[ExI] 60% go for launch

[Tristan Linck]

On 2020-05-27 11:43, spike jones via extropy-chat wrote:
>
> > *On Behalf Of *Giulio Prisco via extropy-chat
> *Cc:* Giulio Prisco <giulio at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [ExI] 60% go for launch
>
> >>…If the weather holds, Space-X will make history today: the first 
> private company to launch proles into orbit. Current forecast, 60% 
> chance for a go.  Launch scheduled for 16:33 EDT.  Good luck, Elon!
>
> >…Kudos to Elon for getting this far. I'll be glued to the screen…  Giulio
>
> Giulio, there’s another reason I am really cheering for SpaceX.  In 
> the rocket world, we have long known it is expensive as all get out 
> have one-use rockets.  If they are solids, you might have the option 
> of dropping them into the sea and recovering, then refurbishing, but 
> that isn’t a great option, and doesn’t work with liquid stages, which 
> are huge investment in each.
>
> In the controls world, we realized back in the 80s that a fly-back 
> first stage landing on its own feet had become technologically 
> feasible, but NASA being the ever-cautious government body, never 
> chose that option.  That feet-first landing business was ever so much 
> more dignified than having to be fished out of the sea. From a 
> controls perspective, oh my what a marvelous feat it is.  I went most 
> of my adult life hoping someday we would see someone somewhere try it.
>
> Well, here we go.
>
> I have friends who still work out at the cape.  I talked to one 
> yesterday, who is my age and lived right there the whole time, in the 
> 60s.  He has seen it all, and definitely agrees: seeing two liquid 
> boosters come down feet first and land next to each other is the 
> coolest thing he ever saw.  As a controls engineer, I can never get 
> enough of it.
>
> spike
>
>
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Seriously though, as an early-career controls engineer in aerospace, 
that landing was one of the things that got me enthused about what is 
happening in the field and what is yet to come! It is good stuff!.

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