Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

OT: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch - wow!

I never get a chance to watch these things launch live, but I did today.  My eyes watered watching that rocket fly!  So dang cool.
Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
«1

Comments

  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    SpaceX makes the nearly impossible look ordinary. Still waiting to see the status of the central core.
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • SciAggie said:
    SpaceX makes the nearly impossible look ordinary. Still waiting to see the status of the central core.
    Yep, me, too.  And the payload off into Earth/Mars orbit - neat-o!
    Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
    Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    Wow that was amazing!
    And the amount of payload it can carry! :o
    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    Great private firm design, development and engineering result.  Congrats to them.
    And since other than LEO and escape velocity, space doesn't get a whole lotta play here (nor should it) I will take this fleeting opportunity to post one of my pet issues:
    Okay- I find the whole drive to send a human to Mars quite an undertaking that needs to be terminated. The expense of engineering the human into the loop versus the robotics and rovers we can get there now is several orders of magnitude more expensive.  For what "value add?"  
    Other than the bragging rights how much is it worth?  We can send all the sophisticated hardware we need to achieve all the science we want-other than the buzz factor.  And suppose as they are on "final approach" the metric versus English fail to conversion factor comes into play again...auger in.  
    Off the road-box.
    Have a great evening.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • lousubcap said:
    Great private firm design, development and engineering result.  Congrats to them.
    And since other than LEO and escape velocity, space doesn't get a whole lotta play here (nor should it) I will take this fleeting opportunity to post one of my pet issues:
    Okay- I find the whole drive to send a human to Mars quite an undertaking that needs to be terminated. The expense of engineering the human into the loop versus the robotics and rovers we can get there now is several orders of magnitude more expensive.  For what "value add?"  
    Other than the bragging rights how much is it worth?  We can send all the sophisticated hardware we need to achieve all the science we want-other than the buzz factor.  And suppose as they are on "final approach" the metric versus English fail to conversion factor comes into play again...auger in.  
    Off the road-box.
    Have a great evening.  
    Not sure of the value add, either.  But who knows what's there?  Maybe get some drones to fly around and see more than a couple square miles like the rovers - that would be cool.  
    Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
    Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    edited February 2018
    @lousubcap Whether or not they SHOULD be doing this and what value it adds to humanity is a valid debate to have - elsewhere as you point out. That aside, their accomplishments in terms of launch, recovery, and cost reduction are still quite impressive in my opinion.
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    Hotch said:
    Wow that was amazing!
    And the amount of payload it can carry! :o
    Still just a fraction of what we used to be able to do 40 years ago with the Saturn V.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    SciAggie said:
    @lousubcap Whether or not they SHOULD be doing this and what value it adds to humanity is a valid debate to have - elsewhere as you point out. That aside, their accomplishments in terms of launch, recovery, and cost reduction are still quite impressive in my opinion.
    If our intent is to just do some science and gain some knowledge then having humans in the mix likely isn't worth the added cost.

    If we want our species to ever become an off world species then the expenditures will be necessary.

    Guess it just depends on the goal.

    In any case "Elon" was over Australia  a few minutes ago:


    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • RedSkip
    RedSkip Posts: 1,400
    Fantastic work by the SpaceX team.
    Large BGE - McDonald, PA
  • Kent8621
    Kent8621 Posts: 843
    as an engineer I say why not try and go for it all?  It may seem expensive to get there just looking at it as getting to mars but with the research development countless things will come out that benefits people every day between medical treatments, water filtration for developing countries and much more.  if we send people to mars and they start doing research, and they find cures for diseases with chemicals that we don't have on earth? 

    2 Large Eggs - Raleigh, NC

    Boiler Up!!

