LIVE: SpaceX Falcon 9 (Flight 2) - COTS-1 - Launch Updates - December 8, 2010

[spacetraveler]

guess will have to use it to speed up Constellation

Constellation was eliminated. It is no more.

[Perchlorate]

Congratulations to SpaceX.  What an achievement!

Nearly perfect.  Yes, the RP-1 "fireball" will have to be fixed, and I'm sure there are other issues.  And we can't be dinging niobium skirts like that.

Can we focus on the positive?  This is a great day for spaceflight.  Surely, SpaceX owes a debt to all who have gone before in the last 50+ years.  But they deserve great credit as well.

[Avron]

We haven't yet found out what Elon's "secret" cargo on Dragon was.  Maybe it was Elon himself... 

LOL!

Humm ex-wife...

[echalone]

Thank you SpaceX for this wonderful evening well spend You guys made history today! What people have dreamed of since the 70ties has finally come true... and most of them haven't even realized yet or heard from

[avollhar]

maybe this day will be called the beginning of Space 2.0

[butters]

"Splashdown on target"

[corrodedNut]

SpaceXer: "Splashdown on target. Mission is a success!"

Where's the bottle opener? (this is good beer)

[milresol]

guess will have to use it to speed up Constellation

Constellation was eliminated. It is no more.

Yeah, I know that, though parts live on.  Like I said, "glad to be proven wrong."  Funny how events turn.  Great day, don't you think?

[Sparky]

guess will have to use it to speed up Constellation

Constellation was eliminated. It is no more.

SLS then.

[go4mars]

I've never been a sports fan but this must be what it's like to have your team win the superbowl. Congratulations SpaceX!

Hahaha.  That's an analogy I strongly relate to! 

Congratulations Elon. 

TO MARS!!!

[Chris Bergin]

I was going to wait for Chris B. to turn off the seatbelt sign before I posted my congrats ("you are now free to move about the cabin" ) but what the heck!  I'll join in too!

I think they saw the "seatbelts on" sign, pulled it down and threw it out of the window a good 30 minutes ago I've got two moderators asking for counselling and I've got a headache the size of Bulgaria.

We've had this level of visitors before, but not this level of posting on a single thread. I'll have to look at that, as we try and pride ourselves on keeping the noise down, but a lot of people showed restraint - which is appreciated.

And if you lost a post, remember, it's never personal. We try and keep it as tidy as possible, and I know we'll of missed some things, but for the record I personally do not see ANYTHING wrong with people being excited about space flight. Heck, we need more of it.

Congrats SpaceX - historic, surreal and awesome day all rolled into one

[hernick]

We haven't yet found out what Elon's "secret" cargo on Dragon was.  Maybe it was Elon himself... 

Ten thousand bottles of SpaceX's new fragrance: Elon's musk

Perfume from space, it's sure to be popular with all geeks!

Bravo SpaceX!

[DigitalMan]

Congratulations SpaceX!   I hope this will help build more enthusiasm for commercial spaceflight in general, especially in Washington DC.

[neilh]

Lets get this thing manned one day!

Orbiter

We haven't yet found out what Elon's "secret" cargo on Dragon was.  Maybe it was Elon himself... 

I'm still betting it's a life-size Iron Man.

[majormajor42]

maybe this day will be called the beginning of Space 2.0

I like that!  Thank you SpaceX!  Thank you Elon!  Go Space 2.0!

[rjholling]

We haven't yet found out what Elon's "secret" cargo on Dragon was.  Maybe it was Elon himself... 

LOL!

Ham the IX the Space Chimp.

[Patchouli]

Definitely was a historic day lets hope the other CCDev/COTS vehicle test flights go this well.

We haven't yet found out what Elon's "secret" cargo on Dragon was.  Maybe it was Elon himself... 

LOL!

Ham the IX the Space Chimp.

I suspect a fully instrumented flight test dummy in a spacesuit.

[gregzsidisin]

We haven't yet found out what Elon's "secret" cargo on Dragon was.  Maybe it was Elon himself... 

LOL!

Humm ex-wife...

Elon was in the capsule.  Ex was in the expendable rear section.

That's why there was one of the yellow-diamond signs in one of the windows:  "Ex-wife in Trunk."

[MarsInMyLifetime]

Hard to get a reply in here!

I have watched several memorable  space firsts in my lifetime, the earliest that I recall being Alan  Shepherd's suborbital Mercury flight. I found myself today feeling much  the same way I did for that flight. I was riveted, from the  smirk-inducing nozzle "fix" to the heart-stopping pouf at liftoff to the  tweeted news at the end. Although I am a fan of space accomplishments  in general, this one strikes me as a "Zephram Cochrane" kind of moment  that I'll always remember in a special way.  The successful completion  is a huge vindication for everyone involved in the total package,  including NASA and range coordination as well. Congratulations! Now,  make the next one better!

[joshcryer]

Thanks to Chris and all the mods for an exceptional effort. I think I got a few posts zapped and I don't care, glad in a way, some things are better left unsaid. Congrats SpaceX! Looking forward to the news conference!