The lawsuit cited a June 2020 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Musk to his then 36 million followers that said: “U.S. law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology.”...
There’s a lot more than what AutoTL;DR reported. The article is by Stephen Clark, who now swaps out with Eric Berger on the weekly roundup article for ArsTechnica.
I debated posting this, because it’s not near 100% about SpaceX. But it’s over 50% about SpaceX and Starlink, I think, and it touches on the problem when a government depends on one private individual for several areas, especially when that individual starts to go strongly against government policy. It’s pretty even...
The length is 38:50. It’s for a somewhat more general audience; the Summit channel says “Summit is an ecosystem that exists to connect and nourish global makers. We are committed to fostering experiences that bring people together to explore, play, gather and grow … together.” and similar BOMFOG....
Capt. Jessica Rozzi-Ochs says, “Starlink has seamless transition from satellite to satellite, unlike the legacy system, which drops service while it looks for and tracks a new satellite. This was particularly impressive when we experienced heavy weather (20+ foot seas, hard rain, 40-50 knots of wind) and Starlink didn’t go...
For context, in my relevant personal experience the FAA doesn’t just receive a mishap report thrown over a wall at them. They are read into the investigation and findings and corrective actions all along the way and not surprised. So I would disagree with the word “nuts.”
in describing sending the FAA the report on August 16 and immediately getting a Notice to Mariners for August 31.
The poster also doesn’t recognize that the FAA typically doesn’t issue a bunch of corrective actions in these cases. They often approve or comment against the self identified corrective actions.
Generically speaking: In all the Aerospace investigations I’ve worked on, corrective actions don’t start only when a report is issued. They start on Day 1.
Suppression system is pretty wild. It almost sounded like a static fire. Bravo, @SpaceX That was one heck of a show.
It was! It is loud, though. With the nighttime video and muted dark colors, it looked astonishing! I wish I could download it, it’s so artistic … but of course that would be copyright violation and I would never recommend that.
A bit of talk about the recent static fire, where 4 engines didn’t ignite. /u/warp99 stated,
There have been a lot of subsequent tests on the GSE that supplies spin up gas to the outer ring of 20 engines.
That certainly implies that the four that failed to start cleanly may have been starved of spin up gas as all outer engines started together.
With IFT1 the startup process was staggered over three seconds and three groups of engines. SpaceX are going to cut that startup time in half which likely means starting in two groups which are probably all inners followed by all outer engines.
I think that’s an interesting take, and more reassuring than engine problems, which a lot of other people have assumed.
Zack Golden @CSI_Starbase (Nitter link) Aug 31, 2023 · 4:24 AM UTC states “They have been testing [tiles on ship 28] with a suction device to see if they would fall off. A large number of them failed the test.”
Zack Golden @CSI_Starbase (Nitter link) Sep 2, 2023 · 3:45 AM UTC has a multi-post speculation about Super Heavy testing at Boca Chica.
I am now 95% confident that SpaceX is in the process of building not one, but two Super Heavy Static Fire Test stands. One will be located near the Suborbital tank farm, and the other will be at the Massey’s test site.
These test stands are essentially mini versions of the Orbital Launch Mount. There are a few major differences though:
These stands will not have launch capability so they will be much simpler…
Because of the location of these test stands, and severe limitations on space, the method of testing engines will have to be different than how its done on the OLM. [flame trenches]
Why?
Well at some point, launches will become much more frequent. This means the OLM will be nearly always be busy preparing for the next launch…
The Orbital Launch Mount, with its new Bidet system is limited to Static fire tests of less than 10 seconds. It is truly designed for Launching Full stacks, and not for long duration tests purely due to the volume of water stored in the tanks.
The OLM is also believed to be limited to Static Fire tests with thrust values at or around 50%. This is a result of the design of the hold down clamps. Also, the skirt of the booster is likely not designed for the kind of forces it would experience if it was being held down at max thrust…
So if this speculation is true, what should we be on the lookout for?
The areas where these will be located will either be built up to accommodate a flame trench, or they will soon begin excavating large holes into the ground for this purpose.
The suborbital tank farm will likely need to be expanded in order to increase its LOX and CH4 storage capabilities. I believe SpaceX is already in the beginning stages of this massive renovation.
