Super Heavy Rockets... and an Aircraft Carrier? | SpaceX Boca Chica

[@NASASpaceflight]

Didn't do a premier on this one yall... Lot's of great footage of the carrier up front, but don't worry, there's plenty of Starbase content and commentary in the latter 2/3 of the video. If anybody makes a size comparison graphic showing Starship vs the Aircraft carrier, tag Das on X ( @kspaceacademy ) heh Thanks for watching! - Das

[@merlitajosol4505]

Spacex new military base

[@lmbevard55]

Use it to catch the Starship!

[@VicariousAdventurer]

Brilliant

[@ChrisAlblas-u6y]

Yeah I said that too

[@SpikesTrailerPark]

Came here to say that!

[@SuperS05]

It would make good a great drone ship

[@toddincabo]

With the cadence Space X is planning they could use it catch a few before returning to port.

[@Forcemaster2000]

Thanks for that "drive through", it really put the area into perspective for those of us that have never been there, much more spread out than I thought!

[@ShieldWolf-yp3cr]

That was my thoughts as well

[@NASASpaceflight]

Well see if we can get one where we show the whole drive. - Das

[@larrydonovan1293]

Brontosaurus ribs and an aircraft carrier? My day is complete!

[@NASASpaceflight]

We aim to please 😅 - Das

[@TheDanfire212]

Toured that aircraft carrier way back in the late 80's on a high school band trip to Virginia beach.. its an absolutely massive ship.. sad to see it being scrapped would have made a cool museum.

[@kentslocum]

This is a channel for fantastic footage of hard-working American ships--whether they ply the seas or the sky! 😊

[@NASASpaceflight]

I like it 👍 - Das

[@kincaid05]

John, I freakin love your commentary. Thank you

[@NASASpaceflight]

Appreciate that. 👍 - J

[@CrayonLeadership]

As you said "disassemble", all I could hear was the ship saying "Noooo! No, disassemble, Johnny Five!"

[@HarryNicNicholas]

i used to have a neighbour called stephanie, it was so difficult to hold that in, cos i'm sure it would have been misinterpreted "input, stephanie, input!"

[@Privátgəlǽrtər]

2:37 This *does* remind of a Star Wars destroyer passing by

[@Alien_Bones]

*The Imperial March* plays in the background...

[@VictoryAviation]

Especially with all the weathering on it. Bless her

[@mattfromwiisports4910]

1:36. Starship is about 400 feet tall , and CVN 67 is about 1050 feet long. So yeah. You could get two starships end to end on her.

[@NASASpaceflight]

Good grief. Thats... more than I thought.- Das

[@mikegardner107]

The deck is 252 feet wide so horizontally you could get perhaps 40-50 stacked starships. If they were placed vertically, even boosters and ships stacked separately, many more could fit. An easy trip along the American Gulf coast and around Florida would transport several ships to Cape Canaveral.

[@phillyskyguy9535]

And seemingly the ones going to Mars will fit too! Over 500 feet tall they've said

[@kborak]

Sailed on her back when I was in. Wish I could do it one last time.

[@NASASpaceflight]

Thank you for your service. - Das

[@RodneyRotten]

Thanks for the mil coverage!

[@jonr3671]

o7 - USS John F Kennedy. R.I.P. - Great Video as always!

[@christopherpetersen342]

Got to see the JFK when she was docked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard a few years ago. At that point, there was still hope she might become a museum. It's a fascinating place to wander around for a few hours.

[@jtechboy]

you could land a couple of boosters on that bad boy.

[@SirZaphod42]

Wow what a drone shot. Great job Jack

[@badrinair]

Thank you Jack. Mary John and Thomas for sharing the updates of a different kind of super heavy ship.

[@artemkras]

Looking at the aircraft carrier, I can see where they got inspiration for Star Wars Destroyer ships from.

[@Lukewoolsey69]

Gosh, I cant wait to go back to starbase, seeing the drive down highway 4 had so much nostalgia

[@GoogooGaagaa-k9m]

I wish I was able to see this irl. I love naval aviation so seeing something like this is awesome. Kinda sad its being scrapped though

[@argenireyes5954]

it will be the most peace use of this aircraft carrier, having the rocket lunch system on the flat deck.

[@EdwardCox2016]

That was a beautiful moment Das!

[@phillipdavis3316]

This was awesome, thank you for posting.

