Did you see that? This video was bought to you by Squarespace. My name is Felix! Welcome to What about it! SpaceX needs these weird plates like crazy. Falcon 9 scored some epic achievements again! There are loads of new insights about Artemis I, and
a simple human error destroyed a lunar lander! There’s a ton of interesting new info, so
stay tuned, and let’s dive right in! Starship Updates Another week, another Starship Update! I’m glad you’re back with me to discover some
fresh space news and surprising insights! Do you know what I always say? Starbase never sleeps! Some of the top talents from
around the world are tirelessly working to hopefully
one day send the first Starship to Mars. That would be a truly history-changing
achievement. For now, reaching orbit will do, and with every
day, we’re getting closer and closer to it. Alright! Follow me! We’ve got some answers to find
about all the crazy stuff happening in Boca Chica,
Texas, and the rest of the space industry! Would this be a WAI episode if
I didn’t mention Stage Zero? Now you say heck no, and then we continue. Perfect, thank you. It’s one of the most complicated
parts of Starbase, perhaps even
more complex than the Starship itself, a huge trouble maker and that’s what makes it
so interesting– The Orbital Launch Mount! The OLM plays a crucial role in most
Starship testing procedures. Can you name some of its functions? Exactly, it provides both power and propellant
to the Booster and the ship, and it acts as a secure anchor to hold the rocket
in place during critical moments like
static fires or seconds before the liftoff. Currently, the launch pad is causing
SpaceX to grow some grey hair. It’s the main bottleneck, stopping them
from launching another Starship. But, that’s what we all want to see! Do you remember what Elon Musk said? If they had known what would happen during the inaugural
launch, they wouldn’t have pushed the button. But as fate would have it, they did launch, and now brilliant SpaceX engineers face
the task of finding a solution for
the insane crater they created. They literally blew it. In the previous couple of episodes, we dove
deep into piles… That sounds wrong. Still, very important! They’re supposed to
improve the sturdiness of the OLM’s base. Anti-crater hardware, so to say. A few days ago, the addition of the large thick piles was
concluded as the machine used for it was towed away. So, are we done? Nope. Take a look at this. It’s a flight auger rig. And do you know what it does? It employs a long auger to
excavate the soil without the need to shake it off. Shake it off. Couldn’t resist. Do you remember my lecture about sheet
piling from the previous episode? Good job! You’re paying attention“ This story isn’t over. Workers have been installing
more of them to construct a watertight wall. This wall will aid in the excavation work, and there's a high possibility that the recently spotted
rebar will be used in the construction of… Say it with me! The pile cap! Again, super important! It’ll be used as a
base for the water-cooled steel plate. While we haven’t seen any of the steel
plates being transported from the Sanchez
site to the launch pads just yet, there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Some piping related to the plate
has been painted white. So, what’s that for? Right,
insulation and protection. That’s the final step before
it’s ready for the pads. Here comes the fascinating part! Mauricio, from RGV Aerial Photography, has
spotted some new whatchamacallits. That’s slang, for we’re working on it. Take a look. Here’s something to think about! The Space Engineer, a top Starship whatchamacallit
researcher, proposed that these pieces could
be used for shielding the steel plate itself. It does look like it fits. So, double shielded! Now, can you move your eyes just
a tiny bit to the right? Perfect! That’s the water system that will store
all the liquid necessary for the steel plate. Chief captured another delivery
of white high-pressure tanks. They’ll join the already existing stack. Looks like this whole thing will require
gigantic amounts of pressure! As you can see, the new deluge system
is coming together at insane speeds. Elon Musk predicted that it could
be completed by the end of June. The current progress certainly
aligns with that timeline. Let’s head down the road to the suborbital pads. This is the legendary place where the two important
prototypes – SN8 and SN15 – achieved
massive milestones in 2020 and 2021, directly resulting in the next generations of
ships, including our new love, Ship 25. Now, SpaceX made the official announcement
that S25 and Booster 9 will form the next dream
team for the second Starship flight. Since then, the stunning team at Starbase has been
working like they were some crazy workaholics. And they did it! They’re basically
ready for the next static fire. Did you know that although the ship is structurally
sound and designed to withstand
its weight without being pressurized, it still needs a crane as support? This allows engineers to perform
tasks inside the Ship safely. And to be able to breathe inside a metal
can that’s sitting in the Texan sun, the
white tube serves as an air supply. Nice and comfy…Or at least… not deadly. No road closures or temporary flight
restrictions have been announced. So, you and me… we’re waiting. But Hey! At Starbase, everything can
change in the blink of an eye! Let’s take a walk. Did you know that the launch
site is mostly powered by diesel generators? Expensive, stinks, and bad for the environment. Now, there’s a reason we were taking a walk
along Highway 4. See these excavators? They’ve been digging a trench all the
way from the build site to the pads! Do you have any idea why? Here’s the answer! SpaceX has finally decided to lay a three-phase
electrical cable to connect both sites. Dude. That took them long! Once completed, the cable will provide power
to the launch site without the stink! Well done! That is, unless a piece of concrete slams
into the ground, obliterating the cable,
but that’s for a future Episode. Stay tuned! Since we were already going that way anyway,
why not swing by the build site, right? It’s right around the corner! Everyone, follow me! And we’re there. How convenient. Booster 10 was moved to the rocket
garden, aka Starship parking lot. Next up? Ship work! Ship 28 got its aft flaps! That’s a huge deal, securing SpaceX’s supply
of fresh Starships to blow up! Fantastic hobby! There’s more! Ship 29 aft section is patiently
waiting for a rollout, still tucked
away in one of the production tents. Any day now! Two more ships in the pipeline! Perfect! At night, you can sometimes hear those
Starships rattling from excitement. Naw, pssh… that’s no fear!
