It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum
Topics => Science, Technology, & Medicine => Topic started by: Libertas on August 24, 2011, 11:16:26 AM
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http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/24/russian-space-ship-fails-to-reach-orbit/?test=latestnews (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/24/russian-space-ship-fails-to-reach-orbit/?test=latestnews)
I guess higher cargo insurance premiums are in the offing...
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Glad it isn't necessary for our people to ride in those rockets. ::rockets::
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I got good news and bad news...
The good news is you're going into space,
the bad news, you're going into space on a Russian rocket.
(Be sure that will is up to date!)
::speechless::
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...[6] astronauts aboard the International Space Station, which orbits 220 miles above the Earth. They are Russians Andrei Borisenko, Alexander Samokuyayev and Sergei Volkov, Americans Michael Fossum and Ronald Garan and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan.
Bring our guys home and keep them here till we establish our own reliable transportation.
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Being stuck up there with no supplies/food or no ride home...that would really suck!
::speechless::
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This was the first launch failure for Progress in 44 flights, which isn't too bad. The problem is that the Progress cargo ship and the manned Soyuz both use the same launch vehicle, so both will be grounded until they figure out what happened.
See also here. (http://www.transterrestrial.com/?p=36272)
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Not to worry - in the event of an emergency we can go down to Costco, hook up the jumper cables to one of the mothballed shuttles and we're good. ::laserkill::
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Notice that oxygen was also part of the cargo.
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Work slower and breath less...
::confused::
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There are a number of good comments at the Transterrestrial Musings post I linked earlier. Check them out. There are at least two commenters, and probably more, who actually work or have worked in the space field. I've said before that I think it's very cool that a layman and space buff like me can read blog posts and comments from people who actually work with rockets and spacecraft.
As for the Soyuz booster family, it’s arguably the most successful set of rockets ever made. It not only has flown more than any other rocket, it’s possible that it has flown more than all other rockets put together. Yes, it has had some failures. Come back to me when any other booster has flown over 1500 times and we can compare the success rate.
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Indeed, good comments. I think the vacuum left by NASA still leaves us wanting. To go from spacefaring status to hitching rides is a downer. More of a reflection of our lack of vision and will more than anything. Sure does leave the door wide open for a domestic commercial enterprise to ride to the rescue, doesn't it?
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SpaceX is planning to launch its second Dragon test flight on November 30. If all goes well, it will dock with the ISS and it will be carrying cargo. Strictly speaking, it's just a test flight, but it may turn out to be the first cargo flight. If it works out, then regular cargo flights will commence next year. And of course, Dragon was designed from the start to be a manned vehicle, and they're still working on that and hope to fly humans in about three years.
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Our shining knight!
::thumbsup::
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I like SpaceX's step-by-step planning. By the time they start flying a human crew, both the Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft will have been proven with unmanned cargo flights, and hopefully most of the bugs will have been worked out.
And they're still talking about launching Falcon Heavy from Vandenberg in 2013. It will be the most powerful rocket in the world, and capable of orbiting a payload weight second only to the Saturn V.
Like I say, the Space Age is just starting to get interesting. ::cool::
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Falcon Heavy sounds awesome. I'm not getting any younger, heck I might have to plan a vacation around a launch just to see that bad boy go up!
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making it -- we're told -- the most powerful US rocket since Saturn V hurtled the Apollo spacecraft towards the moon. Cool. (http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/14/spacex-breaks-ground-at-vandenberg-air-force-base-continues-pre/)
Falcon Heavy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwRxtmQ9IY#)
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There are a number of good comments at the Transterrestrial Musings post I linked earlier. Check them out. There are at least two commenters, and probably more, who actually work or have worked in the space field. I've said before that I think it's very cool that a layman and space buff like me can read blog posts and comments from people who actually work with rockets and spacecraft.
As for the Soyuz booster family, it’s arguably the most successful set of rockets ever made. It not only has flown more than any other rocket, it’s possible that it has flown more than all other rockets put together. Yes, it has had some failures. Come back to me when any other booster has flown over 1500 times and we can compare the success rate.
Yeah, I would say that we (NASA) don't exactly have too much room to criticize after blowing up two fifths of the shuttle fleet in 135 missions.
My personal opinion is that sitting on top of several tons of highly explosive rocket fuel is a pretty crappy way to reach orbit. I'm holding out for a linear accelerator.
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(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/06/article-2034239-0DBC024000000578-753_634x462.jpg)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2034239/Phase-worlds-commercial-spaceport-90-cent-completed--time-flights-2013.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2034239/Phase-worlds-commercial-spaceport-90-cent-completed--time-flights-2013.html)
[Virgin] spaceport is now 90% completed [on schedule] - in time for first flights in 2013
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New Mexico might have to change their license plate designs!
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New Mexico might have to change their license plate designs!
::rolllaughing::