[@David-yo5ws]

A ship named after the President that spawned the Space Race, is now a shell and about to be recycled. Maybe some of that steel will be part of a new Stainless Steel hull of a Starship in the future? I kind of like that thought.

[@jeremydeck9829]

Would make a nice drone ship

[@VicariousAdventurer]

They'd have to take a few layers off somehow

[@loucatozzi7656]

That timelapse of the drive out to Starbase from the port of Brownsville was awesome! I have been there twice now but it has been at least three years since the last visit. Long before super heavy boosters. They were just starting to build/install the vertical tank farm at the launchsite that has now been removed.

[@tennesseeferry2882]

Nice flying and shootin, Jack!

[@ctabilo1983]

Gracias por el audio en español. Hay muchos que seguimos el canal de habla hispana. Se agradece

[@fellixx11]

I served on JFK for a few years between 95 and 98. It changed my life. Really sorry to see her end like this. Was hoping she would be turned into a museum.

[@NASASpaceflight]

Thank you for your service... I agree, it's a shame to see these mighty ships cut up fpr scrap. - Das

[@fellixx11]

Well, thank you guys for giving us good drone footage so we could see her one last time. ​@NASASpaceflight

[@myredeemerlivesakatom2314]

Looks like the pad B OLM will be much lower to the ground making way for the taller stack.

[@Parayogi]

I hope stack of brontosaurus ribs becomes official designation

[@sonnyburnett8725]

HER, is the correct reference. We love them!

[@Inspace_noone_can_hear_u_honk.]

Reassemble the JFK carrier in space, add some cool mods and ‘walla’, instant Star Blazers.

[@fredgoodwin3198]

Originally burned #6 fuel oil. At was burning a #2 fuel oil called Diesel Fuel Marine or DFM. I have seen flash points from 143°F to 163°F.

[@NASASpaceflight]

Appreciate it, I did some research but it wasn't immediately evident, like it changed over time. - Das

[@mikegardner107]

How much oil would it hold? What was the JFKs cruising range without refueling?

[@jack4socal]

Thank you so much for all that you do!

[@spacelord05oficial82]

El narrador es andaluz! un grande

[@johnhjic2]

Hello Good to see some of the resounding area. Nice.

[@toddincabo]

👍 That USS JFK was cool, thanks. Oh, it's shielding.

[@markhollifield1823]

To be a naval pedant, JFK lost the title United States Ship (USS) when she was decommissioned. JFK or ex-JFK are the proper references for the decommissioned warship. No hate here, I landed on the JFK a couple times during Desert Storm. When commissioned in the 60's she ran on bunker fuel then was converted to run on Diesel Fuel, Marine, aka F76.

[@thomashayden804]

I knew someone was going to point that out 😅. When Kitty Hawk came in I used "ex" and it ended up confusing a bunch of confusion for people so I left it as "USS" for this one. I'm happy to hear confirmation of how it works from someone who actually served on her though!

[@NASASpaceflight]

I think we can use her hard earned title one last time 👍 - Das

[@The_Second_greatest_ever]

That jet ski that went zooming past the ship😂😂😂 They were getting it through there. 😊

[@bideford7099]

Saw the USS JOHN F KENNEDY when it came into port at the Naval Air Base in Norfolk for repairs. Up close and personal, it's HUGE!!!!

[@stevegredell1123]

RE: How Starship Superheavy would look on an aircraft carrier. With a 320m length and 77m beam, it's one of the only vehicles in the world that would make Starship look small. You could fit several length-wise on the deck.

[@triggerpointtechnology]

Ever heard of “Bunker Oil?” That’s what these ships burned in their boilers. Not jet fuel.

[@NASASpaceflight]

I have heard of it, but it seems JFK may have been run on a couple different fuels, so wasn't trying to answer authoritatively. I figured there'd be someone in the comments who actually fueled her up during a tour and could help me out. - Das

[@mikegardner107]

How much bunker oil would a carrier hold, fully loaded?

[@vleblanc1285]

For the steel plating I would use the term Armor instead of the word Shielding because its being attached to thing as apposed to being put in front of it.

