Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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Neat. Instead of dropping in the Gulf it returned to the launch site.
This suborbital flight is designed to test a number of objectives, from how the vehicle’s three Raptor engines perform, and the overall aerodynamic entry capabilities of the vehicle, including its body flaps, to how the vehicle manages propellant transition. SN8 will also attempt to perform a landing flip maneuver, which would be a first for a vehicle of this size.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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To be fair, sticking the landing would have been icing on the cake. For the first try, I think it turned out pretty well- and the next iteration or two will manage it. The neat thing is they have been lining them up so I think they almost even have sn11 built already.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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According to testing aims the ability to flip such a large rocket’s attitude mid-flight to prepare for vertical landing is extraordinarily difficult. I wouldn’t want to be on that thing to feel what that would feel like. Is this thing supposed to be a cargo transport or for human passengers to return to earth?
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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shinzen wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 5:57 pm That hovering on a single raptor engine was ridiculous. And the fins worked perfectly to stabilize it. Although it didn't quite stick the landing, They'll be ready with SN9- bet that one sticks it.
It stuck the landing just fine.

It appears as though it returned exactly where it was intended to return. To damn near the square meter.

I wouldn't venture to speculate what other goals had been established for this; spacex has demonstrated proficiency in returning launch equipment, thus I'm of a mind that getting it back in one piece may not have been today's purpose. Getting it to 40k was pretty spectacular all by itself.

Pretty fucking cool.

Take that Branson!!! Go home to your spice girl and cry like a baby!
Subliterate Buffooery of the right...
Literate Ignorance of the left...
We Are So Screwed

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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lurker wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 3:15 am y'all are making this sound like a small problem, looks more like catastrophic failure to me.
i think i'll pass until they get the bugs out.
Pretty firm reminder, I won’t be booking a flight... :roflmao:
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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lurker wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 3:15 am y'all are making this sound like a small problem, looks more like catastrophic failure to me.
i think i'll pass until they get the bugs out.
Elon gave It a 30% chance of success. They will analyze the data, make corrections, try another one, rinse, repeat. It’s different from how NASA does things but achieves things faster and cheaper in the end. NASA does great things but they are SLOW and expensive manpower intensive.
'Sorry stupid people but there are some definite disadvantages to being stupid."

-John Cleese

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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Elon Musk, one of our new carpetbaggers moving to Texas. Rumors have him looking for a home on Lake Travis in Austin, TX.
"Being Republican is more than a difference of opinion - it's a character flaw." "COVID can fix STUPID!"
The greatest, most aggrieved mistake EVER made in USA was electing DJT as POTUS.

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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rolandson wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 12:54 am
shinzen wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 5:57 pm That hovering on a single raptor engine was ridiculous. And the fins worked perfectly to stabilize it. Although it didn't quite stick the landing, They'll be ready with SN9- bet that one sticks it.
It stuck the landing just fine.

It appears as though it returned exactly where it was intended to return. To damn near the square meter.

I wouldn't venture to speculate what other goals had been established for this; spacex has demonstrated proficiency in returning launch equipment, thus I'm of a mind that getting it back in one piece may not have been today's purpose. Getting it to 40k was pretty spectacular all by itself.

Pretty fucking cool.

Take that Branson!!! Go home to your spice girl and cry like a baby!
By stuck the landing, meant not going up in flames. They absolutely nailed the return, and with minor tweaks the next iterations will be landing with no kabooms- wasn't the core of the test for yesterday anyway. :)
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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It took Gaston 17 times before he perfected his Wonder.

Elon Musk has been pissed at CA since Newsom wouldn't allow his Tesla plant to re-open during the middle of the pandemic. He's a billionaire and temperamental like the one in the WH, he can move to TX for residency and "no state income tax" and still leave some of his empire in CA.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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Mason wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 9:24 am
Elon gave It a 30% chance of success. They will analyze the data, make corrections, try another one, rinse, repeat. It’s different from how NASA does things but achieves things faster and cheaper in the end. NASA does great things but they are SLOW and expensive manpower intensive.
this.

I'm not privy to the goals of this test. I don't think they've been published...in their entirety. What I do know, one goal was to achieve a specific altitude. They did. Then the damn thing came back to where they wanted it.

It may very well be that this was a test of fuel, thrust, engine performance, and perhaps flight characteristics...and they weren't planning on expending fuel for a soft landing.

They already know how to land these things where they want them...they've been rather successful at that for a while now. When the guy, who paid out of his pocket, calls seeing his project erupt into a fireball a "success", I tend to defer to letting him spend his money as he sees fit.

I think it's pretty fucking spectacular them doing what they're doing without government oversight.
Subliterate Buffooery of the right...
Literate Ignorance of the left...
We Are So Screwed

Re: Starship SN8 test flight live

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My lack of enthusiasm stems from my general dislike of elon, also, I'm not too fond of the idea of no government oversight mentioned above. Planes and airlines require oversight supposedly, if this endeavor doesn't then I am totally against it. Frankly, this is what I want my government to do, expand and develop space travel. I don't see privatization and for profit space travel as somehow a great thing. I prefer a peoples owned, government, system bringing us to space. My perspective.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

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