9 ms·

SpaceX headed to the ISS tomorrow

386 points by mkr-hn 14y ago

StevenRayOrr 14y ago
I get caught up in the romantics of this. We could be explorers again like Magellan or Shackleton, this time charting the vast, infinitude of the stars. We could see planets and moons that are but specks in a telescope. It has been so easy, over the last few years, to become jaded with politics and our society and the minutia of technology. SpaceX gets me excited about "the future (of our species)" which hasn't happened in a long time.
- kmm 14y ago
  Doesn't it bother you that you won't be the one doing the exploring? I'm insanely envious of these people and sometimes I wish manned spaceflight would end. Standing on the Moon sounds like the most amazing experience I can imagine and it pains me that I won't ever get there and even if I would, I would just be the umpteenth tourist, littering up the place.
  - StevenRayOrr 14y ago
    I would absolutely love to stand on the surface of Mars or see Alpha Centauri with my own eyes, but I also know that such things are outside of my grasp. Poets and philosophers make for lousy explorers. It is enough for me that we, as a species, are reaching upward. It is enough for me that we, as a people, are overcoming chains that were not even imagined by our ancestors -- tasks so difficult, so alien that they would only describe it as touching the face of god. This is about more than the whimsical realized dream of an individual; it is the progression of the entire species. This is how human beings are made great.
  - CamperBob2 14y ago
    It's almost a cliche on the Intarwebs, but it might help you to read some Dawkins, specifically The Selfish Gene. The progress of a species does not happen for the benefit of individual members, and that's true for us as humans as well. In that sense, as long as someone makes it, we all make it. (Which is why it bothers me that so much is apparently riding on this one mission. The job of carrying human spaceflight forward is too much responsibility for one man, one company, or even one government, and Musk might do well to remind everyone of that before the launch.)
  - zem 14y ago
    anne passovoy wrote a beautiful song about this, "harbors". you can see the lyrics here[1], though sadly it's hard to find a recording. [1] http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/07/next-step-americas-future-in-space.html?showComment=1311746514874#c914237225396313867 http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/07/next-step-americas-future...
mkr-hn 14y ago
There's a live discussion on the launch here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/edu_flash.html http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/edu_flash.html
- timjahn 14y ago
  Watching this live discussion is fascinating. There's a teacher who teaches 7 and 8 year olds asking how their love for Legos and video games could translate into a career in space exploration. A career in space exploration. That's real today. Just imagine how much more real it will be when those 7 and 8 year olds are all grown up. Amazing!
  - IJD 14y ago
    I run the computer lab at an elementary school, and I make sure to tell all my classes that if they are willing to work hard for it, they could move to Mars at some point during their lives. At the rate SpaceX is going, the students I have now are going to witness an incredible amount of major advancements in space travel and related technologies. I try to make sure they all know this, and some are already coming into the computer lab during break to talk about space exploration, careers in space, etc. These are just 5th graders! It makes me almost as excited to see their interest as I am to about missions like this.
simondlr 14y ago
Shaping up to be a momentous weekend for tech!
TeMPOraL 14y ago
I hope it will be featured live on NASA TV.
- nutmeg 14y ago
  NASA's site says launch coverage will begin at 3:30am (http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/cots_tv_schedule.html http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/cots_tv_sch...)
- dasmoth 14y ago
  There will also be live streaming on the SpaceX website. They've invested in better video streaming infrastructure since the COTS1 launch, so hopefully this will stand up to demand. Everything worked well during the static-fire test a couple of weeks ago -- which is obviously less popular than the actual launch, but still drew in a fair few viewers.
vessenes 14y ago
In short, they will be launching 1200 pounds of supplies, remotely doing a bunch of maneuvers designed to prove to NASA that they can get around safely in space, and if those go OK, docking with the ISS. This is so much cooler than a facebook IPO, I must say -- commercial US robot rocket ISS reloading. Come on!!
- baq 14y ago
  of course it's cooler than FB IPO. on one side, we have a bunch of guys selling ads. on the other, the stars.
  - jerf 14y ago
    Man, I've missed that attitude. My childhood was in the 80s, when the dream was still only in its early phases of being strangled by the monstrosity that the whole NASA system has become. We could use a bit of optimism about the future. May history show this as the beginning of the second space age.
Nogwater 14y ago
Keep in mind, this is still just a test. If they get off the pad without exploding that's awesome, getting to orbit is super awesome, and actually reaching the ISS is simply amazing.
cryptoz 14y ago
I can't wait! SpaceX is the most amazing company right now. They're work is the exact opposite of the trivial-to-start social networking apps, the tedium of online advertising. They want to send people to Mars. And they're launching to the ISS tomorrow, the most expensive object ever built by humanity. They have the world's trust. They have the world's best engineers. And they have some intense ambition and lots of money. So awesome. I had a phone interview for a software position there just a few days ago (didn't get it) and it was the most thrilling experience I'd had, like, ever. I have to work hard and study more so I can try again in a couple months. Best of luck SpaceX.
- slug 14y ago
  I would love to work there but they only recruit U.S. citizens and although I was contacted by them last year, it ended up going nowhere when I mentioned this "small" detail. Can you elaborate on your phone interview?
  - thematt 14y ago
    It's not a small detail, it's because of ITAR -- and it's not taken lightly. Space companies can't even speak to people who aren't US citizens.
  - starpilot 14y ago
    Glassdoor has some info on SpaceX interviews: http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Interview-Questions-E40371.htm http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Space-Exploration-Technol...
  - bishnu 14y ago
