Biggest rocket ...

[spygirl 7,588]

or biggest bang.

Place your bets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957

[Libspero 1,502]

Looks interesting..  space science/exploration does need more investment if it is going to be our only way off this rock eventually.

I’d like to see some kind of competition to capture the interest of the public..  like building manned space craft in the ISS and racing them around earth.

edit to add:  and extra points if they look like Xwings and Tie-fighters

Edited February 6 by Libspero

[spygirl 7,588]

We need to brave Somali and Muslim astronauts to populate Mars ...

[Hopeful 5,425]

All well and good,

But the payload for this test flight was Musk's old roadster car, wth a dummy passenger and playing Bowie's Space Oddity on a loop

In my opinion, this stunt has elevated Musk to cunt status.

Quote

The car will] get about 400 million km away from Earth, and it'll be doing 11km/s," he told reporters in a briefing on Monday. "We estimate it will be in that orbit for several hundred million years, maybe in excess of a billion years

Why is our rspect for space or the Universe so small that we feel free to litter it for no more than our ego ?

I understand the need for a dummy payload, but in ths case the car wasn't even a full dummy payload as the rocket is capable of lifting 64 tonnes with a maximum payload of 8 tonnes if fully reused.

The car could have returned to Earth, it didn't need to go into Mars orbit just to show the size of Elon's dick.

 

Edited February 6 by Hopeful

[Turned Out Nice Again 1,271]

Still dwarfed by the venerable Saturn V I notice. Once we were giants.

[dgul 4,300]

4 minutes ago, Turned Out Nice Again said:

Still dwarfed by the venerable Saturn V I notice. Once we were giants.

What I find amazing is that the Saturn V is 'only' double (ish) the payload.  They are getting big now.

[Turned Out Nice Again 1,271]

1 minute ago, dgul said:

What I find amazing is that the Saturn V is 'only' double (ish) the payload.  They are getting big now.

41 metric tonnes vs 16.8

[DeepLurker 985]

16 minutes ago, Turned Out Nice Again said:

Still dwarfed by the venerable Saturn V I notice. Once we were giants.

True, although the Saturn V was the product of a dick-waving contest between the USA and the USSR.

Since then, rockets have reverted to a size compatible with the more modest demands of putting satellites into orbit. The Falcon Heavy is big, but it's based on an existing rocket so development costs were reduced. I believe that it's not expected to fly that often - it's mainly aimed at the US military who like their spy sats to be really big.

[Horrified Onlooker 1,153]

2 hours ago, spygirl said:

or biggest bang.

Place your bets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957

Am I the only one that read the link and remembered Ben Elton’s Stark?

[dgul 4,300]

17 minutes ago, Turned Out Nice Again said:

41 metric tonnes vs 16.8

I suppose the important bit to add is that each incremental kg takes increasingly more rocket fuel to get up there -- so the doubling in capacity of Saturn V is like a 5 fold (say) increase in launch vehicle complexity and mass. 

3 minutes ago, DeepLurker said:

True, although the Saturn V was the product of a dick-waving contest between the USA and the USSR.

Since then, rockets have reverted to a size compatible with the more modest demands of putting satellites into orbit. The Falcon Heavy is big, but it's based on an existing rocket so development costs were reduced. I believe that it's not expected to fly that often - it's mainly aimed at the US military who like their spy sats to be really big.

There is an interesting price/payload dynamic.  Satellites usually max out at a few tonnes because it is so expensive to put them up there, but if costs come down by 5-10 fold then entirely new types of satellite will be developed.  I'd imagine there'll be a massive wave of innovation in this area.

[Sgt Hartman 6,027]

1 hour ago, Hopeful said:

All well and good,

But the payload for this test flight was Musk's old roadster car, wth a dummy passenger and playing Bowie's Space Oddity on a loop

In my opinion, this stunt has elevated Musk to cunt status.

