This video is sponsored by Squarespace, the all-in-one platform for your online presence. Hey,
Hey Marcus House with you here and we’ve actually got a number of exciting topics to dive into
today. There’s huge progress at SpaceX’s Starbase with the launch tower mechazilla arms being moved
into place. Ship 20 and Booster 4, the first orbit capable vehicle continues to crawl along,
but lots going on with future vehicles. Captain Kirk flew to the edge of space to experience zero
gravity for the first time. Awesome to see William Shatner fulfill a lifelong dream. And some pretty
impressive updates to share on Relativity Space’s Terran 1 making some new headway towards flight.
It is certainly true that over the past month or so the space community has been
eagerly awaiting some action on Starship testing. We had a few small tests recently,
but compared to the testing regime from six months ago, more focus has instead been dedicated
to Starbase with its tower and ground support systems being developed at a breakneck speed.
Well, this past week has been interesting with the anticipation of Starship 20’s first static fire.
What you are looking at here is the very first orbit capable Starship that includes the full
thermal protection system covering the entire belly. One new neat piece of information here,
is that these Starship heat shield tiles are actually called “Starbricks”. The big question
we all have is, how well will these Starbricks hold up in action? This week, NASA published a
document about observing Starship during reentry. Some interesting takeaways from this document is
that NASA is making a special imaging system to view the reentry with an infrared camera mounted
with NASAs WB-57. This is a long-range aircraft capable of operation for extended periods,
somewhere around 7 hours or so. The wingspan on this aircraft for its size is actually,
well, almost quite odd looking. They are just massive. This isn’t overly surprising considering
that it can fly at a maximum altitude of around 60,000 feet or 18.3 kilometers. Yea… that is
high. Comparatively commercial flights will cruise along at 35,000 feet or so.
Up there the atmosphere is super thin. Typically you’ll have a crew of two on board. The pilot,
and the sensor equipment operator, so this aircraft has some pretty awesome capabilities.
Now it may not be overly clear which starship flight may be observed. What is stated in the
document is that NASA is targeting a Starship reentry observation in March of 2022. We would
hope of course that Starship 20 and Booster 4 have made their flight way before then,
so assuming here we are talking about a future Starship. Perhaps Starship 21 or 22.
Now there is loads of action on the tower this week with the massive Mechazilla catch
arms coming together. You’ve just got to marvel at the speed SpaceX gets things done.
The first time we had really ever heard that SpaceX would attempt to catch a
Super Heavy booster was a little under a year ago, with Elon saying that the main reasons behind this
is to save on booster mass and the cost of legs. The Mechazilla system we are watching come to life
right now will provide immediate repositioning of the booster back on to the launch mount.
That will dramatically speed up booster reflight time. Of course since then we’ve learned that it
isn’t just the booster to be caught, it is the Starship as well, the massive top stage. That
still seems crazy to me, but hey, that's why we love watching this story unfold right!? This week,
the first catch arm of Mechazilla was rolled over to the LR11350 crane and was lifted upright and
moved over to the red beams set up near the launch tower. The far end of the arm was placed down on
the lower red beam with the massive hinge end left hanging in the air above the carriage. To install
both arms, SpaceX needed to have a second crane simultaneously lift the second arm into position
so that a single giant steel pin can slot right through both of their hinges. Terrific
footage here as always by BocachicaGal and Nic with NASASpaceFlight. That second arm was then
hooked up to the smaller crane, was lifted upright and moved over to the carriage that afternoon. The
first arm was soon moved into position with a large pin being lowered through the two holes of
the carriage and the arm. The second arm was then moved into position and after a few more hours it
was successfully installed with the pin being fully lowered. So yes, we now officially have
both arms connected to the carriage. Once this system is complete it's going to be hoisted up
onto the tower and will be held in place thanks to the carriage arms that connect 3 of the 4 columns.
In this way the entire carriage can be lifted and lowered on demand via a cable connecting it to the
drawworks hoist. In fact the massive roll of steel cable that is needed for this was spotted in the
middle of the week. Awesome shot there by Starship Gazer. This cable will run from the drawworks
hoist up to the top of the tower where it will then cross over horizontally through pulleys.
