It is becoming axiomatic that any new medium or heavy lift rocket that is proposed without some element of reuse is doomed to fail.
Finally
This one is entirely on you. I've been researching load-and-go, and no one wanted that but SpaceX. NASA official: "We tortured SpaceX for more than three years before we finally approved load-and-go. Had it been up to NASA, we would not have had the reusability revolution."
This is really random, but I'm trying to pin something down for the F9 book. If you're on a call with the Secretary of Defense, and there's a roll call that starts like this: "ALL J-3s REMAIN SLIENT! ALL J-3s REMAIN SILENT FOR ROLL CALL." ... what does 'J-3s' refer to or mean?
https://www.jcs.mil/Directorates/J3-Operations/
Yes, I get that. But what are "J-3s" in this context? Lower level officials in the Joint Chiefs of Staff office? Colonels or something?
I need some downtime because I've really been putting in some after-hours work on the Falcon 9 book (coming together nicely, thank you). It's a lot to manage that, Ars, and a weather site that's turned into more than a hobby!
There's method acting, of course. But is there method writing? I am thinking of working "hard core" on the Falcon 9 book by working a 100-hour week to emulate SpaceXers on deadlines. I haven't told Amanda yet though.
The idea would be to glean some small sense of the exhaustion and mental fatigue of the work done leading up to key milestones and launches in SpaceX's history. Of which there are many. Of course I will be comfortable in my office, rather than sweating in Texas or Florida.
Falcon 9 book then starship book? Loved block 1!
Any Starship book would need to be many years down the road. We are only at the beginning of that story.
Any idea when we may see the F9 sequel? This year maybe?Eric: Next year! Working hard on it at this very moment.
Feeling pretty good tonight. I've now written three-quarters of the Falcon 9 book, which is already longer than Liftoff. I think it's pretty great? Man, those early flights were wild. Hopefully we'll get it published next year.
What I do know is that I have mad respect for everyone at SpaceX, from the top down, who put everything they had into making all that happen. Insane effort and achievement by so many. I'm hoping to bring some of their stories into the light.
Any Falcon heavy in the book as well, or is it scrubbed from the chapters?
FH is not the focus of the book, but I have some fun stories. Including "Hells Bells."
Zach Dunn is back for more! He told me this amazing story about Flight 9.
First two-thirds of the book covers up to Amos-6. But I'll go all the way to Starhopper.
https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1652119362713579520QuoteZach Dunn is back for more! He told me this amazing story about Flight 9.
I'm sure he'll be totally objective.
Quote from: Blackstar on 04/29/2023 12:35 pmI'm sure he'll be totally objective.In my experience, he is. There’s a weird online Twitter cult of Berger haters who’ve been repeating just a whole ton of libelous attacks on him (I think because he has made some predictions about SLS which turned out to be right?), and I think it has succeeded in making even normal people like yourself think there’s something bad there, but there just isn’t. My respect always goes down for people whenever they make unfounded side remarks about how somehow Berger is dishonest. Do better, Blackstar, I know you’re one of the good ones.
I recently completed a long chapter on the origins of commercial crew, and the competition between Boeing and SpaceX. It is remarkable, in hindsight, how Boeing came within a hair's breadth of winning the entire contract; and how everyone thought only they would succeed.
You're writing another book?
On the Falcon 9, yeah. Hopefully out late next summer. It's good!
Is the title "Landing!" or something else?
Really struggling with a one-word title! If you have any suggestions please let me know.
T+254: Mars Sample Return, Vulcan, NSSL Phase 3 (with Eric Berger)JULY 18, 2023Eric Berger of Ars Technica joins me to talk about the budgetary threat facing Mars Sample Return, the latest issue with ULA’s Vulcan vehicle, and the ongoing tweaks to the National Security Space Launch Program’s Phase 3 architecture.
Definitely another must read:https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1652120406327717889QuoteFirst two-thirds of the book covers up to Amos-6. But I'll go all the way to Starhopper.
"Go all the way to Starhopper". That makers me a bit nervous that Berger might not be exploring the full culmination of first-stage reusability, which is what really sets Falcon aside. I hope the story of how multiple, routine re-flights weere achieved will not be just an afterthought.
