Space In General

[CodeRedR51]

Final assembly taking place.

Edit:

 

[Danoff]

I feel like we have an expectation vs. reality thing going on here.

 

[CodeRedR51]

 

[CodeRedR51]

Launch today at 10:31am EST.

https://www.spacex.com/webcast

Also:

 

[CodeRedR51]

 

[G.T.Ace]

Sooooo when will it hop?

 

[CodeRedR51]

Sooooo when will it hop?

Targeting end of February. The engines in it now are just for mock-up purposes. Real ones should be on their way shortly.

 

[G.T.Ace]

 

[Dotini]

The Earth's north magnetic pole is moving rapidly, especially compared to the north geomagnetic pole. The same thing is happening at the South Pole. The magnetic poles are rushing towards each other. If this keeps up for a few more years, things may get weird.

Do there appear to be two magnetic north poles which are diverging? Is it a coincidence that the magnetic poles are roughly aligned with geographic poles? Changes in the magnetic poles are thought to be associated with changes deep inside the Earth. Same goes for changes in the geographic poles.

Annual rate of change of declination for 2015.0 to 2020.0 from the World Magnetic Model (WMM2015). Red –easterly change, blue – westerly change, green – zero change. Contour interval is 2’/year (1/30th of a degree), white star is location of a magnetic pole and projection is Mercator

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7240

SWARM image from 2014. Note north magnetic pole split in two. North and south magnetic poles appear to be attracted to each other across SE Asia.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Oopsie.

 

[wfooshee]

50mph... Pffttt!!! (Says the guy who's still not in his house after Hurricane Michael.)

 

[Dotini]

While poor Elon's rocket lay in a heap on its side, Jeff's rockets flew high and proud.

 

[CodeRedR51]

NASA still trying to get Opportunity rover to phone home.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7318

 

[Dotini]

Can old plans become new again?
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ch-mothership-a-missing-link-in-area-51s-past

BOEING

The design of the mothership aircraft is clearly optimized for high speed and high altitude operations while also retaining a large internal volume for fuel storage.

BOEING
The next image shows how the spacecraft would be lowered below the fuselage and launched while in a high-speed and high-altitude climb:

BOEING
In another image, the space vehicle is seen recovering on a runway with a T-38 Talon in chase. It's important to note that windows are present at least on the side of the nose section of the vehicle, indicating that it would have been flown by onboard pilots and not under an unmanned concept of operations.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Very informative video on why SpaceX decided to go stainless steel on their Super Heavy rocket and Starship.

 

[CodeRedR51]

SpaceX is making good progress on the LC-39A remodel. Sandblasting, paint, cladding. Looking good.

 

[CodeRedR51]

 

[ProjectWHaT]

On February 3, the [China National Space Administration ] had [Longjiang-2] capture a timelapse of the Moon with the Earth in the background, which was subsequently transmitted to the Dwingeloo telescope the following day, CAMRAS reported. It’s the first photo captured by Longjiang-2 that shows the Moon’s entire far side and the Earth together in the same frame.

https://gizmodo.com/chinese-satellite-snaps-rare-pic-of-lunar-far-side-and-1832392868

 

[CodeRedR51]

 

[eran0004]

SI units, Elon. Use SI units please. It makes everything so much easier.

 

[CodeRedR51]

NASA is expected to announce the end of Opportunity Rover's mission today after it failed to respond to one last call yesterday. RIP Opportunity, you had a good run going for 14 years, 293 days.

Edit: And it's official.

 

[Dennisch]

If it's possible in the short run, these rover(s) should be brought back to Earth and given a place in a museum.

 

[Danoff]

If it's possible in the short run, these rover(s) should be brought back to Earth and given a place in a museum.

It's not.

Maaaaybe in the long run.

 

[Dennisch]

It's not.

Maaaaybe in the long run.

I'm going to ask Elon to build a search and rescue test rocket to scoop up Opportunity.

 

[TexRex]

I know a guy who may be able to lasso it given a long enough rope.

 

[Northstar]

I'm going to ask Elon to build a search and rescue test rocket to scoop up Opportunity.

Just make sure if he offers, you accept, lest you be labeled something horrible if you reject him.

 

[Dotini]

"Dragon" aurora over Iceland

 

[CodeRedR51]

Successful mission last night for SpaceX launching the Nusantara Satu satellite and Beresheet lunar spacecraft. The first stage booster, which had flown previously on the Iridium-7 mission in July 2018 and the SAOCOM 1A mission in October 2018, will fly for a 4th and final time in April as it will be the booster used for the in-flight abort test.

Nusantara Satu Mission by Official SpaceX Photos, on Flickr

 

[Dotini]

If we are experiencing increases in precipitation (storms, rain, snow) and its hazards of flooding, etc., the solar minimum and cosmic ray flux may well be the explanation. The below is from spaceweather.com, 2/23/19 edition.

Cosmic Rays Increasing for the 4th Year in a Row
FEBRUARY 21, 2019 / DR.TONY PHILLIPS


Feb. 21, 2019: Cosmic rays in the stratosphere are intensifying for the 4th year in a row. This finding comes from a campaign of almost weekly high-altitude balloon launches conducted by the students of Earth to Sky Calculus. Since March 2015, there has been a ~13% increase in X-rays and gamma-rays over central California, where the students have launched hundreds of balloons.

The grey points in the graph are Earth to Sky balloon data. Overlaid on that time series is a record of neutron monitor data from the Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory in Oulu, Finland. The correlation between the two data sets is impressive, especially considering their wide geographic separation and differing methodologies. Neutron monitors have long been considered a “gold standard” for monitoring cosmic rays on Earth. This shows that our student-built balloons are gathering data of similar quality.

Why are cosmic rays increasing? The short answer is “Solar Minimum.” Right now, the 11-year solar cycle is plunging into one of the deepest minima of the Space Age. The sun’s weakening magnetic field and flagging solar wind are not protecting us as usual from deep-space radiation. Earth to Sky balloon launches in multiple countries and US states show that this is a widespread phenomenon.



Cosmic rays are of interest to anyone who flies on airplanes. The International Commission on Radiological Protection has classified pilots as occupational radiation workers because of cosmic ray doses they receive while flying. A recent study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health shows that flight attendants face an elevated risk of cancer compared to members of the general population. They listed cosmic rays as one of several risk factors. There are also controversial studies that suggest cosmic rays promote the formation of clouds in the atmosphere; if so, increasing cosmic rays could affect weather and climate.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

SI units, Elon. Use SI units please. It makes everything so much easier.

His engineers giving him this info aren't, so why would he?