OT Space x Falcon launch Delayed - now @ 0230 EDT 25JUN19

[durnedwolf]

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

[Korvar]

Two great places for live coverage of most space launches / events:

EJSA on Twitch - more of a technical/engineering commentary focus

DasValdez on Twitch - does more on location events and is always family-friendly

You can't go wrong with either one. Keep in mind that they often host other channels or replay previous streams when not live. A red dot and the word "Live" will appear in the upper-right corner when you hover your mouse cursor over the video window.

[Korvar]

FYI, they're live now if anyone would like to watch the launch.

[tolsdorff]

I like space stuff a lot, but spaceX plans for the future are a bit scary and not thought through enough at all. In the end they will just create a cloud of space debris, a good chance of inhibiting space flight for a long time to come.

SpaceX Starlink initiative alone will launch more satellites (7000+, operating at the same altitude) than are currently active,civilian or military.

Given apparent current failure rates of launching stuff into orbit, a number of these will get defunct very early with a high chance of collisions with other space debris later on. A 2011 National Research Council study concluded that the debris already in orbit, will cause a major problem. Add to this the debris these 7000+ satellites will produce.

I am neither a SpaceX/NASA/ESA administator, nor a rocket scientist, but from a distant viewpoint, emphasis should be on bringing down the failure rates to an acceptable level of approximately 0% first. After which emphasis should be on space debris removal.

[John 3rd]

SpaceX at least has a PLAN. If anyone hasn't had a chance, watch the 1st Season of Mars on Netflix or Hulu. GREAT stuff and I love the interviews with people today talking about possible plans for getting there. Take a look. The second season of Mars is due out in a couple of months.

PS Concur about the space junk issue. The spacefaring countries really need to do something about that--and SOON!

[tarkalak]

ORIGINAL: tolsdorff

I like space stuff a lot, but spaceX plans for the future are a bit scary and not thought through enough at all. In the end they will just create a cloud of space debris, a good chance of inhibiting space flight for a long time to come.

SpaceX Starlink initiative alone will launch more satellites (7000+, operating at the same altitude) than are currently active,civilian or military.

Given apparent current failure rates of launching stuff into orbit, a number of these will get defunct very early with a high chance of collisions with other space debris later on. A 2011 National Research Council study concluded that the debris already in orbit, will cause a major problem. Add to this the debris these 7000+ satellites will produce.

I am neither a SpaceX/NASA/ESA administator, nor a rocket scientist, but from a distant viewpoint, emphasis should be on bringing down the failure rates to an acceptable level of approximately 0% first. After which emphasis should be on space debris removal.

You can't drop failures without lots of launches. Satellites on lower orbits (like the ISS) are unstable (due to friction with the upper atmosphere) and will eventually drop if they don't make corrections. Sure that might take decades.

As far as a I know geostationary satellites (those are higher orbits) are required to move to a graveyard orbit when their service life ends.

[RangerJoe]

Develop a retriever orbital craft that can capture said defunct satellites and space debris. Then either send them into the atmosphere or bring them where they can be refurbished/refueled.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Develop a retriever orbital craft that can capture said defunct satellites and space debris. Then either send them into the atmosphere or bring them where they can be refurbished/refueled.

Speed is the problem. The capturing vehicle would have to approach from behind, almost matching speed at something like 11,000 mph and slowly engulf or snag the defunct junk. Most of that stuff of any size is old tech so refurbishment is probably not an option - it would be cheaper to just attach a brake rocket to slow the junk into a plunge into the atmosphere where it would burn up, or a push rocket to send it out of orbit and into the cosmos.

But the tiny bits that are floating around are the biggest problem and you can't use a vacuum cleaner in space! Making a giant net to capture some of it faces the problem of various bits going different directions and all very fast, likely to tear the net and create more junk.

Maybe we can create a space laser or particle beam that will disintegrate the bits into dust that cannot cause damage.

[RangerJoe]

A very fine net, spread by an expandable framework, to catch the very small stuff. The larger stuff you might want to recycle in space instead of lifting said material from Earth's gravity well.