Texas Starship Testing

I have the video that needs to be edited but this is what paid for the trip:

Yes there are many technically superior videos and photos to see but this is mine.

Lessons learned, if I decide to witness another, perhaps closer, but I am not sure it adds to my life’s experience. The breakfast taco, shrimp omelet, and lettuce wraped fish and shrimp ‘taco’ were a treat I will repeat at home.

Later,
Bob Wilson

 

Yet froggy Musk has a scorpion on his back in the flood of time. It isn’t if he’ll get stung but when.

Bob Wilson

 

I fully support Musk’s technical achievements. But like Ford and Limburg, they had poor judgements in non-technical areas … like me and girls. Happily Holly caught me and we shared 43 years.

Bob Wilson

 

For a sense of perspective, I've scaled railroad tank cars adjacent to the Starship:


Yes, the rocket diameter is more than twice the diameter of a rail car. Next time you're stopped at a railroad crossing, count six cars and know, "There goes 1/3d of a starship."

Having witnessed Starship #4 and #6, lessons learned:

• Port Isabel - best viewing spot. Although somewhat tricky to find a clear view on the south beaches, it is closer and easier to watch a launch and recovery.
• Affordable restaurants and coffee shops - no need for a kitchenette. There are affordable motels that have not started to jack up rates for launch watchers. (NOTE: I use SouthWind, an older property, pet fee, with kitchenette. Tell 'em "Bob the fat guy recommended you.")
• Duration - arrive the day before or a rest and sleep over, add two days for weather delay, and one sleep over before leaving after traffic has left.
• Free L2 Tesla chargers and close enough SuperChargers - an easy trip for EVs.
• Avoid South Padre Island unless you have a room near the beach - traffic is jammed up 2 hours before and 5 hours after a launch. Don't join the rolling parking lot.
• Raw beach north end of South Padre Island - get back to real, raw beaches. Parking was running $12 per day but well worth it. There was a $70 heliocopter ride shop.
• Ear plugs and tripod - unless you like to be under a fireworks display, ear plugs makes it more fun as your body will feel the sound. Also, use a tripod as you don't want to 'hand hold' the camera/phone. Just enjoy the experience and snatch "professional" videos later.

I probably won't be going back until at least two, Starship upper stage landings. Although I saw the first stage, ocean crash, the sonic boom took ~60 seconds or about 12.5 miles to arrive.

Bob Wilson

 

I have other names in mind. Musk has engineering skills so I would call it:

The Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B was a starship designed to relocate the (largely redundant) useless part of the population from the planet Golgafrincham. The ship was led by the Captain, with Number One and Number Two next in charge.​

I would expect at least a moon, gravity assist either to get to Mars or slow down on the return. Early return missions would probably have a smaller re-entry vehicle and the upper stage would be lost. Perhaps a skip initial entry followed by a moon deceleration loop before a final re-entry.

Bob Wilson