    This potentially has to do with regulations in the US over access to rocket technology. I knew a Canadian who worked at Lockheed ~10 years ago who had to be shuffled off a certain project due to objections from the US State Department.
  - rbanffy 14y ago
    I was almost clicking the "Apply" button when I read that line in the bottom of the job description...
mikeash 14y ago
I'm impressed that NASA is allowing this. Can you imagine what it would be like to be the guy who has to sign off on that decision? Even if you have every confidence, imagining what would happen if things went wrong?
- dasmoth 14y ago
  This mission has been planned for a long, long time. There have been several delays for more testing. At the end of the day, it seems that getting the software right was the biggest deal, but they've done many many simulation runs. There's also a substantial on-orbit demonstration before Dragon is allowed anywhere near ISS. There's still a lot that can go wrong, but almost all of it will result in a decision to de-orbit Dragon rather than going ahead with ISS docking. Nonetheless, <fingers firmly crossed>
- ceejayoz 14y ago
  By the time it's anywhere near the station, it'll be moving at a pretty small speed relative to the ISS. The station's going to manually grab and pull in the spacecraft to avoid any automated docking "oopsies". Beyond those, the risk is pretty squarely in SpaceX's court.
  - mikeash 14y ago
    I'm imagining something like a thruster getting stuck on at a distance where it's far enough to build up some speed but close enough to have a decent chance of hitting. I know the relative speeds aren't high, but the ISS isn't exactly heavily armored either. I doubt it would take much of a speed difference in a collision to do some real damage. I'm sure the odds of anything like that going wrong are extremely low, but not zero, and so I admire the fortitude it would take to give a "yes" decision to this even so.
    - jerf 14y ago
      While that window is non-zero, it is also very, very small.
NickPollard 14y ago
Just to make it clear, it's just the launch tomorrow - they won't be attempting to dock until Tuesday (mission day 4), after (hopefully) they've passed all the manoeuvring tests.
ericxb 14y ago
The SpaceX website has a pdf with mission details. Here is the table of contents: 3 Mission Highlights 4 Mission Overview 6 Dragon Recovery Operations 7 Mission Objectives 9 Mission Timeline 11 Dragon Cargo Manifest 13 NASA Slides – Mission Profile, Rendezvous, Maneuvers, Re-Entry and Recovery 15 Overview of the International Space Station 17 Overview of NASA’s COTS Program 19 SpaceX Company Overview 21 SpaceX Leadership – Musk & Shotwell Bios 23 SpaceX Launch Manifest - A list of upcoming missions 25 SpaceX Facilities 27 Dragon Overview 29 Falcon 9 Overview 31 45th Space Wing Fact Sheet http://www.spacex.com/downloads/COTS-2-Press-Kit-5-14-12.pdf http://www.spacex.com/downloads/COTS-2-Press-Kit-5-14-12.pdf
horsehead 14y ago
This is so exciting! I hope it succeeds. How cool would it be to put a man on mars in a few decades? Captain's log, star date 1312.4
- StevenRayOrr 14y ago
  Or woman. Hmm. Actually, and woman. Gender neutrality powers, activate!
MikeCapone 14y ago
I know I'm not adding real value to the conversation by saying this, but I've still got to say it for the record: This is amazing! Really impressive how much progress this startup is making in just a few short years.
InclinedPlane 14y ago
I'll add my voice to the chorus of folks gushing about how awesome this is, but here's a list of reason on just WHY this is so awesome. Straight off the top, this is only the third launch of the Falcon 9. This rocket alone represents a dramatic disruption of the entire orbital launch industry, offering to make launch of both humans and cargo cheaper than it's ever been by an incredibly wide margin. If this rocket proves to be a reliable workhorse and proves that the existing cost structure is workable then it will both dramatically lower the cost of access to space and drive billions of dollars of revenue to SpaceX. Second, this represents a significant advance in being able to deliver supplies to ISS, largely replacing a vehicle that is vastly more expensive than the Dragon Cargo. And finally putting American spaceflight back in the game of ISS resupply post-Shuttle. Third, the Dragon Cargo shares an enormous amount of heritage with the manned Dragon capsule in development. As they prove out elements of the vehicle design in unmanned ISS resupply missions they are effectively proving out the manned version as well. The manned Dragon capsule will represent a huge leap for the US space program, catapulting us back into having the capability to send crew into orbit and to the ISS. Fourth, given the costs of Falcon/Dragon flights they should be enormously disruptive to manned spaceflight, representing a vastly cheaper way to put humans in orbit even than the Russian Soyuz. That will likely translate into far more people beingable to go into orbit and the development of a sustained orbital tourism industry on an impressive scale which will fuel further innovation and drive down cost of access to space even more. Finally, all of this is being done by a private company working toward its own ends rather than a company on a strict government contract. This represents a new paradigm for launch vehicles and for manned spaceflight, potentially transforming the nature of the entire endeavor into something that is self-sustaining regardless of government enthusiasm for spaceflight. In short, this represents nothing less than fundamentally rebooting the entire space program going all the way back to Sputnik, and it could quite readily represent the opening up of spaceflight for commercial applications, space science and exploration, and for manned exploration and colonization to a degree that will make the scifi dreamers of our past look like forecasters.
- joshuahedlund 14y ago
  Can you give some numbers for some of the "vast" cost difference we're talking about (even if they're ballpark figures)?
may 14y ago
What is an instantaneous launch window?
- marvin 14y ago
  It means the launch has to happen at that exact moment, otherwise the path of the spacecraft in orbit will be too far away from the space station for a rendezvous to be possible. From what I heard, they have multiple such launch windows, each about an hour and a half apart (each corresponding to an orbit of the earth by the ISS)
rbanffy 14y ago
My only complain about this is that it will not have the Pan-Am logo on its side when it docks with the ISS. It would be sooooo cool.
anuraj 14y ago
SpaceX is definitely cheaper to NASA. But it is not really cheap considering space programs like that of India (ISRO). For example PSLV used for Chandrayaan-1 costs $17m per flight. A little outsourcing won't hurt NASA here.