From there it will run vertically down to the carriage to allow the arms to raise and lower. All
that is needed is for it to be connected together. This is very exciting. Once everything is working,
it will be ready for its first operation which is likely to involve Booster 4 being lifted onto
the orbital launch mount once again. There will not be any catching attempt of either Booster
4 and Ship 20 of course as they are set to end their lives in the ocean. But as far as we know,
SpaceX hopes for the first catch attempt to occur during Booster 5’s return to the launch site.
Now, there is a little more to dive into with the carriage system here. SpaceX has been working
hard over the last week or two implementing the skates that it will use to run vertically along
the tower rails. These were being installed on Monday, however, what is speculated to be a
rigging issue caused one of the skates to fall off the tower and plummet to the ground. Elon later
tweeted a video from the Starbase launch site, and RGV Aerial photography commented asking Elon
if they had a backup skate. Elon quickly replied saying that it's on its way, adding a sigh, there.
Very good to see that no one got hurt in the mishap. These skates are quite massive in size.
Now we have some Raptor movement going on as well. At the orbital launch site, Booster 4 had at least
three Raptors removed, which was spotted by RGV. We are assuming there was something not
quite testing out correctly. Perhaps they will be repaired or swapped out for different engines.
At the suborbital test stand, Ship 20 has had some action. Ten
days after completing a cryoproof test, SpaceX has once again moved at least one sea level and one
vacuum engine from the build site to test stand B. The Raptor vacuum was then installed on S20 on
Monday (check on SL engine, has it been installed by Saturday?). Then on Wednesday evening,
Mary received an alert notice, commencing from 5pm the next day. These notices are handed out to the
residents of Starbase prior to a static fire. Speaking of Raptors, the 3D Raptor renders we
showed off with Izan last week received a huge response from people, and rightly so.
It’s incredible! Just remember as well though Alex Svan has created equally amazing Raptor
engine renders. That was all based on Raptor number 46. Well, with their powers combined,
BAM! Check this out. Both Alex’s Raptor 46 on the left and Izans there on the right are both
created independently with totally different 3D software. Alex’s with 3D studio Max I believe
and Izan using Cinema 4D. Thanks for sharing that this week Alex! How awesome is that!
Future vehicles are also making progress at the build site as well. Ship 21’s common
dome section was stacked on the middle liquid oxygen section in the Mid Bay. And, booster 5
stacking has continued rapidly once again with its upper methane tank now being fully stacked. This
now paves the way for the installation of the grid fins that were spotted by RGV last week.
Brendan Lewis keeping us all up to date with the latest infographic here shows everything we need
to know as up to date as practical right here. So yes, lots going on at Starbase as you can see.
Now the “Artists of Spaceflight”, which is a collective name the many
amazing social media space artists out there are running with, have put together a collection of
illustrations right here in this new calendar. This represents their interpretation of what they
and so many of us around the world believe to be important milestones in Humanity’s quest
to become a multi-planetary species. [Ad Start] ...we’ll talk more about that
in a moment but just quickly, a huge thank you to Squarespace today for their support of this video.
Squarespace is an incredible all-in-one platform to build your online presence to promote yourself,
your business, or your brand. Even if you have little experience in creating your own online
content, you will immediately feel right at home creating a website with Squarespace.
You don’t need expensive web developers or design skills. You just get started with the mountain of
templates to choose from. Once you’ve found the one that is right for your brand, that
is it. You instantly have a shell already built, waiting for your incredible content to be entered.
