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Space Businesses ISS NASA

Watch Live: SpaceX Launches NASA Astronauts to ISS (geekwire.com) 116

"Crew Dragon's hatch is closed, securing @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug in the spacecraft ahead of liftoff," SpaceX tweeted an hour ago.

Livestreaming of the launch has already begun, with liftoff scheduled in about 41 minutes.

GeekWire reports: If liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida occurs today at 3:22 p.m. ET (12:22 p.m. PT), it'll be a feat that America hasn't been able to perform since NASA retired its space shuttles, nearly nine years ago. "We are going to launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine declared during a launch-eve briefing at the space center's countdown clock.

But even Bridenstine acknowledged that's not a sure bet for today. "Weather challenges remain with a 50% chance of cancellation," he tweeted this morning. A drenching rainstorm swept over Florida's Space Coast overnight, but the skies cleared up this morning... The launch can be scrubbed at any time, all the way down to the last second, if the weather doesn't cooperate or if a technical glitch arises. If the gumdrop-shaped Crew Dragon doesn't lift off today, Sunday is an option. The chances of acceptable weather are expected to improve to 60%. The weather outlook is even better for a June 2 backup opportunity...

Hurley and Behnken, who are both experienced shuttle astronauts, are scheduled to rendezvous with the space station on Sunday and move in alongside its current occupants, NASA's Chris Cassidy and Russia's Anatoly Ivanishin. NASA hasn't yet decided how long the Dragon riders will spend in orbit. Their stay could be as short as six weeks, or as long as 16 weeks, depending on how the test mission proceeds. For the return trip, Hurley and Behnken will strap themselves back inside the Dragon and descend to an Atlantic splashdown.

This whole flight serves as an initial demonstration of the Crew Dragon's capabilities with an actual crew aboard. If the mission is successful, yet another Crew Dragon will carry four different astronauts to the space station weeks after Hurley and Behnken return.

Reuters reporter Joey Roulette also spotted NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman by the side of the road as his fellow astronauts drove by. He was holding a sign that said "Take me with you."

And GeekWire notes that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine sees this event as historic. "I really think, when we look into the future, we're going to see these models of doing business with public-private partnerships apply not just to low Earth orbit... but we're taking this model to the moon and even on to Mars."

UPDATE: SpaceX just tweeted that the re-usable Falcon 9 booster rocket "has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship!"
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Watch Live: SpaceX Launches NASA Astronauts to ISS

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  • Some clouds, but a lot of blue sky...

    Not commented on in the summary, but I also like the new space suits a lot - even if they are kind of reminiscent of a Sony Asimo [wordpress.com] robot... :-)

    • by lgw ( 121541 )

      Congrats to the SpaceX team and the KSC ground crew for a successful launch!

      I think what the astronauts are wearing are better described as "vacuum-safe flight suits" not "space suits", as they're not constant-volume and it would be very fatiguing to move your arms or legs in a vacuum. Still, it's great to see the right gear for the purpose.

      If anyone's interested in the follow-up of the Starship SN-4 explosion, Scott Manley did a good analysis video [youtube.com] from all the available footage of the incident. Certainly

      • by Rei ( 128717 )

        Yeah, Manley's video was really good. SpaceX has had more trouble with the GSE for Starship than with the vehicle itself so far. Dealing with densified methalox is clearly a learning experience. That fuel-air detonation was impressive.

        • by lgw ( 121541 )

          Well, the GSE is all more improvised than anything at this point. Guess they learned it needs more attention. The fuel-air detonation was too fast and energetic IMO to have been methane with atmospheric oxygen - it never mixes evenly enough to get a sharp bang like that. Makes me think both methane and lox were spilled. It certainly looked like SN4 itself blew from the inside, but I guess it would, however things started, once the common bulkhead ruptured.

  • Go baby go! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TigerPlish ( 174064 ) on Saturday May 30, 2020 @02:35PM (#60126010)

    Look at that thing to! Good to see USA back into space.

    But to me the real party trick is landing a rocket on its feet, like in 1930's science fiction. That is truly a thing to behold.

    Von Braun and Oberth and Goddard are all smiles right now, as is every kid who ever launched a model rocket and dreams to be among the stars.

    Godspeed, and may the winds be at your back.

    • But to me the real party trick is landing a rocket on its feet, like in 1930's science fiction. That is truly a thing to behold.

