OMG it's the SpaceX Party Thread!

[Mader Levap]

Mission in itself is not that important and I agree that comparison with Shuttle or Apollo are a bit ridiculous. What is interesting is promise, potential, feeling that we maybe witness beginning of something big.

[Jim]

To me, Dragon berthing with the ISS is not an "Apollo 11 moment". It is more like Carpenter's Aurora 7 flight. People had flown to orbit before, in the USA and USSR. The Redstone launcher didn't include any particularly groundbreaking new technology, having been well proven in the PGM-11 programme. Even the capsule was already flight proven by Glenn. But Carpenter's flight was important because, in cementing the capability of the Gemini capsule to sustain manned orbital flight and safely return, it opened the door to the continuation of the US manned programme and the realisation of Werner von Braun's vision of man on the moon. Similarly, Dragon's success last week validates SpaceX's credibility as a company designing, constructing and operating both launchers and spacecraft, and in doing so, brings the company's stated goal of "making mankind multiplanetary" a very big step closer.

For me, that is a very big deal indeed.

+1.

That is perfect sentiment, except for being more like Gemini 10 (2nd docking in space)

[peter-b]

That is perfect sentiment, except for being more like Gemini 10 (2nd docking in space)

This is also a good example.

[Jim]

My point is that as far as launch vehicles and flying are concerned, SpaceX as a company, is now doing things that as a company ULA and PWR cannot do.

wrong again.  ULA is part of Boeing, which does have the capability

[JBF]

My point is that as far as launch vehicles and flying are concerned, SpaceX as a company, is now doing things that as a company ULA and PWR cannot do.

wrong again.  ULA is part of Boeing, which does have the capability

Not until Orion comes online.

[pippin]

My point is that as far as launch vehicles and flying are concerned, SpaceX as a company, is now doing things that as a company ULA and PWR cannot do.

wrong again.  ULA is part of Boeing, which does have the capability

Sorry, Jim, but I beg to disagree.
Isn't it you who keeps pointing out that ULA is only a launch service provider?

There is a bit of a fundamental change of the game going on here with commercial cargo, crew, whatever in that what NASA now asks for are no longer providers of launch services and suppliers of spacecraft hardware, designed to NASA specs but now they are asking for an integrated space supply service.
So far, SpaceX are the ONLY ones who have demonstrated this, Orbital will probably be next, Boeing, let's see when they join the game.

And this is indeed very different from what was there before, probably similar to the move from NASA or the AirForce buying launch vehicles or even launch vehicle stages from suppliers and then integrating and flying them themselves towards buying launch services.

Sure, Boeing certainly has all the single capabilities somewhere in their conglomerate if you count partnerships and minority stakeholdings but that's still different from actually doing it.
We could see this very clearly in this case: when it comes to supplying services that involve complex technology the operational side is just as important as the technology. You can see this in other cases as well, like in IT, public service outsourcing and so on. It's not enough to know how to build components, to know how to fly them and how to put together your business cases and keep your supply chains running and get all the bureaucracy on the ground fed to actually be able to launch and all this is just as important. ULA knows how to do that for launching spacecraft but launching and operating them to deliver a service in space is actually something only SpaceX has done so far.

I would not underestimate that.

[oiorionsbelt]

My point is that as far as launch vehicles and flying are concerned, SpaceX as a company, is now doing things that as a company ULA and PWR cannot do.

wrong again.  ULA is part of Boeing, which does have the capability

Sorry Jim, I must call you out on this. Boeing does not currently possess the capability of berthing to the ISS and returning.

[Jim]

wrong again.  ULA is part of Boeing, which does have the capability

Sorry Jim, I must call you out on this. Boeing does not currently possess the capability of berthing to the ISS and returning.
[/quote]

It has multiple vehicles capable of rendezvous and docking with other vehicles.  ISS capability on matters to NASA and not to others

[Jim]

My point is that as far as launch vehicles and flying are concerned, SpaceX as a company, is now doing things that as a company ULA and PWR cannot do.

wrong again.  ULA is part of Boeing, which does have the capability

Not until Orion comes online.

