Game-Changer for Space Travel & Exploration happens this weekend
David Caddick
Senior Security Specialist at Microsoft - aka.ms/gsd = Get Security Deployed
This to me is a massive Game Changer for how we approach and look at Space. I can still recall as a 7 year old in Primary School we got to sit around the small black & white TV and watched as Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon back in July 1969.
In some ways this probably led to my interest in Aircraft as a kid, and then at 15 left school to join the Australian AirForce as an Apprentice - as it happened I ended up becoming an Electrician - and later really appreciated that it turned out the way it did instead of becoming a Pilot.
As part of Training we were being taught the how and why's of what was termed then "VLSI" or Very Large Scale Integration for creating processors and chips, and later in the mid 90's I switched careers slightly and became a Novell certified CNE and here I am now working at Dell. :-)
Anyway, I have always been an avid SciFi reader and never lost the keen interest in Space, and in some ways one regret is to have never witnessed a Shuttle Launch, but perhaps we might correct that with a SpaceX Heavy Launch?
So *WHY* will I be getting up in the wee hours of Monday morning (AEST +10) to try and witness this particular SpaceX Launch CRS-7? Because third time lucky - that's why! This will be the Third time SpaceX will attempt to *actually land* the First Stage booster safely so that it can be reused. And they were so very close with the second attempt - see links below for video of how close.
Once they are successful - this will dramatically reduce the cost of getting "stuff" into Orbit. This will change the whole economics of getting things into orbit by couple of orders of magnitude. How much? Building a new Falcon Rocket costs $54M - but the fuel to put 2,000 kg into orbit is only $200K - this is why this will make a huge difference to the costs of getting into Orbit.
Good luck to SpaceX Team and Elon Musk!!
- Countdown clock
- SpaceX is going to try a revolutionary rocket landing this Sunday -- here's how to watch
- Countdown clock and live stream AmericaSpace Live Launch and Event Tracker
- HD Video of the second attempt in April - so very close...
- Elon Musk Names SpaceX Drone Ships in Honor of Sci-Fi Legend Ian M. Banks
- Barge names are - "Just Read the Instructions"
- But Monday's landing will be on "Of Course I Still Love You"
Senior Security Specialist at Microsoft - aka.ms/gsd = Get Security Deployed
9 年Bummer - about 2 mins into Launch and it all went south - I did notice possible additional flames around the engines that seemed odd, and then ......!! More news no doubt tomorrow as to the cause?
Senior Security Specialist at Microsoft - aka.ms/gsd = Get Security Deployed
9 年Thanks James, as it turns out it might be just after midnight, depending on any delays - but no doubt it will be on the mornings news? The next stage of the plan is that they re-fuel the rocket on the barge and it can then "fly" back to Cape Canaveral to get prep'd for the next flight...
Relaxed at Nil
9 年Thanks for the post David. I will be sound asleep at the time and look forward to your exciting recount the next morning.