Search results

This news report came to my attention today: By “it” the reporter means any Level 3 capabilities present in the car. Here is the BC bylaw which specifies the fines to be imposed in cases of “Drive or permit driving of” a Level 3/4/5 equipped vehicle. For those not familiar with the various...

I searched this forum and could not find a mention of this announcement from July 2022, and I think this deserves its own thread. While it is in part about Impulse Space, the current discussion about that company is in the Space Tug thread and this is very different. Impulse and Relativity...

Lauren Lyons was always one of my favorite SpaceX webcast hosts, and she still fills that role occasionally though she is no longer with the company. I just watched a new episode of Star Talk (hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson) where she was interviewed. I learned that she has started her own...

Reuters Special Report: At SpaceX, worker injuries soar in Elon Musk's rush to Mars Not a good look for SpaceX.

New California company called Pebble has announced an all electric RV trailer called the Pebble Flow with a 45kWh battery pack that uses two motors to power the wheels as needed to reduce tow vehicle energy usage and when unhitched maneuver it at low speeds at the campsite. 1kW of solar panels...

For a change, this isn’t just Elon tweeting his frustration, this is multiple senior SpaceX employees (unnamed) saying that the FAA needs more employees who can focus on launch licenses. Eric Berger reports: SpaceX slow Starship reviews, SpaceX urges FAA to double licensing staff

NSF interview with Eric Berger, he says that he is writing a new book about the history of the development of the F9, book is mostly complete, will be released in about a year from now. Looking forward to it! His book “Lift Off” about the early years of SpaceX and the F1 was excellent.

See Space Explorers - The Infinite. Filmed on the ISS with 3D 360 degree VR cameras. Has anyone done this? It is coming to Vancouver BD on November 15. Looks interesting.

Is Luna 25 alive? Russia says an “emergency situation” has occurred Ars Technica reports. Does not sound good. Solving the issue is made more difficult by the fact that Russia does not have a deep space communications network and can only contact the lander when the Moon is visible from Russia...

The rear view mirror in my 2018 M3 is stuck in night mode (not sure what term Tesla uses) such that the image in the mirror is dark during the day, it’s almost unusable. Of course, unlike car mirrors of long ago, there is no little tab at the bottom to flip it back and forth between day and...

This news from NASA is relevant to this thread; Eric Berger reports The US government is taking a serious step toward space-based nuclear propulsion The reactor will be launched “cold” and won’t be turned on until it reaches a high-ish LEO of 700 to 2,000km. The point is to radically reduce...

Tesla breaks sales record held for 35 years in Iceland

Last month Airstream revealed a new electric trailer concept designed in cooperation with FA Porsche. It differs from the electric Airstream eStream unveiled last year, which had fully powered wheels such that the tow vehicle would not experience increased energy usage while towing. This new...

Saw a news story about PLD Space planning to build a “reusable” rocket so had to learn more. Turns out it’s a sub-orbital vehicle “designed for microgravity research and technology development” with a 1,000kg payload capacity. Each flight will provide 3-4 minutes of microgravity time. I have to...

Well done animation. Not sure there will be that much horizontal translation just before the catch, but maybe…

Eric Berger reviews the new book by Vance When the Heavens Went on Sale which sounds fascinating. Note: book is not available until May 9, Berger got an advance copy.

Eric Berger: Meet the space billionaire who is interested in something other than rockets And there still isn’t much information but it’s fun to think about. I’ve been waiting over five decades now. It certainly won’t be this big, but it has to be at least several hundred meters in diameter.

From that article: I know that Elon has talked about that kind of launch cadence in the past, but every time I hear it mentioned it blows my mind. I just hope I am around to see it actually happen! I would guess it is at least a decade away.

Last year marked the end of an era in spaceflight—here’s what we’re watching next Good overview of spaceflight history since 2010 and what we can look forward to over the next few years.

https://www.tesla.com/supercharger-voting/overview Tesla has opened a new poll for people to vote for where to add new Supercharger locations. We really need more in BC, particularly on Vancouver Island. I cast my votes for Campbell River, Port McNeil, Tofino, and then for up north 100 Mile...

Report from South China Morning Post: China’s rocket break-up sends space junk flying near Starlink orbit Wikipedia states that the Chinese station is in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km. I doubt this rocket breakup was deliberate. But it could cause serious problems in the future.

Eric Berger: The oracle who predicted SLS’s launch in 2023 has thoughts about Artemis III Back in 2017, when NASA was forecasting a 2019 launch date for Artemis 1, an “unbiased industry insider” predicted that the actual date would be “around 2023”. The critics piled on. Obviously, this...

Eric Berger reports: China ditches expendable rocket plan for its moon program China knows that expendables are not the future of rocketry. If only the US Congress could be convinced…

It was first reported in mid-2022 that SpaceX might make changes to SLC-40 so that it could launch Crew Dragon missions from that pad. Now it has been confirmed. NASA wants it done as a backup for LC-39A since SpaceX is building a Starship “Stage Zero” pad just about 300m away. But modifying...

Pretty cool. Have never seen that view before.

Bowlus has launched a new version called the Volterra with an integrated 17kWh battery pack to power the trailer and if needed, charge an EV. Their website show it being towed by a Model X and a Rivian truck, so it’s clear what the target market is for the Volterra. It includes the capability...

