# Continuing discussion of SpaceX launches \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048 "2015-12-22T00:37:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Cell\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Cell\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cell_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/401 "2017-12-23T04:15:11Z")
On [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/BdA94kVgQhU/) Elon has posted pictures of his original Tesla Roadster being loaded as payload for the Falcon Heavy test flight. The goal is to put it in an elliptic Mars orbit. If he’s just throwing Teslas away like this he should feel free to send one my way. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/402 "2017-12-23T04:33:34Z")
Pretty nifty. You tend to forget how gigantic that fairing is. Not the largest of cars, but they could have launched a bus in there. [Some higher res shots here](https://imgur.com/a/Jm39T). [LA folks were going kind of crazy](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-space-x-sky-20171222-story.html) after today’s Iridium launch. It was a spectacular view, though–just after dusk, the plume was illuminated against the night sky. This was a pre-flown booster, but surprisingly, they didn’t recover it. They seem to be clearing out the old stock for their upcoming Block 5 variant, which should greatly cut refurbishment costs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/403 "2017-12-23T12:32:37Z")
> [@Cell\_Guy](#): > > If he’s just throwing Teslas away like this he should feel free to send one my way. Damn straight! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/404 "2017-12-23T13:45:53Z")
Overheard comment at Disneyland: “Where is the line for THAT ride?” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/405 "2018-01-08T09:33:22Z")
Another ho-hum mission tonight. The main payload was called ZUMA… and with almost nothing more known about it, not even the customer. NSA spy satellite? Probably something along those lines. [Pretty awesome picture of the launch](https://i.redd.it/8jkukgakvq801.jpg), though. You can see the stage separation, boostback burn, reentry burn, landing burn, and second stage all in one (combined) long exposure. Neat. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/406 "2018-01-09T03:16:12Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Another ho-hum mission tonight. The main payload was called ZUMA… you’re more right than you realize, the payload [WAS](https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/01/08/highly-classified-us-spy-satellite-appears-to-be-a-total-loss-after-spacex-launch.html) called Zuma. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/407 "2018-01-09T05:48:00Z")
The reporting is pretty weird. So far, there’s no indication that the Falcon 9 failed in any way. For instance, [these tweets](https://mobile.twitter.com/Marco_Langbroek/status/950507412045352961): > [@](#): > > (1/5) About the rumours that #Zuma or its Falcon 9 failed: I have a positive, photographically documented observation of the Falcon 9 upper stage venting fuel after re-entry burn, ahead of re-entry, over East Africa some 2h15m after launch. Pretty much where it ought to be. > > (2/5) This shows that the Falcon 9 certainly did reach what appears to be the intended 50 deg inclined LEO orbit & did its nominal re-entry burn. > NB: it is _normal_ for rb to vent fuel after re-entry burn (avoids risk of explosions on orbit creating space debris). > > (3/5) so if anything went wrong at all (which so far are rumours only, and they need not be true at all), it is either with #Zuma being succesfully deployed but dead on orbit, or not detaching from the Falcon 9 upper stage. Apparently, Northrup Grumman did the payload integration, along with the stage separation component. So I suppose it would be their fault if anyone’s. Then again, maybe this is all some kind of false rumor to distract people from their super-secret stealth satellite… ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/408 "2018-01-09T17:07:49Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Then again, maybe this is all some kind of false rumor to distract people from their super-secret stealth satellite… Surely they aren’t that dumb. They should have known that this rumor would change public perception of Zuma from “meh, just another spy satellite” to “OMG what happened! Did it really fail!? Did SpaceX screw up?!” ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/409 "2018-01-09T18:07:59Z")
ArsTechnica update (something happened, but whose fault it is debatable) Brian ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/410 "2018-01-09T19:21:22Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > ArsTechnica update (something happened, but whose fault it is debatable) Did you mean to post [a link](https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/01/what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-about-the-secretive-zuma-payload/)? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/411 "2018-01-09T21:31:44Z")
