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SpaceX's Fourth Launch Attempt RSN

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the houston-we-have-a-boredom dept.

jcgam69 writes "SpaceX's Falcon 1 is on the pad in the South Pacific Kwajalein Atoll ready for its fourth launch attempt, according to a blog post over the weekend from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The countdown is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 23, between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. PDT, though the launch window will extend through Thursday if need be."

8 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Not Today... by crymeph0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    From an email I received this morning from the SpaceX news mailing list:

    The static fire took place on Saturday [20 Sep 2008, CA time], as expected, and no major issues came up. However, after a detailed analysis of data, we decided to replace a component in the 2nd stage engine LOX supply line. There is a good chance we would be ok flying as is, but we are being extremely cautious.

    This adds a few extra days to the schedule, so the updated launch window estimate is now Sept 28th through Oct 1st [CA time].

    --
    It should be illegal to say that freedom of speech should be limited.
    1. Re:Not Today... by lysergic.acid · · Score: 3, Insightful

      well, first off, all of NASA's research and technology should be freely available in the public domain. that would make it much easier for commercial space travel to take off. i mean, why are we funding public research if it's not going to be public?

      i wonder if the patents NASA is auctioning, or has auctioned, off would make SpaceX's task easier. i mean, i don't care if private corporations start taking over space exploration or if space travel is commercialized. it doesn't even matter if private corporations profit from tax-funded research--so long as _everyone_ has access to that research and is allowed to do the same.

      but now it's like if we'd taken all the money used to fund NASA over the past few decades and instead just given it to a handful of private corporations. they alone get to profit from research paid for by the American public and then charge everyone else for access to the technology that our tax dollars already paid for. it's almost like the situation with the telecoms where the infrastructure we paid for is being privately controlled and we're charged extortionate rates to use.

  2. Castle in a Swamp! by onkelonkel · · Score: 3, Funny

    Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one... stayed up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest castle in these islands.

    --
    None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.
  3. Those trees look mighty close... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    So do all those very combustible looking trees fold over at launch like those ones in Thunderbirds?

  4. Re:Let me know when they get one up by Free+the+Cowards · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I couldn't disagree more. I'm interested enough that I might watch it live, but would never hear about it anywhere else. Please post to Slashdot a few hours before they launch!

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    If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
  5. Saturday, with luck by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 4, Informative
    Space.com says launch on Saturday at the earliest ( Sept. 28 )

    Good luck to them! Space-X has already won the stick-to-it award for persistence-- now let's hope they win the "great-success-after-hard-work" award.

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    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  6. We Look For People To Make It Go by DynaSoar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Not relevant to TFA, but to the /. crowd:

    Unix/Linux admin and software engineer positions open at the L.A. facility. https://spacex.com/careers.php

    The subject line is a ripoff of a ST:TNG episode. I'm not with SpaceX. I'm still trying.

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  7. Re:RSN? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 3, Funny

    If it's "Real Soon Now" as acronymfinder suggests, then the summary writer and editor both suck.

    Naw, it actually stands for "Retarded Spinning Narwhal", a complicated and beautiful acrobatic maneuver that some rocket ships can perform just as they leave the atmosphere. "Narwhal" as a comparison to the long and pointy nature of the ship and a reference to the animal's aquatic dexterity, "Spinning" which describes what the move consists of, and "Retarded" for both the crazy-looking pattern of multi-axis rotation and a jibe at the people who'd risk their lives and a multi-million space craft doing such a dangerous trick just to show off.

    I have to say I'm pretty surprised that SpaceX would attempt a RSN on what they hope to be their first successful launch. Most firms and more so pilots would like to make sure the ship will make it to space and back safely a few times before trying it. On the other hand, a well-executed RSN is one hell of a way to announce their success, a giant space-born banner reading "We're here, we're in space, get used to it!"

    The more you know!

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are