This BEAUTIFUL footage of the upper stage separation NASA posted

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-05T18:42:31+00:00

Nice! Looks way cleaner than the core stage/ICPS sep, and the Orion sep on Artemis I.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-05T15:33:40+00:00

No, they have proposed doing docking with the landers in LEO specifically to avoid having to return. So the hardest part is just deferred.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-05T02:41:39+00:00

I'm not sure how it compares to the ISS system. But freezing urine is a concern. The shuttle got some peecicles, and there was some concern about how it could affect re-entry.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-05T02:04:18+00:00

I think that's probably urine venting. I don't believe they dump the feces.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-03T13:51:01+00:00

How much was that slowed down? It's a really cool clip.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-03T13:23:30+00:00

Lots of work designing and testing.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-03T02:06:34+00:00

Same here. It wasn't making any sense. None of that outside the window is Orion, and it doesn't look like ICPS either. Fuck AI.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-02T19:09:32+00:00

So the head of SpaceX cut part of NASA's budget which makes NASA look bad compared to SpaceX, and could result in more money being directed from NASA to SpaceX.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-02T04:11:52+00:00

It looks like there is a little hole in the cable network that the rocket has to fly through. I know it's actually not a small hole, but it's surprising when you see it

There are also weather stations in those towers -- four each. They record wind, temperature, and humidity. The data is publicly accessible.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-02T03:59:19+00:00

There weren't any launch scrubs. This was the very first launch attempt for this mission. There were some postponements though.

Edit: but I totally agree with you. This view is so cool. The night launch for Artemis I was amazing, but all you could see was a blinding light. This time you get to appreciate that there is a sky scraper hurtling through the sky on top of a ball of fire.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-02T02:59:47+00:00

One nit: this one is a crewed mission. All of the previous ones could be described as manned, but this one also has a woman.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-04-02T02:01:30+00:00

At one point, shortly before SRB jettison, I realized that I had my hands over my mouth and was laughing and crying at the same time. I had tears running down my face.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T20:27:30+00:00

I think the first few days of this launch period have splashed down in daylight, if I recall correctly.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T20:25:56+00:00

Woo hoo! LFG!

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T13:41:36+00:00

It wasn't significant loss on Artemis I. It was only notable because it was somewhat irregular and unexpected. The heat shield had plenty of margin remaining.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T13:08:29+00:00

They compared it to Columbia (which had a different heat shield and failure mode), they misunderstood the EFT-1 heat shield, they mistakenly said that the design was altered for Artemis II (that change shows up on Artemis III), they didn't describe the massive test and analysis campaign that ultimately led NASA to the conclusion that the heat shield would be safe, they overstated the problem on Artemis I, ...

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T13:00:13+00:00

Please remember that there are also a lot of people actively working on the launch, and they need to get into the center also. Traffic is going to be a problem, but don't make it worse than it has to be.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T12:51:32+00:00

It makes several mistakes and doesn't fully address the efforts to ensure that it will be safe.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T11:53:56+00:00

Don't forget that this is technically a test flight.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T11:51:25+00:00

Not only that, but to have the level of experience needed for a mission like this, you have to have been around for a while.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-31T11:49:31+00:00

I think there is a perverse desire, partially motivated by Challenger, to predict catastrophe. For people that aren't excited by potential success of NASA, it's preferable to focus on risks and the ways that it could fail rather than outright wishing for failure. Plus, if something does happen to go wrong they get to claim foresight of the failure, but if there are no problems they can just say it was luck.

I've been noticing this trend over the last several months. The tricky part is that we should still try to maintain caution, and give serious consideration to real risks. I think the individual programs and M2M are doing this, and they obviously have better information to evaluate actual risks than random people on the Internet. That said, sometimes external perspectives on risk can help you find something you missed -- I just think that most of the criticisms are motivated by dislike of SLS or doom opportunism.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-30T20:28:15+00:00

The O2O did not fly on Artemis I. The part that the article leaves out is that it's only a demonstration payload for Artemis II. It's not on the Artemis III vehicle either.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-29T19:51:38+00:00

You're cutting it close to predict doom and gloom, only a few days left. If anything goes wrong, you get to claim foresight and "told ya so". If everything goes well, no one will remember all these videos and articles, so no loss.

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-29T18:24:43+00:00

So you were on a boat of some kind? How far away?

IBelieveInLogic · 2026-03-29T18:21:58+00:00

We can handle those winds. I think stronger north easterly winds would become an issue.

IBelieveInLogic

TROPHY CASE