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NASA Successfully Launches Parker Solar Probe (engadget.com)
NASA's Sun-chasing Parker Solar Probe successfully launched this morning at 3:31AM. A couple hours later, NASA confirmed that the vessel was healthy.
The probe still has a ways to go before it's conducting scientific studies. "It'll spend its first week in space deploying its high-gain antenna, the first part of its electric field antennas and its magnetometer," reports Engadget. "In early September, the probe will start a roughly four-week instrument shakedown to be sure it's ready for science gathering." From the report: The trip to the Sun will take a while. NASA's probe will pass by Venus a total of seven times (starting in early October) as it uses the planet's gravity to whip itself ever closer to the star. The spacecraft will make its first close approach in early November, when it will travel 15 million miles from the Sun -- inside the Sun's corona (aka the solar atmosphere). Its closest approach will put it at just 3.8 million miles from the Sun, at which point it should be the fastest-ever human-made object with a speed of 430,000MPH. The first science data should return sometime in December. The New York Times has a neat video explaining how the Parker Solar Probe will touch the Sun. Meanwhile, Fox News has a dialogue-free clip of the actual launch.
The probe still has a ways to go before it's conducting scientific studies. "It'll spend its first week in space deploying its high-gain antenna, the first part of its electric field antennas and its magnetometer," reports Engadget. "In early September, the probe will start a roughly four-week instrument shakedown to be sure it's ready for science gathering." From the report: The trip to the Sun will take a while. NASA's probe will pass by Venus a total of seven times (starting in early October) as it uses the planet's gravity to whip itself ever closer to the star. The spacecraft will make its first close approach in early November, when it will travel 15 million miles from the Sun -- inside the Sun's corona (aka the solar atmosphere). Its closest approach will put it at just 3.8 million miles from the Sun, at which point it should be the fastest-ever human-made object with a speed of 430,000MPH. The first science data should return sometime in December. The New York Times has a neat video explaining how the Parker Solar Probe will touch the Sun. Meanwhile, Fox News has a dialogue-free clip of the actual launch.
So when does it land on the sun?
If this had been a SpaceX launch, that fact would likely be front-and-center to this submission - NASA would probably be a footnote at best. Shouldn’t we give the same love to ULA?
#DeleteChrome
I watched the livestream. It was very good. I was disappointed though when they cut off after second stage re-ignition. I had hoped they would run to third stage detach.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the usual normal "defense" contractors. Before ULA took over the Delta IV Heavy was developed by McDonald Douglas...
If we have World War III that ends civilization, it'll be first and foremost their products, the missiles, dishing out the nuclear hell.
so hardly comparable to SpaceX.
"it'll be first and foremost their products, the missiles, dishing out the nuclear hell."
As if SpaceX wouldn't take a bite if the government offered them a bit of the ballistic missile pie.
You do realize that SpaceX has a space rating because Congress told us to give it to them, in spite of their lack of engineering process and artifacts. Yeah, SpaceX is 100% rich man buying congress, where ULA was a court-ordered merger of two companies that actually had to compete.
ummm so it's safe to say you would rather be run over by a Tesla than a Humvee? Or did I miss the point of your statement?
Offended? Find a safe space and cry yourself to sleep.
That would be the military-industrial complex that *has kept you and your parents alive, despite unprecedented threats, for the last 70 years or so", to you, son.
As if SpaceX wouldn't take a bite if the government offered them a bit of the ballistic missile pie.
I heard that the government is looking into this.
After internal reviews, they've realized that it's wasteful to deploy hundreds of disposable ICBMs, when they could instead do the job with just a handful of missiles that can be reloaded time and again.
Why this probe has not solar panels?
Without electronic energy, no message could be sent by the radio to the Earth.
I suspect that its supply uses radioactive fuel as the uranium or the plutonium,
If we have World War III that ends civilization, it'll be first and foremost their products, the missiles, dishing out the nuclear hell.