  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    I watched from about 15 miles south of the launch but had a great view of the two boosters landing fairly close.   It was much more impressive than the Falcon 9 launches and proves the power of the vision and focus on the mission a great leader brings to an organization!  Cheers, Elon
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,125
    lousubcap said:
    Great private firm design, development and engineering result.  Congrats to them.
    And since other than LEO and escape velocity, space doesn't get a whole lotta play here (nor should it) I will take this fleeting opportunity to post one of my pet issues:
    Okay- I find the whole drive to send a human to Mars quite an undertaking that needs to be terminated. The expense of engineering the human into the loop versus the robotics and rovers we can get there now is several orders of magnitude more expensive.  For what "value add?"  
    Other than the bragging rights how much is it worth?  We can send all the sophisticated hardware we need to achieve all the science we want-other than the buzz factor.  And suppose as they are on "final approach" the metric versus English fail to conversion factor comes into play again...auger in.  
    Off the road-box.
    Have a great evening.  
    I’m sure that people were having similar conversations about submarines and undersea exploration in the 1700s 
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    lousubcap said:
    Great private firm design, development and engineering result.  Congrats to them.
    And since other than LEO and escape velocity, space doesn't get a whole lotta play here (nor should it) I will take this fleeting opportunity to post one of my pet issues:
    Okay- I find the whole drive to send a human to Mars quite an undertaking that needs to be terminated. The expense of engineering the human into the loop versus the robotics and rovers we can get there now is several orders of magnitude more expensive.  For what "value add?"  
    Other than the bragging rights how much is it worth?  We can send all the sophisticated hardware we need to achieve all the science we want-other than the buzz factor.  And suppose as they are on "final approach" the metric versus English fail to conversion factor comes into play again...auger in.  
    Off the road-box.
    Have a great evening.  
    We've already done it.  Haven't you watched the documentary "The Martian"?
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • As a side note , search for “the impossible drive” on YouTube.
  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,676
    Impressive. They are a step closer to equaling the power of the Saturn 5
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,125
    edited February 2018
    GregW said:
    Impressive. They are a step closer to equaling the power of the Saturn 5
    The SLS is the big boy that’ll dwarf them all.  Can’t wait to see that launch next year. Musk’s reusable rockets are pretty freaking awesome though. 
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    @DoubleEgger - perhaps but then the robotics, computer power and automation weren't quite as advanced as today.  Last I checked we have sent scientific data retrieval systems to Mars that have provided data back here.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Eoin
    Eoin Posts: 4,304
    lousubcap said:
    Great private firm design, development and engineering result.  Congrats to them.
    And since other than LEO and escape velocity, space doesn't get a whole lotta play here (nor should it) I will take this fleeting opportunity to post one of my pet issues:
    Okay- I find the whole drive to send a human to Mars quite an undertaking that needs to be terminated. The expense of engineering the human into the loop versus the robotics and rovers we can get there now is several orders of magnitude more expensive.  For what "value add?"  
    Other than the bragging rights how much is it worth?  We can send all the sophisticated hardware we need to achieve all the science we want-other than the buzz factor.  And suppose as they are on "final approach" the metric versus English fail to conversion factor comes into play again...auger in.  
    Off the road-box.
    Have a great evening.  
    Automation / robots are still miles off being able to do what a human does. 
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    Eoin said:
    HeavyG said:
    Hotch said:
    Wow that was amazing!
    And the amount of payload it can carry! :o
    Still just a fraction of what we used to be able to do 40 years ago with the Saturn V.
    Saturn funded by a world superpower. What's impressive is how Elon spends his own money to do the stuff that Governments don't have the vision to do any more.
    It's great that Musk and some others are spending a bunch of their own money in developing some new generation rockets and other "space stuff". To be fair tho, SpaceX, at this point, is somewhat reliant on government contracts and will be for years to come to help fund his efforts. Some of his other projects (Tesla, Solar City) have also received generous taxpayer support.

    It's not that government lacks the vision, rather, it's the polarized electorate and budgetary pressures/realities and the always problematic political crap of who gets what contracts and what pieces get built where that limit the vision.

    The new government funded SLS launch vehicle will be more powerful than the Saturn V if and when it finally launches. I guess the question now is will the SLS fly before the Spacex BFR.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • billt01
    billt01 Posts: 1,523
    regardless of all the opinions (noise) here..

    dude is an true innovator..

    From Zip2, to X.xom, to Paypal, to launching HIS car (not A car) into space with his own checkbook. I'm sure the "helped" he received from the government ='s payments to some faction therein (still his own checkbook).

    Kudos Musk, pretty freakin' cool.
    Have:
     XLBGE / Stumps Baby XL / Couple of Stokers (Gen 1 and Gen 3) / Blackstone 36 / Maxey 3x5 water pan hog cooker
    Had:
    LBGE / Lang 60D / Cookshack SM150 / Stumps Stretch / Stumps Baby

    Fat Willies BBQ
    Ola, Ga

  • Eoin
    Eoin Posts: 4,304
    HeavyG said:
    Eoin said:
    HeavyG said:
    Hotch said:
    Wow that was amazing!
    And the amount of payload it can carry! :o
    Still just a fraction of what we used to be able to do 40 years ago with the Saturn V.
    Saturn funded by a world superpower. What's impressive is how Elon spends his own money to do the stuff that Governments don't have the vision to do any more.
    It's great that Musk and some others are spending a bunch of their own money in developing some new generation rockets and other "space stuff". To be fair tho, SpaceX, at this point, is somewhat reliant on government contracts and will be for years to come to help fund his efforts. Some of his other projects (Tesla, Solar City) have also received generous taxpayer support.

