Dragon's main parachutes have been deployed https://t.co/SMLK62YXPP
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1218920244468539397

ABORT! Through a tiny hole in the clouds, I managed to catch the abort and subsequent explosion! RIP B1046.
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Submitted January 19, 2020 at 05:09PM by Space_Coast_Steve
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SpaceX In-Flight Abort test Highlights
SpaceX has successfully carried out a test of the Crew Dragon Launch Escape system and is now one step closer to launching astronauts to the International Space Station this year

@EverythingScience

Last second clouds prevented me from getting shots of the separation and failure, but, a spectacular launch all the same!
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Submitted January 19, 2020 at 09:55PM by spiel2001
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Close-up of separation from booster
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Submitted January 19, 2020 at 11:35PM by Unsuspecting_Toaster
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Elon musk talking starship at post in flight abort test press conference
https://youtu.be/zsjq1Rfh9C4

Submitted January 20, 2020 at 01:49AM by thompson_10
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Crew Dragon trunk from today’s In-Flight abort was recovered by Go Navigator
https://twitter.com/Kyle_M_Photo/status/1219062943125508097

Submitted January 20, 2020 at 02:52AM by _Andreww_
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Crew Dragon Home, via NASASpaceflight
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Submitted January 20, 2020 at 01:40AM by Tommy099431
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Nasa/SpaceX complete final major flight test of crew spacecraft
https://ift.tt/2TCQAxZ

Submitted January 20, 2020 at 01:53AM by Slazerous
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Central Florida weather radar picked up Falcon 9's 'successful' explosion over the Atlantic today.
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Submitted January 20, 2020 at 03:51AM by Sylvester_Scott
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Full gallery of photos I captured at the In-Flight Abort mission
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Submitted January 20, 2020 at 08:08PM by johnkphotos
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Elon on Twitter "Dragon trunk from in-flight abort test is in surprisingly good shape!"
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1219340904407977984?s=20

Submitted January 20, 2020 at 08:34PM by andiwd
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SpaceX on Twitter: Static fire of Falcon 9 complete ahead of launching 60 Starlink satellites. Due to extreme weather in the recovery area, team is evaluating best launch opportunity
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1219338192169533440

Submitted January 20, 2020 at 08:19PM by Nobiting
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SpaceX's inflight abort test paves way to commercial human spaceflight
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Submitted January 20, 2020 at 09:07PM by MarkWhittington
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NASA Post Launch Media Conference Summary
NASA Post Launch Media Conference SummaryMore Parachute tests to come (at least 2)Peak Velocity of Dragon was Mach 2.2
Peak Altitude 40km
High winds useful for determining crewed limits
Crewed Launch Hardware ready by end of February
Crewed Launch in Q2
Could be a longer duration mission, NASA has not decided yet
Initial Data looks picture perfect
Net catch of Dragon still something to be considered in the future
'Nothing to announce' on SpaceX having more private customers
Two more system level chute tests to go
2 -3 times the NASA employees working on Crew vs Cargo (for cert. process)
Wind speed at touch down - 27 fps - 13-18 knots
Landing Early on [webcast] timeline - Actually looked nominal to NASA/SpaceX
Too early to say if data from F9 breakup could lead to changes
DM1 crew would need extra training to do longer stay mission
Highest G state was 3.5Gs with 2.3G on the return (compared to 6.5-7G for Soyuz abort)
Launch abort system is capable of 6G
NASA will buy another Soyuz seat to maintain options
Abort timeline was ~700ms
Dragon can abort even if F9 main engines do not shutdownDragon can survive escaping a fireball but this 'should be avoided'
The abort was triggered by having the abort thresholds adjusted so a normal Max-Q would surpass them. When this happened, the Dragon triggered a normal abort, which included it issuing a command to shut down the booster engines. (thanks robbak for this last one)

Submitted January 20, 2020 at 09:40PM by cpushack
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<b>Mars Utopia or Indentured Servitude</b>
Last week we heard a little more about SpaceX plans for Mars colonisation, when Elon revealed <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/eq2u6y/elonmusk_needs_to_be_such_that_anyone_can_go_to/">loans should be made available to help people relocate to Mars</a>. This raises the important question: what conditions can colonists expect, a harmonious society where people are free to express their creativity and discover their potential - or a cross between a Russian Gulag come salt mine?The main contention with regards to loans is how easily can they be repaid, if the Mars economy is strong with a scarcity of labour, personal debt is barely a consideration but if the economy is vestigial, potentially these debts could become generational…Perhaps a good analogy for a nascent Mars colony would by the landings at Plymouth rock, made possible by loans from merchant adventurers. Trade was quickly established with indigenous people, mainly for furs, which allowed the colonies substantial debt to be repaid in 28 years, despite worsening relations with native Americans. These simple pilgrims with a strong belief in democracy managed to make a colony work despite possessing only the most basic technology, under incredibly tough conditions. Inexorably the local economy burgeoned as the population swelled, laying the foundation for the first world superpower. Mars has no natives that we know of but plenty of resources, primarily informational.At present climate change on Earth is an increasing concern and perhaps on the horizon looms a possible <a href="https://www.iflscience.com/environment/earth-s-magnetic-field-about-flip/">reversal in the planet’s magnetic field</a>. Mars’s early development paralleled Earth’s until it suffered a massive climate collapse after losing its magnetosphere. Such an extreme example of environmental collapse is a great way to discover how planets work, the effects are so extreme it makes evidence building much easier for in situ teams. In addition, Mars has shown tantalizing glimpses of possible life, which promises to be of supreme interest to the scientific community and biotech concerns.It is reasonable to expect the Mars population will compose of two primary groups, permanent/long term colony builders and temporary residents who intend to stay for a synod or two for professional reasons. These Mars transients will largely consist of scientific researchers sent by space agencies and universities to discover Mars’s secrets. Possibly some military personnel might visit to assess the colony from a defence perspective, particularly if China and Russia are mounting similar efforts on the moon or Mars. Big tech names like: Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Apple would love to be linked to futurist Mars and likely invest heavily in commercial development. Early colonists represent the best talent available and are ideally situated to exploit new market opportunities. Overall Mars will likely become a powerhouse for new technology, driven by the need to survive and thrive on this challenging new world. Basically Mars will generate enormous amounts of research information, IP, new designs, property rights and code, all of which easily exported to Earth via a ‘Marslink’ system.Best thing about Mars would be self-determination. Elon suggests <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBfi2AcGrTY">the ideal government would be a direct democracy</a>, where all major decisions are made by normal citizens. Facilities and operations would be managed by technocrats elected by the citizenry, so overall a system which is highly responsive to individual needs. Plenty of opportunities there to alleviate personal debt if it becomes a serious problem. In this dutiful frontier society, the ability to contribute something meaningful to the colony would be paramount, so healthcare will likely be viewed as a basic human right, in order to best fulfil their role as citizens. They say a volunteer…

SpaceX on Twitter: “Now targeting January 24 at 10:54 a.m. EST, 15:54 UTC, for launch of 60 Starlink satellites; team is continuing to monitor weather in the recovery area”
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1219723537952296960?s=21

Submitted January 21, 2020 at 10:04PM by youfoundalec
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