SpaceX makes successful launch to the ISS!

[KingOrfeo]

Yaaaaahooooooo!

The SpaceX company made history as its Falcon 9 rocket rose from its seaside launch pad and pierced the pre-dawn sky, aiming for a rendezvous in a few days with the space station. The unmanned rocket carried into orbit a capsule named Dragon that is packed with 1,000 pounds of space station provisions.

It is the first time a private company has launched a vessel to the space station. Before, that was something only major governments had done.

“Falcon flew perfectly!!” SpaceX’s billionaire founder, Elon Musk, said via Twitter. “Dragon in orbit ... Feels like a giant weight just came off my back.”

Musk later told reporters: “I feel very lucky ... For us, it’s like winning the Super Bowl.”

This time, the Falcon’s nine engines kept firing all the way through liftoff. On Saturday, flight computers aborted the launch with a half-second remaining in the countdown; a bad engine valve was replaced.

The White House quickly offered congratulations.

“Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting,” said John Holdren, President Barack Obama’s chief science adviser. “This expanded role for the private sector will free up more of NASA’s resources to do what NASA does best — tackle the most demanding technological challenges in space, including those of human space flight beyond low Earth orbit.”

SpaceX

Falcon 9 rocket

Dragon capsule (reusable)

 

[KRCummings]

If you're going to spend millions to build a private spaceship the least you could do is make it look like an X-Wing Fighter or the Milenium Falcon. At least NASA had the common fucking deceny to name the first shuttle Enterprise.

 

[KRCummings]

I'd take a pilot named Porkins, too. Something. Throw us a bone, space people!

 

[RoryN]

This is a big deal. I'm glad they had a good launch!

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

SpaceX's employees and Elon Musk celebrate the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carry the Dragon capsule from their mission control center in California on May 22, 2012.

That is a large amount of happy people! Hurrah, for them.

 

[KingOrfeo]

If you're going to spend millions to build a private spaceship the least you could do is make it look like an X-Wing Fighter or the Milenium Falcon. At least NASA had the common fucking deceny to name the first shuttle Enterprise.

C'mon, "Falcon" and "Dragon" are kewl names!

 

[KRCummings]

C'mon, "Falcon" and "Dragon" are kewl names!

So are Boba Fett, Jabba the Hut, Jedi, Sith Lord, Lando and Red 5. I would also accept Khan, Uhura or nuclear wessels.

 

[IndieSnob]

So are Boba Fett, Jabba the Hut, Jedi, Sith Lord, Lando and Red 5. I would also accept Khan, Uhura or nuclear wessels.

Holy shit. KRC was funny for once. Mark this on your calendar folks.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Well, it ain't no SF nor pop-culture reference, but I want the first (if ever) nuclear-fusion-powered spaceship to be named "Starfire One." That can't be topped.

 

[heartoftexasgrl]

And they've successfully berthed to the ISS as of this morning. Really exciting stuff! I worked for SpaceX for a couple years in Texas, and I still work in the industry. This is a huge deal. I can't stop grinning.

 

[islandman]

And they've successfully berthed to the ISS as of this morning. Really exciting stuff! I worked for SpaceX for a couple years in Texas, and I still work in the industry. This is a huge deal. I can't stop grinning.

Feel free to post a pic of that grin.

 

[Sean Renaud]

While I agree that Falcon 9 is a crappy name you guys aren't totally stoked that we officially have a Space Dragon?! That's like the coolest thing evah!

Hey guys, I got a question. Why isn't the RWCJ here? Shouldn't we have pages upon pages of this is how it goes when the private sector moves in?

 

[islandman]

Hey guys, I got a question. Why isn't the RWCJ here? Shouldn't we have pages upon pages of this is how it goes when the private sector moves in?

You need to get out of your bubble more often.

 

[CaptainKirk]

While I agree that Falcon 9 is a crappy name you guys aren't totally stoked that we officially have a Space Dragon?! That's like the coolest thing evah!

Hey guys, I got a question. Why isn't the RWCJ here? Shouldn't we have pages upon pages of this is how it goes when the private sector moves in?

Actually, I'm surprised the nay-sayers aren't in here flooding the thread with there, "Nope, it won't work it's a waste of time waste of money they'll fail soon can't possibly work to help the country nope nope no no no... ad infintium."

Saw the links on Youtube; way fucking cool.

 

[KingOrfeo]

And they've successfully berthed to the ISS as of this morning. Really exciting stuff! I worked for SpaceX for a couple years in Texas, and I still work in the industry. This is a huge deal. I can't stop grinning.

As one in the industry, do you think asteroid mining can ever be made profitable? It seems a preposterous idea to me, considering the irreducible costs of even getting a ship up there to snag an asteroid, let alone doing anything with it once you've got it. (And we're not even talking about going out to the Belt, we're talking about exploiting near-Earth objects.) But if the founders of Google, who presumably know somethingorother about biz, think they can make it work . . .

 

[Sean Renaud]

Actually, I'm surprised the nay-sayers aren't in here flooding the thread with there, "Nope, it won't work it's a waste of time waste of money they'll fail soon can't possibly work to help the country nope nope no no no... ad infintium."

Saw the links on Youtube; way fucking cool.

It's private industry. It's not tax payer money so no nay-sayers exist. If this fails the only downside is we closed NASA before we had a replacement not that these guys right or wrong did anything.

 

[JohnnySavage]

It's private industry. It's not tax payer money so no nay-sayers exist. If this fails the only downside is we closed NASA before we had a replacement not that these guys right or wrong did anything.

So Space-X did this for free

 

[Sean Renaud]

So Space-X did this for free

That's certainly the way it's being advertised is it not? Sameway as Black Water and Halliburton aren't working at the tax payers expense. It's not true if you get technical but that is the sales pitch right?

 

[Liar]

As one in the industry, do you think asteroid mining can ever be made profitable? It seems a preposterous idea to me, considering the irreducible costs of even getting a ship up there to snag an asteroid, let alone doing anything with it once you've got it. (And we're not even talking about going out to the Belt, we're talking about exploiting near-Earth objects.) But if the founders of Google, who presumably know somethingorother about biz, think they can make it work . . .

One huge point with astroid mining is that people (and machines) in space need raw materials. Like water. And it could potentially be much cheaper to get it from space than having to launch it up to space.

More to the point, it's frickin cool. Space mining, come on!

 

[JohnnySavage]

That's certainly the way it's being advertised is it not? Sameway as Black Water and Halliburton aren't working at the tax payers expense. It's not true if you get technical but that is the sales pitch right?

SpaceX is among several companies that have won a total of more than $1 billion in NASA contracts to develop the technology to transport cargo and crew into space.

 

[Sean Renaud]

SpaceX is among several companies that have won a total of more than $1 billion in NASA contracts to develop the technology to transport cargo and crew into space.

Since when to the facts matter? Is it true or not that this is being sold as a PRIVATE launch by a PRIVATE company. Or is your argument that PRIVATE doesn't imply not government money?

 

[unregistered]

 

[Liar]

Since when to the facts matter? Is it true or not that this is being sold as a PRIVATE launch by a PRIVATE company. Or is your argument that PRIVATE doesn't imply not government money?

Maybe I'm naive, but I think people in general understand that a Government contract is on their dime.

 

[JohnnySavage]

You do know an IQ drain is on the way, right?

I gave at the office

 

[VaticanAssassin]

Going into Tuesday's launch of this Dragon, NASA had contributed $381 million to SpaceX in seed money. The company has invested more than $1 billion in this commercial effort over the past 10 years.

It also hooked up successfully today. I believe they were a little worried about that. Now all it has to do is make it back with out burning up or sinking.