why is spacex ship named of course i still love you

“Of Course I Still Love You” and “Just Read the Instructions” If these colorful names have you scratching your head, you’re not alone. SpaceX’s fleet of drone ships are named to honor the science fiction author Ian M. Banks.

Full Answer

Who named the drone ship Of course I still love you?

Banks. SpaceX's two other drone ships are also named for sentient, planet-sized ships in Banks' novels: “Just Read the Instructions” and “Of Course I Still Love You.” The drone ships allow SpaceX to recover and reuse Falcon 9 boosters, cutting costs and increasing the company's launch rate.

Where does the name of course I still love you come from?

For those who aren't familiar, Iain M Banks is a famous science fiction author who was the man behind the Culture Series. The naming ceremony didn't stop there as the founder went onto name the second autonomous boat "Of Course I Still Love You".

What is of course I still love you SpaceX?

Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY) is an autonomous spaceport droneship (ASDS) that is operated out of the Port of Long Beach, California. Of Course I Still Love You was previously based in Florida from 2015 to 2021.

What is SpaceX starship named after?

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has stated that the Falcon 1, 9, and Heavy are named after the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars film series.

What is the SpaceX ship called?

autonomous spaceport drone shipAn autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform and is autonomously controlled when on station for a landing....Characteristics.HistoryBeam170 ft (52 m)Depth19.8 ft (6.0 m)Installed powerGenerator units11 more rows

What is the name of Elon Musk's rocket ship?

SpaceX founder Elon Musk. SpaceX's first rocket: Falcon 1. Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. Cargo missions to ISS.

What is a shortfall of gravitas?

A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) is a SpaceX autonomous spaceport droneship (ASDS), operating out of Port Canaveral, Florida. The droneship is based upon barge Marmac 302. A Shortfall of Gravitas had been teased by SpaceX boss Elon Musk frequently since it was first announced in 2018.

What ship did SpaceX bring back?

The SpaceX-25 Dragon cargo ship returned 4,000 pounds of science experiments and more to Earth. A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship returned to Earth with an ocean splashdown on Saturday (Aug. 20) carrying tons of science gear from the International Space Station.

Is Falcon 9 autonomous?

SpaceX's Falcon 9 first stage has landed both on land at Cape Canaveral and on a floating landing plat- form known as the autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS), shown in figure 2.

How much does a Starship launch cost?

He notes that SpaceX leaders once talked optimistically about Falcon 9 launch prices dropping below $10 million. So what is a Falcon 9 launch priced at today? $67 million. So probably not ... "If I were to guess, I think Starship is likely to be priced early on somewhere around $150 million to $250 million per launch.

How much does a Starship cost?

In 2019, Ars Technica reported that it could cost over $2 billion to launch the rocket once in a given year. In March 2022, it emerged it could cost up to $4.1 billion. In November 2019, Musk claimed a Starship launch could cost just $2 million a turn, thanks to efficiency savings that come from reusing a rocket.

How much is SpaceX worth?

The new round, which maintained SpaceX's pre-money valuation at $125 billion — the highest for any U.S. startup — means SpaceX now carries an effective valuation of $127 billion. Its fundraising haul for the year now stands at $2 billion.

What does I still love you mean?

ISLY means "I Still Love You." The abbreviation ISLY is typically used with the meaning "I Still Love You" as a light-hearted response to friendly criticism or to reassure the recipient that what has just been said or done has not had a damaging effect on their relationship with the sender.

What does the name Ely mean?

Origin:Hebrew. Meaning:high. Short and sweet, baby will have an easy time learning to spell the name Ely in school. This Hebrew boy's name means "high" and "ascension," so you can teach baby that the sky is the limit when it comes to his future.

Who is the founder of SpaceX?

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk is a known science fiction fan so it’s no surprise the company’s flagship rocket is named for the gold standard of sci-fi spaceships. There’s a whole family of Falcon rockets, including the super heavy-lift Falcon Heavy.

Why are SpaceX drones named?