    It's not that government lacks the vision, rather, it's the polarized electorate and budgetary pressures/realities and the always problematic political crap of who gets what contracts and what pieces get built where that limit the vision.

    The new government funded SLS launch vehicle will be more powerful than the Saturn V if and when it finally launches. I guess the question now is will the SLS fly before the Spacex BFR.
    I would guess that if he succeeds and gets to Mars, he will be remembered long after our 'leaders' are forgotten.
  • DWFII
    DWFII Posts: 317
    edited February 2018
    Agree with most of the generous comments about Musk and SpaceX. What was so thrilling...to me...about the launch was the upright landing of the boosters.

    I grew up in an era 50's and 60's when that was the standard fare of science fiction. All rockets came back to earth and landed upright...at which point a beautiful, scantily clad, young woman would emerge hanging off the arm (or tentacle) of green alien. =)

    But for the longest time we never thought that a re-landing (and re-use) could occur. The science was too difficult. Musk and his team have achieved the "impossible." Hats off to them.

    It's a big deal. at least to my generation--just to see the rocket descending and the struts deploying...it wows me everytime.

    It signals the real  beginning.


    Bespoke boot and shoemaker--45+ years
    Instagram
  • DWFII said:
    Agree with most of the generous comments about Musk and SpaceX. what was so thrilling...to me...about the launch was the upright landing of the boosters. I grew up in an era 50's and 60's when that was the standard fare of science fiction. All rockets came back to earth and landed upright...at which point a beautiful, scantily clad, young woman would emerge hanging off the arm (or tentacle) of green alien. =)

    But for the longest time we never thought that a re-landing (and re-use) could occur. The science was too difficult. Musk and his team have achieved the "impossible." Hats off to them.

    It's a big deal. at least to my generation--just to see the rocket descending and the struts deploying...it wows me everytime.

    It signals the real  beginning.


    ^^ THIS!
    Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
    Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
  • DWFII said:
    Agree with most of the generous comments about Musk and SpaceX. what was so thrilling...to me...about the launch was the upright landing of the boosters. I grew up in an era 50's and 60's when that was the standard fare of science fiction. All rockets came back to earth and landed upright...at which point a beautiful, scantily clad, young woman would emerge hanging off the arm (or tentacle) of green alien. =)

    But for the longest time we never thought that a re-landing (and re-use) could occur. The science was too difficult. Musk and his team have achieved the "impossible." Hats off to them.

    It's a big deal. at least to my generation--just to see the rocket descending and the struts deploying...it wows me everytime.

    It signals the real  beginning.


    Yeah, to me the rocket boosters landing was just as cool as the liftoff!


    1 LBGE in Chapel Hill, NC
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    DWFII said:
    Agree with most of the generous comments about Musk and SpaceX. what was so thrilling...to me...about the launch was the upright landing of the boosters. I grew up in an era 50's and 60's when that was the standard fare of science fiction. All rockets came back to earth and landed upright...at which point a beautiful, scantily clad, young woman would emerge hanging off the arm (or tentacle) of green alien. =)

    But for the longest time we never thought that a re-landing (and re-use) could occur. The science was too difficult. Musk and his team have achieved the "impossible." Hats off to them.

    It's a big deal. at least to my generation--just to see the rocket descending and the struts deploying...it wows me everytime.

    It signals the real  beginning.


    Yeah, to me the rocket boosters landing was just as cool as the liftoff!


    It was pretty cool seeing the two outer boosters landing together. Too bad the middle rocket crashed and burned. No doubt tho that they'll figure it out.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,323
    Interesting amateur video of the two boosters landing. Love the sonic booms.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_kfM-BmVzQ

    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • Wow!  That was louder than I expected. 
    Lovin' my Large Egg since May 2012 (Richmond, VA) ... and makin' cookbooks at https://FamilyCookbookProject.com
    Stoker II wifi, Thermapen, and a Fork for plating photo purposes
  • Jeremiah
    Jeremiah Posts: 6,412
    That's pretty freaking cool. 
    Slumming it in Aiken, SC.