yes, I meant to include the link – sorry and thanks for providing it Brian ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/412 "2018-01-10T07:33:50Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Surely they aren’t that dumb. They should have known that this rumor would change public perception of Zuma from “meh, just another spy satellite” to “OMG what happened! Did it really fail!? Did SpaceX screw up?!” Well, [it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve tried similar tactics](http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077830/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/spy-satellites-rise-faked-fall/): > [@](#): > > “When it was first launched from the space shuttle Atlantis on March 1, 1990, it was believed to be the first advanced KH-11 spacecraft,” he says, referring to the top-of-the-line American spy satellite. “Within weeks, both U.S. and Soviet space sources reported it had malfunctioned and would make a ‘fiery re-entry in the next 30 days.’ Both assessments were wrong.” > Richelson reports that the only people who successfully kept track of the flight were civilian space observers in England and Canada who watched a series of maneuvers performed by the satellite, including the “explosion” that Richelson believes “may have been a tactic to deceive those monitoring the satellite.” > > One of the observers who spoke to Richelson, Ted Molczan of Toronto, told NBC News that the supposed explosion took place on March 7, 1990, six days after launch, and was first reported by the Soviet press. > > “Russia reported it had detected debris,” Molczan recalled, “and NORAD identified six pieces.” > > The plan for stealthiness may have involved some clever trickery by the CIA. > > “The satellite was exceedingly bright, brighter than the KH-11, and kept in a low orbit, only 250 kilometers (150 miles) above the earth, so it was easily visible,” Molczan said. “Then there was nothing after the ‘explosion.’ They apparently needed the ‘explosion’ to be long enough so they could deploy the stealth masking device.” ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/413 "2018-01-10T16:19:12Z")
Just had a thought. That Tesla going in the Falcon Heavy. It needs a driver. I nominate Buster from Myth Busters ! Anybody want to tweet that to Elon? Don’t have an account myself. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/414 "2018-01-10T20:05:41Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Just had a thought. > > That Tesla going in the Falcon Heavy. It needs a driver. > > I nominate Buster from Myth Busters ! > > Anybody want to tweet that to Elon? Don’t have an account myself. Screw that, I’ll drive. Just think - you’d be the first fully organic auto-pilot in space! ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/415 "2018-01-11T01:35:04Z")
With the Falcon Heavy launch looming so close, I’m just worried that the whole Zuma kerfuffle will wind up delaying FH. Or worse, open SpaceX up to some sort of unpleasant lawsuit or government regulation. Someone’s likely not happy about a billion dollar satellite going boom. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/416 "2018-01-11T02:47:14Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Someone’s likely not happy about a billion dollar satellite going boom. Well, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/417 "2018-01-11T03:39:31Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > With the Falcon Heavy launch looming so close, I’m just worried that the whole Zuma kerfuffle will wind up delaying FH. Isn’t the upcoming heavy launch just a test? The worst that can happen is that they learn something from a failure. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/418 "2018-01-11T22:40:17Z")
More (non) information from Ars (this time with a link) > **[Pentagon: Ask SpaceX about Zuma. SpaceX: That’s not our story to tell](https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/01/pentagon-ask-spacex-about-zuma-spacex-thats-not-our-story-to-tell/)** > > Without real information, there’s much speculation about North Korea and nukes. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/419 "2018-01-12T00:28:24Z")
Matt Desch of Iridium getting into it on Twitter: > [@](#): > > Tom, this is a typical industry smear job on the “upstart” trying to disrupt the launch industry. @SpaceX didn’t have a failure, Northrup Grumman did. Notice that no one in the media is interested in that story. SpaceX will pay the price as the one some will try to bring low. My working theory: - Falcon 9 performs just fine. Payload gets to the requested orbit. - Northrup Grumman payload separator fails. Satellite stuck to second stage. - Northrup requests more time to get the adapter working. Maybe jiggling the stage around will free it; maybe cycle the latches a bunch of times. - SpaceX says no; not in the contract and besides, our stage is only rated for a few hours. If we don’t deorbit it now then it might never deorbit. We can’t be liable for problems arising from this (space junk, ground impact, whatever). SpaceX deorbits the stage with the satellite attached. - Northrup Grumman gets pissy, blaming SpaceX for ditching their satellite into the ocean. The Falcon 9 stage clearly made orbit, and while I don’t think there’s any public confirmation that it made the right orbit (in principle, it maybe have underperformed and left the satellite in a decaying orbit), I think eventually someone will confirm that. Too many parties with eyes on it to hide that. Plus SpaceX said that the rocket performed nominally and they aren’t too likely to lie about that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2018, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048/420 "2018-01-13T08:29:47Z")
Not a SpaceX question, but I don’t see a thread on the Delta 4 launch from Vandenberg today (1/12) - So just before launch there was a flare-up that charred the lower half of the rocket. Was this normal? edited to add: [Video of launch (flare-up at 1:02)](https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/01/12/watch-a-replay-of-the-delta-4-nrol-47-launch/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/continuing-discussion-of-spacex-launches-edited-title/741048.md?page=22)