Space Video of the Day - 071210

Earlier today, SpaceX released a monster update of their activities. Included with the update were links to several videos; unfortunately, whether through incorrect URLs in the update or overloading of their servers, I was unable to watch any of their videos. What I do have is today's Space Video of the Day, taken about a month ago at SpaceX's BFTS facility (the acronym officially stands for Big Falcon Test Stand, however one would be excused for thinking that the original meaning of the F was something different, as the BFTS stands 238 feet tall). This is a full 170-second test of their Merlin 1-C engine, which will power all Falcon-9 rockets in the future.

It should be noted that the amount spent by SpaceX on developing the Falcon-1, Falcon-9, the Dragon (seven-member crew capsule), several completely new rocket engines, the BFTS, and their facilities in California, Texas, Florida, and the equatorial Pacific since the company's inception six years ago totals about what NASA spends every week and a half: that's the difference between a guy (Elon Musk) using his own money, and a government agency frittering away taxpayers' dollars.


Space Video of the Day Archive