If these colorful names have you scratching your head, you’re not alone. SpaceX’s fleet of drone ships are named to honor the science fiction author Ian M. Banks. Specifically, his novel The Player of Games, in which OCISLY and JRtI are sentient spaceships.

Why is the Dragon capsule named after a song?

That’s right, the Dragon capsule was named for a Peter, Paul and Mary song about a boy and an imaginary dragon that has long been associated with smoking marijuana. Moreover, it was a very public clap back at SpaceX doubters. With 15 successful missions under its belt, it’s safe to say the Dragon does, in fact, work.

What is SpaceX in the commercial space industry?

On the commercial space scene, SpaceX is the kid who rolls around on a skateboard, always sits in the back of the classroom, and still makes straight A’s. The company makes a point of reminding the world that space is still fun—because we all wanted to be astronauts as kids. And they name their gadgets like enthusiastic eighth ...

What is a Merlin rocket?

A merlin is a variety of medium-sized falcon. Since the Merlin engine is currently used to power Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, that fits nicely. SpaceX’s other rocket engines have equally avian monikers: Kestrel and Raptor.

What are some of the most famous names for space exploration?

That’s probably why rockets and spacecraft tend to have serious-sounding names. Atlas, Saturn, Delta, Soyuz (which means “union” in Russian), and a host of other spacefaring machines have some very authoritative names.

How many astronauts can a Falcon rocket carry?

Until recently, the ambitious extra, super-duper, great big launch system that Musk says will be able to carry 100 astronauts to Mars was called the Big Falcon Rocket. But that name has recently changed to simply “Starship.”.

What is SpaceX's drone named after?

The autonomous drone ships used by SpaceX are named after the sentient ships in Banks’s The Player of Games, first published in 1988 Here’s the relevant passage from the book: He had a sudden, paranoid idea. He turned to Chamlis urgently. ‘These friends of yours are ships.’. ‘Yes,’ Chamlis said.

Who is the CEO of SpaceX?

See, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is a pretty big fan of science fiction. One need look no further than his adoration for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for proof. He literally named his company’s future Mars-bound spacecraft Heart of Gold for this reason.

How does SpaceX land its rockets?

SpaceX’s preferred method to land rockets is to use drone ships when the mission calls for it . Drone ships are sometimes preferred over landing pads because their position relative to the position of where the rocket separates from the nose cone is closer than a terrestrial landing pad, so the rocket doesn’t need as much fuel, can make a shorter trip back to Earth, and is lighter and cheaper as a result.

What is a pacex?

S paceX is a spaceflight company focused on building big-ass rockets capable of taking people to Mars , but it’s also a strangely famous purveyor of so-called “drone ships,” autonomous platforms floating in the ocean.

What are the drone ships named for?

That’s what the drone ships are named for, the late Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels. The Culture — a human/machine symbiotic society — has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh.

Why are drones preferred over landing pads?

Drone ships are sometimes preferred over landing pads because their position relative to the position of where the rocket separates from the nose cone is closer than a terrestrial landing pad, so the rocket doesn’t need as much fuel, can make a shorter trip back to Earth, and is lighter and cheaper as a result.

What is SpaceX's drone ship named after?

Musk has also referenced classic poems and songs through his engineering work. Some examples of the SpaceX drone ship names are the Dragon capsule that takes after "Puff the Magic Dragon," a popular song from the 1960s music band Peter, Paul and Mary. According to Tesmanian, the pun is in the details as the capsule is meant to land in the ocean after a full flight mission success, which is synonymous with the song lyrics "Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea."

Who is the founder of SpaceX?

After all, who would want to invest in a vehicle that's only capable of being used once? SpaceX founder Elon Musk took it upon himself to name each and every one of the famous SpaceX drone ships that carry the rocket boosters.

Who wrote the name of SpaceX drone?

Know the story behind SpaceX drone ship names. Written By. Sanjana Kalyanpur. IMAGE: ELON MUSK TWITTER. SpaceX has earned enormous respect over the years for paving the way for reusable rocket boosters. After all, who would want ...