Reuters: Chinese spacecraft returns to Earth after inaugural flight So apparently this “spacecraft” is not a reusable rocket.

Just read this TechCrunch article about a new company in California called Lightship, founded by two ex-Tesla employees, that is developing an all-electric aerodynamic travel trailer with a large onboard battery which can power the trailer while in motion so the EV tow vehicle’s range is not...

A month or two ago I noticed that, when my 2017 X was not being driven, unless I was sitting in the drivers seat and had pressed the brake pedal the window controls did not work. In other words, if I walked up to the car with my fob on me, opened the door and tried to raise/lower a window the...

News report: virtually every spacecraft manifested on Falcon Heavy since the rocket’s first three launches has experienced major delays. There have been only 3 FH launches and the last one was in June 2019. So many delayed FH missions. The delays have nothing to do with SpaceX.

The Apple TV show “For All Mankind” has started its third season and now includes in its alternative fictional history of the US space program (triggered by the USSR landing on the Moon before the USA causing history to unfold somewhat differently) a company vaguely like SpaceX called “Helios”...

The Google Maps aerial view of SpaceX facilities at Boca Chica has been out of date for years but recently got an update. It’s odd how it appears to show roads going through the launch sites, and also how it shows Joanna St going right through the Starbase production area even though that is...

How to retrofit a condo with chargers for a world of electric cars That is a smart way to convince condo owners to agree. I am fortunate to live in a relatively new condo building that was built with a 220V/40A outlet in each garage. But only one per garage — not one per parking space — even...

Just like the thread title says, I have a set of unused Model X (2017) factory floor mats (black carpet). FREE. Pick up only. I am in West Vancouver, BC, Canada. They were rolled up and put in a box when I moved from California to Vancouver last year.

So many small sat launch companies… Most will fail. I am continually surprised by how many startups there are trying to enter the market. Now there is Reaction Dynamics in Canada. Has plans to build a launch site in Nova Scotia. Claims to have a new design for a “hybrid” rocket engine but their...

Canadian astronauts no longer free to rob and kill with abandon in space or on the moon In the Canadian newspaper the National Post. Yes, a clickbait headline but there is real content that interested me: Which led me to wonder if any other nation had a similar law. There is the 1998 ISS...

“ when Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.” Today SpaceX released a very cool compilation video celebrating two decades of achievement since the company was founded this month in 2002. In that video there is a brief moment showing a view of fairing separation that I do not recall...

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/02/the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-will-have-myriad-impacts-on-spaceflight/ Eric Berger’s take on how the Ukraine invasion could effect space programs in various countries. He includes Rogozin’s ignorant tweet but for some reason does not mention that the...

I have a Micanon PRO-TB garage door opener (a Canadian product) that operates the single door of my 3-car garage. I have not been able to program HomeLink in either my 3 or my X to communicate with the opener. I’ve tried both Standard and D-Mode, following the onscreen instructions in the car. I...

See Tesla Cybertruck news is ramping up, but take it with a grain of salt Quote: “Analyst Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research also came out with a new report on the Cybertruck. He claimed that Tesla will unveil the production version of the Cybertruck in March, and that it will include...

https://www.teslarati.com/porsche-whistleblower-taycan-battery-charger-fires-coverup/ Quote: “Six out of ten Porsche Taycan” ever delivered have a problem with battery management that affects and damages battery cells, requires replacement of cells and batteries, and is causing vehicle fires...

My first IRL sighting of a Plaid S in a parking lot in West Vancouver, BC. And it was silver. It was not a wrap, so I assume the owner had it re-painted since Tesla has not offered this silver color for several years now.

New video from Tesla https://electrek.co/2021/11/02/tesla-releases-look-into-growing-presence-canada-builds-machines-that-build-machine/ QUOTE: In 2019, Tesla acquired Ontario-based Hibar Systems, a manufacturing equipment company that makes machines used in battery cell production. Tesla...

So I had a route going in the nav and noticed that it showed what appeared to be the Tesla Service Center icon in North Vancouver. Looked like the same icon used on the Tesla website “Find Us” map page. But I was pretty sure that was not correct… Turned out that is the icon Tesla uses in the in...

Tesla has tweeted that the company will start selling their own CCS adaptor “soon” in North America

After updating my recently acquired Lectron CCS adaptor (also known as a SETEC CCS adaptor) to firmware V150 (a hassle to do, since I do not own a Windows computer and have to borrow one) I was able to successfully charge my Model X today for the first time at a BC Hydro charging station in...

I am considering buying the SETEC Tesla-to-CCS adaptor for use at BC Hydro charging stations. Here is information about that adaptor CCS Adapter | SETEC POWER and it has been extensively discussed in this thread Setec CCS to Tesla Adapter . Post #822 gives a good summary of that discussion...

Has anyone used the Comox Valley Visitors Center J1772 chargers on Vancouver Island? Address is 101-3607 Small Rd, Courtenay. Specifically I’m wondering about payment methods. PlugShare says they take ChargePoint cards or RFID/NFC payment cards. I assume that means they will accept my Apple Card...

I searched this forum and did not find a thread about front window tinting in BC. Last month I imported my X and 3 into BC. In California I had 70% tint applied to the front windows, both sides (that is legal there). When I had the required provincial inspection done on my cars prior to...

See That was posted 3 days ago. I looked around the various S forums and don’t see a thread about it. Did I miss it?