      I agree, that is amazing every time I see it... it was pretty funny the satellite live view on the platform cut out JUST as it was about to land, returning a few seconds later showing the rocket already landed...

      I hope that doesn't fuel too many conspiracy theories about the rocket not actually landing and them swapping in a fresh one on the pad while the video was out. :-)

      So aweso

      • by quenda ( 644621 )

        it was pretty funny the satellite live view on the platform cut out JUST as it was about to land, returning a few seconds later showing the rocket already landed...

        This is normal. Apparently, having a 70m-tall rocket to a landing burn right next to your ship causes some instability, and the directional transmission antenna can lose aim.
        Who'd have thought?
          Landings at the launch site, rather than at sea, are not affected like this.

    • Re:Go baby go! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Applehu Akbar ( 2968043 ) on Saturday May 30, 2020 @03:28PM (#60126156)

      During the live feed, the SpaceX rep pointed out that relanding the first stage is not entirely about reusability. Each of these relanding attempts is practice for landing on the Moon and planets. In fact, the altitude at which the Falcon first stages relights approximates conditions at Mars. This is why SpaceX is going to the trouble of a full landing burn, rather than just parachuting into a "pencil cup" capture device for the last part of the descent.

      • They tried parachutes already, they disintergrated during reentry. The landing burn is done because it is the best way to recover the stage, not because it simulates some kind of mars conditions. Using spare performance of the first stage to land it allows them to recover it without adding too much unnecessary weight such as via parachutes.
        • They would have to do that initial post-separation burn, to slow down into the upper atmosphere, but they could have used steerable parachutes for the final landing.

    • by k6mfw ( 1182893 )

      Von Braun and Oberth and Goddard are all smiles right now

      A friend said these guys are more of physicists rather than engineers considering propulsion, attitude control, etc. These guys had to get 100% funding from governments to carry out their visions. These days not so much so new space has more leeway on vehicle design and what to do in space. They still need a boost of tax payer money but Dennis Wingo pointed out that going with pure govt funding it can all come to a halt when govt policy changes i.e. Apollo.

      However the new space people stand on the shoulde

      • They still need a boost of tax payer money but Dennis Wingo pointed out that going with pure govt funding it can all come to a halt when govt policy changes i.e. Apollo.

        This is why I keep telling Dennis that we need to focus on getting private space going. He continues to suggest that it is a waste of money. Yet, by getting private space stations going AND getting multiple nations up to them, it does the private funding that CONgress will no doubt try to kill. Again.

        As to fuels, the new space is WAY AHEAD of national systems, including NASA's. For example, it was SX and BO that really pushed Methane, and these will be the first that have put it into production.
        In addi

        • by k6mfw ( 1182893 )

          I don't think Dennis said private space was a waste of money, unless I missed something of his concept that space should be considered an economic development with both govt and industry play a role. I thought some of the stuff he wrote was interesting but like others i.e. Paul Spudis we will have to see how this all works out.

          Methane, it must have considered by those of the Berlin Rocketry Club pointed out by by TigerPlish that dinked around with all sorts of nasty propellants. I've read elsewhere these

          • Mea culpa. I should have said private space STATION. I'm a fan of putting up several space stations and getting other nations to use them. For 100M, other nations could get a person on a 6 month trip. And easy enough to sell this, if done RIGHT.
      • A friend said these guys are more of physicists rather than engineers considering propulsion, attitude control, etc.

        Long before Apollo, Gemini, Mercury, the A4/V2 and all that, Oberth and Von Braun were members of what I call the "Berlin Rocketry Club" - the Society for Space Travel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

        Both of them were hands-on hobbyists before they got to be physicsts. Goddard was all hands-on too. All of them blew up a lot of stuff. It happens in rocketry, old or new, small or big.

        The Berlin Rocketry Club scared people with their little hobby, so they were ran out of town on the basis a trumped-up unpa

    • The problem is that we are about to have too many rockets with not enough economic support for these. We need to get multiple private space stations going, along with a true shooting for the lunar base.
    • This isn't the USA going back into space. This is private business going into space. The US government gave up on going back to space.
      • This isn't the USA going back into space. This is private business going into space. The US government gave up on going back to space.

        An american business (SpaceX)

        The astronauts are American.

        The craft flies the American flag.

