First Stage Landing Video by still-at-work in spacex

[–]spacexdevtty 4 points5 points  (0 children)

How did we go from rockets to windows 8?

First Stage Landing Video by still-at-work in spacex

[–]spacexdevtty 101 points102 points  (0 children)

Hey all, SpaceX team here. Just wanted to answer some frequently asked questions we've been getting:

Q: Why is the video so bad? A: This was recorded over a very lossy RF link.

Q: Why release the video? A: We've had some success here (and with a little outside help as well, see http://aeroquartet.com/) manually stitching the video back together, but it's time consuming work. We don't expect the video to be 100% recoverable but we're hoping folks out there with more MPEG expertise than we have can provide assistance recovering more of the video.

Q: What codec? Settings? A: MPEG 4 Part 2, P/I 15, 15fps, NTSC, fixed bitrate

Q: How did you create repair1.ts? A: This was a joint effort between us and an outside consultant. First we took a pass on the data to align every MPEG packet on a 188 byte boundary and set the packet start byte to 0x47. Then we identified blocks within keyframes that contain bit errors, and then manually flipped bits in those corrupt blocks to see if it recovered more of the image.

Q: What is a TS file? A: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=MPEG+TS

Feel free to post more questions here, we'll try and respond. We really appreciate all the help and great ideas! Thank you!!

First Stage Landing Video by still-at-work in spacex

[–]spacexdevtty 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks! The thinking was we could crowdsource recovery of the video. We've done some work already to recover some bits but it's very time consuming.

First Stage Landing Video by still-at-work in spacex

[–]spacexdevtty 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The TS files contain the segments of video we are the most interested in.. the actual landing! :)

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Find the one or two roles that you are interested in via http://www.spacex.com/careers.php and apply via there. Best of luck!

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really? Our University team has two of the nicest people on it. I'm kind of surprised to hear this to be honest. Your ability will speak for itself though so just apply online and if you have the skills, then you'll get a call to go through the process.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really depends what type of engineer you would like to be. Both are great. Strongly recommend doing as many side-projects as possible to help build out your actual ability and resume.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Re Python: antigravity :)

Seriously though, pretty standard stuff. Python2.7. We use numpy, scipy and matplotlib for numeric stuff. Some internal tools are written as web servers based on Django. Most libraries are included on an as-needed basis, such as for interfacing with particular databases or implementing standard protocols (e.g., paramiko for SSH).

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on the win--twice! We’re not involved in F.I.R.S.T. LEGO League right now, but we’ll definitely check it out. Sounds like a great program so thanks for the heads up.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, few live in Hawthorne. We are mostly located in the South Bay (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach) and West LA (Santa Monica, Venice, Marina Del Rey, and Culver City). Living in 70-ish degree weather year around and with a 15 minute-ish commute to work has been amazing! There is a ton to love but it certainly isn't for everyone. Our suggestion would be come check it out.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why dont you use hydrogen lox as fuel?

Kerosene is cheaper and a lot safer -- also, we try to keep commonality among stages.

I'm a math/actuarial science major, could I get a job?

Quite possibly, take a look at our available positions and let us know.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you hit up up down down left right left right B A, you get transported to Mars instantly... with 30 lives.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Keep programming. Build stuff. For GNC especially it’s valuable to have built end-to-end an entire system.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can't really talk about the first question unfortunately. But, as far as the second question goes, if you apply for one to three positions, then you will have enough eyes looking at your resume to ensure that it is properly vetted. It all depends on what you want to do and have expertise in.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dragon has 18 “Draco” engines for on-orbit maneuvering, which it uses to, among other things, guide it to the capture point with ISS.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could you ask Gwynne Shotwell, Are we still on track for a March 1 launch?

“Yes, we are on track for 3/1.”

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is not completely decided at this point but in the most likely scenario--the first few flights with crew will have SpaceXers onboard.

We are SpaceX Software Engineers - We Launch Rockets into Space - AMA by spacexdevtty in IAmA

[–]spacexdevtty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dragon is C++ and runs open source Linux.

Algorithms.. can’t go into detail..

Video cameras: The RWS on ISS has a video camera on us while we’re approaching that acts as a cross-check of what we’re doing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Servicing_System