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SpaceX Successfully Lands Two Falcon Heavy Boosters Simultaneously After Rocket Launch [Update] (spaceflightnow.com)
After nearly a decade of development, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket has successfully launched from pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today. After reaching orbit, the two side boosters simultaneously landed at Landing Zone One. We do not know the status of the central core of the rocket, which was destined to land on the "Of Course I Still Love You" drone ship roughly 8:19 minutes into the flight.
According to Space.com, the Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket to launch since NASA's Saturn V -- the iconic vessel that, with 7.5 million pounds of thrust, accomplished the definitive Apollo-era feat of putting astronauts on the moon. Elon Musk says that Falcon Heavy is "twice as powerful as any other booster operating today." As for the payload, it includes a Tesla Roadster electric car. "The Falcon Heavy will send the vehicle around the sun in an elliptical orbit that will extend farther than Mars' orbit," reports Space.com.
UPDATE: SpaceX has confirmed The Verge's reporting that the middle core of SpaceX's Heavy Rocket missed the drone ship where it was supposed to land. "The center core was only able to relight one of the three engines necessary to land, and so it hit the water at 300 miles per hour," reports The Verge. "Two engines on the drone ship were taken out when it crashed, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a press call after the rocket launch. It's a small hiccup in an otherwise successful first flight."
According to Space.com, the Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket to launch since NASA's Saturn V -- the iconic vessel that, with 7.5 million pounds of thrust, accomplished the definitive Apollo-era feat of putting astronauts on the moon. Elon Musk says that Falcon Heavy is "twice as powerful as any other booster operating today." As for the payload, it includes a Tesla Roadster electric car. "The Falcon Heavy will send the vehicle around the sun in an elliptical orbit that will extend farther than Mars' orbit," reports Space.com.
UPDATE: SpaceX has confirmed The Verge's reporting that the middle core of SpaceX's Heavy Rocket missed the drone ship where it was supposed to land. "The center core was only able to relight one of the three engines necessary to land, and so it hit the water at 300 miles per hour," reports The Verge. "Two engines on the drone ship were taken out when it crashed, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a press call after the rocket launch. It's a small hiccup in an otherwise successful first flight."
They certainly do know where their towels are...
Indeed. It's a massive expenditure of energy, but at least it's not for high frequency trading or bitcoins!
I was jumping up and down while my 7 year old kid was rolling his eyes and trying desperately to watch Pokemon on the cell phone.
I didn't see two parts of a Saturn V come in under rocket power for a simultaneous landing.
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
I noticed the words "Don't Panic" displayed in large, friendly letters on the Tesla's console.
Let me make sure I have a firm grip on my towel.
I'm French! How do you think I got this outrageous accent?
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering Kaboom!
From what I've read of Elon Musk, that isn't how he operates. If the damn thing was to have just blew up on the pad, not only would the feed keep rolling, Elon Musk would out talking about how bitch'n the unscheduled rapid disassembly was.
FTFY
#DeleteChrome
I do have to point out that Elon Musk missed out on another historic opportunity he could have pulled off with this launch. It they can put a Tesla Roadster in orbit around the Sun, then they could have just as easily launched a tea pot into orbit as well, thereby totally ruining the Russell's Teapot Argument as a philosophical debate point.
Then again, they would just change to some other object like Hopper's Source Code, or Hawking's Colostomy Bag, or Ada's Dildo.
This space unintentionally left blank.
I do have to point out that Elon Musk missed out on another historic opportunity he could have pulled off with this launch. It they can put a Tesla Roadster in orbit around the Sun ...
Anyone else notice that in the book/film The Martian astronaut Mark Watney was launched into orbit from Mars in a "convertible" (he removed the MAV nose airlock and windows) and now Musk has launched an "astronaut" in a literal convertible into an orbit around Mars.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .