SpaceX Starship

[Harpo]

Tomorrow is the date for the first orbital test flight of the biggest rocket ever built, the SpaceX Starship.
We can watch it here:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

All being well, the first Mars settlers will get there on these things, so it deserves a thread of its own

 

[BAYLOR]

A rocket to the moon that can land and lift off from the moon . It's like something out of golden age science fiction. Kind of cool.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Anyone taking bets on whether it gets out of the atmosphere?

 

[Harpo]

Anyone taking bets on whether it gets out of the atmosphere?

maybe the New York Times?

In 1903, New York Times predicted that airplanes would take 10 million years to develop

Only nine weeks later, the Wright Brothers achieved manned flight. The pathologically cynical always will find a reason to complain.

bigthink.com

 

[Elckerlyc]

Anyone taking bets on whether it gets out of the atmosphere?

I expect the first 3 attempts to be scrubbed due to weather or technical issues. Actual Lift-off! on the 4th attempt (early next week), followed with an huge (and entertaining) fireball within the first minute of its flight.
Which would still be a success.

 

[CupofJoe]

SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk's firm postpones launch of biggest rocket ever

Elon Musk's company postpones the debut launch of the most powerful rocket ever built.

www.bbc.co.uk

"SpaceX will try to get Starship airborne at 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT; 14:00 BST)."

 

[Droflet]

Good luck, Elon. Fingers crossed.

 

[Vladd67]

A rocket to the moon that can land and lift off from the moon . It's like something out of golden age science fiction. Kind of cool.

 

[BAYLOR]

maybe the New York Times?

In 1903, New York Times predicted that airplanes would take 10 million years to develop

Only nine weeks later, the Wright Brothers achieved manned flight. The pathologically cynical always will find a reason to complain.

bigthink.com

The same year Orwell and Wilbur Wright first flew. So much for their silly prediction.

 

[BAYLOR]

View attachment 102856

The Golden age writers of Science Fiction would have loved the fact that they got as close as they did on their predictions of what rockets would be like .

 

[Harpo]

 

[BAYLOR]

SpaceX Starship: Elon Musk's firm postpones launch of biggest rocket ever

Elon Musk's company postpones the debut launch of the most powerful rocket ever built.

www.bbc.co.uk

"SpaceX will try to get Starship airborne at 08:00 local time (13:00 GMT; 14:00 BST)."

I looked on YouTube, about 26 minutes till launch.

 

[CupofJoe]

I think the launch has been paused for today. They are calling it a "wet rehearsal" down to T-10...
But it does look wonderfully old-school

 

[BAYLOR]

I think the launch has been paused for today. They are calling it a "wet rehearsal" down to T-10...
But it does look wonderfully old-school

Disappointing, I was hoping we'd see a launch.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

maybe the New York Times?

In 1903, New York Times predicted that airplanes would take 10 million years to develop

Only nine weeks later, the Wright Brothers achieved manned flight. The pathologically cynical always will find a reason to complain.

bigthink.com

I'm not cynical at all. Just quite suspicious about the way Musk runs his companies and demonstrably interferes in engineering matters that he doesn't understand. The whole FSD/Robotaxi debacle is a good example (although there are many others). He promises something too optimistic - maybe even takes people's money for it - and then pressures engineers and scientists to make it work (which they can't). Just hope Space X isn't being run like this.

 

[Harpo]

Disappointing, I was hoping we'd see a launch.

Second try will be today, in about 3-4 hours from now.

 

[Astro Pen]

The same year Orwell and Wilbur Wright first flew. So much for their silly prediction.

Orville even.

 

[BAYLOR]

Orville even.

Hm , must have been another temporal displacement and transposition of Historical figures. Does that now mean that Orville Wright is now the author of Animal Farm and 1984 ?

 

[Pyan]

Orville even.

I thought Orville couldn't fly?

 

[Harpo]

I thought Orville couldn't fly?

It’s not easy being green, you know that,surely?