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SpaceX Falcon Video Shows How Simple a 10-Minute Ride to Orbit Is
Posted by Kit Eaton at 12:00 AM on September 30, 2008
This is the on-rocket video of SpaceX's successful Falcon 1 launch. The Earth gets smaller, the sky gets darker, the engines burn cleanly, all systems remain nominal, and 10 minutes later the little rocket that finally could is in orbit...as simply as that. Check out the jubilant cheers from the SpaceX team at about 2:40 onwards when the main engine cut-off is reached, and the first stage is jettisoned. The only moment of drama is just before secondary engine cut-off, when the rocket's video feed glitches—and then comes back. Historic stuff, and hopefully all the future Falcon launches will be this smooth. [Pointniner]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
MegaZone
Posted 12:23 AM 30/9/08
@FlashSandbox: Not with the Falcon 1, it is too small. They're working on the Falcon 9, with a first launch planned next year, and the Falcon 9 is being designed to be human rated. SpaceX is working on a manned capsule called Dragon to be carried by the Falcon 9.
MegaZone
Rattierevolution
Posted 12:20 AM 30/9/08
Those sudden bursts of robotic static weren't terrifying at all.....*tin foil hat'd* ...i knew they were coming for me...
Rattierevolution
D.E.P.C.
Posted 12:19 AM 30/9/08
Too bad there isn't sound in space. I'd have liked to hear what the aliens thought.
D.E.P.C.
FlashSandbox
Posted 12:04 AM 30/9/08
That's sweet. Are they planning a manned mission anytime in the near future?
FlashSandbox
bmw5
Posted 12:48 AM 30/9/08
Good moment in space travel history.. hopefully in our lifetime it gets cheap enough for us to travel to orbit!
bmw5
bmw5
Posted 12:47 AM 30/9/08
The look on the lady's face when the video feed got cut off was pretty darn funny. I think she knew that the guy was talking some bs to the camera as it kept on rolling :)
bmw5
logicbox
Posted 12:31 AM 30/9/08
Falcon LAUNCH!!!
logicbox
winshape
Posted 12:59 AM 30/9/08
@bmw5: Loss of Signal (LOS) isn't BS, it is a real phenomenon that affects all spacecraft going through the atmosphere. Something to do with the Ionosphere, or the ionizing of gases during reentry. Could also be caused when the signaling antenna rotates out of alignment.
winshape
ripfire
Posted 2:18 AM 30/9/08
@klaybc: I dunno.. It lacks the drama a la Apollo 13.
ripfire
klaybc
Posted 2:11 AM 30/9/08
That's some good CG.
klaybc
LoganAdams
Posted 3:01 AM 30/9/08
I thought I was pretty up to date on the news in this subject, but this caught me completely by surprise.
LoganAdams
Yonderboy
Posted 3:50 AM 30/9/08
Wow. Just wow.
Must be fun to be on their team and know that you're a character in a Heinlein novel.
Congratulations SpaceX!
Yonderboy
Con Seannery
Posted 8:15 AM 30/9/08
@Con Seannery: Oh wait, you mean the total loss at the end, I think that was an antenna orientation issue, that was well above the ionosphere.
Con Seannery
Con Seannery
Posted 8:13 AM 30/9/08
@winshape: NASA solved that on STS, but I'm not sure a private company like SpaceX has that figured out yet. I'm also not sure it happens on launch, but I think it does.
Con Seannery
geoffcbassett
Posted 9:15 AM 30/9/08
:)
One step closer to commercialized space flight.
geoffcbassett
toyotaboy02
Posted 11:41 AM 30/9/08
all our systems are go, we're now in orbit
Give my wife my love...
toyotaboy02
okeo
Posted 11:47 AM 30/9/08
Fascinating stuff. This really does not get old.
okeo