One of the engineers I spoke with for a book on the Falcon 9 rocket said, during the inaugural flight campaign back in 2010, that she would catch short afternoon naps inside the interstage. It was "cozy," she said. Thirteen years later:
Quote from: Oersted on 07/21/2023 06:49 am"Go all the way to Starhopper". That makers me a bit nervous that Berger might not be exploring the full culmination of first-stage reusability, which is what really sets Falcon aside. I hope the story of how multiple, routine re-flights weere achieved will not be just an afterthought.I interpreted that as saying the book looks a bit beyond F9. Eric also said the book ends with the Euclid mission, which is way past Starhopper in time and well into routine reuse.
True story about this you will likely find interesting. Right after SpaceX started crashing rockets into barges and hadn’t perfected it yet, I met a young engineer who was part of NASA’s research program for supersonic retropropulsion. He said,… /1
2/ “At NASA, we had a big program planned to study this. We were going to start with lots of computer simulations. Then we would put a thruster on a high speed rail car and shoot the plume into the direction of travel. Then we’d drop rockets off high altitude balloons…
3/ “But then @elonmusk just went and tried it, and it WORKED! So NASA canceled our entire program!”😂😂😂The beauty is that SpaceX didn’t even have to land on the barge for this result. Just hitting the barge with the booster proved that supersonic retropropulsion worked.
Actually, they proved it on F9 F6 out of Vandenberg. @lrocket gave me a banger quote about watching that reentry that is in my forthcoming book on the development of Falcon 9 and reuse.
I’m thrilled to announce the sequel to Liftoff, titled REENTRY, will be published on September 24. This book picks up the story where Liftoff left off, taking readers on a wild ride aboard the Falcon 9, Dragon, Heavy, and so much more.Publisher page: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/759707/reentry-by-eric-berger/I packed a lot in here: the origins of the Falcon 9, its development, the early launches and fruitless recoveries, two devastating failures, the remarkable road to reuse, flying the first Dragons, crewed flights, Falcon Heavy, the rivalries, and more.The story is again told primarily through the employees at SpaceX, the big names are all there of course, but also lesser known but critical players like Roger Carlson, Catriona Chambers, Robert Rose, Ricky Lim, and many more.There are technical details and wild stories. Most of all, I want to provide a sense of what Elon Musk and his team slogged through to reach the point where they are today, at the pinnacle of global spaceflight. It was never easy. Nor inevitable.Thanks to @johnkraus for the great cover photo. If you compare it to the US cover of Liftoff there are some wonderful symmetries with the rocket and text going up on Liftoff, and then returning on REENTRY.The new book is 50 percent longer than Liftoff because there was so much story to tell. I’m deeply indebted to the many dozens of SpaceXers who spoke to me, in addition to those from NASA, FAA, and elsewhere. I did my best. I hope you like it.
May as well go for a trilogy
I have seen some of the pre-production chapters, and, like Liftoff, I learned a lot of details that I didn't know from reading the book. The story is so big, even those of us in the middle of it don't know it all
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1748235987828765100QuoteMay as well go for a trilogy
I hope you wrote something about the designs for full reuse on Falcon…
Alas, I must say I did not. There were about 10 million different loose ends I could have written about. As it is, the book is already quite long, more than 110,000 words.
Will REENTRY have a section will lots of photos like LIFTOFF did?
Yes, if I can get off my butt and get the requisite permission forms signed off on. I know y'all want to see early Falcon 9's accidentally being crashed into buildings during transport.
@mastenspace Xombie in-air relight.
This moment is in Reentry.
#HappyBirthday to ASE Life Member Susan Helms, who flew to space five times between 1993 and 2001 (STS-54, STS-64, STS-78, STS-101, and STS-102), including as part of trips and expeditions to the @Space_Station (Expedition 2)!
General Helms also made the call to lease SLC-40 to SpaceX nearly two decades ago. She did this despite furious lobbying against it. I detail this in REENTRY.
12 years ago the @SpaceX Dragon D1 became the first commercial cargo vehicle to visit @Space_Station, where my crewmates and I captured it with the Canada robotic arm in May 2012; Expedition 30.
I have a full chapter in Reentry devoted to this mission. It's a hell of a tale, culminating in Pettit grabbing this Dragon by its tail.