Why is our rspect for space or the Universe so small that we feel free to litter it for no more than our ego ?

I understand the need for a dummy payload, but in ths case the car wasn't even a full dummy payload as the rocket is capable of lifting 64 tonnes with a maximum payload of 8 tonnes if fully reused.

The car could have returned to Earth, it didn't need to go into Mars orbit just to show the size of Elon's dick.

 

Can't help but agree with this. I've got a lot of respect for Elon but slinging a car into space seems like a bit of a dick move to me. Celestial advertising is tasteless imo and it would be nice if humanity didn't encourage turning space into a junk filled shit-tip, 'just 'cos'.

He does seem to be be morphing into a Bond villain.

4 minutes ago, Horrified Onlooker said:

Am I the only one that read the link and remembered Ben Elton’s Stark?

Absolutely loved that book.

[Hopeful 5,425]

14 minutes ago, Sgt Hartman said:

Can't help but agree with this. I've got a lot of respect for Elon but slinging a car into space seems like a bit of a dick move to me. Celestial advertising is tasteless imo and it would be nice if humanity didn't encourage turning space into a junk filled shit-tip, 'just 'cos'.

He does seem to be be morphing into a Bond villain.

Absolutely loved that book.

50 years ago it was OK to chuck stuff into the sea, we now have learned the error of our ways with marine litter.

I have no idea why the launch of a car into space is seen as such a good idea and promoted with such enthusiasm by the So-Called BBC. It is just space litter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957

Ahh yes, because the So-Called BBC and Musk are both cunts

And we already know that there is a problem with space litter in near-Earth orbits

Edited February 6 by Hopeful

[The Generation Game 1,950]

19 minutes ago, Horrified Onlooker said:

Am I the only one that read the link and remembered Ben Elton’s Stark?

Am I the only one whose brain read that comment and translated it to Blue Streak?

[swiss_democracy_for_all 5,274]

2 hours ago, Hopeful said:

All well and good,

But the payload for this test flight was Musk's old roadster car, wth a dummy passenger and playing Bowie's Space Oddity on a loop

In my opinion, this stunt has elevated Musk to cunt status.

Why is our rspect for space or the Universe so small that we feel free to litter it for no more than our ego ?

I understand the need for a dummy payload, but in ths case the car wasn't even a full dummy payload as the rocket is capable of lifting 64 tonnes with a maximum payload of 8 tonnes if fully reused.

The car could have returned to Earth, it didn't need to go into Mars orbit just to show the size of Elon's dick.

 

I'm not all that concerned about the littering aspect unless it becomes a habit, it's the futile expensive pointlessness of it that irritates me. I'm disappointed in Musk, hope this isn't the sign of even greater future cuntishness to come. Humans only seem able to do good stuff for a while before inexorably turning more cuntish, seems to be in our nature.

[DeepLurker 985]

13 minutes ago, Hopeful said:

50 years ago it was OK to chuck stuff into the sea, we now have learned the error of our ways with marine litter.

I have no idea why the launch of a car into space is seen as such a good idea and promoted with such enthusiasm by the So-Called BBC. It is just space litter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42950957

Ahh yes, because the So-Called BBC and Musk are both cunts

And we already know that there is a problem with space litter in near-Earth orbits

With respect - you've picked the wrong target.

Since the start of rocketry, used rockets fall down into the ocean. Millions of dollars of kit, rare metals, gold, various lethal chemicals. That's the way it's always been. Until Musk came along - he invested heavily in re-usability tech. The rocket that's been tested today, out of the 4 stages, 3 will be recovered (well, hopefully!) and 2 are already on their second flight. He's causing massively less pollution than the existing companies like Arianespace who have no serious plans to reuse their rockets, and who instead will just continue dropping them in the ocean after use.

If you want to complain about littering rocket companies - have a go at Arianespace or at the Russians, and tell them to not dump their rocket stages in the drink.

[Hopeful 5,425]

5 minutes ago, DeepLurker said:

With respect - you've picked the wrong target.

