Author Topic: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!  (Read 465705 times)

Offline punder

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1238
  • Liked: 1827
  • Likes Given: 1436
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1660 on: 06/01/2012 02:25 am »
What is the "blind squirrels" reference??

I agree with Jim on that one, PWR is an important, historic company. 

I didn't think the attack ad was appropriate, though, and I bet PWR management doesn't look back on it as the smartest ad campaign they've ever done.

There are a lot of people that are (or in a just world, should be) enjoying some crow today.  On the other hand...

"Don't get cocky."


Offline punder

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1238
  • Liked: 1827
  • Likes Given: 1436
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1661 on: 06/01/2012 04:54 am »
come to think of it...
this was actually the first spacecraft splashdown i have seen live ever (or first in my lifetime for that matter)

Sheesh... Rookies! I remember watching all of the Apollos from 11 on hit the drink.



 
Young David!

I saw them all from Mercury-Redstone…  :)

~Robert


I remember them as far back as Gemini.  I'm a little too young to remember watching Mercury, although my father always said that I was sitting in his lap for MR-3.  I was also 3 at the time.

Of course I saw those Gemini splashdowns in black & white.  In fact, my family got our first color TV on the day of Apollo 10's splashdown.  My dad plugged it in, turned it on, and...nothing.  He hooked up the B&W again and we watched it on that.

It was easier to hook up TVs in those days.  You just plugged in the cord to the electrical outlet and extended the rabbit ear antennas.   :)

Edit:  Now that I think of it, those B&W splashdowns were clearer than the color one we saw this morning.   :D

I was 4 or 5 at the time, so maybe I'm not remembering this right... but I seem to recall sitting transfixed in front of the TV, watching the Gemini gantry slowly lower itself to the ground after launch.  Did it really do that?

Offline mr. mark

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1996
  • Liked: 172
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1662 on: 06/01/2012 05:16 am »
LOL

Offline Lars_J

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6160
  • California
  • Liked: 677
  • Likes Given: 195
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1663 on: 06/01/2012 05:27 am »
Stay classy, San Diego! :D

Offline savuporo

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5152
  • Liked: 1002
  • Likes Given: 342
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1664 on: 06/01/2012 06:52 am »
What's the next big thing to look forward to from SpaceX? The Grasshopper tests?
Some non-government customers getting their payloads to orbit would be absolutely AWESOME
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline Cinder

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 779
  • Liked: 229
  • Likes Given: 1077
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1665 on: 06/01/2012 07:25 am »
I didn't think the attack ad was appropriate, though, and I bet PWR management doesn't look back on it as the smartest ad campaign they've ever done.
It added fuel to SpaceX' fire.  If the company's supposed to appreciate bigger picture as in Cold War and saving American lives... It ought to appreciate throwing fuel on the fire of healthy competition.
NEC ULTIMA SI PRIOR

Offline Chandonn

  • Extreme Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1240
  • "Pudding!!! UNLIMITED Rice Pudding!!!"
  • Lexington, Ky
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 17
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1666 on: 06/01/2012 08:57 am »
Wooo hoo! :D I need to unwind in the party thread here... I'm very excited!

And the "blind squirrels" of SpaceX are two for two, I guess. :D


3 for 3, if you want to talk about Falcon 9 successes.  Or is that 100% success rate (albeit only a 3-flight history) ?

PASS THE BLIND SQUIRRELS SOME KOOL-AID!  ;)

Offline Chandonn

  • Extreme Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1240
  • "Pudding!!! UNLIMITED Rice Pudding!!!"
  • Lexington, Ky
  • Liked: 13
  • Likes Given: 17
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1667 on: 06/01/2012 09:08 am »
What is the "blind squirrels" reference??


Based on the cliche: "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then"

An oft-repeated Jim-ism:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22041.msg667671#msg667671


[EDIT: that reference took some serious searching!]
« Last Edit: 06/01/2012 09:09 am by Chandonn »

Offline Rocket Science

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10586
  • NASA Educator Astronaut Candidate Applicant 2002
  • Liked: 4548
  • Likes Given: 13523
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1668 on: 06/01/2012 09:28 am »
come to think of it...
this was actually the first spacecraft splashdown i have seen live ever (or first in my lifetime for that matter)

Sheesh... Rookies! I remember watching all of the Apollos from 11 on hit the drink.



