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Elon Musk’s SpaceX Launches Rocket Carrying Space Station Cargo

PoS

PoS

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/science/spacex-launch-kennedy-space-center.html?_r=0

A Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation — SpaceX — was launched, quickly disappearing into a low cloud deck, with 5,500 pounds of supplies, experiments and other cargo headed to the International Space Station.
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Awesome! :mrgreen:

Here is the really good part:

SpaceX was again able to recover the booster stage. As the second stage ignited to push the cargo capsule to orbit, the booster turned around back toward land. Eight minutes after it left the ground, it set down on a landing site a few miles away.
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It shows that rockets can indeed be reusable. Everyone thought it couldn't be done, but Elon Musk and his team persevered and won!

I personally believe that the way forward in space exploration and colonization is through private industry. The Apollo landings were a fluke at a time when the public was enamored and determined to beat the Russians, but that enthusiasm quickly faded away. If we're going to build permanent colonies then there has to be a financial reason to do so- to go to another planet just for the sake of going there is no longer feasible. There has to be a pot of gold waiting for us, and that is through profit.

Columbus discovered the New World not because he just wanted to go exploring, but because he sensed there was profit in it. Instead of drill baby drill, we need to say, fly baby, fly! :cool:
 
PoS said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/science/spacex-launch-kennedy-space-center.html?_r=0



Awesome! :mrgreen:

Here is the really good part:



It shows that rockets can indeed be reusable. Everyone thought it couldn't be done, but Elon Musk and his team persevered and won!

I personally believe that the way forward in space exploration and colonization is through private industry. The Apollo landings were a fluke at a time when the public was enamored and determined to beat the Russians, but that enthusiasm quickly faded away. If we're going to build permanent colonies then there has to be a financial reason to do so- to go to another planet just for the sake of going there is no longer feasible. There has to be a pot of gold waiting for us, and that is through profit.

Columbus discovered the New World not because he just wanted to go exploring, but because he sensed there was profit in it. Instead of drill baby drill, we need to say, fly baby, fly! :cool:
Click to expand...

About time. I have been keeping track of their failed efforts to do this. So I am happy they finally succeeded. Also that financial reason you are looking for? Natural Resources. The solar system is literally swimming in stuff we need and will need here.
 
ModerateGOP said:
About time. I have been keeping track of their failed efforts to do this. So I am happy they finally succeeded. Also that financial reason you are looking for? Natural Resources. The solar system is literally swimming in stuff we need and will need here.
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I completely agree. Researchers have said that Mars pretty much contains all the minerals found on Earth, so this will be a mining bonanza for future colonists (My newest book actually is about this hehe :mrgreen:).
 
PoS said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/science/spacex-launch-kennedy-space-center.html?_r=0

Awesome! :mrgreen:

Here is the really good part:

It shows that rockets can indeed be reusable. Everyone thought it couldn't be done, but Elon Musk and his team persevered and won!

I personally believe that the way forward in space exploration and colonization is through private industry. The Apollo landings were a fluke at a time when the public was enamored and determined to beat the Russians, but that enthusiasm quickly faded away. If we're going to build permanent colonies then there has to be a financial reason to do so- to go to another planet just for the sake of going there is no longer feasible. There has to be a pot of gold waiting for us, and that is through profit.

Columbus discovered the New World not because he just wanted to go exploring, but because he sensed there was profit in it. Instead of drill baby drill, we need to say, fly baby, fly! :cool:
Click to expand...
.

I'm with you. Bringing space travel into the private sector is one of the important economic experiments/advances the US is making and demonstrates a major relative strength of the American system.
 
PoS said:
I completely agree. Researchers have said that Mars pretty much contains all the minerals found on Earth, so this will be a mining bonanza for future colonists (My newest book actually is about this hehe :mrgreen:).
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Unfortunately though, we will probably have to fight another war (I call it the future resource war) for anybody but idealistic Billionaires to care about it. Have you been watching the Expanse on Syfy? It's all about this really.
 
ModerateGOP said:
Unfortunately though, we will probably have to fight another war (I call it the future resource war) for anybody but idealistic Billionaires to care about it. Have you been watching the Expanse on Syfy? It's all about this really.
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Oh I binged watched the first season in one weekend. I'm waiting til season 2 finishes so I can binge it too. Im so sick and tired of watching space operas like Trek and Wars, so The Expanse was a breath of fresh air when it came because of the realistic use of physics and science.
 
PoS said:
Oh I binged watched the first season in one weekend. I'm waiting til season 2 finishes so I can binge it too. Im so sick and tired of watching space operas like Trek and Wars, so The Expanse was a breath of fresh air when it came because of the realistic use of physics and science.
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I don't see how things don't end up exactly like on the show in the broad political and scientific ways in which they portray the future of colonization.
 
PoS said:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/science/spacex-launch-kennedy-space-center.html?_r=0



Awesome! :mrgreen:

Here is the really good part:



It shows that rockets can indeed be reusable. Everyone thought it couldn't be done, but Elon Musk and his team persevered and won!

I personally believe that the way forward in space exploration and colonization is through private industry. The Apollo landings were a fluke at a time when the public was enamored and determined to beat the Russians, but that enthusiasm quickly faded away. If we're going to build permanent colonies then there has to be a financial reason to do so- to go to another planet just for the sake of going there is no longer feasible. There has to be a pot of gold waiting for us, and that is through profit.

Columbus discovered the New World not because he just wanted to go exploring, but because he sensed there was profit in it. Instead of drill baby drill, we need to say, fly baby, fly! :cool:
Click to expand...

I admire Musk. In his solar business, all the patents are open source/public domain. He's seems to operate with good ethical principles. If he makes any breakthroughs the gov't will demonize him and use bankruptcy to create new owners of his company, just like Adelphia.
/
 
The Shuttle showed us that reusable spacecraft may not be as economical as we thought. So the rocket is recovered, what does it take to make it serviceable again? Particularly concerning the virtually-zero tolerance for failure that we have in space travel?
 
ModerateGOP said:
I don't see how things don't end up exactly like on the show in the broad political and scientific ways in which they portray the future of colonization.
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Well one thing that will never go away is war. I'm pretty sure humans will never stop fighting.

Deuce said:
The Shuttle showed us that reusable spacecraft may not be as economical as we thought. So the rocket is recovered, what does it take to make it serviceable again? Particularly concerning the virtually-zero tolerance for failure that we have in space travel?
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I think the fact that SpaceX offers significantly reduced prices for launches as compared to their competitors bodes well for them and is factored in to their cost. I believe their next launch will be from a re-used rocket, so this will be interesting.

The SS was touted as reusable, but their heat shield and engines had to be rebuilt from scratch with every launch.
 
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