        You're just the life of every party you go to, aren't you?

        you DO REALIZE that even in the stone age of the the Space Race, 10 years before I was born, everything was made by private industry, right? Rockwell, North American Aviation, Rocketdyne, Grumman.. MIT made the computers. Yeah, grad students building computers that guided us to the moon and back. What were *you* doing in grad school?

        The US Government *never*

      • by Kjella ( 173770 )

        This isn't the USA going back into space. This is private business going into space. The US government gave up on going back to space.

        They're spending billions of dollars each year on that with the SLS. Now I know you can claim it'll never fly, but that's the plan and they're funding it which doesn't look like giving up to me.

      • This isn't the USA going back into space. This is private business going into space. The US government gave up on going back to space.

        USA is much more than the government. It's the people: you know, the whole reason for a government in the first place. For bonus points, can you tell who and or what runs businesses?

        I rate your post 4/5 stars, would respond to troll again.

  • The entire launch and 1st stage landing were flawless!

    • The feed cut out right at the landing part :(
      • by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Saturday May 30, 2020 @02:52PM (#60126058)

        They obviously cut to another drone ship where a mockup of the landed rocket was already installed. And if you watch the camera view from inside the crew capsule there was almost no movement from the crew that would indicate g forces. This whole thing was clearly faked. :p

        • They obviously cut to another drone ship where a mockup of the landed rocket was already installed. And if you watch the camera view from inside the crew capsule there was almost no movement from the crew that would indicate g forces. This whole thing was clearly faked. :p

          Are you joking, or are you completely retarded?
          Serious question.

        • by antdude ( 79039 )

          What about the launch, orbit, dock, etc.? :P

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        The feed cut out right at the landing part :(

        If you've been watching the landings, you'd know they always lose signal from the fact that a rocket is landing on the deck. Sure it kind of sucks, but you can always watch the video later.

        For idiots that think they are hiding something, you might look harder and see that they crash those first stages a hell of a lot of the time and have never pretended otherwise. Sometimes Musk even jokes about it.

    • I was on the edge of my seat, hoping for a safe voyage and realizing I was watching history being made. Thankfully, totally flawless. Congratulations, SpaceX! Looking forward to the future of space.

  • USA at its best (Score:4, Interesting)

    by memory_register ( 6248354 ) on Saturday May 30, 2020 @02:43PM (#60126034)
    The dream of America is uniting in a common vision and common purpose. Today's launch showed the promise of the American Dream writ across the sky.
  • by k6mfw ( 1182893 ) on Saturday May 30, 2020 @02:49PM (#60126048)

    now looking at Dragon sep from 2nd stage. [break] Old guy here, I remember watching Apollo and early Shuttle launches, always 4 am pacific time! At least this time it is reasonable time for me. Plus video better, cool onboard video views, speed and altitude indicators.

    Go back to 1981 watching STS-1 on a small B&W TV set with rabbit ears in the dormitory, many came to my room because the ghosting effect was minimal. And yes we all got up really early to watch the launch. There was that first launch attempt of STS-1 which I never did understand why the computers never synced at T-20 min. Later that morning in the math class I noticed everyone trying their best to not snooze off because everyone didn't get that much sleep that night.

    Fast forward to now, better viewing options. I notice Falcon leaves the ground slowly unlike Shuttle that leaps off the pad. Logically I know reasons why (liquid engines, solids) but still interesting perspective. Overall interesting to see the actual stuff SpaceX has delivered as most stuff presented before comes in bits and pieces

    • But the exact worst time of day to launch from Florida, where the afternoon stormy weather is at its height. This mission had to launch at that exact time to sync orbits with the ISS.

      But the mission was perfect, and amazing. I love living in the future.

      • by k6mfw ( 1182893 )
        Yes, good point per orbital mechanics and with Florida weather a 7 am launch preferred as the weather is not as rocky like later in the day. You may have heard the old joke what's the difference of 20% chance of showers and 80% chance of showers in FL. Answer is none. But that piece of land closer to equator but adjusting azimuth provides places to dump staging (unless you can return it!). Then there is Baikonur where there is no "weather," either really hot or really cold so you can schedule a Soyuz launch
        • The overall requirements are open water to the east, as close to the equator as possible, and easy access for barged large components. I have always thought that Brownsville, TX would be a better spaceport site than Florida. And sure enough, that's where SpaceX is going to launch its next-generation manned ships from.

