualifying (happened to a friend, and caused him significant delays). Also: don't think that just because you pass the tests and selection process that you're gonna be a fighter pilot: there's lots of guys who go in thinking "Top Gun" and still succeed by being a C-130 Pilot. The one's who don't succeed end up being something else, like logistics, operations, etc. that are still highly valued career paths. May not be what you want to do... but needs of the service and all that. So - look up "Navy Officer Selection Officer" or Marine OSO for the biggest most populated city in your region - one with major colleges... and that's likely to be yours as well. They'd be happy to answer any and all questions. (I was the guy on the ground telling the pilots what to shoot, btw. Never wanted to fly anything ...well, except whirly birds - but I always saw myself as the guy jumping out of them - not the guy flying them.) EDIT: I'll add this... If you are the kind of person that is wired just right, a career in the military is something you will never regret. You get to do stuff no one else does. Some people are not wired correctly and they hate it. All that said: the stuff you do in training for combat is amazing, and fun, and some of the best experiences you can have in this world. If/when you go to combat... that changes. Point being, the game is awesome - but the reality is its own thing.

Perhaps refer to my sig? You can ask about my knowledge of those critters - but like most on this board there's some things I wont answer or speculate about; that said... it's been a long while since I was in. If you want a more 'current' outlook / answer, I'm perhaps not the best source. However - fire away. I'll do my best. (for whatever that is worth)