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SpaceX's giant new rocket, the Falcon Heavy, is set for its risky first test launch today (Feb. 6) from the historic Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch window stretches from 1:30 to 4 p.m. EDT (1830 to 2100 GMT). You can watch the launch live at http://www.spacex.com/webcast, beginning at 1:10 p.m. EST (1810 GMT).
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"Wir müssen wissen. Wir werden wissen."
"We must know, we shall know."
- David Hilbert, 1930 |
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 Dave 
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I literally have popcorn ready.
Godspeed FH. |
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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I literally have popcorn ready.
Godspeed FH.
Great idea. I found some microwave popcorn in the pantry in the basement. It says it's best to use by 27-April-08. It means 2108, right?
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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Launch delayed 1 hour due to weather. Upper level wind sheer is 20% above limit.
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The first test flight of Falcon Heavy is now targeted for Tuesday, Feb. 6th at 3:45 PM ET (20:45 GMT)
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Proud member of Team Aggie the Pew
"Wir müssen wissen. Wir werden wissen."
"We must know, we shall know."
- David Hilbert, 1930 |
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I'm currently watching the live show/shot |
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Dave
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PARTY TIME!
Michael how's the 10yo popcorn? |
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PARTY TIME!
Michael how's the 10yo popcorn?
He is busy in the bathroom at the moment. |
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PARTY TIME!
Michael how's the 10yo popcorn?
He is busy in the bathroom at the moment.
Shoulda paid attention to that expiry date !
edit: so is it just me or are we watching because something might go wrong? I AM NOT HOPING THAT btw. |
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PARTY TIME!
Michael how's the 10yo popcorn?
He is busy in the bathroom at the moment.
Tim, you should do stand-up comedy. LOL with your side remark. |
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PARTY TIME!
Michael how's the 10yo popcorn?
He is busy in the bathroom at the moment.
Shoulda paid attention to that expiry date !
edit: so is it just me or are we watching because something might go wrong? I AM NOT HOPING THAT btw.
Are you talking about MG or Falcon Heavy? |
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PARTY TIME!
Michael how's the 10yo popcorn?
He is busy in the bathroom at the moment.
Tim, you should do stand-up comedy. LOL with your side remark.
I always wanted to be a stand up comic. Everybody laughed then but not now I am one. |
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That was extremely good stuff! The landing of the boosters was nothing next to incredible. |
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Yes, that was absolutely incredible! The synchronized rocket landings were like a robot ballet. Hope the main stage came in OK, too.
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Proud member of Team Aggie the Pew
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"We must know, we shall know."
- David Hilbert, 1930 |
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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I learned today that two things do, in fact work:
1) Falcon Heavy.
2) 10 year old microwave popcorn.
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My lucky number is 75898524288+1 |
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I learned today that two things do, in fact work:
2) 10 year old microwave popcorn.
No need for prunes then? |
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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I learned today that two things do, in fact work:
2) 10 year old microwave popcorn.
No need for prunes then?
I was more worried about FH than the popcorn. :)
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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Live views of Starman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M
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My lucky number is 75898524288+1 |
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The landing of the boosters was nothing next to incredible.
This is something which caught everyone's attention. |
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Live views of Starman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr2kKAHN6M
Too bad they didn't make him a robot or at least have the ability to move his arm. Now that would be cool as he waved at us. |
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Crun-chiVolunteer tester
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So they put car in orbit around Earth. But in time car will fall down to Earth: that will be huge meteorite :)
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92*10^1585996-1 NEAR-REPDIGIT PRIME :) :) :)
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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So they put car in orbit around Earth. But in time car will fall down to Earth: that will be huge meteorite :)
6 hours after launch the Falcon Heavy second stage will have a third burn to send the Roadster out of Earth orbit on a trajectory that will take it out to the orbit of Mars. It will be in an elliptical orbit with its periapsis at Earth's orbit and its apoapsis at Mars' orbit. It should be in that orbit for a billion years or so, circling the sun between Earth and Mars.
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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Live stream of FH news conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KORTP545vAc
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Crun-chiVolunteer tester
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So they put car in orbit around Earth. But in time car will fall down to Earth: that will be huge meteorite :)
6 hours after launch the Falcon Heavy second stage will have a third burn to send the Roadster out of Earth orbit on a trajectory that will take it out to the orbit of Mars. It will be in an elliptical orbit with its periapsis at Earth's orbit and its apoapsis at Mars' orbit. It should be in that orbit for a billion years or so, circling the sun between Earth and Mars.
So there is not enough junk on Earth , now we pollute universe :)
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Absolutely text book stuff, the booster landings were amazing! I find it hilarious that there is now a Tesla car with a mannequin strapped into the driving seat floating around in space for ever more. |
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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Absolutely text book stuff, the booster landings were amazing! I find it hilarious that there is now a Tesla car with a mannequin strapped into the driving seat floating around in space for ever more.
There's a cherry red Tesla Roadster in orbit, with a mannequin inside a real spacesuit in the drivers seat. (Yes, that spacesuit is real. It's the only part of the "payload" that actually is space qualified. It's one of the qualification articles for their spacesuits.)
Even more fun...
On the dashboard of the real Tesla Roadster is a Hot Wheels version of a cherry red Tesla Roadster, with a miniature version of the spacesuited mannequin in the driver's seat.
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Dave
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I wonder how the automotive materials are going to cope at 2.7°K..
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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I wonder how the automotive materials are going to cope at 2.7°K..
We'll never know. The batteries were only intended to last about 12 hours. The 2nd stage and Roadster are now an inert hunk of junk orbiting the sun between Earth and the asteroid belt. (The last burn was until the fuel was depleted, and they got a bit more than they hoped for. The Tesla's apoapsis is higher than expected, beyond Mars' orbit and is in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.)
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So there is not enough junk on Earth , now we pollute universe :)
TheDawgz agree.
Just another reason why the dolphins should sing ... "So long! So long! So long, and thanks for all the fish!"
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Michael GoetzVolunteer moderator
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Last picture from the Roadster: https://www.instagram.com/p/Be6VZEzgAEk/
Note that since the Roadster must travel in a prograde direction to raise the apoapsis of its solar orbit, and the sun is to the left in that picture, Earth is upside down in that image. The South Pole is at the top.
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http://spaceweather.com/ contains details of where the Roadster currently is complete with some amateur photos of it. I imagine this will drop off the front page of the website soon but the reference 2018-017A ought to track it down for some time to come |
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I had plans to go after the Roadster since its faint magnitude is definitely within reach (it is losing about 0.8 mag per day and currently sits around 17.6). However, its declination is around -26 deg which puts it way too close to my horizon. Those in the southern hemisphere and/or with access to scopes down south have a much easier time of it. |
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This is a cool website. Based on what they are posting, the roadster is not moving away from Earth nearly as fast as it's approaching Mars.
http://www.whereisroadster.com/ |
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