    • by Rei ( 128717 ) on Saturday May 30, 2020 @04:14PM (#60126304) Homepage

      Part of it is an optical illusion. Falcon 9 is a taller rocket than the Shuttle stack, which makes it look slower. Also, it has an initial hold-down (to ensure that everything is operating nominally), which the Shuttle didn't have.

      To me, the biggest difference watching it was how much of a smoother ride it was. Shuttle really shook its occupants around.

  • Everybody involved did a great job - they made it look easy.

  • It was like no other NASA craft or launch... the way the Dragon capsule was lit up, the slick spacesuits, the style of the commentary, the new shape of the fiery rocket exhaust, the first stage landing successfully... reminded me of Starship Troopers. This must be how Peter Weyland got his start.
    • by lgw ( 121541 )

      The rocket exhaust looked pretty much the same as the Saturn 5's, beyond a few more engines. The Space Shuttle looked very different because of the huge solid rocket boosters, which have a very bright flame. Purely liquid fueled is the higher-tech approach.

      • The rocket exhaust looked pretty much the same as the Saturn 5's, beyond a few more engines. The Space Shuttle looked very different because of the huge solid rocket boosters, which have a very bright flame. Purely liquid fueled is the higher-tech approach.

        Just my opinion, but I thought the rocket exhaust looked considerably different from any other staged rockets I had ever seen, including Saturn V's. But, you know, from far away, everyone looks identical. Two listening to or looking at the same thing do not hear and see the same thing. And I can't find a picture that illustrates exactly what I thought was so unique, but to attempt to describe it, from a suggested sliced of cross section, it was something like a triangle in a diamond, possibly a hexagram, wh

  • Historic first launch of a human crew on a Falcon 9 rocket.
    Historic first crewed Dragon-2 space flight.
    Also they got the F9 first stage landed on the drone ship OCISLY perfectly.

    Lots of engineers have spent a decade working on this.

    Best wishes Bob, Doug, and Mr. Musk.

    E

  • It was mildly clever to have this unofficial "race" between Boeing and SpaceX and SX really pulled it off as the underdog. When Starliner launches it'll be nice to see sure but this really takes the wind out of their sails. Also the fact that apparently Starliner per seat is $35,000,000 more than Dragon ($90m vs $55m).

  • The CNN "live stream" of the launch appeared to be edited. First you see the astronauts and the rocket still, then suddenly they show the rocket already up in the air. Likely, CNN was showing a broadcast that's 10s of seconds delayed, then somebody switched it to live when the rocket was already launched. Incompetents.

    • BBC almost ruined it.
      They had a very large red banner covering the bottom 30% of the screen.

      The NASA camera person kept rocking the camera and the rocket slipped into the bottom of the picture.
      Obviously out of practice.
      .

  • LIVE FEED KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ALIENS. Literally 2 seconds later they stopped the live feed and went to mike pence talking. Lol Funny
  • Trump almost ruined it for me.

    Going on about the Space Force and how America made this.

    Glad to hear the BBC correct him about how international it was.

  • And a Alien Space craft just pops out of nowhere. The entire world see's it. Imagine...
    • by Jeremi ( 14640 )

      And a Alien Space craft just pops out of nowhere. The entire world see's it. Imagine...

      The one thing that would convince the conspiracy theorists that aliens don't exist is solid proof of an alien spacecraft. They'd immediately start claiming that it was a trick/special-effect/distraction/whatever, because they don't care about the truth, they only care about opposing whatever they believe the "official narrative" is, so that they can feel special.

  • It's been so sad to watch the U.S. follow its clearly downward spiral over the last couple decades. I grew up in a world where they were clearly on top, and they were clearly the "good guys." From the outside it's been a spectacular fall, like watching a cruise ship slowly sink while the passengers shit in the pool. I realize Americans exist in a bubble that reinforces the belief in their own greatness, but even that mirage must be dissipating now.

    I hope this reinvigorates their faith in themselves, and

  • Now space travel is just another commercial enterprise. At one time it was jingoistic facet of the Cold War as the US raced the USSR to the Moon (which the USSR was evidently unaware of, since it didn't bother to race). Then we sort of grew out of that with the ISS and cooperation in non-militarized space just above our planet. Now we have a Space Force for the overgrown children playing army and a high-priced ride off our traumatized Earth for the few who can afford it (or those hired hands who work for t

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