Cuts both ways, that old saw of yours. Those Boeings that take vacationers, businesspeople and haul all that freight were born out of jets of war. The B-47 and 52 gave them the experience to make the 707 and its military cousin the KC-135.
Besides.. so what? I fail to see the point of your point. That missile and aircraft makers also make tools of war besides tools of exploration and commerce? The line between the two is so wispy it may not even be there at all.
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
The five main goals are listed with acronyms one of which is rather comical in as much that it is headed and labeled as ISIS.
Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISIS)— This investigation will measure energetic electrons, protons and heavy ions. The instrument suite is composed of two independent instruments, EPI-Hi and EPI-Lo. The Principal investigator is David McComas, at the Princeton University.
Rather ironic because Isis was the bringer of the the god Osiris and today has been twisted into other much more sinister context. Must give some of the religious right in Washington the willies looking at what Nasa is doing with this probe. Lets just hope that the probe doesn't pull a budgetary Icarus on Nasa before all the really important data is in. This mission is one that makes a great deal of sense from a scientific stand point and could very well deliver field data that will be ground breaking and a technological gold mine.
This message was not sent from an iPhone because Peter Sellers really was a deviated prevert without a dime for the call
As if SpaceX wouldn't take a bite if the government offered them a bit of the ballistic missile pie.
They wouldn't because they're not interested in solid rockets.
Ezekiel 23:20
FTFY ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the usual normal "defense" contractors. Before ULA took over the Delta IV Heavy was developed by McDonnell Douglas...
So it will be the militaryan-industrial corporation instrad of complex soon
As if SpaceX wouldn't take a bite if the government offered them a bit of the ballistic missile pie.
I heard that the government is looking into this.
After internal reviews, they've realized that it's wasteful to deploy hundreds of disposable ICBMs, when they could instead do the job with just a handful of missiles that can be reloaded time and again.
LOL right. Because if we want to end civilization as we know it, we should do it cheaply.
... countries?
There is not a single anything on the face of the planet earth that has endangered humanity more, that that US military /spy industry whose cock you still have in your mouth.
The list of countries where evil assholes were backed, armed, recruited and trained is massive: 87, if you don't even count the attempts to overthrow the government! ... By publishing real e-mails containing true statements about the democrats cutting off Sanders by the way. lol. "Cause it undermines the trust in the democratic process, if that comes out." ROFL.)
The Taliban, Swoboda and IS were your mercenaries! Even the Mexican carthels bought their weaponst directly from the US three-letter agencies.
Hell, even fuckin Putin was put in power by Boris Yeltsin. Which was put in power by the CIA. (Source: Washington Post, where they openly bragged about it!!) So Putin is your doing, thank you very fuckin much!
(Which makes the accusation that Putin put Trump in power hilarious!
They only kept that safe, which they previously put in danger!
Wanna stop the terrorists and the evil part of the Russians in one go? Stop your own military meddling organizations!
How will the people of 1986 comprehend why a strange probe of unknown origin crashes into the San Francisco bay?
Re. the Parker probe:
1) Don't mess up the sun!
2) Try to learn how to predict when an EMP will hit the earth.
They launched it at night. Cue Polish/Italian/$downtrodden joke here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
oh, I thought we spent the last 70 years attacking people that didn't attack us. in other words, warmongering.
it's not as impressive when a company that has beem building rockets for decades builds yet another rocket.
they've been making rockets for decades, not as impressive, that's the point.
As long as the Chinese and Russians continue to improve their military might then I want the US to counter them with weapon systems built by Lockheed and Boeing. Complain all you want about the US military-industrial complex but the US is not the only country building weapons. Unless you think the US could disarm tomorrow and not be annexed by Russia or China the following day. Or maybe you think the Chinese and Russians would follow the US lead and voluntarily disarm.
