I’m no rocket scientist but this don’t look right: SN9 today.

 

I think its just having a sleep Tim. It will be upright again when it wakes up. 

Perhaps a dose of Viagra will help straighten it out... 

 

23 hours ago, n4gix said:

Perhaps a dose of Viagra will help straighten it out

Nah. It clearly doesn't need any Viagra. It's okay. They brought in "Bluto" (the giant crane) and last I checked the LabPadre Cams they were fixing to pick it up. Apparently it hit a supporting beam, or else it might have gone right through the bay wall. I gotta say to the average person (who doesn't follow this stuff anyway, I've discovered) a spectacular explosion for SN8 followed immediately by :YOUR ROCKET FALLING OVER aren't the best optics. SpaceX is proceeding at breakneck speed and their brief history is progress through failure. Very different approach than the legacy contractors like Lockheed and Boeing (yawn). As the LabPadre feeds say, 

"You have now entered the world of LabPadre... from this day forward you will have no life and learn to obsess over tiny bits of Starship progress from a view 0.75-1 mile away."

 

If you're interested, joining really is a good deal with your choice of cams and avoiding all the comments like, "How many astronauts were killed in the crash?"

13 minutes ago, Tim_Capps said:

Nah. It clearly doesn't need any Viagra. It's okay. They brought in "Bluto" (the giant crane) and last I checked the LabPadre Cams they were fixing to pick it up. Apparently it hit a supporting beam, or else it might have gone right through the bay wall. I gotta say to the average person (who doesn't follow this stuff anyway, I've discovered) a spectacular explosion for SN8 followed immediately by :YOUR ROCKET FALLING OVER aren't the best optics. SpaceX is proceeding at breakneck speed and their brief history is progress through failure. Very different approach than the legacy contractors like Lockheed and Boeing (yawn). As the LabPadre feeds say, 

"You have now entered the world of LabPadre... from this day forward you will have no life and learn to obsess over tiny bits of Starship progress from a view 0.75-1 mile away."

 

If you're interested, joining really is a good deal with your choice of cams and avoiding all the comments like, "How many astronauts were killed in the crash?"

 

 

 

So what about Blue Origin Tim? Is is as case of slow and steady wins the race? they seem to be progressing slowly but surely and without the "warts and all" video coverage of Space X. Do you think they might come from behind and scare everybody. I know I'm wary of anything that approaches from the rear. 😉 

56 minutes ago, martin-w said:

So what about Blue Origin

Slow and Steady, and Lots and Lots of Lobbying Wins the Race, but What Is the Finish Line? Moon or Filthy Lucre?

They were smart to ally themselves with legacy contractors. We have Northrop Grumman building one part of the lunar landing system, Lockheed Martin another, and Blue Origin the engine for descent (along with the landing bits). Guess Boeing is still building their deathtrap space capsule. Blue Origin sure makes some pretty promotional videos. With budget cuts and a new administration probably not all that interested in manned space flight, I don't see a three-way race continuing, SpaceX will get cut first, because their concept is just too radical. (Admittedly, it looks like we're a long way from SN8 to landing one of their behemoths on the lunar surface.) The National Team, of which Blue Origin is a part, will wind up with the contract because the big contractors have the connections (wink, wink) and it looks pretty much like the 1969 program, which is comforting to NASA. Having said that, although Blue Origin has a good engine, we don't see much actually being done by anyone but SpaceX. I think eight years and $40 billion dollars from now Artemis is indefinitely postponed, but Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Jeff Bezos have lined their pockets. Honestly, I just don't think a government space program in America has the stability and spirit such a project needs. The only ray of hope I see is that China seems serious about seizing the high ground, and has, um, "developed" the technology to do it, America might be roused by military competition. But I just don't see it, despite Jeff Bezos bragging that "Blue Origin is going to put the first woman on the moon." Seriously? That's your marketing strategy? How can you take this seriously? Just go all the way and tick all the proper boxes, Jeff... (Not that I care it's a woman or what model of homo sapiens it is, it's just way too revealing about Blue Origin.)

Remember, Elon Musk isn't interested in the moon. He's always been about Mars. I would not be shocked if there are Americans on Mars before there are any on the moon. And I wouldn't even be mildly surprised if the Chinese aren't on the moon before Americans return. China has powerful motivations and the means. Space is just a hobby to the U.S. But SpaceX depends on Elon staying healthy. I'm sure he's smart enough to provide for continuation in the event of his untimely demise, but it does very much look like a one-man space program. That's scary to me.

But most importantly--hold on. My Neurolink has dropped its bluetooth connection.

Edited December 12, 20205 yr by Tim_Capps

Well, SN9 is as of this morning like me after a night in a liberty port: vertical, but not standing on its own. If I can survive Haifa (yeah, I know what you're thinking, but not the nice part), Toulon and Marsielles in a nine-day span, SN9 can recover.