Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
At precisely 3:22pm ET, SpaceX’s NASA Flight launched successfully from Cape Canaveral, marking the first NASA crew bound for orbit from the US in 9 years, heralding a new era in human spaceflight and forging a new landmark for NASA and Elon Musk.
Click to see the full-size image
We have liftoff. History is made as @NASA_Astronauts launch from @NASAKennedy for the first time in nine years on the @SpaceX Crew Dragon: pic.twitter.com/alX1t1JBAt
— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2020
The view with @POTUS and @VP. pic.twitter.com/kv5vRNFSWQ
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) May 30, 2020
NASA was live tweeting the launch:
We have liftoff. History is made as @NASA_Astronauts launch from @NASAKennedy for the first time in nine years on the @SpaceX Crew Dragon: pic.twitter.com/alX1t1JBAt
— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2020
Vehicle is supersonic. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/ea7iteD2j9
— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2020
Main engine cutoff ☑️
Second stage separation ☑️@AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug are heading into orbit.#LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/ed6LTUV63d— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2020
Stage 1 entry burn has started. The #LaunchAmerica crew is heading into orbit. pic.twitter.com/aJUAdj4OC9
— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2020
Falcon 9 booster has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship! pic.twitter.com/96Nd3vsrT2
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 30, 2020
All systems look good 11 minutes after liftoff. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/hKKw1DE1Zu
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) May 30, 2020
Crew Dragon has successfully separated. Next stop? The International @Space_Station. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/rDKFzPouTE
— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2020
The Dragon capsule will next deliver Behnken and Hurley to the International Space Station – the first time American astronauts have flown from U.S. soil since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. The launch comes 18 years after Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. with the ultimate goal of populating other planets.
The @SpaceX #CrewDragon launched at 3:22pm EST today with @Astro_Doug & @AstroBehnken onboard. It will dock to the space station Sunday about 2:27pm. #LaunchAmerica https://t.co/pfTdcoVqiN pic.twitter.com/eQjpDUjeXQ
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) May 30, 2020
The biggest U.S. rocket launch in decades captured interest around the globe, coming at a time people clamored for good news amid the Covid-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty.
Watch the full take off here:
* * *
Despite the threat of more thunderstorms, SpaceX and NASA are preparing for today’s historic attempt to launch astronauts into space, via a private company. This comes several days after NASA “scrubbed” the first attempt due to weather-related issues and one day after SpaceX’s Starship prototype blew up on a Texas launch pad.
NASA officials say today’s Crew Dragon launch from Kennedy Space Center, located in Merritt Island, Florida, has around 50% odds for a 15:22 ET liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket:
“We are moving forward with the launch today,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted Saturday morning. “Weather challenges remain with a 50% chance of cancellation.”
SpaceX and NASA administrators are carefully monitoring today’s evolving weather situation around the launch site. As of 11:37 ET, there’s a weather disturbance off the coast and could arrive inland around 14:00 to 16:00 ET, right around the time of launch.
At 7:51 ET, SpaceX tweeted “all systems go,” along with an up-close photo of the Crew Dragon atop the Falcon 9 rocket.
All systems go for Crew Dragon’s test flight with @NASA astronauts @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug. Teams are keeping an eye on weather. Webcast will go live at ~11:00 a.m. EDT → https://t.co/bJFjLCilmc pic.twitter.com/AXDGNfqv0K
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 30, 2020
As per the Launch Mission Execution Forecast:
“On Sunday, the late season frontal boundary will provide some added cloudiness over the Spaceport early, but will likely push just south of the area by T-0. The primary weather concerns for launch are flight through precipitation, the thick cloud layer rule, and the cumulus cloud rule, associated with the frontal boundary,” NASA’s launch report said.
The report went on to say Sunday’s launch window would be at 60% and 70% chance for Tuesday, suggesting more favorable odds of launching would be seen in the week ahead.
Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will be on the Crew Dragon mission, which would be the first manned rocket launch from US soil since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be in attendance at today’s launch event.
Bridenstine tweeted, “Best selfie ever!” as he stands in front of Hurley and Behnken.
Best selfie ever! #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/yQJ2rC1Ixy
— Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 30, 2020
NASA will stream the launch event live on YouTube
Today’s launch comes one day after SpaceX’s Starship SN4 prototype blew up on its test stand in Boca Chica, Texas. It doesn’t produce a vote of confidence for the Crew Dragon launch.