To diagnose how effective your content is for you, you have at your disposal the terrific inbuilt
analytics. Perhaps you have a cause to support. Simply collect donations using the inbuilt
payment systems via PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe, or Venmo. It is all super simple to set up. If
you want to check it out for yourself, just head to squarespace.com/marcushouse and save 10% off
your first purchase of a website or domain. You’ll find that link in the description below. [Ad End]
So yes, This Unofficial Starship Calendar contains a small cross section of work from the many
talented artists who daily pour over every detail revealed by SpaceX and the army of photographers
out there at Starbase. The images depict each artist's vision, right from the early test
phases of Starship, through to future visions of colonizing Mars. This will be a terrific memento,
to look back on in the future, to remember what it was like to dream of becoming Martians. It’s also
a great opportunity to help directly support these amazing creators. They give so much of their time
to create this magic and if you would like one, this is a terrific way to help support what they
do. It's an 18 month calendar too, so that will take you right through well into 2023. The direct
link to pick one up is below in the description, and of course as always, please do follow and
share what they are all doing. That helps them a great deal just as it does for me when you
are watching, liking and subscribing here. It's a great way to show your appreciation and encourage
them to do more so thank you all for supporting what we all do. You are amazing. The New Shepard
18 flight broke records this week when William Shatner became the oldest person to visit space.
It probably goes without saying that William Shatner is a childhood hero of mine as he is
I’m sure to many of us, and seeing him being fired into space was actually more nerve racking than
I’d anticipated. He has instantly shattered the record being the oldest person to fly into space.
Can you believe how good he looks for 90 years old? That is incredible as it is,
and he has also beaten Wally Funk's record set on the first crewed flight back in July,
by eight years. He handled the whole event very admirably and his speech right after
the flight was truly emotional and profound. Along with fellow Australian Chris Boshuizen
the founder of Earth-observation company Planet Labs, microbiologist Glen de Vries,
and Blue Origin's Audrey Powers the vice president of mission and flight operations,
they formed the second crewed flight for Blue Origin’s New Shepard. Interestingly,
Chris may have just been in space for a few minutes here but still counts as the third
Australian to pass that Karman line, I wonder how much longer I’ll be waiting for my turn?
After being delayed for a day and then sitting through a couple of holding patterns NS-18
finally roared into the Texas sky on Wednesday morning, local time. It was the fourth flight
for booster NS4 and the spacecraft RSS First Step, both having previously flown on NS-14,
NS-15, and NS-16 earlier in the year. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any
onboard footage during the live broadcast but we had a great view of the flight all the same.
There was a clean separation and all systems were looking great. The crew enjoyed their brief moment
‘suspended’ between earth and the heavens to then come down in just as much style. The booster is
designed to be more aerodynamic than the capsule during the descent phase, so it pierces through
the atmosphere more effectively, therefore gaining extra clearance from the capsule.
Likewise, it lands well ahead, too. It’s then time for the capsule’s parachutes to deploy - I admit I
was holding my breath there for just a second but just like the first crewed flight we saw yet the
flawless parachute deployment. Another successful mission for the Blue Origin team to be proud of
there. I was worried that enthusiasm would wane for these subsequent flights but as a bystander
I think I may have enjoyed this one even more than the first. Hearing those first personal
reflections from William Shatner immediately after the flight showed us all how perspective
changing the overview effect can really be - even for a man with a legacy such as his. It’s
amazing to think that someone who helped unlock the passion for spaceflight and exploration
for so many of us is now doing it with an actual spaceflight, William Shatner, what a Legend.
But wait, there’s more! Eric Berger updated us on the future of New Shepard! One more flight
is planned this year and 6 to 12 next year! As a side note to this mission, just before
the flight, Blue Origin shared a little sneak peek of the upcoming New Glenn reusable launch
system too. I’d love to see more hardware here, but it’s definitely progress compared to the last
few glimpses inside Blue Origins. And nice to at least be kept in the loop regarding its progress
as we are all excited to see this rocket in action someday too. On the flipside we also want to see
Blue Origin doing away with their recent hostility toward the Starship program so that we can all
work together. A little diplomacy would go a long way. And dare I say, Elon could stop baiting Jeff
quite so much as well. I’d love to see all these amazing space agencies working together in the
future. Now It has been a while since we last covered another of my favorite launch providers,
Relativity Space. Their innovative approach to construction of a rocket has me totally
fascinated. I just love it. They have been very active since we talked about their Terran R
reveal in June this year. Terran R of course being Relativity's medium lift vehicle design,
which they say is capable of delivering over 20 metric tonnes to low earth orbit. Besides being
3D printed this will be fully reusable. Terran 1 on the other hand may be smaller in size,
delivering 1,250kg to low earth orbit, but this offers customers a great launch alternative.
