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That was asked on the spacex sub-reddit. The response was something like "you underestimate the power of a Merlin" which I took to mean that a reasonable dista

by dtparr 11y ago

That was asked on the spacex sub-reddit. The response was something like "you underestimate the power of a Merlin" which I took to mean that a reasonable distance to avoid the effects is too far to reasonably run ship-to-ship cabling.

daeken 11y ago
That's totally reasonable, too. I had assumed that the wash from the rocket would be largely straight down, but that's probably way wrong.
- igjeff 11y ago
  It is probably pretty much straight down...until it impacts the flat surface of the ship.
mark-r 11y ago
Fiber optic cable is relatively light weight and strong for the bandwidth it supplies. This seems like a cop-out.
- spdustin 11y ago
  I'm sorry, but is it possible that the literal rocket scientists have given it more thought than you've given it credit for? I've only been posting here for a bit over a year. Has HN always had an issue with these sorts of pragmatic speech mis-queues where one posits that the experts are not aware of some painfully obvious solution? I find it to be condescending, but I'm not sure that such commenters realize it, and so I struggle with pointing it out - in case they didn't honestly realize the issue - or keeping my mouth shut, thereby avoiding potential conflict with someone who either can't be swayed or may actually be smarter than the group whose collective knowledge is being challenged. EDIT: I asked a legitimate question. Down votes don't teach people who want to learn, people.
  - mark-r 11y ago
    Sorry, I don't know who gave you the downvote - it wasn't me. It does seem to me that the rocket scientists would have had their hands full with all the other issues around the launch and recovery. My guess is that the live feed isn't a priority for them, knowing that they can get what they need after the fact.
    - niels_olson 11y ago
      Probably the naval architects who designed the barge are well-aware of underway replenishment procedures and know perfectly well how to connect two vessels underway. And probably asked the rocket scientists about some of these issues before drawing up the barge. Because, selling an unrep solution is going to cover a really nice year end bonus. The raw steel would cost more than half your lifetime earnings.
  - Dylan16807 11y ago
    >I asked a legitimate question. Down votes don't teach people who want to learn, people. When "have you guys always screwed up this way" is your only non-rhetorical question, I call shenanigans on intent to learn. You solidly earned that downvote by being so patronizing. That said, it's very easy for a solution to be both painfully obvious and at the same time not worth the effort. The rocket scientist is busy doing rocket science. If they give a flippant answer, it's okay to point out that the answer is flippant. It's not condescending. It doesn't imply they are "not aware" of the solution. They simply lack infinite spare time to implement every solution to everything.
    - spdustin 11y ago
      I didn't say screwed up. I even suggested it may be done unknowingly and presented that I struggle with "would it be helpful to point it out" vs "am I just magnifying the downvote arrow". My child has pragmatic communication issues, and I've experienced that he (and others, adults and children alike) generally appreciate being told when they're speaking in a manner that suggests superiority even when I know they're not intending to sound that way. On the other hand, people who are just arrogant will become hostile. That's my gamble, and my question would help me to quantify the nature of that gamble. Many people in certain segments of information technology, for example, are frequently challenged by social cues and pragmatic speech. I don't know if those groups are more concentrated here versus, say, in a community focused on space. And I don't like to piss off the communities that I have enjoyed being a part of. I learn from mistakes and, when I'm not sure, I ask. Please don't project a hostile intent; I didn't accuse anyone of anything negative and I was sincerely trying to better understand the people in this community because, for better or worse, I identify with it.

by dtparr 11y ago

daeken 11y ago

That's totally reasonable, too. I had assumed that the wash from the rocket would be largely straight down, but that's probably way wrong.

igjeff 11y ago
It is probably pretty much straight down...until it impacts the flat surface of the ship.

mark-r 11y ago

Fiber optic cable is relatively light weight and strong for the bandwidth it supplies. This seems like a cop-out.

spdustin 11y ago
I'm sorry, but is it possible that the literal rocket scientists have given it more thought than you've given it credit for? I've only been posting here for a bit over a year. Has HN always had an issue with these sorts of pragmatic speech mis-queues where one posits that the experts are not aware of some painfully obvious solution? I find it to be condescending, but I'm not sure that such commenters realize it, and so I struggle with pointing it out - in case they didn't honestly realize the issue - or keeping my mouth shut, thereby avoiding potential conflict with someone who either can't be swayed or may actually be smarter than the group whose collective knowledge is being challenged. EDIT: I asked a legitimate question. Down votes don't teach people who want to learn, people.
- mark-r 11y ago
  Sorry, I don't know who gave you the downvote - it wasn't me. It does seem to me that the rocket scientists would have had their hands full with all the other issues around the launch and recovery. My guess is that the live feed isn't a priority for them, knowing that they can get what they need after the fact.
  - niels_olson 11y ago
    Probably the naval architects who designed the barge are well-aware of underway replenishment procedures and know perfectly well how to connect two vessels underway. And probably asked the rocket scientists about some of these issues before drawing up the barge. Because, selling an unrep solution is going to cover a really nice year end bonus. The raw steel would cost more than half your lifetime earnings.
- Dylan16807 11y ago
  >I asked a legitimate question. Down votes don't teach people who want to learn, people. When "have you guys always screwed up this way" is your only non-rhetorical question, I call shenanigans on intent to learn. You solidly earned that downvote by being so patronizing. That said, it's very easy for a solution to be both painfully obvious and at the same time not worth the effort. The rocket scientist is busy doing rocket science. If they give a flippant answer, it's okay to point out that the answer is flippant. It's not condescending. It doesn't imply they are "not aware" of the solution. They simply lack infinite spare time to implement every solution to everything.
  - spdustin 11y ago
    I didn't say screwed up. I even suggested it may be done unknowingly and presented that I struggle with "would it be helpful to point it out" vs "am I just magnifying the downvote arrow". My child has pragmatic communication issues, and I've experienced that he (and others, adults and children alike) generally appreciate being told when they're speaking in a manner that suggests superiority even when I know they're not intending to sound that way. On the other hand, people who are just arrogant will become hostile. That's my gamble, and my question would help me to quantify the nature of that gamble. Many people in certain segments of information technology, for example, are frequently challenged by social cues and pragmatic speech. I don't know if those groups are more concentrated here versus, say, in a community focused on space. And I don't like to piss off the communities that I have enjoyed being a part of. I learn from mistakes and, when I'm not sure, I ask. Please don't project a hostile intent; I didn't accuse anyone of anything negative and I was sincerely trying to better understand the people in this community because, for better or worse, I identify with it.