SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Zaxxon wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:08 pm
:pop:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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:pop: :pop:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by malchior »

So wait - am I crazy or are they telling people to go hang out in the streets just in case? Like did they build a space port where people live? But also still super cool that they're getting close to launching. :)
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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malchior wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 9:52 pm So wait - am I crazy or are they telling people to go hang out in the streets just in case? Like did they build a space port where people live? But also still super cool that they're getting close to launching. :)
To address your comments
  • Yes, you are crazy. We just didn't have the heart to tell you before.
  • Yup, don't want folks (or pets) to get hit by flying glass.
  • Build a spaceport a mile from people's home? Must be Texas!
  • Nope, the villagers won't be able to stay there during launches... wait, oh you mean SpaceX! Yeah, pretty cool, shame it isn't from here on the Cape :roll:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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so Spacex responsible for any damages? This sounds like a stupid decision.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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You can tell who are *not* regular Boca Chica watchers. :lol:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Zaxxon wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:43 pm You can tell who are *not* regular Boca Chica watchers. :lol:
you are probably referring to me. Hell that name sounds like a company who makes plant based chicken patties :P
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Zaxxon »

naednek wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:09 pm
Zaxxon wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:43 pm You can tell who are *not* regular Boca Chica watchers. :lol:
you are probably referring to me. Hell that name sounds like a company who makes plant based chicken patties :P
It's the name of the tiny town (now basically a company town) in Texas where SpaceX does this sort of testing. These notices are a regular occurrence there. SpaceX bought out most of the residents a few years back, and these go to the few who remain.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Boca Chica? I haven't eaten there, but I've slurped a few martinis :wink:

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by jztemple2 »

What could possibly go wrong? :D

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Meanwhile, a live feed, including a look at Pad A at the Cape. For those of you up north, that's what eighty degrees looks like :wink:
https://www.youtube.com/live/i_8BZdKkrc8?feature=share

For some reason the OO forum won't show a mini-version of it here.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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jztemple2 wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:43 pm What could possibly go wrong? :D

:angry-extinguishflame:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Thanks Isgrimnur! For those who want commentary...

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Well, it's still standing, at the least.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Zaxxon wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:15 pm Well, it's still standing, at the least.
My thoughts as well.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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FCC approves Amazon’s satellite broadband plan over SpaceX’s objections
Amazon's Kuiper division can start launching satellites to offer broadband service in the US, the Federal Communications Commission said yesterday.

The FCC's International Bureau approved Kuiper's orbital debris mitigation plan. This approval was needed to satisfy a condition imposed in 2020 when the Amazon subsidiary received tentative approval for a network of 3,236 satellites in low-Earth orbit.

"Our action will allow Kuiper to begin deployment of its constellation in order to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to customers around the world," yesterday's FCC order said.

Amazon's satellite launch plans took shape in April 2022 when it announced deals for 83 launches over five years using Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance. Amazon said the deals would let it deploy most of its 3,236 planned satellites. The company plans to deploy two prototype satellites early in 2023 on the upcoming launch of United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Amazon's biggest competitor for low-latency satellite broadband will be SpaceX's Starlink service, but Amazon's launch schedule puts it a few years behind SpaceX. The companies have fought each other in FCC proceedings, with Amazon objecting to SpaceX's satellite plans and SpaceX filing objections to Amazon's.

In approving Amazon's plan yesterday, the FCC dismissed objections from other satellite providers such as SpaceX and Viasat. As the FCC order notes, SpaceX argued that the commission "should limit Kuiper to deploy only 578 satellites in its 630 kilometer orbital shell, and defer action regarding the remainder of the constellation," in order to "address Kuiper's ability to coexist with other systems in and around its 590 kilometer and 610 kilometer shells, and allow for 'continued monitoring' of deployment."
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance will be launching about fifteen miles from my house :D

Arianespace launches a wee bit further away :roll:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:50 pm
Our next GPS III launch (GPS III-7 "Sally Ride" in 2024) is scheduled to be on a Vulcan from the Cape, SLC-41.