Elon, your rocket just blew up. pic.twitter.com/EZAVN4cVCd
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) May 29, 2020
Last week, the morning before the first launch attempt, Elon Musk, the majority owner of SpaceX, holding about 54% of the private company, said: “I’m Chief Engineer of the thing. If it goes right, it’s a credit to the SpaceX/NASA team. Goes wrong, it’s my fault.”
“I’m Chief Engineer of the thing. If it goes right, it’s credit to the SpaceX/NASA team. Goes wrong, it’s my fault.” — @elonmusk
? leadership. pic.twitter.com/tKPIpq0CRH
— Viv ? (@flcnhvy) May 27, 2020
Regardless of what you think of Musk, he has style. Love the look of the new pressure suits and cabin.
Lol “style”
GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR FOOLING KWEER INVESTORS$ INCLUDINGTHAT UNEDUCATED LOSER WHO IMPLYS RUSSIANS ARE RETARDED,THOUGH THAT HELPS NOTHING NOR ANYONE IN THE REAL WORLD FACTUAL EVENTS! YOUR RIGHT THOUGH SUITS ARE STYLISH ENOUGH FOR CALIFORNIANS ATLEAST!
So Musk/USA achievement is an insult to Russians for you?
The guy is exceptionally smart and creative. A tremendous achievement.
Musk only provided the direction and more importantly, money. It’s his employees that made it happen.
I read about the guy. He is smart, creative, talented, very thorough and most importantly he is able to fulfill his and many others’ dreams. To achieve what he achieved and will achieve in his life time, one must be a genius who appears once in a century.
The difference between Capitalism and Marxism is the management ;)
Not very stylish but they remind me of the old Star Craft game :)
I thought it was a novel US manufactured PPE suit for the Covid10 medical staff :)
Use once and throw away. The US bondage freaks would love to use a smelly old PPE suit.
While this does not constitute any major advance in space technology, it does allow the US to conduct more flights, using a far newer and more advanced vehicle than the Soyuz. It also has clear ramifications regarding the US attempt to militarize space. Putin, Lavrov et al have for far too long neglected Russia’s once leading R&D space sector, feeling comfortable using 50 year old USSR tech. That is not a strategy but pure idiocy. It’s time for Russia to invest and surpass its rival or risk losing a strategic sector-and lucrative market.
I think You should reme,ber the Russian rockets has been used a lot bacsue they were much better then the 2 American version as well as Arianne.
But You are right of the importance. If Russians, Americans and others should invent something really usefull, it would be a vakuum cleaner for all that barbage hanhing up there.
I also will remind You that Russia are in level or higher in missiles and others can go to space and do.
More advanced is not always better. Reliabilty is the key objective and Soyuz made 750 succesful manned missions. Also Soyuz has better structural integrity and better safety systems. Dragon looks like a small Apple strore…
Disregard the kweer punk,these nocando lumpchins can’t even understand the basics,let alone what it takes to get the job done right after many years of developments! The most insulting part is trying to dumb down hardcore engineers whom very well can smash em out of life with just a 26mm wrench,thus make the world a much more developed and advance state,without the incest bullsht,glad you put it right in its place:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ce92fd4abb1ed0806172e618f0a706de6341b392b3a2ec82dbe094ddfb62a6df.png
BEGONE YOU KWEER!
Dragon > Soyuz
I saw it live, rocket launch was real, but astronauts stayed on ohe ground. No vibration, no shaking, no G-load= BS Also their space suits look fake, compare it with any other space suit ever produced, no vents, no regulators….BS alert…
That’s the weirdest thing that i saw, those space suits, they don’t look functional but like a costume, i can be wrong but my common sense it’s kicking in.
Bingo.
It’s just a pressure suit in case of sudden cabin depressurization. You can’t do space walks with them.
The lack of visible vibration is due to the fuel used (i.e. liquid). If we’re dealing with a solid rocket fuel then the vibration is more noticeable.
Every rocket that carries or carried astronauts were/are using liquid fuel. Only exception was the strap on solid fuel boosters of the shuttle but even in that case the main engine of the shuttle used liquid fuel oxygen and hydrogen. There is no was you wont get heavy vibrations and shaking during lift off. Thats a Fact.
