# The Great Ongoing Space Exploration Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [November 16, 2020, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703 "2020-11-16T12:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 101
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2002 "2025-03-31T01:33:08Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LlAgenP2RxM/maxresdefault.jpg "Spectrum launch anomaly (full video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlAgenP2RxM) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2003 "2025-03-31T01:37:59Z")
Isn’t there a saying something to the effect of “a rocket spends every second in flight trying to explode”? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2004 "2025-03-31T02:04:10Z")
It blowed up _real_ good. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2006 "2025-03-31T02:45:25Z")
Ref @smithsb’s cite, it seems like a control anomaly / divergent oscillation with a normal looking plume until just before the final big yaw to 90 degrees pitch. Then the engine(s) collectively quit & the thing finishes yawing onto its side and falling ballistically to Earth. Damn shame the useless crawl at the bottom hides the moment of impact and the start of the main explosion. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2025, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2007 "2025-03-31T04:30:19Z")
I think it’s likely that the clean shutdown was due to the flight termination system. There might be some transient behavior before that point, though it’s hard to tell. If so, it might be due to slosh from the oscillations. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2025, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2008 "2025-03-31T06:55:47Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Isn’t there a saying something to the effect of “a rocket spends every second in flight trying to explode”? I was going to trot out another quote, but in the process of finding the exact wording, the Isar CEO beat me to it: > “There’s about a million things that can go wrong and only one way things actually go right,” Mr. Metzler, Isar Aerospace’s chief executive ---
**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:** [March 31, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2009 "2025-03-31T20:42:29Z")
Blue Origin is still much less transparent than SpaceX unfortunately, but we did just get this little tidbit of information: > We’ve submitted our final report and fulfilled our obligations to the FAA regarding the NG-1 mission booster landing attempt. New Glenn launched successfully on January 16, achieving our goal to reach orbit and deploy Blue Ring. Our ambitious attempt to land the booster, “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” was unsuccessful due to our three BE-4 engines not re-igniting properly. Our review confirmed that all debris landed in our designated hazard area with no threat to public safety. The report identified seven corrective actions, focusing on propellant management and engine bleed control improvements, which we’re already addressing. We expect to return to flight in late spring and will attempt to land the booster again. And from Dave Limp: > Obviously the best data comes from flying, and we learned a lot from New Glenn’s first mission. We’re confident that the propellant and bleed control work we’re doing will increase our chances of landing the booster on our next flight. And like we’ve said all along, we’ll keep trying until we do. The physics of engine restart while undergoing hypersonic reentry can’t be easy. Maybe they didn’t bleed enough propellant to overcome the aerodynamic pressure. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2010 "2025-04-01T01:25:05Z")
First-ever human mission in a polar orbit about to launch: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/i3cIQohod5s/maxresdefault.jpg "LIVE: SpaceX launch of the Fram2 mission") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3cIQohod5s) That’s the AP stream but I think it’s just a straight rebroadcast of the official one. They have a slow-scan TV broadcast going. Hmm, I wonder if I can hook up one of my SDR devices to capture that. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2011 "2025-04-01T01:32:16Z")
I have it on the authority of Irwin Allen that orbiting over the poles during heavy aurora activity could transport your ship to another world. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2025, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2012 "2025-04-01T01:53:41Z")
Kind of a neat trajectory: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/WZFvEMM.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/WZFvEMM) Basically seems to minimize the amount of time spent over land, probably to increase the safety of an emergency landing. They mentioned in the broadcast that there’s a first-stage threshold where they can change the trajectory in case of abort. Polar flights are usually out of Vandenberg, but obviously they don’t have crew support there. So an unusual one out of Florida it is. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2025, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2013 "2025-04-01T01:57:15Z")
Looks like it barely avoids the Darién Gap in Panama. Wouldn’t want to land there in an emergency! ---
**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:** [April 1, 2025, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2014 "2025-04-01T02:19:47Z")
A neat visualizer for Dragon: > **[SPACEX - Where is Dragon?](https://www.spacex.com/follow-dragon)** Only 217 km altitude! Didn’t realize they’d be so low. But they don’t plan on staying up too long, and Dragon should have a pretty high ballistic coefficient. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2015 "2025-04-01T13:21:40Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Looks like it barely avoids the Darién Gap in Panama. Wouldn’t want to land there in an emergency! That would suck. OTOH, I bet there’s not a lot of crew rescue ships in the central GOM or offshore Colombia either. Having flown that route a bunch, there’s rather little shipping there too. They might spend a long time bobbing in the drink awaiting a ship. Or a short time if the capsule forgets how to float. I _hate_ it when that happens. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2016 "2025-04-01T21:26:25Z")
> **[Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought](https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/the-harrowing-story-of-what-flying-starliner-was-like-when-its-thrusters-failed/)** > > “Hey, this is a very precarious situation we’re in.”… Fantastic interview with astronauts Wilmore and Williams pulling back the covers on just how close Starliner came to completely shitting the bed as they prepared to dock. Crazy stuff. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2017 "2025-04-01T22:27:08Z")
Well, cosmonauts were given a gun to shoot bears and such since they might land in the middle of Siberia or something and it could take a while to be picked up. Not sure what the equivalent is here. Shark repellent? Pretty sure the craft floats just fine. Unless water gets in. A bailing bucket might be useful, too. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2018 "2025-04-01T22:33:48Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Shark repellent Yep. And fresh water. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2019 "2025-04-01T22:43:58Z")
They undoubtedly have extra food/water supplies onboard. But I wonder if they have a manual reverse-osmosis desalinator as well. Requires a fair amount of human labor, but that isn’t in short supply when you’re bobbing around in the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2020 "2025-04-02T01:31:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Or a short time if the capsule forgets how to float. I _hate_ it when that happens. LSL is probably referring to the Liberty Bell 7 piloted by Gus Grissom in 1961 > **[The Sinking of Liberty Bell 7: Gus Grissom’s Near-Fatal Mission](https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/sinking-liberty-bell-7-gus-grissoms-near-fatal-mission)** > > Space history curator Michael Neufeld tells the story of Gus Grissom's suborbital flight in July 1961 and the blown hatch that resulted in the sinking of his Mercury capsule. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2021 "2025-04-02T12:57:44Z")
A blown hatch; oddly prescient. Also designed by McDonald Douglas, pre Boeing merger, sale, take-over. Don’t mind me, just random neurons firing this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/2022 "2025-04-02T20:30:37Z")
This completely rewrites the narrative of the decision not to use Starliner for a crewed return, from “an over-abundance of caution” to “this thing is a deathtrap”. NASA and the crews were simply too professional to publicly diss Boeing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=100) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=102)