Boeing does X-37 and Orbital Express, not Orion which is LM.

[DaveH62]

This is going into the weeds, but I'd argue that spacehab was not an independent vehicle as it was dependent on the shuttle.

That doesn't matter, Dragon isn't a technical achievement.
Spacehab used the same words in its achievements as Spacex.

For me the excitement is the return of a sense of dynamic plan of action, which is akin to Apollo. Whether this is more than a footnote depends on what SpaceX does from here. If they deliver against their goals, this will be their Gemini rocket. Their Apollo moment would be getting a human on Mars. However it plays out, they will help drive change and new development in space. For that we all win.
Thanks and congrats to SpaceX and NASA.

[Chris Bergin]

This is the SpaceX party thread, not the "I've come to your party and I don't like the brand of ice cream you have so I'm going to stick my bottom lip out" thread.

Good to know the X-37 has docked with the ISS. Must have missed that memo.

[sanman]

I want a sample of that Dragon New Car Smell, so that I can market it as a scent to all the space-hungry nerd masses. Seriously, I think it could become a top-seller on ThinkGeek.

[pippin]

Good to know the X-37 has docked with the ISS. Must have missed that memo.

Black operation. Secret, you know.
You never asked yourself why there are all these LOS conditions? Blackout zones, yikes, you are soooo naive

[JBF]

Boeing does X-37 and Orbital Express, not Orion which is LM.

Good point about the X-37, I keep forgetting about that.

[Chandonn]

I want a sample of that Dragon New Car Smell, so that I can market it as a scent to all the space-hungry nerd masses. Seriously, I think it could become a top-seller on ThinkGeek.

Oh, it's probably one of those things you hang from your rearview mirror...

[DaveH62]

In my opinion, Elon Musk has the makings of the Isambard Kingdom Brunel of the space age, between PayPal, Solar City, Tesla and SpaceX.

I was thinking howard Hughes. An entrepreneur engineer building big things in America.
The first and, for now, only man in the world with his own spaceship!

[spectre9]

I'm in my late 20s.

Apollo moment? Massive overreaction.

I get more excitement out of a Soyuz launch.

Why?

This has already been over by others but it's obvious.

Put a man inside the machine and everything take on a different character.

The first real commercial crew flight will be a big moment. This is just delivering underwear, socks and breakfast to the station.

It's exciting for somebody following spaceflight but it's hardly revolutionary.

When SpaceX launches men with their liquid abort system then they've pushed the boundaries. ESA and JAXA have done cargo, sure they were governments but not with the massive budget of NASA.

HSF is where the excitement is at and always will be.

I do also get a kick out of the robotic probe launches if they're going somewhere cool. (Juno, MSL).

Cargo to the station? I couldn't be less inspired.

SpaceX themselves and all the work they've done and the media hype around it is very nice to see though and I'm enjoying it. Just not getting too carried away. 

[QuantumG]

1. you're being a party pooper.. stop it! You do not have the right to come onto this thread and say you are not having fun. If you don't like the party, leave!

2. Whenever I find myself thinking "it's been done before", I try to imagine myself doing it. I wouldn't care if it had been done before, and I would look down on anyone who said it wasn't significant that I was doing it just because someone else had done it. That's why people still run marathons, even though they know they'll never beat the world record.

[oiorionsbelt]

Good to know the X-37 has docked with the ISS. Must have missed that memo.

 

[spectre9]

Isn't the party over yet?

Not until splashdown?

Maybe for some. I have confidence in PICA-X, not the hardest part of the mission.

I'm just saying what we all know. Spaceflight is very much split between HSF and non-HSF one being much more exciting than the other.

ESA, CSA and JAXA all seem to be waiting for USA Commercial Crew to take them to orbit rather than developing their own HSF systems. This is fine but it's not very inspiring. Exchange of funds will become the norm and barters will go out the window if everybody wants US companies to make all the investment. (Elon's pocket)