Have you heard of the new technology called image stabilization ?
That will only stabilize the point of view of the camera. Not the actual shaking and vibration of the astronauts, hands and feet…
yea that is weird
And what if the Russian counterparts confirm they work?
Like they did with the Moonlanding? In return the U.S. signed the Paris Peace Agreement and pulled out of Vietnam…
So Russians will lie that Americans are visiting them on IIS, will they participate in the fake videos also?
It seems so… Its not lying, its alternative Truth :)
So you are accusing Russia faking shit with their secret Ally?
Russia isnt faking anything. They only keep silent about U.S. faking things.
Nobody will lie. Me personally hope that all be OK and astronauts will get in ISS.
C’mon let the guy debunk the myth :) he is also sure Russia has a secret base in Cuba. Isn’t so Lone?
Are those suits functional? It looks like some hollyweird junk. Maybe they are we don’t know for sure, it’s just that the U.S has a high degree at doing fake shit, you can’t blame me for being distrustful about those things.
It’s just a pressure suit to keep the occupants alive in the event of an unexpected cabin depressurization. If you tried to use this suit for EVA, you’d be dead within minutes.
https://www.livescience.com/61705-starman-spacex-spacesuit.html
Where are the oxygen vents and the regulators? Compare it to Soyuz or Shuttle suits…
Good question indeed. SpaceX have not talked about it. I certainly won’t dismiss the possible con job. In addition to attracting (or placating existing) investors, there’s the attempt to lure China into a Space Race.
Soyuz is 3 times smaller, everything needs to be inside the suits.
25%smaller… If you think everything is inside the suit than you would flatline an EEG.
So what if the small suits work ok and the Russian cosmonauts shake their hands today?
Fake suits only work ok in movie studios not in space…
So Russian cosmonauts from ISS will play a role in the American fake movie?
Cameos… Indeed…
So the fake is a co-production
At least partially.
If those suits are real I will eat brokkolis…
The envious minions will cry and rage ;)
Envious about fake space suits? Nah…:)
Which part is fake?
Space suits… No shaking and vibration…
So do you mean the American astronauts will not meet their Russian colleagues on the ISS today?
CGI is a wonderful technology. If they want JFK and Nixon will be there too, realtime…
And Russia will approve the fake video with their cosmonauts shaking hands with Americans or Putin already saw the movie and gave the OK?
It has probably approved it.
Wonder what Russia will get in return. Peace in Syria? Lybia. G8? Interestingly a few hours ago Trump said he wants Russia back in the G8 within months… Hm….
So Russia is a globalist ally of USA, right? Can’t China debunk the fake video?
Globalist ally? Nah, thats a far reach. Russia is doing a favor in return for a favor… I think China has enough problems with Trump currently,they dont want to create a shitstorm. Huawei is already being strangled the third biggest cellphone manufacturer on the planet and the second biggest in electronics after Samsung overall. If China would even dare to lift their pinky you can bet that Trump would sanction every Chinese company from here to Oblivion from Xiaomi to ZTE. Its not worth it, especially that they couldnt prove it a 100% since China aint present on the ISS.
Usa can’t even bring justice,yet now as its burning in its pile of heap suddenly fake x use the nasa doctrine to promote the most successfull millenials on record,give it a break,hey fellas this is the real deal,here 2 seperate fuel charged powerplants,hydrogen then rocket fuel diffused into big movakn keboom,there you go real innovations by not so gutless fake,heres to the future doen to earth,shame on nasa,shame on usa,shame on fake x,this is in no way whatsover to changed anything in usa (period) They must be held accountable for all the lies over this century and before and as long as I breath the air,they are gonna go down like never before imagined,so yeah Don’t insult intellect fake x nocandos! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0a5abcc37ebe668916913d28884f9a7447f4da40ab7d0bcb61187e8c2b0544eb.jpg
Like always ZERO HEDGE = JUST THAT =blot,fake,phoney and false cia/begone facist kweers!
Teach us the truth, jimi
There isn’t much left in NASA after firing all the people working there some time ago and not much funds for research. One thing is certain US won’t be able to get away with duping people to sleep and doing stunt like fake moon landing.