386 points by mkr-hn 14y ago

I get caught up in the romantics of this. We could be explorers again like Magellan or Shackleton, this time charting the vast, infinitude of the stars. We could see planets and moons that are but specks in a telescope. It has been so easy, over the last few years, to become jaded with politics and our society and the minutia of technology. SpaceX gets me excited about "the future (of our species)" which hasn't happened in a long time.

kmm 14y ago
Doesn't it bother you that you won't be the one doing the exploring? I'm insanely envious of these people and sometimes I wish manned spaceflight would end. Standing on the Moon sounds like the most amazing experience I can imagine and it pains me that I won't ever get there and even if I would, I would just be the umpteenth tourist, littering up the place.
- StevenRayOrr 14y ago
  I would absolutely love to stand on the surface of Mars or see Alpha Centauri with my own eyes, but I also know that such things are outside of my grasp. Poets and philosophers make for lousy explorers. It is enough for me that we, as a species, are reaching upward. It is enough for me that we, as a people, are overcoming chains that were not even imagined by our ancestors -- tasks so difficult, so alien that they would only describe it as touching the face of god. This is about more than the whimsical realized dream of an individual; it is the progression of the entire species. This is how human beings are made great.
- CamperBob2 14y ago
  It's almost a cliche on the Intarwebs, but it might help you to read some Dawkins, specifically The Selfish Gene. The progress of a species does not happen for the benefit of individual members, and that's true for us as humans as well. In that sense, as long as someone makes it, we all make it. (Which is why it bothers me that so much is apparently riding on this one mission. The job of carrying human spaceflight forward is too much responsibility for one man, one company, or even one government, and Musk might do well to remind everyone of that before the launch.)
- zem 14y ago
  anne passovoy wrote a beautiful song about this, "harbors". you can see the lyrics here[1], though sadly it's hard to find a recording. [1] http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/07/next-step-americas-future-in-space.html?showComment=1311746514874#c914237225396313867 http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/07/next-step-americas-future...