Hopefully their first few "test" launches will go well. :D
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Super Heavy Booster 33, 32, 31 engine static test fire. Seven second engine run.
"Super Heavy Booster 7 completed a full duration static fire test of 31 Raptor engines, producing 7.9 million lbf of thrust (~3,600 metric tons) — less than half of the booster's capability," SpaceX wrote in the Friday tweet.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Good thing they set the parking brake.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Blue Origin makes a big lunar announcement without any fanfare
For decades scientists and engineers have talked about using the dusty lunar surface to manufacture solar panels. All of the key ingredients for solar cells are present in this rocky and dusty regolith on the surface of the Moon—silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum, and more.

The abundance of these ingredients has led to hundreds of research papers exploring this idea since lunar soil was returned to Earth during the Apollo program but relatively little engineering development. In other words, we don't know whether covering the Moon with solar panels is simply a great science fiction idea, or if it would actually work.

But now, we may have an answer to the question. On Friday, in a blog post not even promoted by the company's Twitter account or a news release, Blue Origin quietly said its "Blue Alchemist" program has been working on this very topic for the last two years. The company, founded by Jeff Bezos, has made both solar cells and electricity transmission wires from simulated lunar soil—a material that is chemically and mineralogically equivalent to lunar regolith.

The engineering work is based on a process known as "molten regolith electrolysis," and Blue Origin has advanced the state of the art for solar cell manufacturing. In this process, a direct electric current is applied to the simulated regolith at a high temperature, above 1,600° Celsius. Through this electrolysis process, iron, silicon, and aluminum can be extracted from the lunar regolith. Blue Origin says it has produced silicon to more than 99.999 percent purity through molten regolith electrolysis.

The key advance made by Blue Alchemist is that its engineers and scientists have taken the byproducts of this reaction—and these materials alone—to fabricate solar cells as well as the protective glass cover that would allow them to survive a decade or longer on the lunar surface.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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This Scottish Dark Sky Town Decided To Go Even Darker

Moffat’s annual experiment in switching off artificial lighting has had unexpected results.

Under New Zealand’s Dark Skies, Insects Recover and Humans Reconnect with a Lost View

The massive South Island stargazing reserve is a respite from light pollution for many species, including our own.

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Delving Deeper: Super Heavy thrust and counting down to flight
The orbital test flight of Starship is just around the corner.

Starship has conducted a 31-engine static fire, a single-engine spin prime test, and multiple Booster quick disconnect (QD) tests in the last few weeks. However, the question remains if the ground service equipment (GSE) can handle almost double the thrust of the static fire, which will happen during the actual launch attempt – currently targeting March. Furthermore, SpaceX is preparing more mitigations to reduce the damage to the launch equipment.

Looking at Thrust Numbers

Initially, the 31-engine test was planned to be a 33-engine static fire. This was the first attempt to fire all the engines below the Super Heavy Booster. SpaceX later confirmed that one engine was turned off before the test, and one stopped during the firing.

According to Elon Musk, this test was rated at about 50 percent throttle of the full stack, while the flight will be about 90 percent throttle. Additionally, SpaceX tweeted that this test was conducted with a 7.9 million pound-force thrust, translating to roughly 35 meganewtons.

Knowing that the final stack will have about 74.58 meganewtons of potential thrust based on each raptor producing 2.26 meganewtons at 100 percent throttle, a rating of 90 percent brings the thrust of Super Heavy at lift-off to 67.12 meganewtons. This would be almost double the thrust of the 31-engine test.

This does mean that as of the Static Fire test, Starship did not overtake SLS, with its roughly 39 meganewtons of liftoff thrust. However, it is now ahead of Saturn V, which produced approximately 34.5 meganewtons of thrust.

Furthermore, it means that for now, the Starship pad only had to endure about half the forces it will have to resist during the orbital flight. While it successfully handled this test, it will have to manage a lot more power during the orbital flight test in a few weeks.
There is a lot more to the article, especially to those of us space nerds :wink:

And in case anyone is confused about the terminology:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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So now Amazon wants to pollute sky and orbit too. Hell lets just send billions of sats up and fugitall.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Whoa. I hope I'm alive when we can see back in time that extra .2 billion years! SO close!!!

"The telescope observes the universe in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, and is capable of detecting the faint light from ancient stars and galaxies. By peering into the distant universe, the observatory can essentially see back in time up to about 13.5 billion years ago. (Scientists have determined the universe is about 13.7 billion years old.)"

