Two free things with for a liberty lover like you, thanks to our friends at the Patriot Post.
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The private manned, for profit, space flight era gets its official launch on May 27, the date NASA and SpaceX have set to send Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in a Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
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17 replies on “May 27: SpaceX and NASA Set Date for First Manned USA Launch in 9 Years”
“This country needs a frontier.”
Excellent observation Bill.
The United States and her people always excel the most – objectively and comparatively – when they are stressed with a goal.
Excellent! Bill could hardly contain his enthusiasm in the episode
Scott, as usual you continue to amaze me w/ your segue’s into wonderful promo pitches!
The SpaceX Hawthorne site is where I earned my 1st paychecks out of college working at Northrop where we were building the Northrop-funded F-20 fighter. Northrop tried to sell the F-20 to the Air Force but they stuck with the garbage F-16. Pretty sure politics determines what the DoD buys. But Northrop then was contracted to build the B-2 bomber, and I quit Northrop because I didn’t want to work in downtown L.A. in the classified project which we all knew was a stealth bomber of some sort.
Anyway, that Hawthorne site is the home to 2 of the best American companies of all time – Northrop & SpaceX.
Bill, loved your enthusiasm on this one, but in truth, fully expected it! You were at your best. Got one for ya. If you aren’t a follower of Isaac Arthur on either Patreon or Youtube, you’re missing out. Call him a futurist, but grounded in HARD science. So, here’s the deal, you and Isaac have been willed $20T by some unknown benefactor. Yeah, like you I had no idea ANYBODY had that kinda jing! Now, YOUR goal is to turn it into $40T or $80T in your lifetimes. Isaac has done plenty of collaboratives before. I would love to see the two of you tackle this one!!! Good luck!
I was on the flight line in Mojave for all three SpaceShipOne flights. Since I worked for the company that built significant portions of its propulsion, I was invited to the VIP area. After landing the first time in June 2004, Mike Melville was standing on top of SpaceShipOne as they towed it down the flight line as a victory lap in front of a crowd of 10,000s of people that had been there as early as 4AM that morning, if not overnight. He noticed somebody in the front row holding a sign. He had the pickup truck towing SpaceShipOne stop, jumped off, and asked if he could have the sign. Who could say no to that? He jumped back onto SpaceShipOne and held the sign over his head. The sign read, “SpaceShipOne Government Zero.”
I found out years later that there was a man at NASA HQ in DC who had been advocating “commercial space” for years only to be ignored. Soon after that flight he walked into the NASA Administrator’s with a copy of The Washington Post. A photo of Mike Melville holding that sign adorned its front page, above the fold. He plunked the newspaper on his desk and asked the Administrator if NASA was going to start taking the private sector seriously. The first of a series of fixed price commercial space contracts was born.
Burt Rutan may not have intended it, but he started a chain of events which will culminate on May 27.
Thanks SO much for sharing that story! WOW!
Listening to Bill talk about capturing that asteroid, I am reminded of the Heinlein short story “Misfit” from 1939 wherein the Space Marines went to the asteroid belt and maneuvered three satellites into earth orbit, 120 degrees apart as safety space stations for space travelers.
1939!!
Always thrilled when I see this topic come up Bill.
Couple things to add if that’s alright as this is a subject I pay rapt attention to. First, the most times a booster has currently flown is 5 which just happened a few weeks ago that unfortunately didn’t land due to an engine failure seconds before main engine cut off, the cause of which has already been sussed out and won’t impact DM2 (the first manned mission).
The real leap forward in launch capability is what is being worked on in Boca Chica, Texas which will be a 9 meter wide stainless steel monster which around twice the liftoff thrust as a Saturn V. They have also developed the most advanced engine in history in the Raptor, which is a full flow staged combustion methalox engine. To put just how insane this engine is into one sentence, it is approximately the same size as the Merlin that powers the Falcon series of rockets, but is almost twice as powerful. You spoke of how the hyperloop will change the world, he wants to eventually use this rocket to transport people anywhere on Earth in around an hour at Mach 20.
One of the most insane things about SpaceX that wasn’t even addressed here is they are already the operator of the largest satellite constellation ever. Their Starlink program is a constellation of what will eventually be almost 40,000 satellites in low Earth orbit that will provide high bandwidth low latency internet anywhere on Earth except the poles. You think we’re seeing a revolution of people leaving the city to work at home now with this virus, just wait until you can be instantly connected with the world with high bandwidth and low latency in your cabin 50 miles away from the nearest grocery store. That is supposed to begin offering service in North America with roughly 400 satellites later this year as the final launch required for that is happening in just days. They throw 60 of those things up every couple of weeks.
Sorry about the length, I tried to be brief but there is so much cool stuff to talk about.
Great insights, Jake. Thank you.
What websites would you recommend, Jake, to follow SpaceX developments?
The NASASpaceFlight forums and the dumpster fire that is Reddit has a good SpaceX section as well.
Thank you!
Thanks, Scott. SpaceX is essentially the modern day Skunk Works except most of it is out in the open for everyone to see. It’s endlessly entertaining to space and engineering geeks.
Excellent analogy.
Yes!! Do a live take-off show. I watched the Musk takeoff with you. Very uplifting. Be sure to notify when the live show will air.
Uplifting, heh. I see what you did there.