mkr-hn 14y ago

There's a live discussion on the launch here: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/edu_flash.html http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/edu_flash.html

timjahn 14y ago
Watching this live discussion is fascinating. There's a teacher who teaches 7 and 8 year olds asking how their love for Legos and video games could translate into a career in space exploration. A career in space exploration. That's real today. Just imagine how much more real it will be when those 7 and 8 year olds are all grown up. Amazing!
- IJD 14y ago
  I run the computer lab at an elementary school, and I make sure to tell all my classes that if they are willing to work hard for it, they could move to Mars at some point during their lives. At the rate SpaceX is going, the students I have now are going to witness an incredible amount of major advancements in space travel and related technologies. I try to make sure they all know this, and some are already coming into the computer lab during break to talk about space exploration, careers in space, etc. These are just 5th graders! It makes me almost as excited to see their interest as I am to about missions like this.

simondlr 14y ago

Shaping up to be a momentous weekend for tech!

TeMPOraL 14y ago

I hope it will be featured live on NASA TV.

nutmeg 14y ago
NASA's site says launch coverage will begin at 3:30am (http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/cots_tv_schedule.html http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/cots_tv_sch...)
dasmoth 14y ago
There will also be live streaming on the SpaceX website. They've invested in better video streaming infrastructure since the COTS1 launch, so hopefully this will stand up to demand. Everything worked well during the static-fire test a couple of weeks ago -- which is obviously less popular than the actual launch, but still drew in a fair few viewers.

vessenes 14y ago

In short, they will be launching 1200 pounds of supplies, remotely doing a bunch of maneuvers designed to prove to NASA that they can get around safely in space, and if those go OK, docking with the ISS. This is so much cooler than a facebook IPO, I must say -- commercial US robot rocket ISS reloading. Come on!!

baq 14y ago
of course it's cooler than FB IPO. on one side, we have a bunch of guys selling ads. on the other, the stars.
- jerf 14y ago
  Man, I've missed that attitude. My childhood was in the 80s, when the dream was still only in its early phases of being strangled by the monstrosity that the whole NASA system has become. We could use a bit of optimism about the future. May history show this as the beginning of the second space age.

Nogwater 14y ago

Keep in mind, this is still just a test. If they get off the pad without exploding that's awesome, getting to orbit is super awesome, and actually reaching the ISS is simply amazing.

cryptoz 14y ago

I can't wait! SpaceX is the most amazing company right now. They're work is the exact opposite of the trivial-to-start social networking apps, the tedium of online advertising. They want to send people to Mars. And they're launching to the ISS tomorrow, the most expensive object ever built by humanity. They have the world's trust. They have the world's best engineers. And they have some intense ambition and lots of money. So awesome. I had a phone interview for a software position there just a few days ago (didn't get it) and it was the most thrilling experience I'd had, like, ever. I have to work hard and study more so I can try again in a couple months. Best of luck SpaceX.

slug 14y ago
I would love to work there but they only recruit U.S. citizens and although I was contacted by them last year, it ended up going nowhere when I mentioned this "small" detail. Can you elaborate on your phone interview?
- thematt 14y ago
  It's not a small detail, it's because of ITAR -- and it's not taken lightly. Space companies can't even speak to people who aren't US citizens.
- starpilot 14y ago
  Glassdoor has some info on SpaceX interviews: http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Interview-Questions-E40371.htm http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Space-Exploration-Technol...
- bishnu 14y ago
  This potentially has to do with regulations in the US over access to rocket technology. I knew a Canadian who worked at Lockheed ~10 years ago who had to be shuffled off a certain project due to objections from the US State Department.
- rbanffy 14y ago
  I was almost clicking the "Apply" button when I read that line in the bottom of the job description...

mikeash 14y ago

I'm impressed that NASA is allowing this. Can you imagine what it would be like to be the guy who has to sign off on that decision? Even if you have every confidence, imagining what would happen if things went wrong?

dasmoth 14y ago
This mission has been planned for a long, long time. There have been several delays for more testing. At the end of the day, it seems that getting the software right was the biggest deal, but they've done many many simulation runs. There's also a substantial on-orbit demonstration before Dragon is allowed anywhere near ISS. There's still a lot that can go wrong, but almost all of it will result in a decision to de-orbit Dragon rather than going ahead with ISS docking. Nonetheless, <fingers firmly crossed>
ceejayoz 14y ago
By the time it's anywhere near the station, it'll be moving at a pretty small speed relative to the ISS. The station's going to manually grab and pull in the spacecraft to avoid any automated docking "oopsies". Beyond those, the risk is pretty squarely in SpaceX's court.
- mikeash 14y ago
  I'm imagining something like a thruster getting stuck on at a distance where it's far enough to build up some speed but close enough to have a decent chance of hitting. I know the relative speeds aren't high, but the ISS isn't exactly heavily armored either. I doubt it would take much of a speed difference in a collision to do some real damage. I'm sure the odds of anything like that going wrong are extremely low, but not zero, and so I admire the fortitude it would take to give a "yes" decision to this even so.
  - jerf 14y ago
    While that window is non-zero, it is also very, very small.