Back in late August we saw a bit of a teaser showing assembly of the Terran 1
first stage. Well, just recently, more footage was released, and check this out! The fully assembled
Terran 1 first stage on it's way to the test stand. Yes you heard that right, cryogenically
tested already. It’s just amazing that from a blend of their proprietary exotic raw materials,
they will be capable of printing a rocket in around 60 days. Earlier this week, there was
a reveal of the nose cone being printed. It's unique shape is a first for the design team and
their in-house developed printer named "Stargate". We just can't get enough of video from Relativity.
It's a joy to watch this company iterate designs and continue to expand their operations. Like you,
I am sure, we love seeing more regular updates such as these from Relativity, as quite clearly
things are ramping up now as they prepare for a first ever launch some time in 2022. In July,
there was the carefully coordinated lift of the strong back assembly at Launch complex 16
at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This rigid structure will provide horizontal transport from
the integration hangar to the pad where Terran 1 will be raised vertically, ready for launch.
With construction activity at the pad continuing along at a steady pace and the Strongback delivery
to site, we won’t have long to wait now. Thanks Relativity Space for showing all of us what is
going on and please keep those updates coming. We really enjoy sharing your awesome progress.
Now just remember that we have the amazing LUCY mission launch on an Atlas V with United
Launch Alliance which has likely already happened by the time you see this video.
Go and check out the live stream. Beautiful shots here by Greg Scott in the leadup to this
epic mission. As I talked about the other week, LUCY is heading out to fly by a record number of
asteroids. LUCY will fly by each celestial body to gather some amazing data on what we have only ever
seen as small points of light by the Hubble Space Telescope. Be sure to check out that launch which
may have already happened by now. This will kick off a brand new 12-year journey to eight different
asteroids. If you want to know more about that, there is a card popping here in the top right to
the video from a few weeks back explaining it all for you. So there we are. Another week wrapped up
for you. A little correction as well from last weeks video. We talked a little about the Crew
2 and the transfer of command. In that video I was pronouncing JAXA astronaut Akihiko’s name
incorrectly. It is of course pronounced this way and not Akiko as I had said it last week. That’s a
fairly important distinction really as Akiko is a common Japanese female name. I certainly didn’t
intend to cause any offence there and thanks to a few people for “correcting” me on that one. These
sorts of things are important, and I will admit that my international pronunciation leaves a lot
to be desired. Thanks everyone for watching all the way through here. If you enjoyed this content
please do consider subscribing if you aren’t already as well as liking and sharing the content.
That all helps us do what we do. Thanks very much. If you like the shirt here, you can pick that up
below along with our other designs. Loads of different options there. And hey,
I am still yet to see a picture of the baby gear out there. I certainly see a few of the
baby body suits going out so yea, if you have some of the merch, tweet me some images so we
can share them. We get a real kick out of that. To my incredible Patrons and Youtube member
supporting what we do, you are amazing. I’m so grateful to all of you. If you like what we are
doing and would like to help assist us as well you can join as a Youtube member below or you can
become a patron at patreon.com/marcushouse. Either way that gives you access to chat with me on our
Discord server, your name is listed here depending on the tier selected along with all there terrific
people, and as always you get to see these videos before anyone else, ad free. Thanks to all of you.
A massive thank you especially the production crew and the quality control squad here for helping me
research and proof the material in these videos. If you’re interested in these topics and would
like to keep up to date, remember to follow here below and on Twitter at marcushouse. In
the tile in the bottom left today, we have my video last week. In the top right is my latest
video and in the bottom right... content that Youtube has selected from my channel,
just for you! Thank you, everyone, for watching and we'll see you all in the next video.