[@hazonku]

For a second the title & thumbnail had me wondering if Elon went full Snowcrash. LOL

[@NASASpaceflight]

I mean, Starship should have enough energy to fire a pound of bacon into the asteroid belt. 😅 - Das

[@anthonylosego]

Philosophically, you can't keep everything forever, but you can memorialize things that truly provide significant historical significance. The biggest recognition is how big things are around you for how big the things around you are in comparison. SpaceX (like the US military) have been moving far enough forward that the things that are behind us are not as big as the things in front of us. If you take it from that perspective, nostalgia can be dispensed in our reach for excellence. The bigger the excellence, the less we need to memorialize things. Hopefully that helps. It generally means if we don't save SN6, we can rest assured that we are farther ahead in the reach we have achieved. Which is more hope than physical things as a monument vs real change.

[@ImmortalAbsol]

I went to see the space shuttle on the USS Intrepid and might go see the USS Midway in October.

[@NASASpaceflight]

Intrepid is fantastic... I'll be there in 2 weeks, doing an Astronaut livestream. - Das

[@TianarTruegard]

I've seen USS Midway in San Diego.. Would love to see USS Intrepid and the shuttle. For some reason, Midway seemed smaller than I was imagining a carrier to be.

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

That 'huge tug towing the carrier in,..' looks a similar layout to the ship that recovers Dragon's after splashdown.

[@ThexBorg]

3:36 nostalgia as well 👍

[@CatskillProduction]

That drone range is brave

[@briancleveland6115]

I brother was stationed on the Kennedy 🤘

[@TJCooney]

thank you for the tribute to the JFK

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Y'know, everyone will suggest landing,... but that carrier would make a pretty decent mobile launch platform too, if passed across to the US Space Force for management. And that big flat open deck, add some support towers, and there's your transport to get SuperHeavy around to Florida. Strip out everything related to aircraft, fill the hanger deck with fuel tanks, add a tower hanging off each side with a rotating lift section at the top, so chopstick mechanisim can swing around and pick up a booster or ship off the deck, spin the top with the arms back out over the water to stack on a hold-down ring, no more ruined pads, just boiled seawater under the Raptors.

[@koffeekage]

They can sling a MSR on this bad boy

[@firstnlast]

Thank you for covering the USS JFK, and a special thanks for noting the American Flag still flying. American engineers have built amazing things and we should continue to take pride in their accomplishments. I would have loved to see JFK become a museum, but just seeing all the footage of her coming into Port for her final time is still special.

[@robertf3479]

The large US Flag flying from her mainmast was hoisted in tribute to both the ship and to all the crew who served in her. Fitting I think. One of the ships I served in made her own final voyage to the breaker's yard about 3 years ago.

[@merlitajosol4505]

Spacex aircraft carrrier

[@NASASpaceflight]

Right? Who needs oil platforms? - Das

[@merlitajosol4505]

Spacex new aircraft carrier

[@johnpettit6886]

So Much for Subtlety

[@TheRk1111]

Point it at Mar-a lago!

[@Vhaloskor]

Off shore take off and landing pad ?

[@lastboomer6164]

Nice

[@fastamx069box8]

Hey Das, Great Commentary As Always Young Man... Thank you for your respect for the JFK Aircraft Carrier. 👍 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@NASASpaceflight]

Respect is well deserved for her. - Das

[@slateslavens]

o7 Kennedy. You were a good ship.

[@myredeemerlivesakatom2314]

I would bet the shielding is ballistic grade steel.

[@l214laus]

Perhaps Clint Eastwood could ride a motorcycle on the deck, reminiscent of Magnum Force?

[@mikegardner107]

I’m glad they are recycling the steel. Too many ships are used for target practice and sunk to become reefs for sea life. The reefs are good but I think the energy saved by recycling steel that is already mined may be of greater value.

[@larryl43]

use the aircraft carrier into a launch and landing pad for starship

[@ThexBorg]

The recycling of the steel can go to starships 🤩

[@NASASpaceflight]

Unfortunately I think this is military-grade stainful steel, not stainless.- Das

[@mustardtiger9265]

Un-rapidly scheduled disassembly, Rip in pieces.

[@NASASpaceflight]

Doh. But accurate.- Das

[@Shivaho]

They could make it the new Landing & Launch Ship...

[@Raylenekeys27]

😊😊😊hello from NJ

[@christopherpetersen342]

Unless/until they change the payload bay door on the side of the Starship, I think they're still going to be loading Starlinks about one at a time. Automated, maybe, but still one at a time for now.

[@MarcusSHere23]

Awesome. Thank you Jack!