Since the start of rocketry, used rockets fall down into the ocean. Millions of dollars of kit, rare metals, gold, various lethal chemicals. That's the way it's always been. Until Musk came along - he invested heavily in re-usability tech. The rocket that's been tested today, out of the 4 stages, 3 will be recovered (well, hopefully!) and 2 are already on their second flight. He's causing massively less pollution than the existing companies like Arianespace who have no serious plans to reuse their rockets, and who instead will just continue dropping them in the ocean after use.

If you want to complain about littering rocket companies - have a go at Arianespace or at the Russians, and tell them to not dump their rocket stages in the drink.

Nope, I haven't picked a target.

I know Musk's rockets are reusable. But that doesn't give Musk a free pass to litter space with an old car, or litter this planet.

I have no problem with sending a satellite into space to explore, but a car is a trashy stunt.

I'm quite happy calling musk a cunt for this stunt

Perhaps his next stunt could be to go and retrieve the car, show everyone how wonderful his technology is really.

Edited February 6 by Hopeful

[eight 3,322]

 

[dgul 4,300]

2 hours ago, Hopeful said:

All well and good,

But the payload for this test flight was Musk's old roadster car, wth a dummy passenger and playing Bowie's Space Oddity on a loop

In my opinion, this stunt has elevated Musk to cunt status.

Why is our rspect for space or the Universe so small that we feel free to litter it for no more than our ego ?

I understand the need for a dummy payload, but in ths case the car wasn't even a full dummy payload as the rocket is capable of lifting 64 tonnes with a maximum payload of 8 tonnes if fully reused.

The car could have returned to Earth, it didn't need to go into Mars orbit just to show the size of Elon's dick.

 

It's okay, it's an electric car -- It's green and everything.

[onlyme 2,497]

20 minutes ago, Hopeful said:

Nope, I haven't picked a target.

I know Musk's rockets are reusable. But that doesn't give Musk a free pass to litter space with an old car, or litter this planet.

I have no problem with sending a satellite into space to explore, but a car is a trashy stunt.

I'm quite happy calling musk a cunt for this stunt

Perhaps his next stunt could be to go and retrieve the car, show everyone how wonderful his technology is really.

To be fair they'd have to chuck a dummy payload up there anyway - test all systems, proper test carrying the weight of the payload, release mechanism,  so really doesn't make much difference what you put up there. 

 

[The Masked Tulip 13,770]

 

1 hour ago, dgul said:

It's okay, it's an electric car -- It's green and everything.

Hopefully he will be sat in the driver's seat.

[Rave 640]

Come on lads, seriously? Getting uppity about 'space junk'.... in a heliocentric orbit near Mars? Comparitively speaking, one plastic microbead in the Pacific ocean is far more significant.

Edited February 6 by Rave

[Hopeful 5,425]

1 hour ago, onlyme said:

To be fair they'd have to chuck a dummy payload up there anyway - test all systems, proper test carrying the weight of the payload, release mechanism,  so really doesn't make much difference what you put up there. 

 

No reason why it couldn't come back.

It didn't need to be a dunny payload either. No reason why Elon couldn't put his money where his mouth is and insure/underwrite the deployment of a real payload. This was a trashy egomaniaclal stunt

[Hopeful 5,425]

2 minutes ago, Rave said:

Come on lads, seriously? Getting uppity about 'space junk'.... in a heliocentric orbit near Mars? Comparitively speaking, one plastic microbead in the Pacific ocean is far more significant.

Seriously.

 

[Chewing Grass 4,101]

Probably a closet top-gear fan who wanted to replicate their attempt to launch a Reliant Robin on a rocket.

P.s. I didn't realise this was 2008 if you asked me I would have said 3/4 years ago, time is seriously passing me by.

Edited February 6 by Chewing Grass

[montecristo 773]

Successful launch.  Bloody impressive to watch.