SpaceX Falcon Heavy successfully launched the Tesla Roadster and Starman!

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I can still remember waking up one morning and hearing about Sputnik (on my new transistor AM radio) before I went downstairs for breakfast.

Watching the booster coming in hot was, for me, equal to the view of the first Falcon Heavy going up.

Mars before the end of the next Presidential term? It's all up to Gwynne Shotwell. She's the one making it happen.

My first space memory was probably Columbia disintegrating. We've done nothing as impressive as the Apollo missions in my lifetime, until now. I'm amazed at the pace of progress made.

Seems the Deep State is between a rock and a hard place. They want the US to dominate space, but they don't like people talking about whatever they want. Interesting times we live in.

[freebeard]

Everybody is amazed by Mechazilla, but it was also today that the Europa Probe launched.

A landmark Heavy launch
Today's launch was the 11th overall for the Falcon Heavy, and its second interplanetary mission. It was also the first Falcon Heavy launch to require the full expenditure of the vehicle's three first-stage boosters.

Normally, the first-stage boosters for Spacex's Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 rockets reserve enough fuel to perform landing burns for recovery and reuse on future launches.

That's a full send.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Everybody is amazed by Mechazilla, but it was also today that the Europa Probe launched.


That's a full send.

Europa mission is more interesting... but we'll have folks walking around on the moon before it arrives, so Starship will be more immediately relevant.

Listened to the Europa mission on X, and learned a mission to Titan is planned soon, and I think they're sending a helicopter.

[Piotrsko]

Hmmm the possibility of seeding life on a foriegn planet via helicopter.

Wonder how they caught it without crushing the skins.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Wonder how they caught it without crushing the skins.

The rocket actually lands on 2 pegs. The chopsticks only close with enough force to align the pegs with the chopsticks.

[freebeard]

They tested that and found they needed to dampen the movement of the arms.

Have you seen the dexterity of the Optimus hand?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by freebeard

They tested that and found they needed to dampen the movement of the arms.

Have you seen the dexterity of the Optimus hand?

Since there's nearly infinite detail, I left most of it out to distill the main understanding that the chopsticks don't "catch" the rocket, they position it to land on it.

I listened to a detailed video explaining in detail the strategy for "catching" the rocket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6HdADut50

[freebeard]

Would that I were as good with computer graphics. My latest attempt is in the Mud Bubbles thread.

[redpoint5]

What would we do if we didn't have anything higher/further to aim at?