OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!

[wolfpack]

Don't mess with Don. He'll shove a Canadarm where the sun don't shine.

Wouldn't dream of it.

Very proud for him being the first to berth a Dragon!

[spectre9]

Love his philosophy in a pocket remark.

Then comes up with the "golden spike".

That will be the bit that gets replayed lol

[Antares]

I would argue that SpaceX is fast in its execution by any other metric but comparison to its own predictions.

Salience.

[sanman]

I would argue that SpaceX is fast in its execution by any other metric but comparison to its own predictions.

Salience.

Haha, true enough, but I hope the SpaceX people won't stop promising their fast timelines in spite of that, because it sure pumps up the rest of us and keeps us watching.

I absolutely love how quick and agile SpaceX is - they're turning aerospace into a spectator sport! 

[QuantumG]

I absolutely love how quick and agile SpaceX is - they're turning aerospace into a spectator sport! 

All the thrills of Cricket. All the recreational drinking of Baseball.

[joek]

Long time away, but had to check in to say this made my week; wish I could have joined the party earlier.

A great week for spaceflight.  Kudos to SpaceX and NASA, and as always many thanks to Chris & crew for excellent coverage.

[Moe Grills]

So is the 'special' cargo surprise revealed yet?
Someone indicated an encore for cheese.

My guess is that amongst the clothing brought up in the Dragon
are some SpaceX t-shirts.

One day they will be on Ebay.
Cleaned and laundered back on Earth first of course.   

[starsilk]

So is the 'special' cargo surprise revealed yet?
Someone indicated an encore for cheese.

My guess is that amongst the clothing brought up in the Dragon
are some SpaceX t-shirts.

One day they will be on Ebay.
Cleaned and laundered back on Earth first of course.   Cheesy

given Elon's thing for Monty Python, it's more likely to be a 'resting' parrot (pining for the fjords), or maybe some knotted handkerchiefs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumbys

[dcporter]

For folks worrying about media coverage, CNN was tweeting aggressively about it, and when I mentioned it to my (decidedly non-nerd) wife, she replied that EVERYONE had been talking about it.

According to a @SpaceX retweet, the LA Times led with a huge 2/3-width photo of the capture.

Et cetera. I think this hit the mainstream more than this thread indicates.

[sanman]

My favorite Python skit was the one with the corporate raider pirates ("The Crimson Permanent Assurance"). It would be awesome if Musk could put a pirate's Jolly Roger on a vehicle. 

[starsilk]

My favorite Python skit was the one with the corporate raider pirates ("The Crimson Permanent Assurance"). It would be awesome if Musk could put a pirate's Jolly Roger on a vehicle. 

ahh.. perhaps:

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

http://people.csail.mit.edu/paulfitz/spanish/script.html

[catdlr]

For folks worrying about media coverage, CNN was tweeting aggressively about it, and when I mentioned it to my (decidedly non-nerd) wife, she replied that EVERYONE had been talking about it.

According to a @SpaceX retweet, the LA Times led with a huge 2/3-width photo of the capture.

Et cetera. I think this hit the mainstream more than this thread indicates.

LA Times Front Page:
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=CA_LAT&ref_pge=lst

[sanman]

My favorite Python skit was the one with the corporate raider pirates ("The Crimson Permanent Assurance"). It would be awesome if Musk could put a pirate's Jolly Roger on a vehicle. 

ahh.. perhaps:

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

http://people.csail.mit.edu/paulfitz/spanish/script.html

Heh, actually this is it here:



In a way, SpaceX is kind of like this - a plucky upstart setting sail and fighting for progress in an era of "ruthless monetarist policy". 

[rklaehn]

Not sure that this is the right place for that, but with all the praise that has been (deservedly) heaped on spacex:

I think the guys who designed the common berthing mechanism deserve some praise as well. And of course the guys that came up with the robotic arm and the grapple fixture.

We have witnessed orbital assembly. The thing that Michael Griffin thinks is so hard that we have to spend countless billions to build a heavy lift vehicle that launches every second year just to avoid it. And it seemed pretty routine.