Throughout the entire history of the human race there has always been a war taking place somewhere in the world. There has never been a single instance of time where humans were not involved in killing other humans somewhere on the planet. Every border on the map has been drawn and redrawn in blood. And just because we may have better technology doesn't mean we are more civilized than our ancestors. On the contrary I posit the idea that we are devolving when it comes to civilized behavior. The Internet has provided the ideal toolset needed to tear down societies and manipulate the masses. The idealistic "bringing the world together for peace" using the internet has never materialized. Instead we got online merchandising, unlimited porn, online hate groups, and the inability to separate fact from fiction.
they've been making rockets for decades, not as impressive, that's the point.
Then why didn't you say it, instead of going off on that nuclear hell tangent?
As for not impressive, I beg to differ. The "legacy" rocket guys got us the Saturn V.
Call me when Space X does that. And... keep in mind Saturn and its engines were pretty-much hand-crafted, hand-fitted, designed with slipsticks and paper and pencil. Now, which one seems more impressive?
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
You're developing serious a case of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). Stay in your mom's basement and take your meds. I'm sorry to inform you that, as far as we know, your condition is incurable.
If WW3 breaks out, Elon will figure out a way to turn a Falcon 9 into an ICBM faster than you can say 'fanboys tend to ignore facts'.
This is your sig. There are thousands more, but this one is yours.
The orbit adjustments (via Venus fly-bys) will take about 7 years.
This is one of those interesting facts about orbital dynamics. Turns out it's actually really hard to hit the sun or even get close to it. It's actually easier to leave the solar system altogether than it is to send a probe to the Sun from Earth. MinutePhysics did a very good explanation why this is the case.
As for not impressive, I beg to differ. The "legacy" rocket guys got us the Saturn V.
Not to diminish the Saturn V as a technical accomplishment but you are comparing apples to oranges. The Saturn V was a one-time only crash program with an effectively unlimited budget (by comparison) to make a handful of rockets that would never be (and should never be) repeated. From an economic standpoint the Saturn V was hugely wasteful, unrepeatable, and we don't use it or any direct successor in any rocket today for that fact alone. We learned a lot from the Saturn V but let's not pretend that comparing its perceived impressiveness to the Falcon 9/Heavy is a useful exercise.
And... keep in mind Saturn and its engines were pretty-much hand-crafted, hand-fitted, designed with slipsticks and paper and pencil. Now, which one seems more impressive?
The Saturn V was no doubt an astonishing technical achievement and we learned many lessons from it but we aren't flying Saturn V direct successor rockets today. Why? We don't make things the same way today for very good reasons. The Saturn V was built the way it was out of necessity, not because that is the best way to build rockets. No thought or effort was given to making a reliable, repeatable, economic design. Each one was unique and hand crafted which might be great for decorative jewelry or supercars but it's not a good thing for reliable transportation. You want rockets that are made as simply and identically as possible and the Saturn V was neither as you point out.
Just because we can make something more complex doesn't make it a good idea to do so. (See the Space Shuttle) It actually diminishes the technical achievement to some small degree if anything. As an engineer I'm rarely blown away by the guy who designs a system that works well once with a huge amount of engineers massaging it, not matter how complicated the system. It's kind of like the fact that it's much easier to design a pretty supercar that runs well for a few hundred miles versus designing a family sedan that has to run well for hundreds of thousands of miles and sell orders of magnitude more units for far less money per unit. I assure you it's a LOT easier to do make a small number of high priced supercars than the reliable and economic mass produced sedan. That doesn't mean we can't appreciate the supercar for what it is and what it does but it's not really what you want at the end of the day unless you are blowing money for grins and giggles.
Your mind is the thing that went off on the tangent.
Yes yes, two those companies along with NAA got us the Saturn V.
But that's just one more thing on the list that makes the Delta IV not impressive, since they already did bigger rockets decades before. That's my point, it's not as impressive when those old war er defense contractors do something.
SpaceX is different
After WWW III they'll have sign just like McD's
"over 3 billion served"