SpaceX Readies First Dragon Spacecraft

[Moonwalker]

Well, they (those commercial companies) even use the term "exploration". And they offer prices for innovation (build lunar rovers, probes, etc.)

I respect that you still are bonded to believe that only governments and "big boys" can do big things like space flight and exploration. I believed this still as well, not too long ago (because NASA is that much amazing still). But this is not entirely valid anymore in the 21st century. We have to realize that NASA lost its big moon landing proposal program and that it does not have any other program yet for the first time. One can not be sure if this would have been the case without the possibilites that SpaceX is going to offer for way less money, which even lead Obama to rely on companies like SpaceX rather than to waste 50 billion USD for another unsustainable NASA show-stopper. While NASA will be grounded, others like SpaceX will leave the ground. I know it's sad. But this is exactly why a lot of people almost "want" Elon Musk and its small company to fail or at least say that it's just a nothing, just irrelevant, which is not at all the case anymore of course

PS: Concorde also is something of which people believed could only be done by big boy governments. In fact, without the initial interests of several airlines, Concorde would have never left the drawing table (when all airlines resigned due to high operating costs, the governments had no other choice anymore because Concorde already was leaving the hangar). Today it's a company which will build the next civil supersonic jet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerion_SBJ

[Admin]

Moonwalker, wake me up when ANY commercial company (not necessarily SpaceX) does its first, non-gov sponsored/commissioned manned Space Exploration flight to Mars, or beyond - even on an Asteroid 

Until then, let's concentrate on non-fiction: hopefully, we have a Space Shuttle launch on Nov 30th 

/Admin

[Moonwalker]

Well, a Shuttle launch on Nov. 30th for now also remains fiction

[Admin]

I really hope not, because I'll be there, waiting...

/Admin

[Moonwalker]

I'll be waiting as well. But still 2 weeks to go

[Moonwalker]

SpaceX today is going to webcast its static fire test of the Falcon 9 at 11 am eastern time with the actual static fire targeted for 12 noon eastern time.

http://www.spacex.com/webcast.php

http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20101202

[Moonwalker]

December 8, 2010

Today, SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to re-enter a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.

http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

Falcon 9 just seems to work like a charm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFeYUZ0yF04

[Pocci]

I wonder what was that explosion on the support arm at T+8 seconds?

/Armin

[Moonwalker]

I wonder what was that explosion on the support arm at T+8 seconds?

/Armin

I think it's the separation of the connection between the launch vehicle and the tower. It looked similar during the Falcon 9 flight 1 launch, just seen from a different angle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2NPfGR4dA&feature=fvwk

[Pocci]

Yes, it looks as if one of the hoses spill out some flammable material that is ignited by the launching rocket.
It looks weird and I guess this will not be accepted for human launches.

/Armin

[Moonwalker]

Yes, it looks as if one of the hoses spill out some flammable material that is ignited by the launching rocket.
It looks weird and I guess this will not be accepted for human launches.

/Armin

Yes, probably not. Elon Musk and his employees anway will be rather annoyed in future due to tons of NASA requirements, causing increased costs and delays once NASA interferes...

[Spaceguy5]

Yeah, government bureaucracy always makes everything miserable <_< Elon is trying to make NASA agree to combine the 2nd and 3rd Dragon test launches but I doubt they'll do it.

[Moonwalker]

Yeah, government bureaucracy always makes everything miserable <_< Elon is trying to make NASA agree to combine the 2nd and 3rd Dragon test launches but I doubt they'll do it.

Let's see. I anyway would love to see Falcon 9 man-rated instead of just performing unmanned supply missions... But by now: that only big governmental agencies do have the power and resources to launch rockets into space and return capsules from space has been disproved by Elon Musk / SpaceX almost easily

By the way, a few photos of the successful first complete Dragon test flight (it looks way less burned than I expected):











http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

[Admin]

Yeah, government bureaucracy always makes everything miserable <_< Elon is trying to make NASA agree to combine the 2nd and 3rd Dragon test launches but I doubt they'll do it.

Let's see. I anyway would love to see Falcon 9 man-rated instead of just performing unmanned supply missions... But by now: that only big governmental agencies do have the power and resources to launch rockets into space and return capsules from space has been disproved by Elon Musk / SpaceX almost easily

By the way, a few photos of the successful first complete Dragon test flight (it looks way less burned than I expected):

Don't be naive Moonwalker: SpaceX received government money and resources through NASA as part of the outsourcing program that's always been there ever since Apollo. As for KNOWING how to do it, it's just like with a Nuclear weapon: today everybody knows how to build one, but not everybody has governmental resources and money backing to actually do it.

NASA know-how made it "easy" for highly advanced and ambitious companies to build rockets, but they still don't have the resources and commercial interest to finance a full space program by themselves. So SpaceX and now Boeing are receiving money from NASA to build the next transportation system to the ISS, just as Thyokol etc. got money to build and refurbish the SRBs. It's the same concept on a slightly grander scale.

The only fully privately funded companies reaching for space today are those participating in the X-prize contest (like Scaled Composites), and those are quite far from actually DOING something in REAL space. They mostly learn how to send humans in ballistic, sub-orbital flights, for space tourism, for profit. Quite far from space EXPLORATION or even transportation.

Dragon is a nice achievement, built for NASA with taxpayers' money, just like thousands other contractors have been building things and providing service for NASA for decades. You are happy for the "wrong" reasons. Before bashing and dismissing NASA, remember that SpaceX wouldn't even exist without the backing of decades of space technology researched by NASA engineers and government money.

/Admin

[Admin]

Yeah, government bureaucracy always makes everything miserable <_< Elon is trying to make NASA agree to combine the 2nd and 3rd Dragon test launches but I doubt they'll do it.

I wouldn't irresponsibly and automatically apply the blanket slogan that NASA or the gov are bureaucracies with the sole purpose of making everybody's lives miserable, to each and every problem people face on the globe.

There are also very good reasons behind bureaucracy. Would you prefer anarchy and lawlessness instead? Would you prefer not having certification processes for drivers, contractors, engineers, etc? Would you want your house to be built by non-certified workers and designed by non-certified architects?

Specifically in the case of manned space missions, safety and caution are paramount and cutting corners by non-selectively dismissing bureaucracy can be regarded as reckelessness. If another disaster happens, everybody will be getting their knives out, cutting at those who ignored countless reports warning against such an event (as in "ignoring bureaucracy and cutting corners"). Now, everybody is eager to see Dragon man-rated, while forgetting that there are certain conditions to be met for that to happen and that there literally are lives at stake.

Dragon has to undergo rigurous tests and certification paths that should NOT be cut short just to make some gov and NASA bashers happy, because there will be the same people who will invariably be first to moan and point an accusing finger at NASA and the gov if a disaster happens. It's the same old  "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.

Losing Astronaut lives is just not worth the satisfaction of recklessly bashing NASA!

/Admin