They’re happy Starships! And then there’s Mega Bay. It’s become quite spacious
here since Booster 10 decided to take a walk. And Booster 11 is taking its sweet time. While there might be cricket sounds inside the Mega Bay,
the real excitement can be found outside the bays! Chief captured a rare sight! A Super
Heavy header tank in the wild! This small tank stores oxidizer. That’s Liquid oxygen, allowing the Raptors
to fire even when coming back down
from Space, at least at some point. Did you know that header tanks
really love transfer tubes? Homework assignment! Go tell that to your
neighbor and take a pic of his reaction. Then tweet it and tag me! Jokes aside, we don’t know which prototype
will use this header tank, but you’ll
be the first to know if you subscribe. Just saying… Here’s another good one! What
are we looking at now? That 4-ring barrel is the first
section of Booster 12. They’re already working on it, even though Boosters
9, 10, and 11 aren’t even finished yet. Four boosters. That’s 132 Raptors. Let that sink in. Talking about hardware-rich development! These people are making so many Boosters
that they’ll need to get another
Mega Bay at some point… Oh, wait! Look at that shiny second Mega Bay growing! That’s progress right there! And it’s getting
even better at the Sanchez site! Most of the cladding is installed, and
many of those large support columns
have already been painted as well. There goes the sweet nickname. Yep. Out the Window. No more white bay. And now for the Elephant in the room. Starfactory. Did you know that Elephants
are grey, not white? Alright, who put that one in the script? Remember how I dramatically reenacted on the last
episode that I’d be worried if I were a Low Bay? Buckle up because things escalated quickly! These guys have no mercy at all. In a matter of five minutes, the sliced-in-half
building fell down like a dead beaver. That was Starbase history right there. One of the first buildings ever
to be constructed at Starbase. Always changing. Never sleeping. Now all that’s left is a bunch of scrap metal
that, of course, has to be dealt with. The ground fabrication building, on the other
hand, seems to be having some luck! Instead of being completely demolished no mercy style,
it’s being taken apart bit by bit and panel by panel. What all this shows is that there’s
no waiting around for SpaceX. Starfactory has to expand fast! What do you think? How long will it take until we see
the first section of the Starfactory expansion? 2 months? Two weeks? Five Minutes? No jokes. That’s how it is now. And if you’re crazy in love with Starman
here, buy him some flowers! Best way to do that is to become
a channel member or a Patron! Links are in the description! I mean,
look at that cute little guy! Thank you so much for your support
from the entire team! You Rock! Alright, remember the beginning of the episode? How I said that something truly
remarkable was ahead? Well, hold on to your seat because your best buddy Falcon
9 has just shattered some mind-boggling records! Now, I bet you’re dying to know what
those records are, aren’t you? Good. Get in the mood! It all
started with Axiom-2. May 21st. Four brave Astronauts are embarking
on a fantastic trip to Space. These tough explorers went all the way to the ISS. They had a perfect 8-day stay there with
everything that comes with it. During their voyage, the gang went above and
beyond to spread the importance of STEAM,
No, not the Steam you play games with. It’s an acronym. It stands for science, technology,
engineering, arts, and mathematics. Those are the best subjects to start with
if you want to get a more profound understanding
of the world around you. So, STEAM is absolutely essential for problem-solving,
and by watching What about It, there’s a strong
chance you’re very much interested in it. Remember, they hold the key to innovation, progress, and
basically a universe of limitless possibilities! And our crew from Axiom 2 set an example. They hosted numerous live streams, answering countless
questions from students across the entire world! They inspired! They also did more than 20 experiments! Allow me to share my favorite:
The JAMSS Odor Visualization. Yep. Odor Visualization. This little gizmo captured the
smells present on the ISS. And when it returns back to us, scientists
will analyze this data to identify a
similar source of odors on our planet. No beans for the Astronauts, please,
while the experiment was going on! Joke aside. This experiment is vital
for future space stations. Some astronauts described the smell
on the ISS as almost not bearable. There goes Space Nostalgia. Better close the door quickly! Once the hatch was sealed and some air freshener
was sprayed inside Crew Dragon Freedom, they
quickly departed from the station on May 30th. If that date rings a bell, welcome to the club. You’re ready to be a Space Nerd team leader! If not, don’t worry. You got me for that. Three years ago, on that day, a pioneering
mission was launched from Cape Canaveral. The legendary Demo-2! It marked the first human launch from American
soil since the final Shuttle mission
in 2011, and it was a huge deal! Do you know how many people have booked
SpaceX’s service since then? Let’s play a game. Pause the video, and give
me your best guess in the comments. No cheating. Ready? Anyone with 38? Welcome to the team leader rank! Here comes the next insane number
recently achieved by SpaceX. May 30th again. See the theme? Another Starlink mission takes