[Jim]

When Dragon lands, only Russia, the US and SpaceX will have had a vehicle go to the ISS and return.
That is an exclusive club that ULA PWR are not members of.
Who's making noise now?

Spacex is not launching spacecraft that are of national importance yet.  So going to the ISS is not worth to ULA/RWR to make noise over.

[aero]

When Dragon lands, only Russia, the US and SpaceX will have had a vehicle go to the ISS and return.
That is an exclusive club that ULA PWR are not members of.
Who's making noise now?

Spacex is not launching spacecraft that are of national importance yet.  So going to the ISS is not worth make noise over.

Oh I disagree. In fact, I think its time we started planning how the future will honor Elon Musk and SpaceX. I've started a list of place names for future reference, that is, places and things that could exist on Mars in a few hundred years. Its the party thread so help by adding to or modifying the list.

Future things/places on or about Mars.

Elon City 300 instances
Dragonville 140 instances
Falconton 95 instances
Falcon Station 1 big one
Muskberg 238 instances


Need some SpaceX in there ...

[SpacexULA]

Oh I disagree. In fact, I think its time we started planning how the future will honor Elon Musk and SpaceX. I've started a list of place names for future reference, that is, places and things that could exist on Mars in a few hundred years. Its the party thread so help by adding to or modifying the list.

Future things/places on or about Mars.

Elon City 300 instances
Dragonville 140 instances
Falconton 95 instances
Falcon Station 1 big one
Muskberg 238 instances


Need some SpaceX in there ...

I think Elon Musk will be remembered, but I think he is just the beginning.  Like most things, the start is not nearly as interesting as the response to the start.

SpaceX's success clears the air for P&W, Boeing, LM, ULA, etc etc to shop proposals they have had on the books for years and in some cases decades.

My greatest hope is that SpaceX has continued success, and that leads to a better funding environment for the ULA exploration program, Atlas Heavy, CST-100, man rating Atlas, ACES upper stages, Fuel depots, etc etc, etc.

Commercial investment in HSF endeavors just lost a lot of its giggle factor; I sincerely hope that a few of the other 1000+ Billionaires in the world decide to out do Mr Musk.

[aero]

Oh I disagree. In fact, I think its time we started planning how the future will honor Elon Musk and SpaceX. I've started a list of place names for future reference, that is, places and things that could exist on Mars in a few hundred years. Its the party thread so help by adding to or modifying the list.

Future things/places on or about Mars.

Elon City 300 instances
Dragonville 140 instances
Falconton 95 instances
Falcon Station 1 big one
Muskberg 238 instances


Need some SpaceX in there ...

I think Elon Musk will be remembered, but I think he is just the beginning.  Like most things, the start is not nearly as interesting as the response to the start.

SpaceX's success clears the air for P&W, Boeing, LM, ULA, etc etc to shop proposals they have had on the books for years and in some cases decades.

My greatest hope is that SpaceX has continued success, and that leads to a better funding environment for the ULA exploration program, Atlas Heavy, CST-100, man rating Atlas, ACES upper stages, Fuel depots, etc etc, etc.

Commercial investment in HSF endeavors just lost a lot of its giggle factor; I sincerely hope that a few of the other 1000+ Billionaires in the world decide to out do Mr Musk.

Oh yes, there will most likely be a facility named Atlas Stadium and maybe even a ULA Mall on SpaceX Blvd. somewhere in Elon City, but until one of those 1000+ billionaires gets off the stick and does something for Mars, he won't be remembered with a place name on Mars.

[krytek]

Elon's next generation rocket

[oiorionsbelt]

When Dragon lands, only Russia, the US and SpaceX will have had a vehicle go to the ISS and return.
That is an exclusive club that ULA PWR are not members of.
Who's making noise now?

Spacex is not launching spacecraft that are of national importance yet.  So going to the ISS is not worth to ULA/RWR to make noise over.

ULA and PWR don't make any spacecraft, nationally important or otherwise.