CatastrophicFailure

Someone just HAD to go and use the R word...

Watching For All Mankind and seeing again the controversy over active/passive docking ports for Apollo-Soyuz (which I think is historically accurate), there may be some, er, virile symbolism here, given the current state of geopolitics... And the geopolitical symbolism continues, if perhaps unintentional. Let’s hope life does not imitate art...

The tingle tells you it’s working.

That being the problem. While orbital re-entry is a pretty well understood thing, this kind of flippy-sloshy slightly insane aerobatics is not, and that makes it very difficult to model. SpaceX is having to figure it out as they go along because there isn’t data to go on, or not very much that’s relevant.

SpaceX’s modeling of the whole belly-flop thing thus far appears to be spot-on: the SNs have been rock solid and 100% under control the whole way down, it’s reasonable to assume their models for the re-entry process, having lots of data from others to glean from, will be equally accurate. It’s the whole “never done before” flip thing at the very end that’s proving a bit... squirrelly...

Gateway starts to look reeeeealy silly tho, stuck there as a little dot amongst assorted docked Starships, each several times its mass...

Interesting... I’m not seeing any side-firing mini-Raptors... maybe there’s a ring of even-mini-er engines? The mythical hot-gas thrusters, perhaps, spammed around enough to land in lunar grabbity? FromOuttaNowhere!.gif Wonder if this’ll end up being one of those tiny decisions that ends up having world-changing implications down the road? I mean, even if not intended they just “legitimized” (for want of a better term) the whole Starship program. Prolly not, I imagine we’ll see more funding for a second lander eventually. I’ve seen horror movies that start exactly like that... The irony that Starship could just land the whole dang Orion capsule on the moon anyway... Good day, sir! ? er, wait that’s three words...

Guysguysguysguysguysguysguysguysguysguysguysguys Not official yet, but seems to be the only contract awarded, too.

Eeeeeeeeexcellent. The nanites tickle at first but by your second dose you won’t spare a thought for them at all... or, anything else.... [ebil bill gates laugh] No but seriously your arm gonna feel like you took a punch from Mike Tyson tomorrow, then it’s all good.

This got lost in the shuffle: Farewell, BN1, we hardly knew ye.

So, it happened. It actually happened. I own a Model X. Well, the bank does. Along with my immortal soul and firstborn child. Still feel like I got away with something bank’s gonna be waiting a looooong time on that kid but the whole process went pretty smoothly, other than the showroom guy just taking forEVer on the paperwork. And they gave me a truly ridonkulous amount for my trade in. Might be awkward if it’s still sitting there, half-stuck back window and all, when I drive by on Monday. First thing I did: pickup chicken feed: Yeah, this thing can hold a lot of chicken feed. And that’s not even the trunk trunk. Promptly thereafter, I committed pure sacrilege: And tomorrow we’re hooking up the trailer and hauling a load of crap to the dump, then picking up lumber and a new toilet. Yeah, it may present like a slightly-dated electric supercar with silly doors, but it identifies as an old farm truck. My head is still spinning. I think that second bag of feed might have been off...

Ah, the allure of old rides full of, er, character... I think I’m more looking forward to not having to deal with such anymore. For a while. Hopefully. T-12 hours...

Aw man. So close. relatively...

Can a Falcon 9 even... waaaaaaitaminnithere... @DDE

Because.... reasons....

This. The system worked. The rules worked. The existing regulations worked. However, just add a bit more mud... now, “RUD” to me sounds like it wasn’t deliberately terminated... grimes in a rather strange outfit standing before BN1 in the high bay.

*cough* #ThatAgedWell Indeed. Well, psychology didn’t work, guess it’s on to summoning eldritch abominations and binding them to my will next time.

This. One is a thing where large numbers of passengers are guaranteed to be involved, whereas the other is a proof-of-concept test series where explosions are guaranteed to be involved. It is expected that an airliner should be able to fly for umptillion hours with no incidents, just as it’s expected that SNs will go foof. Inspiration4 should be carefully observed and regulated. DearMoon should be carefully observed and regulated. But the SN tests should be given a decent amount of leeway as they are, after all, tests, and everything I’ve seen thus far points to SpaceX exercising due diligence with existing safety precautions. We know something’s gonna go boom, they know something’s gonna go boom, but apparently the FAA is all like “you never said anything was gonna go boom!” And speaking of booms, I predict that there will be no booms tomorrow. In fact, I guaran-ding-dang-diddly-durn-tee it. Because I’m going to sleep through it. or it’ll just scrub anyway...

Tuesday morning: a Tesla pulls up at the inspector’s house, no driver, just a sign taped to the window reading, “get in, loser, we’re launching Starships!”

Remind me after I make the first payment. Tried that. Din't werk. I had those exact same bunk beds in college. while I was busy flunking remedial algebra...

This is... interesting...

So, this happened... Excuse me while I...

Wait, where is it? Im either blind... or just on mobile.

Memories become legend, legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Great Forum Derp returns...