off from Vandenberg’s SLC-4E. 51 Starlinks and two crazy records. Now, what are those, dear Felix? You want to know it all, right?! Number 1: 200th consecutive
successful Falcon mission. Boom! The last time a Falcon experienced a failure was
in 2016 when an anomaly during a propellant tanking
test blew up the Amos 6 satellite and the entire pad with it. 85 million dollars of damage
only for the Satellite and the launch costs. SpaceX has definitely learned from its mistakes. Seven years without a problem for Falcon 9. Here’s crazy record number 2! Wait, give me a second! First we have to hear from our sponsor! Fellow space adventurers get ready to launch into
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your first purchase of a website or domain! All right, now that that's done,
here is crazy record #2. If we take the Falcon Heavy launch that occurred
at the beginning of May into account, then
SpaceX broke the record database itself. They launched a total of nine Falcon
missions within a single month! Are they even for real? Two crazy milestones
were achieved with a single launch! A decade ago, no one could have dreamed
of such a high cadence of flights. Well.. with the exception of that
crazy guy who made it happen. What was his name again? Who knows what the next decade or two will bring? Perhaps a similar flight frequency, but this
time with crewed flights to the Moon? Count me in! Speaking of Moon shots, NASA still keeps surprising
us with new Artemis I footage! This time the Orion capsule
itself got the spotlight. The one vehicle currently in existence capable
of making the trip to the Moon and back
with smiling Astronauts upon their return. They shared some spectacular shots of
the Launch Escape Tower separation. Once in space, it’s no longer needed,
so it’s ditched to safe weight. Best side effect? That’s the first moment
for the Astronauts to enjoy the view through
Orion’s windows after the launch. Before that, they’re not seeing anything
of what’s going on outside! They also shared the solar panel
viewpoint as they unfolded. GoPro makes it possible! The recording
might appear a bit wobbly, but that’s because each panel is an impressive 7 meters
or 23 feet long and is… surprisingly flexible! Of course, no Moon rocket would be complete without an
epic stage separation, and oh boy, did SLS deliver! A feast for the eyes! How about some BBQ? Reentry footage! That’s 5000 Fahrenheit or more than 2700 degrees Celsius
working its way through Orion's ablative heat shield! While you and I are eagerly waiting for another
lunar mission, Japan's Hakuto-R Moon lander shows
once again how hard all this actually is. You won’t believe what caused the recent crash! December 2022. Hakuto-R embarks
on a difficult journey, covering approximately 1 400 000 kilometers or
870 000 miles to become the first private spacecraft
to touch down on the moon’s surface. At least that’s the plan. Five months fast forward. The white rabbit
successfully reaches its destination. The Moon. Up to this point, everything
is going perfectly. However, that’s about to change. During the descent, the signal from
the lander is suddenly lost. Despite best efforts to reestablish communication,
Hakuto-R stays silent. Several days later, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,
a NASA satellite designed to photograph the
moon’s surface, captures images of the remains. Hakuto-R is no more. This heartbreaking evidence confirms that
the lander has crashed into the Moon. All is lost. Initial investigations reveal that the
probe ran out of fuel, but the true cause
behind it is yet to be revealed. Until now. Brace for impact. During the development process, the software
controlling the descent module underwent
simulations for potential landing sites. Based on these simulations, it appeared that
the software was functioning correctly, giving the engineers a green light
to proceed with the real action. Now, here it comes. At some point, the
landing site was changed to an area on
the Moon known as the Atlas Crater. To orient itself in space, the spacecraft
relies on countless sensors, including
radar, cameras, and altimeters. As the lander flew past the rim of the Atlas
crater, the altimeter registered
a significant dip in ground elevation. When the onboard computer received this data and compared
it with the simulations, it became terribly confused. It concluded that the altimeter
must have been faulty. So, it ignored it. Turns out that none of the engineers had actually
changed the landing site in the code. The lander had no clue and was extremely
unprepared for a crater. Without altitude readings, Hakuto-R now
had to rely on estimates to determine
its height above the lunar surface. Rule of thumb plus Moon landing equals bad idea. Haktuto-R technically landed perfectly… Just
5 kilometers or 3 miles above the ground. Kind of like the sudden feeling of missing
that last step on the stairs. While the loss of a multimillion-dollar lander
due to a software bug is definitely hard to
swallow, most of its tasks were completed. The design certainly worked! So there’s minimal impact
on future missions scheduled for 2024 and 2025. I-space – we cross our fingers for you! That’s it for today! Remember
to like and subscribe! Check out this epic new shirt in your favorite
space nerd store on the net! Link is in the description, or click one
of those funny-looking guys wearing
our designs right under the video! 4 20 all the way! Epic stuff! And if you want to
get even smarter about space and rockets, watch
this video next to continue your journey! Thank you very much for watching, and I’ll
see you again in the next episode!
