Super cool photos. Can really judge the scale of the thing now at the base with that guy standing there. And the aero-fins close up. Wish I could see it that close.
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Thanks! Here’s the last one I have of the base which shows the people/scale a bit better.
In that picture you can see the same guy and how far away be is but still how it looks. There’s another guy under the engines behind the rocket in green too.
Driving up and seeing it from the other side of Hawthorne airport was awesome. I know how tall it is in numbers but that just doesn’t compare to seeing it in person. When we got up next to it it was really incredible to realize that the massive object in front of me went to space and came back and landed.
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SpaceX Lands Historic Recovered Falcon 9 Rocket Stage on Display (not as close or detailed as Skyentist’s photos)
and…
SpaceX’s Elon Musk Set to Unveil Master Plan for Mars in September
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NASA Test-Fires Engine for Most Powerful Rocket Ever
NASA engineers blasted an RS-25 rocket engine for 7 minutes yesterday (Aug. 18) at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi as part of a development test for hardware that will make up the most powerful rocket ever.
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Asteroid Sampler Sneak Peek: Space.com Visits OSIRIS-REx Probe’s Clean Room
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was encapsulated in its payload fairing on Aug. 24, 2016.
Credit: Amy Thompson/Space.com
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On the Road Again: SpaceX Reuses Shuttle Transporter for Falcon Stages
NASA’s former Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) is seen moving a recovered SpaceX Falcon 9 stage from Port Canaveral to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on Aug. 24, 2016.
Credit: Bob Richards/Moon Express
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Its no longer “used” or “preowned”, it is “flight proven” and will fly soonish:
http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2016/22407810?platform=hootsuite
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Well, this just in, a SpaceX rocket blew up on the launchpad a few minutes ago, details are still coming in…
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I really hope we can come up with much safer ways of reaching space. Most likely not in our lifetimes though.
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Well that sucks. 
Did they lose the payload? or does that get added just before launch?
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It blew up just before the engine pre launch fire test. Not sure how much fuel was onboard, maybe just enough for the engine test. Some damage I assume to the pad and tower looking at the BBC news video and the photos
So not the actual satellite itself? That’s what I meant by payload.
I don’t know sorry. One would assume an engine test would be carried out prior to adding the top payload.
Update: updated to include details SpaceX’s official statement on the explosion, which cited a pad anomaly not the Falcon 9 rocket itself, and more details on the booster. Although the explosion appears 2/3 the way up the rocket main body.
Launch Pad Explosion Destroys SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, Satellite in Florida - space.com
Black plumes of smoke billow over SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launch site at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 . This image was captured by a NASA Kennedy Space Center webcam.
Credit: NASA Kennedy Space Center
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Awe shucks. Here we go again. And we had so many cool things coming up: Mars announcement, Falcon Heavy demonstration flight, commercial crew… 
Luckily no one was injured though, that is always nice to know.
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Yeah this sucked to wake up to for a lot of reasons. There’s a really cool video with a close-up of the explosion around but I’m on mobile and don’t have a link.
Here’s a rundown of what happened.
At T-3 mins to fire there was an anomaly of what appeared to be in the second stage and you can see the aftermath. The 200 mil payload was also destroyed. That company is f’ed for various reasons right now. They were in negotiations to be bought out, but the condition was on a successful launch, and there appears to be discrepancies on which insurance was active during a static fire. Furthermore, the payload being integrated is up to the customer, at the risk of loss of payload.
The rumors are that this was a ground support issue which means it’s a pad problem that caused it not the rocket itself. Regardless, the pad is fucked. It will take months of repairs to get slc-39 back up. On the brightside they still have Vandenberg, and slc-40 which was due to be activated soon for the launch of FH anyways. However, all this is contingent on the finding that was indeed a GSE issue and not a rocket issue.
This also blows because of the Mars architecture announcement at the end of the month. The media is probablu going to crap all over it and give it less credit than what little they might have gotten. “How can they get to Mars when they can’t get off the pad” etc.
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That’s the one!
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hmm…damn.
That kinda sucks. I hope they will get back on their feet.
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Another group of scientist and satellite builders have to build it all again. It must be a gutting moment, but hopefully they have enough parts for 2-3 attempts. Or provision for this at the very least.
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