Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Falcon Has Landed !

The SpaceX Falcon was successful in delivering satellites into orbit while the first stage reversed and landed at the Kennedy space complex. A great milestone.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/12/21/news/companies/spacex-launch-rocket-landing/index.html

8 comments:

  1. Tesla and SpaceX, survive on government subsidies to the tune of $465M for Tesla and $278M for SpaceX, for a grand total of $743M or nearly 3/4 of a billion in tax-payer money.

    Add in the Solar city subsidies and Elon is doing quite well on taxpayer dollars.

    NASA has struck a new $753 million deal with Russia for 12 round trips to the International Space Station, but will now have to pay more per seat – almost $63 million, the U.S. space agency announced

    The one has to ask, why do we fund NASA????

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    1. We fund NASA because it is the source of thousands of patents which make possible inventions which enrich all of our lives. We fund NASA because we still believe that America is a great country which can reach out and extend man's desire for knowledge. We fund NASA because there are still some of us who are capable of dreaming of a great future guided by our search for knowledge and enlightenment in a vast universe.

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    2. We fund NASA to contract out what they should be doing.

      The administration has made NASA into an empty shell from a once great organization. Can anyone give us a lift???

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  2. Which candidates are in favor of space exploration? It may surprise you. Ted Cruz wants us to go to Mars!

    https://www.inverse.com/article/5650-who-is-the-2016-presidential-race-s-space-candidate

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    1. The only problem, money. Perhaps Elon can fund it on his dime instead of the taxpayers.

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  3. Louman at the same time you knock Elon Musk and NASA. Regardless if Musk's company Spacex or NASA gets us back self sufficient on running back and forth to the space station or Mars it's going to cost the government money. Probably less if we go with Spacex as it will eventually become a totally private enterprise kinda like many internet companies did after being initially supported by the government. I thought you would champion the eventual move of this expensive and soon to be profitable enterprise into the private free markets. Louman all the best stuff takes a public/private enterprise to design and build. Yes I know NASA already had the ability to launch rockets but how many were they ever able to return to earth safely to reuse? Easy answer 0. That is the focus of Spacex as much as launching stuff into the sky. And it is expensive. Even Musk can't afford several failed experiments on his own. How much does a rocket cost louman. It costs NASA about $500 million for a one shot deal at todays prices. Giving Musk 700 million to develop a reuseable rocket is a fucking bargain.

    Now funding NASA how many new and innovative products have come from this source Louman lets see.... to be continued

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    1. What have we got from NASA's research............

      Health and medicine
      Infrared ear thermometers
      Ventricular assist device
      Artificial limbs
      Light-emitting diodes in medical therapies
      Invisible braces
      Scratch-resistant lenses
      Space blanket

      Transportation
      Aircraft anti-icing systems
      Highway safety grooving
      Improved radial tires
      Chemical detection moisture- and pH-sensitive sensors to warn of corrosive conditions in aircraft before damage occurs.

      Public safety
      Video enhancing and analysis systems aka night vision
      Fire-resistant reinforcement applications of the heat shield, such as fire-retardant paints and foams for aircraft, which led to intumescent epoxy material, which expands in volume when exposed to heat or flames, acting as an insulating barrier and dissipating heat through burn-off. Further innovations include steel coatings devised to make high-rise buildings and public structures safer by swelling to provide a tough and stable insulating layer over the steel for up to 4 hours of fire protection, ultimately to slow building collapse and provide more time for escape
      Firefighting equipment created a lightweight breathing system including face mask, frame, harness, and air bottle, using an aluminum composite material developed by NASA for use on rocket casings.

      Consumer, home, and recreation
      Temper foam
      Enriched baby food Commercially available infant formulas now contain a nutritional enrichment ingredient that traces its existence to NASA-sponsored research
      Portable cordless vacuums
      Freeze drying In planning for the long-duration Apollo missions, NASA conducted extensive research into space food The final product retains 98% of its nutrition and weighs much less than before drying

      Environmental and agricultural resources
      Water purification NASA engineers are collaborating with qualified companies to develop systems intended to sustain the astronauts living on the International Space Station and future Moon and space missions. This system turns wastewater from respiration, sweat, and urine into drinkable water. Commercially, this system is benefiting people all over the world who need affordable, clean water, especially in remote locations. By combining the benefits of chemical adsorption, ion exchange, and ultra-filtration processes, this technology can yield safe, drinkable water from the most challenging sources, such as in underdeveloped regions where well water may be heavily contaminated.
      Solar Cells Single-crystal silicon solar cells are now widely available at low cost. The technology behind these solar devices—which provide up to 50% more power than conventional solar cells—originated with the efforts of a NASA-sponsored 28-member coalition forming the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Alliance. ERAST’s goal was to develop remotely piloted aircraft, intended to fly unmanned at high altitudes for days at a time and requiring advanced solar power sources that did not add weight. As a result, SunPower Corporation created advanced silicon-based cells for terrestrial or airborne applications.

      Pollution remediation NASA’s microencapsulating technology enabled the creation of a "Petroleum Remediation Product," which safely cleans petroleum-based pollutants from water











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    2. Computer technology
      Structural analysis software NASA’s Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC). COSMIC maintains a library of computer programs from NASA and other government agencies and sells them at a fraction of the cost of developing a new program.
      Remotely controlled ovens aka the first of the smart home technologies
      NASA Visualization Explorer On July 26, 2011, NASA released the NASA Visualization Explorer app for the iPad. The application delivers real-time satellite data, including movies and stills, of Earth, that enable users to learn about subjects such as climate change, Earth's dynamic systems and plant life on land and in the oceans. (OOPS maybe they DO know more about climate change then the average republican)
      OpenStack NASA developed a cloud compute platform to give additional compute and storage resources for its engineers Now known as the private enterprise Rackspace
      Software catalog NASA released a software catalog in 2014 that made over 1,600 pieces of software available to the public at no charge

      Industrial productivity
      Powdered lubricants NASA developed a solid lubricant coating, PS300, which is deposited by thermal spraying to protect foil air bearings. PS300 lowers friction, reduces emissions, and has been used by NASA in advanced aeropropulsion engines, refrigeration compressors, turbochargers, and hybrid electrical turbogenerators. ADMA Products has found widespread industrial applications for the material.[10
      Improved mine safety
      Food safety
      Faced with the problem of how and what to feed an astronaut in a sealed capsule under weightless conditions while planning for human space flight, NASA enlisted the aid of The Pillsbury Company to address two principal concerns: eliminating crumbs of food that might contaminate the spacecraft’s atmosphere and sensitive instruments, and assuring absolute absence of disease-producing bacteria and toxins. Pillsbury developed the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) concept to address NASA’s second concern. HACCP is designed to prevent food safety problems rather than to catch them after they have occurred. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has applied HACCP guidelines for the handling of seafood, juice, and dairy products. (UT OH there's one of those nasty partnerships)

      Not to mention TANG my friend the best damn breakfast drink ever. Although not invented specifically for the space program it was a failure until it rode in the Mercury capsule with John Glenn.

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