JohnD Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 As technophiles, I hope we all watched the Space X launch of the new Dragon capsule to the ISS? I say 'real' spaceship because the first stage at least landed safely again and should be re-usable, instead of just being a gaint firework. See, about five mins in: Also, a proper dashboard, dominated by screens, instead of having more knobs, switches and dials than a power station control panel. And, space suits, instead of the Michelinman suits they've had since Gemini and before. All these need is Starfleet insignia and Capt. Kirk could wear one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 The technology used to land the boosters is truly awesome. I was really annoyed with the live footage - when the 2 crew were about to be given manual control to test the coverage cut to some suited twonk in a hanger who decided to spend 30 minutes telling everyone how great the US-of-A was. Totally missed the manual control. :-( I guess Dragon has been taking trips to IIS for a while now, but it's the first time with a wet-ware cargo. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpbarrett Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Quote amazing, still some switches, probably for critical functions, you can always find a tactile switch by feel rather than trying to press a spot on a screen... Very impressive acceleration when you watch the speed readout! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 6 hours ago, yorkshire_spam said: first time with a wet-ware cargo. ;-) One wonders what the "wet-ware" thought about it. I'm minded of the famous quote from John Glenn (possibly repeating something previously said by Alan Shepherd) “I guess the question I'm asked the most often is: "When you were sitting in that capsule listening to the count-down, how did you feel?" Well, the answer to that one is easy. I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of two million parts -- all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” I guess the government contract doesn't apply any more. Reckon the rest does though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 2 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: I guess the government contract doesn't apply any more. Reckon the rest does though. Yeah, I'm not sure whether I'd feel better or worse knowing that the booster had been used before and landed :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 24 minutes ago, yorkshire_spam said: Yeah, I'm not sure whether I'd feel better or worse knowing that the booster had been used before and landed :-) There's that. Though some of the space shuttles managed a reasonable number of trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 11 hours ago, Nick Jones said: One wonders what the "wet-ware" thought about it. I'm minded of the famous quote from John Glenn (possibly repeating something previously said by Alan Shepherd) “I guess the question I'm asked the most often is: "When you were sitting in that capsule listening to the count-down, how did you feel?" Well, the answer to that one is easy. I felt exactly how you would feel if you were getting ready to launch and knew you were sitting on top of two million parts -- all built by the lowest bidder on a government contract.” I guess the government contract doesn't apply any more. Reckon the rest does though. Amazing what they didn't think of. The launch before John Glenn's, when Alan Shepard reached 'space' but didn't orbit, was marked by several count-down holds. As a result he was much longer in the capsule than expected, and how did he feel? He just had to go, and he emptied his bladder into the space suit, whose liner was absorbent, up to a point, but it screwed up his 'biomonitoring'. As he was lying on his back, the urine ran that way and soked the ECG electrodes. So the first American in space did so in a big wet nappy! Watch "The Right Stuff"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Thank you John. "The man.... has GOT to go!" Quite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 They also seem to have thought of fire quite late. That film mentions the 100% oxygen atmosphere in the Mercury capsule. That was so that it could have an internal pressure of only 5psi, equivalent to 25,000ft of height, higher than Everest, to keep the capsule weight down. This feature persisted right through the programme, until the Apollo 1 disaster, when the command module caught fire and killed all three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee in seconds. Only after that was the oxygen reduced to 60%, and even then only during launch. It also took that disaster to make Nasa replace any inflammable materials in the system, space suits, wiring insulation, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted September 5, 2020 Author Share Posted September 5, 2020 (edited) SpaceX tested their "StarShip" launch vehicle again yesterday. This distant view shows how enormous this thing is, and makes it's 500ft 'hop' the nore impressive. Scale? There's a giant crane just to the right of it. Edited September 5, 2020 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 And just two weeks ago, Blue Origin did another test of their reusable 'spaceship'. The quotes, because this will launch a passenger capsule into space, but not into orbit, nevertheless it's a most impressive vehicle! WARNING! This is a long video! Interminable preamble with the commentators busking it for ages. The actual flught starts in the last quarter hour from about 50 minutes in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Yes, the action part (I'm afraid I jumped straight there) is fairly impressive. The landing especially. That's much harder to do than it looked. I do hope they have a better use for it than joy-rides for the seriously over financed though....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 Yes! Did you catch the comment that the launcher is prgrammed to gently spin the capsule, so that everyone on board gets a good view? But if I had the wonga, I'd buy a ticket! I tried for the ticket that Helen Sharman won on Project Juno, but all I got was a lousy rather nice actually, sweatshirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 1 hour ago, JohnD said: Did you catch the comment that the launcher is prgrammed to gently spin the capsule, so that everyone on board gets a good view? I did. Other aspects of the commentary stuck me as advertising puff too. As for Manikin Skywalker....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 21, 2021 Author Share Posted July 21, 2021 Bezos finally makes it: The whole thing is 2 hours plus - the actual launch and flight starts 1 hour and 40 mins in! But I note that this is real 'spam in the can' spaceflight, to use the objection of the original Mercury astronauts, who demanded they they had control of the capsule, rather than just be passengers. Neither Bezos nor any of his "crew" (respect to Wally Funk, who would have been astronaut 60 years ago, if she and her sisters in the "Women in Space" program had not been closed down) are trained to fly Blue Origin. Indeed it is designed as a passenger only vehicle, a joyride for the galactically rich. Is this a new way of socially distancing, a sort of extraterrestrial class distinction? Branson's Virgin Galactic [Sic!] crew included two professional pilots, but look how they are dressed. Th The pilots are right and left in the line. They get 'ordinary' overalls and trainers, while Branson and his motley crewe get spiffy, 'spacesuitey' onesies, complete with epaulettes as if they were 'officers', and StarTrek style footwear! No discrimination for Bezos' and crew, but then they are all passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 21, 2021 Share Posted July 21, 2021 I have no particular objection to the super-rich leaving the planet. It’s their coming back….. Not sure I accept a trip to just 100km above surface as a “space flight” either. Especially as we have had people doing parachute jumps from around 40km having gone up by balloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpbarrett Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Big boys big toys.... But impressive control system to land the rocket back on a pad Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Looking at the shape of the thing , one does have to wonder if there might be some “compensation” going on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 Hmmmmmmmmm! If you are a Freudian, the implications of the detachment of the passenger compartment may be significant, especailly as the Good Doctor described the complex in part as "turning away from the world". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted September 2, 2023 Author Share Posted September 2, 2023 Bloody Hell! Three years ago, I called the original SpaceX Dragon launcher "the first real spaceship" in that it landed itself. Now, it lands itself in the launch tower, ready for refuelling! Unless, of course this is a simulation? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerH Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 It looked to good to be true Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 4 hours ago, JohnD said: Bloody Hell! Three years ago, I called the original SpaceX Dragon launcher "the first real spaceship" in that it landed itself. Now, it lands itself in the launch tower, ready for refuelling! Unless, of course this is a simulation? John Pretty damn impressive. And it's real... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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