NickPollard 14y ago

Just to make it clear, it's just the launch tomorrow - they won't be attempting to dock until Tuesday (mission day 4), after (hopefully) they've passed all the manoeuvring tests.

ericxb 14y ago

The SpaceX website has a pdf with mission details. Here is the table of contents: 3 Mission Highlights 4 Mission Overview 6 Dragon Recovery Operations 7 Mission Objectives 9 Mission Timeline 11 Dragon Cargo Manifest 13 NASA Slides – Mission Profile, Rendezvous, Maneuvers, Re-Entry and Recovery 15 Overview of the International Space Station 17 Overview of NASA’s COTS Program 19 SpaceX Company Overview 21 SpaceX Leadership – Musk & Shotwell Bios 23 SpaceX Launch Manifest - A list of upcoming missions 25 SpaceX Facilities 27 Dragon Overview 29 Falcon 9 Overview 31 45th Space Wing Fact Sheet http://www.spacex.com/downloads/COTS-2-Press-Kit-5-14-12.pdf http://www.spacex.com/downloads/COTS-2-Press-Kit-5-14-12.pdf

horsehead 14y ago

This is so exciting! I hope it succeeds. How cool would it be to put a man on mars in a few decades? Captain's log, star date 1312.4

StevenRayOrr 14y ago
Or woman. Hmm. Actually, and woman. Gender neutrality powers, activate!

MikeCapone 14y ago

I know I'm not adding real value to the conversation by saying this, but I've still got to say it for the record: This is amazing! Really impressive how much progress this startup is making in just a few short years.

InclinedPlane 14y ago

I'll add my voice to the chorus of folks gushing about how awesome this is, but here's a list of reason on just WHY this is so awesome. Straight off the top, this is only the third launch of the Falcon 9. This rocket alone represents a dramatic disruption of the entire orbital launch industry, offering to make launch of both humans and cargo cheaper than it's ever been by an incredibly wide margin. If this rocket proves to be a reliable workhorse and proves that the existing cost structure is workable then it will both dramatically lower the cost of access to space and drive billions of dollars of revenue to SpaceX. Second, this represents a significant advance in being able to deliver supplies to ISS, largely replacing a vehicle that is vastly more expensive than the Dragon Cargo. And finally putting American spaceflight back in the game of ISS resupply post-Shuttle. Third, the Dragon Cargo shares an enormous amount of heritage with the manned Dragon capsule in development. As they prove out elements of the vehicle design in unmanned ISS resupply missions they are effectively proving out the manned version as well. The manned Dragon capsule will represent a huge leap for the US space program, catapulting us back into having the capability to send crew into orbit and to the ISS. Fourth, given the costs of Falcon/Dragon flights they should be enormously disruptive to manned spaceflight, representing a vastly cheaper way to put humans in orbit even than the Russian Soyuz. That will likely translate into far more people beingable to go into orbit and the development of a sustained orbital tourism industry on an impressive scale which will fuel further innovation and drive down cost of access to space even more. Finally, all of this is being done by a private company working toward its own ends rather than a company on a strict government contract. This represents a new paradigm for launch vehicles and for manned spaceflight, potentially transforming the nature of the entire endeavor into something that is self-sustaining regardless of government enthusiasm for spaceflight. In short, this represents nothing less than fundamentally rebooting the entire space program going all the way back to Sputnik, and it could quite readily represent the opening up of spaceflight for commercial applications, space science and exploration, and for manned exploration and colonization to a degree that will make the scifi dreamers of our past look like forecasters.

joshuahedlund 14y ago
Can you give some numbers for some of the "vast" cost difference we're talking about (even if they're ballpark figures)?

may 14y ago

What is an instantaneous launch window?

marvin 14y ago
It means the launch has to happen at that exact moment, otherwise the path of the spacecraft in orbit will be too far away from the space station for a rendezvous to be possible. From what I heard, they have multiple such launch windows, each about an hour and a half apart (each corresponding to an orbit of the earth by the ISS)

rbanffy 14y ago

My only complain about this is that it will not have the Pan-Am logo on its side when it docks with the ISS. It would be sooooo cool.

anuraj 14y ago

SpaceX is definitely cheaper to NASA. But it is not really cheap considering space programs like that of India (ISRO). For example PSLV used for Chandrayaan-1 costs $17m per flight. A little outsourcing won't hurt NASA here.