SpaceX - Other Topics Forum - Discuss Pop Culture, Arts and Entertainment

Today, SpaceX just completed the 150m altitude hop of it's Starhopper! The Starhopper is a prototype of the Starship that SpaceX plans on sending to the moon and Mars.

The Starhopper is driven by a Raptor rocket engine, the most advanced rocket engine ever designed. It is uses liquid methane and
liquid oxygen for fuel. Check out the pretty blue shock diamonds in the exhaust.

This is the end of the road for the Starhopper.

It's being retired and replaced by the Starship mk1 and Starship mk2 each being built in Boca Chica Tx and Florida.

Next up on the agenda are suborbital flights of the two Starships in early 2020.

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08-29-2019 , 12:21 AM

DisRuptive1

adept

Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 959

Isn't the Raptor engine one of the best engines in Kerbal Space Program?

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08-29-2019 , 12:45 AM

Mark_K

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DisRuptive1

Isn't the Raptor engine one of the best engines in Kerbal Space Program?

Are you thinking of the KSP Rapier engine? Modeled after the real life Saber? The Nerv atomic engine has the highest Isp (800).

I think there is a mod available that adds the Raptor to the game. I've never tried it.

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08-29-2019 , 10:07 AM

lonely_but_rich

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That looks like a sci-fi rocket from the 1950's

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08-29-2019 , 04:12 PM

abysmal01

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Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 1,678

The flat earth guys are going to love that one lol. "THEY'RE NOT EVEN TRYING ANYMORE. MUSK IS TROLLING YOU WITH LOW BUDGET 60's SFX AND YOU SHEEPLE ARE BUYING IT"

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08-29-2019 , 05:58 PM

Mark_K

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Quote:

Originally Posted by abysmal01

The flat earth guys are going to love that one lol. "THEY'RE NOT EVEN TRYING ANYMORE. MUSK IS TROLLING YOU WITH LOW BUDGET 60's SFX AND YOU SHEEPLE ARE BUYING IT"

But it looks real!

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08-30-2019 , 03:48 PM

pig4bill

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Might be more believable if it dint say "animation" at the start of the video.

Hilarious they call it starship, starhopper, starwalker, whatever when it's only gone up less than 500 feet.

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08-30-2019 , 03:56 PM

lonely_but_rich

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...

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08-30-2019 , 04:03 PM

Mark_K

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Quote:

Originally Posted by pig4bill

Might be more believable if it dint say "animation" at the start of the video.

Hilarious they call it starship, starhopper, starwalker, whatever when it's only gone up less than 500 feet.

The next test this winter is 20km in altitude. BTW, 500 feet was an FAA imposed limit. SpaceX wanted to go (a little) higher.

This assumes the construction survives Dorian...

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08-30-2019 , 04:09 PM

#10

Mark_K

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Drone footage of the hop:

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09-27-2019 , 04:10 PM

#11

Mark_K

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Mother of God!

Elon's Starship update is tomorrow!!!

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09-27-2019 , 08:35 PM

#12

Mark_K

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Ouch

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09-29-2019 , 06:54 AM

#13

DisRuptive1

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Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 959

Why's the spaceship shiny and mirrored?

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09-29-2019 , 07:23 AM

#14

lonely_but_rich

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Quote:

Originally Posted by DisRuptive1

Why's the spaceship shiny and mirrored?

It's stainless steel

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09-29-2019 , 03:04 PM

#15

Mark_K

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Here's Scott Manley's breakdown of yesterday's Elon Musk presentation. Scott does a great job of explaining things.

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05-26-2020 , 05:39 PM

#16

Mark_K

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SpaceX's first manned Crew Dragon launch to the ISS is less than 24 hours away!

Launch is currently scheduled for tomorrow Wednesday May 27th at 4:33pm (EDT).

Quote:

NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil!

- Jim Bridenstine (NASA Administrator)

It's been a long 9 years. Current weather forecast is 60% favorable. *crosses fingers*

Last edited by Mark_K; 05-26-2020 at 05:57 PM.

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05-27-2020 , 12:36 AM

#17

27offsuit

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05-27-2020 , 03:17 AM

#18

Dominic

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first truly modern spaceship in history....should be a blast

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05-27-2020 , 01:01 PM

#19

Balla Shusher

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Stream is live..

Hopefully this goes down as the best launch of all time!

#LaunchAmerica

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05-27-2020 , 01:11 PM

#20

27offsuit

actions have consequences!

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Astronauts' names are Bob & Doug, eh.

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05-27-2020 , 01:17 PM

#21

Balla Shusher

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This is history,

GOD SPEED,

The presenters are getting real emotional and its understandable, I think a lot of viewers at home are in tears to!

Its a long period once they get up to the orbit link up with the station.

Check twitter

#LaunchAmerica

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05-27-2020 , 01:22 PM

#22

27offsuit

actions have consequences!

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Take off, hosers!

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05-27-2020 , 01:53 PM

#23

Mark_K

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Here are two of my favorite NASA streamers. The first is Eric Johnson's twitch stream. The other is the Youtube feed for the NASASpaceFlight (independent of NASA).

https://www.twitch.tv/ej_sa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZEnDFIkq_E

They both have the NASA/SpaceX stream plus more. Both are super knowledgeable.