CH4 storage tanks will need to be added to the Massey’s test site. They will also need additional GSE equipment for filling Booster COPV’s. This includes Helium storage, CO2 for the engine skirt purge system.
There will likely also need to be additional water tanks installed for traditional deluge systems for both of these tests stands…
He says he’d do a video if he weren’t already in the middle of two deep-dives.
u/Alvian_11 in The Other Place says that a “flame diverter/ramp” is different from a “flame trench” and that a flame diverter/ramp makes much more sense.
Notice they filled in the heat tiles with some type of epoxy/clay instead of replacing these damaged tiles. Indicator Ship 25 probably isn’t expected to survive reentry.
But they look like regular tiles to me, just with adhesive smeared around messily. Marcus House, in his weekly update at 5:31, zooms in and says, “we can see that a few surrounding tiles were damaged during the process [of adding tiles to cover lifting points], but these were to be replaced soon after this shot was taken.”. At 5:44 on, he explained and showed a worker using the suction cup device: one tile passed, one pulled off.
Boat #SpaceX used for ops during first orbital flight test is inbound to #Starbase atm. The former GLADYS D had been offgrid last three weeks around Pensacola FL. #SpaceXArmada
… a passenger fastboat by trade, appears she’s been outfitted w/ some extra gear. Worked LZ/recon ops during first orbital test flight. Now mooring in Port Isabel Texas. (@jessica_kirsh cam) piped.video link that doesn’t work for me
Kevin Mock @kevmk04 replied,
The GLADYS D’s sister ship was used on the first Dragon recovery mission. The GLADYS S
I can’t really find full confirmation of that. I do find an Xmission from Gav Cornwell @SpaceOffshoreApr 20, 2023 · 10:54 AM UTC,
Fast boat Gladys S departed from Port Isabel this morning to support the SpaceX launch.
Still not exactly sure what role the vessel is playing but it’s confirmed to be involved based on its AIS designation of ‘Texas Launch’ and the fact it has two Starlink dishes mounted…
Unfunded Space Act Agreement Between NASA and SpaceX for "Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities 2", 31 May 2023 (www.nasa.gov)
u/675longtail on Reddit summarized it:...
[CBC] U.S. Justice Department sues SpaceX for discriminatory hiring practices (www.cbc.ca)
The lawsuit cited a June 2020 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Musk to his then 36 million followers that said: “U.S. law requires at least a green card to be hired at SpaceX, as rockets are advanced weapons technology.”...
[SpaceNews] Polaris Dawn mission likely to slip to 2024 (spacenews.com)
Um, just what it says on the tin. Article by Jeff Foust....
Valves are a regular concern at SpaceX, just like every other space company (arstechnica.com)
"My amateur pics from Port Canaveral, taken 8/12" (www.reddit.com)
Not my pics, mind you. I’m just quoting the title....
[New Yorker] Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule (www.newyorker.com)
I debated posting this, because it’s not near 100% about SpaceX. But it’s over 50% about SpaceX and Starlink, I think, and it touches on the problem when a government depends on one private individual for several areas, especially when that individual starts to go strongly against government policy. It’s pretty even...
[SpaceNews] Space Development Agency to consider commercial LEO options to augment DoD network (spacenews.com)
The operative parts seem to be...
[YouTube] Running the Algorithm: SpaceX’s Approach to Exponential Growth with VP of Launch Kiko Dontchev (www.youtube.com)
The length is 38:50. It’s for a somewhat more general audience; the Summit channel says “Summit is an ecosystem that exists to connect and nourish global makers. We are committed to fostering experiences that bring people together to explore, play, gather and grow … together.” and similar BOMFOG....
"The Coast Guard is investing in underway connectivity ... and it’s paying off!" (www.mycg.uscg.mil)
Capt. Jessica Rozzi-Ochs says, “Starlink has seamless transition from satellite to satellite, unlike the legacy system, which drops service while it looks for and tracks a new satellite. This was particularly impressive when we experienced heavy weather (20+ foot seas, hard rain, 40-50 knots of wind) and Starlink didn’t go...
Starship Development Thread #48
SpaceX Starship page...