Starship Asterisk*

Falcon 9 Launches to Orbit

Explanation: A new rocket, the Falcon 9, was launched successfully from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, last week. The Falcon 9, standing about as high as a 15-floor building, was developed by the commercial SpaceX corporation as a step toward a relatively inexpensive space launch system. Falcon 9's success follows successful launches of the Falcon 1 last year. Pictured above, a movie of the Falcon 9's launch includes an insect, the launch as viewed from far away, and images from the side of the vehicle which include the separation of the lower stage. When topped with SpaceX's Dragon Cargo or Crew capsule, the Falcon 9 may be used to lift satellites and astronauts to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station in the coming decade.

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Apparently insect identification is rocket science. It was an arachnid.

The thumbnail picture referring to today's APOD is a picture of Alcyone, the brightest star of the Pleiades. The star can be identified by the triangle of fainter stars to one side of it. And because I love the Pleiades, I thought that this was a very nice birthday present for me, since it is my birthday today!

Of course, the real APOD for today is a picture that doesn't interest me. Well, I'll take any thumbnail image I can get!

Ann

Well........Its nice to see that the private sector is not much different from the public sector. They both have a hard time working out the 'bugs'.

Hey....i just got promoted to Science Officer!! Does that mean i get double the pay of an Ensign?? And a key to the wash room??

Hooray! Now the USA can send rich tourists to the ISS.

You got promoted to Science Officer, Beyond? I'm envious! I want to be Mr Spock, too!

Ann

Ann wrote: I thought that this was a very nice birthday present for me, since it is my birthday today!



Ann

Well happy birthday Ann!

tneuschatz wrote:Apparently insect identification is rocket science. It was an arachnid.

I thought it was a fly; but I'll take your word for it.

tneuschatz wrote:Apparently insect identification is rocket science. It was an arachnid.

An arachnid with wings? Hmmm, I'm not a rocket scientist, but ...

bystander wrote:

tneuschatz wrote:Apparently insect identification is rocket science. It was an arachnid.

An arachnid with wings? Hmmm, I'm not a rocket scientist, but ...

Looks to be a member of hymenoptera, to me.

edit: and actually, probably at least one other smaller insect flying around too. They like the camera.

No Spider - No fly - just what it is i can't espie. ((Hey...it rhymes))

Ann -- funny you said you were envious - remember, Mr. Spock was supposed to look a bit greenish because of his blood. Perhaps you should take a little closer look in the mirror to see if you really have started to get some green points to your ears. That would be one heck-of-a birthday gift

The bug in question is a wasp.

The insect is a wasp, paper or dirt dobber. I have been stung by many.

Aka the aforementioned "member of hymenoptera"

It appears to be a wasp....definitely has wings..I paused the video and did a screen capture.....shows very clearly

http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php
The Dragon must be similar to the Apollo capsule in that it is reentered into the atmosphere using a heat shield and parachutes and splashdowns. Sounds like the maneuvering ability is improved though.

it's a wasp, probably a yellowjacket. observe the downward curl in the tips of the antennae. the head and thoracic segment are greatly enlarged in comparison to the abdomen due to extreme foreshortening. but it's a wasp.

Spiders From Mars ?

I agree. It's a hymenoptera.
And Happy birthday Ann...
D.

Very waspy looking to me so if it looks like a wasp, flies like a wasp... must be a wasp.

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA -- An historic event and what gets all the attention? A BUG!! an armed bug, but a bug never-the-less.

Ever notice that most of the BIG long hard to understand words come from the ones who have over 500 posts and have been offically declared insane by the site? ((read the rules if you don't know that))

Ann, you have to wait until you have 100 posts to get the green pointy ears, so if you're a fast comentator, you can still post enough to make it for your birthday. HURRY-HURRY-HURRY

A wasp...

it was a wasp, like a black one...

SpaceX Falcon 9 Successfully Launches, Reaches Orbit
http://asterisk.apod.com/vie ... 31&t=19676