A new age, perhaps?

[crfriend]

I'm not sure if it really qualifies or not, but SpaceX yesterday launched a refurbished previous-flown booster to shove a communications satellite into orbit and then flew it back to Earth and nailed a vertical rocket-powered landing. That is impressive -- and they have bigger designs on the drawing-boards.

That's not going to get me into orbit in my lifetime, but it's nice to know that if I was to go, at least I'd be at 14.7 PSI instead of 10 which is what most US commercial aircraft run their passenger-compartments at.

[Kirbstone]

Ah yes! I fondly remember when Aer Fungus stewardesses handed out the boiled sweets before take-off, so we all could ease our eustacian tubes with them as we ascended.

Elon could well invest in video cameras that don't go wrong at critical moments. We've yet to actually SEE the booster land on that ship.

Tom

[crfriend]

Elon could well invest in video cameras that don't go wrong at critical moments. We've yet to actually SEE the booster land on that ship.

I believe motion-picture sequences exist of the landings on the barge(s).

A recent one, which was nicely shot by a camera mounted on the booster when it landed back at Canaveral was dramatic, but nowhere near so as the footage shot by somebody else's small UAV from several miles distant.

[Judah14]

There is also the upcoming New Glenn rocket from Blue Origin, a company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin has already flown (and reflown) a suborbital rocket called New Shepard that is intended for suborbital space tourism.

And yes, they really intend to land the first stage of New Glenn on a moving ship.

[partlyscot]

Elon could well invest in video cameras that don't go wrong at critical moments. We've yet to actually SEE the booster land on that ship.

Tom

The problem is in the live transmission of the video feed. There are videos of the landings, but the satellite feed for the live transmission is disrupted by the vibrations of the rockets impact on the barge. I do feel this is made up for by the transmission coming from the rocket itself.

[Grok]

Interesting developments lately. To apply a metaphor to space flight, we have been at a stage where we have been-just barely-learning how to crawl. Perhaps within a few decades society will learn to crawl with confidence.

As for learning to walk, I don't expect to be around to see it.

[Grok]

Consider history.....

I've noticed that a distinct era tends to have its own clothing styles. As for this new era, this is one thing science fiction gets wrong-that men will be confined to (shinier versions of) monkey suits.