Starship News

[ArlyA]

More about Space X moon shot.

 

[ponytug]

Does anyone else watch these videos and think "what happens when the elevator needs repair? The nearest repair parts are going to be how far away?"

 

[MossRoad]

Does anyone else watch these videos and think "what happens when the elevator needs repair? The nearest repair parts are going to be how far away?"

Fed-X!

 

[ArlyA]

If you don't try anything, then you can reduce the risk to zero.

 

[ponytug]

If you don't try anything, then you can reduce the risk to zero.

I'm not totally risk averse, but I do think that the whole Artemis program is not well thought through and reads to me like a PR boondoggle, especially if one compares it to how well the autonomous vehicles are doing on Mars. Lots of great things going on there, if you leave out the "leave behind and pick up later sample tubes" concept that is such a blatant lure for the follow up mission.

It just occurs to me that setting down a 150' tower on an irregular and unexplored surface might present more than a few challenges with balance. At least on the moon there is no wind, unlike Mars. Imagine trying to land it on a random spot on earth, and then blast out a hole from the soil (regolith), leaving behind the big, heavy boulders and rocks and stay balanced. LEM is a piece of cake by contrast. If sending humans to the moon is the goal, why not fly several LEM like craft rather than a giant magic marker? I suspect that the reason is really just a warm up for a Mars trip

The Artemis mission plan reads to me like it is solely a warm up for a human Mars venture. However, the current evidence is that the radiation dose that would be received while traveling to Mars is going to be high enough for moderate to severe damage to humans, so why not be upfront with the Mars human trip as a one way trip, and those who go will know that they will either starve to death or die of radiation sickness or radiation induced disease or a Mars windstorm that blows out their habitat, ala the "Martian"?

In the vein of "Jurassic World III", I guess that I would file myself as more an astronomer than an astronaut; I don't see the value in having a human litter the moon or Mars by hitting a golf ball, and pretty much everything else can be done by robots for less cost. (Ok, cheap shot, I know, but still.)

Robotics has come a long way, and when every ounce is fought for, humans seem to me like an extreme luxury, because all of the added mass that must be shipped along for life support. Just me. I'm not running the programs.

The James Web was incredibly risky, and if it dies today, it will have still delivered incredible data and value to humanity. We didn't send human astronomers out to the Lagrangian point to explore it, and run the telescope.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ArlyA]

Another update video and a good one I might add.

 

[dmccarty]

If you don't try anything, then you can reduce the risk to zero.

Yep. What Musk has done with Starlink and Space X is astounding. I think people get so used too technological advances and we get blase about them. How many billions of tax payer dollars have been spent on the space program and we have been pretty much doing the same old process. Build expensive, single use rocket and repeat. The Space Shuttle was an exception but it's reusability, and cost savings, never panned out.

Space X is a game changer and is allowing Starlink. The EU is going to have to use Space X to put up some of their satellites because they can no longer use Russian launchers and their own next generation rocket is behind schedule.

I wish someone would have some competition with Space X and thus Starlink but Musk is so far ahead it is going to be hard to catch up to those companies.

 

[IXLR8]

Just noticed on "Spaceflightnow.com" that Starship is scheduled to launch 17-Nov.
Launch time: 7:00 -11:20 a.m. CST (8 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. EST / 1300-1720 UTC)
Launch site: Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas

 

[newbury]

Robotics has come a long way, and when every ounce is fought for, humans seem to me like an extreme luxury, because all of the added mass that must be shipped along for life support. Just me. I'm not running the programs.

Besides, by 2035 or 2050 AI & robots will control the world, if we keep them running.

 

[IXLR8]

Just noticed on "Spaceflightnow.com" that Starship is scheduled to launch 17-Nov.
Launch time: 7:00 -11:20 a.m. CST (8 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. EST / 1300-1720 UTC)
Launch site: Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas

EDIT- just noticed that the launch date is listed as "Not Earlier Than" 17-Nov