 
Young David!

I saw them all from Mercury-Redstone…  :)

~Robert


I remember them as far back as Gemini.  I'm a little too young to remember watching Mercury, although my father always said that I was sitting in his lap for MR-3.  I was also 3 at the time.

Of course I saw those Gemini splashdowns in black & white.  In fact, my family got our first color TV on the day of Apollo 10's splashdown.  My dad plugged it in, turned it on, and...nothing.  He hooked up the B&W again and we watched it on that.

It was easier to hook up TVs in those days.  You just plugged in the cord to the electrical outlet and extended the rabbit ear antennas.   :)

Edit:  Now that I think of it, those B&W splashdowns were clearer than the color one we saw this morning.   :D

I was 4 or 5 at the time, so maybe I'm not remembering this right... but I seem to recall sitting transfixed in front of the TV, watching the Gemini gantry slowly lower itself to the ground after launch.  Did it really do that?
Here is you answer and look it’s in color!  :D


"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline Mader Levap

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 976
  • Liked: 447
  • Likes Given: 561
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1669 on: 06/01/2012 10:50 am »
What is the "blind squirrels" reference??
When SpaceX managed to launch F9, Jim dismissed it as "even blind squirrel can sometimes get nut". It was after second successful launch, mind you.
Certain folks never let live it down...  ;D
« Last Edit: 06/01/2012 10:53 am by Mader Levap »
Be successful.  Then tell the haters to (BLEEP) off. - deruch
...and if you have failure, tell it anyway.

Offline Thunderbird5

  • "How hard could it be?" TM
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 133
  • London, Ol' Blighty
  • Liked: 17
  • Likes Given: 21
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1670 on: 06/01/2012 11:07 am »
What is the "blind squirrels" reference??
When SpaceX managed to launch F9, Jim dismissed it as "even blind squirrel can sometimes get nut". It was after second successful launch, mind you.
Certain folks never let live it down...  ;D

Don't you mean Spacex 

 :P

Offline soldeed

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 213
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1671 on: 06/01/2012 11:11 am »
What's the next big thing to look forward to from SpaceX? The Grasshopper tests?
Some non-government customers getting their payloads to orbit would be absolutely AWESOME

Yes, there is one big milestone yet to go, they still have not flown the satellite fairing yet! Which flight on the manifest is supposed to test that puppy?  And will the operational CRS flights include satellites on the second stage?
The Exodus is behind schedule

Offline MP99

Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1672 on: 06/01/2012 11:36 am »
LOL

Antares is right - the guys with the graphics know-how often miss some important detail.

Shame that pic shows 36 mins before the launch!

Cheers, Martin

Offline dcporter

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 881
  • Liked: 266
  • Likes Given: 422
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1673 on: 06/01/2012 01:12 pm »
On Jimology

Jim doesn't have any patience for giddiness, and generally enjoys imposing realism (a required function on a serious board like this).  I don't think he was saying that Spacex is a blind squirrel, he was saying that a couple of lucky launches don't make a reliable spacecraft so everybody calm down.  Just like statistics, I assume his derision will trend towards zero with subsequent successful launches, and just like statistics, I doubt he'll ever throw his hat in the air for the slow process of turning something risky into something routine.  (The apocryphal "GO BABY GO" post notwithstanding.)

That having been said, he does usually seem to ignore the question about what will get him excited - that is to ask Jim, what's the smallest thing on their to-do list that you would consider historic?  Private crew -> ISS?  Retrothruster landing?  1st stage flyback?  ...Mars?

*microphone in face*

Offline Jim

  • Night Gator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 37440
  • Cape Canaveral Spaceport
  • Liked: 21450
  • Likes Given: 428
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1674 on: 06/01/2012 01:40 pm »

That having been said, he does usually seem to ignore the question about what will get him excited - that is to ask Jim, what's the smallest thing on their to-do list that you would consider historic?  Private crew -> ISS?  Retrothruster landing?  1st stage flyback?  ...Mars?

*microphone in face*

Historic and what gets me excited is two different things.  I would be excited if Spacex launched a spacecraft that I was working on.

