totm nov 2023 SpaceX Discussion Thread

[TheSaint]

16 hours ago, Minmus Taster said:

I'm sorry, the gulf of WHAT?

[Ultimate Steve]

While I will sadly not be around for the launch, I did visit Starbase and Boca Chica Beach today! Got some pictures I will hopefully post later - And I managed to snag a few fragments of the launch pad that got blown up on flight 1!

[Minmus Taster]

[darthgently]

49 minutes ago, Ultimate Steve said:

While I will sadly not be around for the launch, I did visit Starbase and Boca Chica Beach today! Got some pictures I will hopefully post later - And I managed to snag a few fragments of the launch pad that got blown up on flight 1!

Did you get a selfie with the Gulf of Ultimate Steve in the background?

[Ultimate Steve]

Here are some pictures from my visit to Starbase with dad:

Spoiler

I don't know what this is, but it was trucked into the launch site, and I'm quite thankful for that, as the driver had to drive very slow to safely get down the road - Allowing us to slow down and get some pictures!

There's the rocket garden, I think it is called, where they have Ship 20 and Booster 12(?), the first one they caught, if I read the wiki article correctly. A test tank is there, and out of frame there is also the HLS mockup nose cone. I don't know if I have a good picture, but it was visible on the drive.

Starfactory is a LOT bigger in person.

Here is a view of the two launch towers, including the booster on the far tower getting ready for flight (B15 I think).

A close up of the booster, I wonder what that pattern on the side is.

At the end of the road we got out of the car and walked along the beach, this is the view from there.

And here is me in front of the Gulf of Steve:

However, it turns out there's a trail off to the south of the end of the road that allows you to get significantly closer (and yes, there were fences marking the property line and there were other people there, 99% sure I didn't venture onto SpaceX land):

I am quite surprised we are allowed to be that close.

Me and the booster!

Close up of some Raptors.

Hot Stage Ring just north of the pad.

99% sure this is a chunk of the launch pad, blown off during flight 1 - The landscape was littered with chunks of concrete and rebar. I think the logic for not cleaning it up is that getting the vehicles out there to clean the larger chunks up would do more damage to the environment than letting the big chunks stay.

Nevertheless, there were still a few smaller chunks scattered around, I kept this piece of rebar and a smaller chunk of concrete. Unless someone else dumped a bunch of concrete and rebar all over the landscape, chances are high that at least one of them is from flight 1. Speaking of flight 1 and adding to the flight 1 meme, we did not plan this, we are staying in hotel room 420 on South Padre Island.

And, of course, obligatory Starhopper selfie! I probably could have gotten closer but there were like 3 or 4 different things that could have been the property line, so I decided to not chance it and keep my distance.

 

Edited Friday at 02:20 AM by Ultimate Steve

[Minmus Taster]

17 minutes ago, Ultimate Steve said:

Here are some pictures from my visit to Starbase with dad:

  Hide contents

I don't know what this is, but it was trucked into the launch site, and I'm quite thankful for that, as the driver had to drive very slow to safely get down the road - Allowing us to slow down and get some pictures!

There's the rocket garden, I think it is called, where they have Ship 20 and Booster 12(?), the first one they caught, if I read the wiki article correctly. A test tank is there, and out of frame there is also the HLS mockup nose cone. I don't know if I have a good picture, but it was visible on the drive.

Starfactory is a LOT bigger in person.

Here is a view of the two launch towers, including the booster on the far tower getting ready for flight (B15 I think).

A close up of the booster, I wonder what that pattern on the side is.

At the end of the road we got out of the car and walked along the beach, this is the view from there.

And here is me in front of the Gulf of Steve:

However, it turns out there's a trail off to the south of the end of the road that allows you to get significantly closer (and yes, there were fences marking the property line and there were other people there, 99% sure I didn't venture onto SpaceX land):

I am quite surprised we are allowed to be that close.

Me and the booster!

Close up of some Raptors.

Hot Stage Ring just north of the pad.

99% sure this is a chunk of the launch pad, blown off during flight 1 - The landscape was littered with chunks of concrete and rebar. I think the logic for not cleaning it up is that getting the vehicles out there to clean the larger chunks up would do more damage to the environment than letting the big chunks stay.

Nevertheless, there were still a few smaller chunks scattered around, I kept this piece of rebar and a smaller chunk of concrete. Unless someone else dumped a bunch of concrete and rebar all over the landscape, chances are high that at least one of them is from flight 1. Speaking of flight 1 and adding to the flight 1 meme, we did not plan this, we are staying in hotel room 420 on South Padre Island.

And, of course, obligatory Starhopper selfie! I probably could have gotten closer but there were like 3 or 4 different things that could have been the property line, so I decided to not chance it and keep my distance.

 

WOAH, you're lucky, I've always wanted to see Starbase and the Gulf of South Canada in person!

[darthgently]

12 minutes ago, Minmus Taster said:

South Canada

If you are going to dream, dream big.  I suppose

[Deddly]

@Ultimate Steve That picture of you with the booster makes it look like an elongated (pun not intended) drinks can. They should make their own energy drinks called Superheavy Booster based on that design.

[totalitor]

Great pictures! I must also visit that place some day.

I have a piece of wall of Berlin but it is not the same. I am interested in spaceflight, not Germany.

[AckSed]

Stupendous pictures!

[Exoscientist]

20 hours ago, darthgently said:

 

 

 Does this mean the FAA is allowing them to launch even though the mishap investigation is not complete? Even though the failure in the last flight caused commercial aircraft to be diverted?

  Bob Clark

 

[tater]

5 hours ago, totalitor said:

Great pictures! I must also visit that place some day.

I have a piece of wall of Berlin but it is not the same. I am interested in spaceflight, not Germany.

I was in the UK at a conference when the wall came down but was too poor to head to Berlin and join in (had gotten the travel paid, crashed with students there, super low budget trip). Still wish I had called my folks to borrow money, would have been a helluva story.

[darthgently]

9 hours ago, Deddly said:

@Ultimate Steve That picture of you with the booster makes it look like an elongated (pun not intended) drinks can. They should make their own energy drinks called Superheavy Booster based on that design.

This is a great merch idea for SpaceX

 

[darthgently]

 

 

[Minmus Taster]

[DAL59]

There are credible rumors that B14 will be reused for IFT-9!

[RCgothic]

17 hours ago, tater said:

I was in the UK at a conference when the wall came down but was too poor to head to Berlin and join in (had gotten the travel paid, crashed with students there, super low budget trip). Still wish I had called my folks to borrow money, would have been a helluva story.

I was in the UK too, but I'd just turned 4. I remember it being on the TV and my parents watching. Didn't understand the significance at the time. It's one of my earlier memories though.

I remember the first episode of Star Trek TNG airing in the UK as well, and was about to say that was an earlier memory. I had assumed that was in '87, but having checked just now actually it didn't get to the UK on BBC2 until 1990.

[Royalswissarmyknife]

I really hope they have a fun zero-g indicator like flight 6 this time.

[tater]

 

[tater]

S34 on the move for stacking

 

[tater]

 

 

[Minmus Taster]

[Exoscientist]

 Which flight was this?

 Bob Clark

[AckSed]

Flight 6. It was the only landing in daylight.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

I've said this before - but I remain impressed that they are practice landing that close to a prepositioned camera.  Indicating that the reentry is pretty much on target. 

That said - there is not much lateral transition. 

Basically if you just go off the above video and imagine a tower - they'd pretty much have to scrape by it.

Suggests that when they go for the tower catch things could get interesting.