[@ajlewis65]

Love the footage, but I miss the Klingon (i.e., no commentary) audio option. Thanks for posting, though.

[@NASASpaceflight]

It's there, sometimes it takes YT a while to make it available. - Das

[@ajlewis65]

@@NASASpaceflight Thank you! I must have been too quick (I see it there now), but I'm always eager to see what your hardworking crew has uncovered for us. (And I mean no offense to your good self and your commentary, Das; I'm just an old fuddy-duddy who liked the calm of the originals.)

[@Ikthel]

Will the carrier be scrapped completely for materials or?

[@NASASpaceflight]

Scrapped for materials. - Das

[@Ikthel]

@NASASpaceflight Thanks Das - watched you since the kerbal days :)

[@alveydoug]

Thank you for honoring the carrier JFK, on her final cruise.

[@Soulessdeeds]

I am sure retro fitting an older carrier like this would be incredibly expensive. But I wish there was a need and a way to gift this carrier to a nation like Japan. This carrier is bigger than what they currently have. And would give them a 3rd carriers power projection. It's a complete shame that we scrap these carriers like this.

[@ronwatkins5775]

SpaceX could get an aircraft carrier for cheap and use it for launch and landing. The mid/flight hanger deck could hold lots of tanks

[@larryparrish7780]

3 starship with 3 superheavy rockets can lay end to end on the flight deck

[@philipgrice1026]

Yes it's sad. A better use for CVN79, "The JFK" would be a mobile launch and landing site for SpaceX. To heck with laying a super-heavy booster on the deck. How about building a megazilla tower on top of it and venting it down through the hull?

[@dionysschub5350]

Where is the German Audiotrack?

[@MarcusSHere23]

Ahh the new launching ship has arrived!

[@artemkras]

That air carrier... A bad omen for Booster 12?

[@anthonyschirillo4377]

How about a booster landing on its deck

[@jameshancock1515]

stationed on the uss Saratoga in the 70,s it took the place of the Saratoga for a museum and the scarped the sara in it's place now they are scraping it too?

[@adamjamesburnett]

The fast framerate makes this look like it's happening in a bathtub.

[@ThePoorOpinion]

Big boats

[@blublum7916]

Actually the USS John F. Kennedy is almost 60 years old. served in many areas. She will be missed (side note, odd that no soldier, sailor or salute emoji exist. Come on KZbin....)

[@NASASpaceflight]

40 years of service, decommissioned in 2007 and has been sitting waiting to learn her fate. - Das

[@blublum7916]

@@NASASpaceflight Thanks Das! I guess she's been moth balled for awhile

[@kaltenstein7718]

so it says German in the titel but there is no German audio track?

[@NASASpaceflight]

Takes youtube a while to publish the other tracks sometimes, out of our control. - Das

[@tompava3923]

1050 feet long.✌😎

[@frrapp2366]

USS John F Kennedy = Nasa spaceflight video platform for starship / new glenn landings:) Load Test Frame -- LTF enjoy your commentaries Das

[@thomashurwitch1537]

How many Starships could you make with all of that steel...that's what I would want to know.

[@masa_-rb1je]

If you were to dismantle an aircraft carrier, wouldn't it be interesting to use it to launch a spaceship from the sea?

[@marklipsinic7916]

Launch tower armour plating.

[@BrianMoore-tc2xe]

Is it too late for Elon/Spacex to save JFK and turn it into a floating Starship pad? I know, but a fun thought.

[@markalexander1662]

Aircraft carrier mobile launch pad!!

[@donotcomply1628]

You say Museum funny.

[@terrestrialcreature7481]

Was hoping someone said this lol Thought he misspoke at first but nope

[@NASASpaceflight]

Well, that's a new one. 😅 - Das

[@dbvetter7485]

Elon should buy it. I’m sure SpaceX is going to have some kind of museum.

[@catbertz]

Sad that the JFK wasn't turned into a museum. Sure, they can't all be saved, but she was the last conventional. Seems like a reasonable save. How cool would it be for Brownsville to have an awesome aircraft carrier tourist attraction in addition to Starbase. Helloooo Elon... 😅

[@The_Second_greatest_ever]

I think it’s called bunker fuel.

[@arnoldsmith5754]

never seen Mary is she really real i saw Marie before but that was a while ago

[@brianarries7852]

Too bad SpaceX didn’t buy it for a launch and landing pad😎