Discussion of Viewing SpaceX Webcasts becoming routine in the future

[adiggs]

With this launch, I had this thought go through my head for the first time...

How many more of these completely routine and boring launches do we need before SpaceX stops doing a webcast for every single one?


I figure at least another year, and maybe another 5 years. But at some point, there's enough mass being shifted into orbit that individual launches just aren't interesting anymore. What a cool day that'll be

 

[mongo]

With this launch, I had this thought go through my head for the first time...

How many more of these completely routine and boring launches do we need before SpaceX stops doing a webcast for every single one?


I figure at least another year, and maybe another 5 years. But at some point, there's enough mass being shifted into orbit that individual launches just aren't interesting anymore. What a cool day that'll be

Never, there will always be more future astronauts/ Mars colonists/ intergalactic explorers:
Ten Thousand

 

[bxr140]

H...at some point, there's enough mass being shifted into orbit that individual launches just aren't interesting anymore.

I'm sure its out there, but I think its way out there. SpaceX has done a real good job at building a core fanbase (which perhaps counterintuitively, doesn't actually overlap significantly with the space industry) and I think those folks really dig the whole show of it. I don't think the fanbase is interested in throttling back anytime soon, and I don't think SpaceX is interested in losing that fanbase anytime soon.

Perhaps a bit more agenda driven, its also good PR to stay at the top of the news feeds, both for various ongoing developments across the space industry (government contracts especially) but also so the hype can keep folks interested in walking through the pretty wide revolving door.

 

[adiggs]

Never, there will always be more future astronauts/ Mars colonists/ intergalactic explorers:
Ten Thousand

I figure 'never' means that the sci-fi I like to read will also never arrive.

I'm not saying we'll stop caring about exploring, building colonies on Moon / Mars, humans exploring further out in the solar system, etc.. - these are examples of what we do with mass that arrives in orbit.

My point is that today, we watch each delivery to space, and we're in awe. How many times do we fire up a webcast and watch live as a package is picked up by FedEx, shipped across the country, and delivered to our door? (never)

It's two examples of transportation - one exciting (today), and one not. When will this transportation thing to space stop being so interesting?

 

[mongo]

I figure 'never' means that the sci-fi I like to read will also never arrive.

I'm not saying we'll stop caring about exploring, building colonies on Moon / Mars, humans exploring further out in the solar system, etc.. - these are examples of what we do with mass that arrives in orbit.

My point is that today, we watch each delivery to space, and we're in awe. How many times do we fire up a webcast and watch live as a package is picked up by FedEx, shipped across the country, and delivered to our door? (never)

It's two examples of transportation - one exciting (today), and one not. When will this transportation thing to space stop being so interesting?

We, as in you and I, may become less enthralled, but we, as a species, will keep creatingnew instances for whom it is new and exciting.

(Did anyone ever watch a FedEx stream beyond Castaway?)

 

[Pricee2]

I may stop watching SpaceX launches when a plethora of other launchers are landing and reusing boosters. I am not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

 

[ecarfan]

When will this transportation thing to space stop being so interesting?

Not in my lifetime, because very soon Starship is going to start flying and that is going to take things to a whole new level!

 

[dhanson865]

I figure 'never' means that the sci-fi I like to read will also never arrive.

I'm not saying we'll stop caring about exploring, building colonies on Moon / Mars, humans exploring further out in the solar system, etc.. - these are examples of what we do with mass that arrives in orbit.

My point is that today, we watch each delivery to space, and we're in awe. How many times do we fire up a webcast and watch live as a package is picked up by FedEx, shipped across the country, and delivered to our door? (never)

It's two examples of transportation - one exciting (today), and one not. When will this transportation thing to space stop being so interesting?

When will we run out of IPv6 addresses? Why can't someone, anyone, watch anything they want? It's not like spacex streaming a boring launch stops you from watching an exciting launch somewhere else. You just pick a different stream to watch.

At some point there will be multiple launches per day, so maybe by then they have a launch only channel.

At some point there will be multiple ships in transit between planets and maybe each ship will have it's own live stream.

 

[adiggs]

When will we run out of IPv6 addresses? Why can't someone, anyone, watch anything they want? It's not like spacex streaming a boring launch stops you from watching an exciting launch somewhere else. You just pick a different stream to watch.

At some point there will be multiple launches per day, so maybe by then they have a launch only channel.

At some point there will be multiple ships in transit between planets and maybe each ship will have it's own live stream.

Of course they can stream whatever they want. My observation thought is .. when will the transfer of mass into orbit become sufficiently repetitive that ~nobody wants to watch the stream anymore.

FedEx could stream a package leaving a local distribution center, being loaded onto a truck, driving around for awhile, and finally being offloaded at my doorstep. But .. uhm ... boring.


Then 'interesting' moves to what we're doing with that mass in orbit (and beyond). Where 'interesting' is defined by what people actually watch and invest significant energy into learning about. Sort of like the mass of people in this forum have been busy learning about launch services. It's of no value to my economic life, but it feeds my soul

 

[dkemme]

Of course they can stream whatever they want. My observation thought is .. when will the transfer of mass into orbit become sufficiently repetitive that ~nobody wants to watch the stream anymore.

FedEx could stream a package leaving a local distribution center, being loaded onto a truck, driving around for awhile, and finally being offloaded at my doorstep. But .. uhm ... boring.


Then 'interesting' moves to what we're doing with that mass in orbit (and beyond). Where 'interesting' is defined by what people actually watch and invest significant energy into learning about. Sort of like the mass of people in this forum have been busy learning about launch services. It's of no value to my economic life, but it feeds my soul

As long as Norwegians watch firewood burn, I will watch SpaceX launch.

 

[dhanson865]

Of course they can stream whatever they want. My observation thought is .. when will the transfer of mass into orbit become sufficiently repetitive that ~nobody wants to watch the stream anymore.

FedEx could stream a package leaving a local distribution center, being loaded onto a truck, driving around for awhile, and finally being offloaded at my doorstep. But .. uhm ... boring.


Then 'interesting' moves to what we're doing with that mass in orbit (and beyond). Where 'interesting' is defined by what people actually watch and invest significant energy into learning about. Sort of like the mass of people in this forum have been busy learning about launch services. It's of no value to my economic life, but it feeds my soul

You don't seem to understand the human population of this solar system well then. We are past the point of the world being small enough that no one will watch a show. There is always someone somewhere that is willing to watch it. That's why I mentioned IPv6 addresses. So long as you can have a stream for every person in the solar system there will be someone watching it.

If you think a fedex package is boring just go look at a live webcam that just points at a single spot on a beach or the side of a building. There are thousands like that being watched all the time.

 

[adiggs]

As long as Norwegians watch firewood burn, I will watch SpaceX launch.

My wife and I have a 1h video of a fire crackling and burning in a fireplace. We fire that up every Christmas or anytime we'd like the fire burning ambience and not the heat. So a video of wood burning - I totally get that