What is the name of the Starship that Elon Musk named after?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2018. Next, Mars designed Superheavy Starship was named “Heart of Gold ”, which is inspired by Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .

Who is the founder of SpaceX?

Banks. Late last month, SpaceX's billionaire founder and CEO Elon Musk announced that he had named the company's first spaceport drone ship "Just Read the Instructions.". The second autonomous boat, which is ...

Why is SpaceX called Dragon?

Dragon, meanwhile, got its moniker from "Puff the Magic Dragon," the 1963 hit song by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. (Musk has said he chose the name because many critics deemed SpaceX's ambitious goals impossible when he founded the company in 2002.)

Where is the Falcon 9 rocket positioned?

10, SpaceX tried to bring the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back for a soft landing on the ship, which was positioned in the Atlantic Ocean a couple of hundred miles off Florida.

Who is Michael from Space.com?

13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist . He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

Can SpaceX do a rocket return test?

The unmanned drone ships provide a measure of safety at this stage, allowing SpaceX to conduct rocket-return tests far from any buildings or people. But the company eventually wants to bring its reusable rockets back on land, at or close to their launch sites.

Why did Elon Musk name the drone ships?

Being a science fiction fan, Elon Musk personally named the drone ships to pay homage to 2008, The Times one of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945” Iain Banks who lost his battle against cancer of the gallbladder and died the 9th of June last 2013.

Is "Then lo and behold I still love you" a standalone book?

Then lo and behold Of course, I still love you, and Just Read the Instructions are General Contact Unit ship names. These are taken from Iain M Banks’s Culture series novel The Player of Games. Though Player of the games is the second book in the series you can read it as a standalone. The promising verdict of 4.27/5 rating in Goodreads and interesting reviews led me to add this read in my TBR list.

Who is the CEO of SpaceX?

In 2009, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk articulated ambitions for "creating a paradigm shift in the traditional approach for reusing rocket hardware". In October 2014, SpaceX publicly announced that they had contracted with a Louisiana shipyard to build a floating landing platform for reusable orbital launch vehicles. Early information indicated that the ...

When will SpaceX launch ASOG?

In 2018, SpaceX announced plans for a fourth barge, A Shortfall of Gravitas ( ASOG ), to support East Coast operations but the build of the droneship was delayed, and instead JRTI was moved to the East Coast and began operations in June 2020. ASOG was completed in July 2021.

What was the first launch vehicle barge?

SpaceX first launch vehicle landing barge ( Marmac 300 ), and also its third ( Marmac 303 ), were both named Just Read the Instructions ( JRTI ). In fact, some of the parts from the original hull/barge were used to build the Marmac 303 ASDS. The original, Marmac 300, was scrapped after the SpaceX CRS-6 landing failure on 14 April 2015.

What is an ASDS rocket?

The ASDS are a key early operational component in the SpaceX objective to significantly lower the price of space launch services through "full and rapid reusability", and were developed as part of the multi-year reusable rocket development program SpaceX undertook to engineer the technology.

Where is the second ASDS barge?

The second ASDS barge, Of Course I Still Love You ( OCISLY ), had been under construction in a Louisiana shipyard since early 2015 using a different hull — Marmac 304 — in order to service launches on the East Coast of the United States. It was built as a replacement for the first Just Read the Instructions and entered operational service for Falcon 9 Flight 19 in late June 2015. As of June 2015, its home port was Port of Jacksonville, Florida, but after December 2015, it was transferred 260 km (160 mi) further south, at Port Canaveral .

What happened to Falcon Heavy Test Flight?

In February 2018, the central core of Falcon Heavy Test Flight exploded near OCISLY, which damaged two of the four thrusters on the drone ship. Two thrusters were removed from the Marmac 303 barge in order to repair OCISLY.

What is an ASDS ship?

Active, expected usage in few months. An autonomous spaceport drone ship ( ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform and is autonomously controlled when on station for a landing.