# 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:** 92
**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 13, 2025, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1822 "2025-01-13T06:22:24Z")
Was somewhat surprised to hear that the Blue Ring Pathfinder (their payload) won’t actually separate from the upper stage. So it’ll reenter with the stage as well. I guess they’ll still get to test the radios, solar panels, etc. ---
**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 13, 2025, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1823 "2025-01-13T07:14:42Z")
Argh, another reset! That’s like the fifth one so far. Back up to 34 minutes. Still plenty of time left in the window, though. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1824 "2025-01-13T07:20:02Z")
Yeah, I happened to be up and was going to watch it live, but the countdown keeps on doing a freaking Groundhog Day. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2025, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1825 "2025-01-13T07:38:23Z")
Another delay: 38 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1826 "2025-01-13T07:42:35Z")
“We displaced a lot of wildlife” isn’t exactly the charming anecdote they seem to think 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:** [January 13, 2025, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1827 "2025-01-13T08:03:33Z")
Ruh-roh. The countdown disappeared completely. ---
**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 13, 2025, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1828 "2025-01-13T08:10:42Z")
And it’s a scrub. Everybody scrubs the first time. Right, Jeff? ---
**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:** [January 13, 2025, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1829 "2025-01-13T08:18:12Z")
So are they unloading the fuel? ---
**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 13, 2025, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1830 "2025-01-13T08:24:03Z")
Almost certainly. New Glenn doesn’t use subcooled propellants like SpaceX, so in principle they could just vent the O2 gas and flare the methane/hydrogen, while keeping it topped off… but in general for any multi-day delay you unload. Certainly if there’s any serious issue to work through that requires vehicle access. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2025, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1831 "2025-01-13T14:43:00Z")
> According to sources, the primary problem was likely ice clogging one of the vent lines that carry pressurized gas away from the vehicle. Several attempts were made to melt the ice, but these efforts were not successful, necessitating the scrub… > Additionally there appears to have been a problem with at least one of the auxiliary power units that provide power to the rocket after the engines shut off. One of the primary purposes of these APUs is to power the deployment of landing legs needed to make a soft touchdown on the company’s droneship, _Jacklyn_ > **[An icy vent line may have caused Blue Origin to scrub debut launch of New Glenn](https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/01/an-icy-vent-line-may-have-caused-blue-origin-to-scrub-debut-launch-of-new-glenn/)** > > Such issues are totally expected and normal with large, new rockets. No word yet when the next attempt will be made. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1832 "2025-01-14T00:45:20Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > No word yet when the next attempt will be made. Tuesday Jan 14, same time, according to a post on Xitter which I’m not going to link to. In other words, tonight for those on the west coast. They do say that there’s poor weather forecast for the launch site, so it may scrub. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1833 "2025-01-14T01:06:59Z")
[Confirmed on the Blue Origin website](https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-glenn-ng-1-mission), including the poor weather forecast. ---
**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 14, 2025, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1834 "2025-01-14T02:14:48Z")
They moved it to Thursday (really Wednesday night): > **9:07 p.m. EST / 02:07 UTC** > > We’re moving our NG-1 launch to no earlier than Thursday, January 16. The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC). Will Starship Flight 7 beat them? It might! ---
**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 16, 2025, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1835 "2025-01-16T02:21:44Z")
Starship Flight 7 got delayed as well (due to weather). Blue Origin says that propellant loading is underway for tonight’s flight. No idea why it takes them 4 damn hours. Starship is bigger and only takes about 40 minutes. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1836 "2025-01-16T02:42:13Z")
Didn’t pay Amazon for express delivery. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2025, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1837 "2025-01-16T02:52:40Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > No idea why it takes them 4 damn hours. Starship is bigger and only takes about 40 minutes. Doesn’t New Glenn’s upper stage use liquid hydrogen? Does that contribute to the loading time? ---
**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 16, 2025, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1838 "2025-01-16T02:59:20Z")
Yeah, it does. I guess the fact that it uses two different propellants probably doesn’t help. But I’m not aware of anything that makes that an _inherently_ slow process. The Space Shuttle took under 2 hours for the hydrogen load, though it was over 5 hours for the whole thing. ---
**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 16, 2025, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1839 "2025-01-16T05:47:14Z")
The Blue Origin webcast has started, but is only showing the intro screen with a hold at 20:50. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KXysNxbGdCg/maxresdefault.jpg "New Glenn Mission NG-1 Webcast") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXysNxbGdCg) Sounds like weather at the drone ship is an issue. ---
**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 16, 2025, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1840 "2025-01-16T06:05:22Z")
New launch time: T-30:00. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2025, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703/1841 "2025-01-16T06:17:37Z")
T-18; and they are talking now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=91) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-space-exploration-thread/925703.md?page=93)