SpaceX: Turning science fiction into science reality

The loud rumble, the plume of smoke and the liftoff of SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket from Kennedy Space Center might look like a movie, but it is reality.

SpaceX makes plenty of news with its rocket launches. Living on the Space Coast, rocket launches are becoming more common. The Kennedy Space Center alone has several launches scheduled in April. Thanks to SpaceX, there is a boom in technology and space exploration. Can all those science fiction movies be coming closer to reality?

Recently, I had the opportunity to be part of the NASA Social Media team for the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. The launch sent the Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. Inside the Dragon were a variety of supplies and science experiments. From the launch itself to the business of space exploration, the line between fantasy and reality is becoming smaller and smaller.

Growing up, rocket launches and space shuttle flights were a huge deal. People would stop everything to see those few minutes of science genius. The idea of propelling an object, and sometimes a person, into space seemed almost unreal. Today, these moments are more common, which is both a good and bad thing.

Inside the VAB at Kennedy Space Center, photo by Cristine Struble

Seeing a rocket launch in person is memorizing. The anticipation of the launch builds throughout the day. On the grounds of Kennedy Space Center, countdown clocks quickly tick down the minutes to the ultimate show.

Rockets are huge and take a large space to assemble those parts. A glimpse inside the NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building looks like a scene from a movie. Actually, part of Transformers 3 was filmed inside this building. Just standing in that large, one story building is impressive. I dare you not to see similarities to Star Wars or other science fiction movies.

View inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center, photo by Cristine Struble

After that rocket is built, the mission itself has behind the scenes action happening for days, months and years. For example, one of the payloads on this SpaceX Falcon to the International Space Station is from 490 Biotech. This company is looking to see how microgravity affects its bioluminescent material for medical testing. The bioluminescent material could help determine the health of cells.

The possibility of visibly seeing issues in a body and being able to find a way to make the issue better sounds just like a science fiction movie. Who hasn’t seen some movie character be scanned to see a bug and cure it? Is that movie scene coming closer to reality?

But all those innovative scientific experiments can’t happen without the rocket launching into space. While television shots show up close images, the reality is a little different. Being too close to a launch is deadly. No one is standing at the base of a rocket when it launches.

Still, watching the launch at a safe distance isn’t without its concerns. While potential problems are unlikely, a rocket could go oops. I was told to get on the bus; I was to leave immediately. These real world problems aren’t the topics for movies.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch, April 2, 2018, photo by Cristine Struble

From my vantage point, the visuals were stunning. The plumes of smoke as the fuel ignites is brighter than any firework. Far more impressive is the sound. The boom is felt in your stomach. Rock concerts have nothing on this noise.

While the launch only takes a few minutes, no one can take their eyes off the rocket. As it disappears into the sky, I kept looking in awe. It was hard to imagine that just a few hours before it was sitting on Launch Pad 40 where I could read the writing on the rocket and see the dirt on it from a previous launch. Now, the Dragon from the SpaceX launch is preparing to dock with the International Space Station.

Vehicle Assembly Building, Kennedy Space Center, photo by Cristine Struble

As more companies prepare for space launches, will these events become so common that they lose the intrigue associated with space travel? Actually, the additional launches should only spur more interest in space technology, science fields and space exploration. Anyone who has watched Star Wars or Star Trek and dreamed of their moment in space may have the opportunity at some point. Hopefully more people will become interested in the field and spur more developments.

During my time in at Kennedy Space Center, Acting Administrator Robert M. Lightfood, Jr. stopped in to talk to our group. He was asked if all those science fiction movies, like The Martian or Gravity, were just too far from reality. While he agreed that some movies are more fiction than fact, there is some reality in those fictional worlds. For example, astronauts grow food in space like in The Martian. That colony on Mars might not happen tomorrow, but it’s not complete fiction.

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Is SpaceX turning science fiction into science reality? In a way it is, and that is a good thing. Dreaming bigger and turning those dreams into reality is part of today’s technology. Who knows what the next rocket launch will bring?