As for Spacex is plans (I am going to add to your list)

Falcon 1, Falcon 9, C1, C2/3, CRS1, Private crew,  Retrothruster landing, 1st stage flyback, etc are too incremental to be giddy about for one lanch.  STS-1 was everything at once, not to mention the gap since ASTP.  First Pegasus was cool (it was unique).  First Titan IV (since I worked on the payload).  Apollo missions since I was young and spaceflight was still unique.  First Spacehab mission, since I was intimately involved (that was a day long blur after launch).  First Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, not so much since they did not stray to far from standard rocket configurations. (after all, I have see more than 1/2 of the shuttle launches and maybe over 200 ELV launches)

« Last Edit: 06/01/2012 01:44 pm by Jim »

Offline david1971

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 239
  • Liked: 136
  • Likes Given: 16567
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1675 on: 06/01/2012 02:57 pm »
Historic and what gets me excited is two different things.  I would be excited if Spacex launched a spacecraft that I was working on.

As for Spacex is plans (I am going to add to your list)

Falcon 1, Falcon 9, C1, C2/3, CRS1, Private crew,  Retrothruster landing, 1st stage flyback, etc are too incremental to be giddy about for one lanch.  STS-1 was everything at once, not to mention the gap since ASTP.

What about if/when they are the company that ends "the gap".  Would that qualify for giddy?
I flew on SOFIA four times.

Offline ArbitraryConstant

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2014
  • Liked: 628
  • Likes Given: 311
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1676 on: 06/01/2012 03:05 pm »
Falcon 1, Falcon 9, C1, C2/3, CRS1, Private crew,  Retrothruster landing, 1st stage flyback, etc are too incremental to be giddy about for one lanch.
Huh. Of that list I think first stage flyback and reuse would be a pretty significant and important first. The only stages to be recovered so far are indestructible steel tubes, and many others have wanted to do it but never been able to make it work.

Offline FinalFrontier

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4490
  • Space Watcher
  • Liked: 1332
  • Likes Given: 173
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1677 on: 06/01/2012 03:16 pm »
Well remember, COTS was really Mike Griffin's baby in the first place...

Something I think too many Constellation-haterz don't remember often enough.

Maybe some fellow CxP-haters forget that Mike Griffin actually did one or two smart things during his time at NASA HQ, but I'm not one of those. My only beef was that discussions pre-Griffin had made it sound like they were going to pursue commercial cargo and crew in parallel, not as a "let's do cargo first, and only think about solving the crew situation down the road" deal like we ended up getting.

~Jon

Ironically Griffin both helped and hurt commercial spaceflight. Helped by starting COTS/CRS ect but hurt it by basically railing against it on capitol hill any time someone criticized Ares in favor of commercial.


The guy still makes no sense to me to this date. He acted like he knew what he was doing half the time, and the other half of the time he directly contradicted himself.
3-30-2017: The start of a great future
"Live Long and Prosper"

Offline tigerade

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 718
  • Low Earth Orbit
  • Liked: 51
  • Likes Given: 36
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1678 on: 06/01/2012 03:24 pm »
Historic and what gets me excited is two different things.  I would be excited if Spacex launched a spacecraft that I was working on.

Well, I heard SpaceX was hiring.  Maybe not your cup of tea, but just putting it out there.  ;D  I have no idea what your current job is, but it seems like it's something really important within either NASA or another space company.

Offline majormajor42

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 531
  • Liked: 74
  • Likes Given: 230
Re: OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!
« Reply #1679 on: 06/01/2012 03:24 pm »
What is the "blind squirrels" reference??
Based on the cliche: "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then"
An oft-repeated Jim-ism:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=22041.msg667671#msg667671
[EDIT: that reference took some serious searching!]

wow. So SpaceX will be considered "blind squirrels" until their launch success rate surpasses 90% including the first three failures. That means, if they achieve a 100% launch success here on out, the 30th launch (27th success) will be when SpaceX earns it's eyesight. Looking forward to it!
...water is life and it is out there, where we intend to go. I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man or machine on a body such as the Moon and harvest a cup of water for a human to drink or process into fuel for their craft.

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
0