LOVE this kind of shit:
“We looked into the very early universe for the first time and had no idea what we were going to find,” Leja said. “It turns out we found something so unexpected it actually creates problems for science. It calls the whole picture of early galaxy formation into question.”

"What’s funny is we have all these things we hope to learn from James Webb and this was nowhere near the top of the list. We’ve found something we never thought to ask the universe — and it happened way faster than I thought, but here we are.”

Article link:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/world/we ... 7106947760
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:14 pm Whoa. I hope I'm alive when we can see back in time that extra .2 billion years! SO close!!!
I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:14 pm Whoa. I hope I'm alive when we can see back in time that extra .2 billion years! SO close!!!

"The telescope observes the universe in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, and is capable of detecting the faint light from ancient stars and galaxies. By peering into the distant universe, the observatory can essentially see back in time up to about 13.5 billion years ago. (Scientists have determined the universe is about 13.7 billion years old.)"

LOVE this kind of shit:
“We looked into the very early universe for the first time and had no idea what we were going to find,” Leja said. “It turns out we found something so unexpected it actually creates problems for science. It calls the whole picture of early galaxy formation into question.”

"What’s funny is we have all these things we hope to learn from James Webb and this was nowhere near the top of the list. We’ve found something we never thought to ask the universe — and it happened way faster than I thought, but here we are.”

Article link:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/world/we ... 7106947760
:pop:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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jztemple2 wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:54 pm
Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:14 pm Whoa. I hope I'm alive when we can see back in time that extra .2 billion years! SO close!!!
I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed

Image
The earliest universe was an undifferentiated plasma soup. Nothing to see there and no way to see it until reionization cleared the way for light to shine. That's believed to have happened about 400 million years after the Big Bang -- 0.4 billion years. Which is what makes seeing megastructures at a mere 0.2B years such a mellon-scratcher.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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'Runaway' black hole the size of 20 million suns found speeding through space with a trail of newborn stars behind it
Astronomers have spotted a runaway supermassive black hole, seemingly ejected from its home galaxy and racing through space with a chain of stars trailing in its wake.

According to the team's research, which was published on the pre-print server arXiv.org (opens in new tab) and has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the discovery offers the first observational evidence that supermassive black holes can be ejected from their home galaxies to roam interstellar space.

The researchers discovered the runaway black hole as a bright streak of light while they were using the Hubble Space Telescope to observe the dwarf galaxy RCP 28, located about 7.5 billion light-years from Earth.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Green comet seen from space by Artemis 1 moon mission cubesat (video)
Japan's cubesat EQUULEUS, which hitched a ride to the moon aboard NASA's Artemis 1 mission in November last year, took a video of Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) earlier this month, about two weeks after the ice ball's closest approach to Earth.

The comet — also called the green comet for its hue or the Neanderthal comet, as it hasn't visited Earth since the era of the Neanderthals — can be seen in the video sequence shared on Twitter as a fuzzy white dot traversing a star-studded black-and-white background.
Comet must be thinking "Wow you guys have really changed"

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Love it!
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Zaxxon »

Truth.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by TheMix »

Got a chuckle from me. :)

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by raydude »

To be fair, it's the very very small, very very big, very very hot, very very cold, very very very fast, very very heavy, and very very dark stuff. In other words, stuff that is outside the realm of what most humans experience or care about.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Amazon gets a green light to launch 3,000-satellite Kuiper constellation
Amazon has received the go-ahead to construct a constellation of 3,236 satellites after gaining approval for an updated orbital debris mitigation plan.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S. main telecommunications services regulator, approved Amazon's Project Kuiper plan in an authorization adopted and releasedon Feb. 8.

"Our action will allow Kuiper to begin deployment of its constellation in order to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to customers around the world," the FCC document read.

Amazon previously received conditional approval from the FCC for its Project Kuiper plan back in 2020. The company has now satisfied conditions including a plan to address issues of collision risk, post-mission disposal reliability, completion of satellite design, and orbital separation.
Last August Amazon booked up to 83 launches to carry Kuiper satellites into orbit. Up to 37 of these will fly on the New Glenn rocket developed by Blue Origin, a company which, like Amazon, was founded by Jeff Bezos, with another 38 flights using United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket, which uses Blue Origin's BE-4 engine. A further 18 launches will be conducted by Arianespace's Ariane 6.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Isgrimnur »

Ima call it Kessler.
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