SpaceX Rocket Test Facility - McGregor Texas

In which I view the SpaceX company's rocket motor test facility, located west of McGregor Texas. It's a pretty impressive structure.

This test site is located on a former Naval Reserve ordinance facility.

I also offer some brief comments on my progress in learning to ride the Yamaha FJR, and conclude with a very short bonus feature.

Update: View you tube video QuQnt51TU1w for more information on SpaceX and a short video of this test stand in use.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• SpaceX
• McGregor
• Texas
• Yamaha
• FJR
• motorcycle
• vlog

[weswisehart]

A very long one went off last week.

[JimNtexas]

@weswisehart - Awesome. they've received a license to fly their vertical landing system there at McGregor. Keep watching the sky!

[Cloudy2Clear]

My grandmother worked at the McGregor "bomb plant" in WW2. I've lived in McGregor for 3 yrs & the 9 rocket test was amazingly loud. It truly was heard (& felt) for 50 miles around. Hundreds of 9-11 calls from Waco (@ 15 miles away). Check youtube vids of this. SPACE-X recently leased an additional 600 acres in McGregor. They are moving their California operations here soon. Adding another rail spur to the facility. May help the local economy.

Nice bike.

[JimNtexas]

@Cloudy2Clear - That's fascinating. I guess they need more room to build the 'Falcon Heavy', their version of the Saturn 5.

[PiZzAbOy21888]

I used to work on those "bunkers". The area is now owned by Texas A&M University and is a 6,000+ acre agricultural research facility. They basically do research on cattle to see how big they can get them. We called those "bunkers", igloos and I used to build new roofs for them. They used to be used to house bombs in WWII and now they're used by A&M to house farming equipment, hay, cattle and other random stuff. I used to sit on the igloos and watch Spacex test these rockets and it was cool.

[JimNtexas]

@PiZzAbOy21888 - Thanks for the background information, that's very interesting.

[heto8youol]

@Cloudy2Clear well tell you what, I am going to be a sophomore in college this year, i am going to try to get an internship with spacex for summer 2012. So if I do and if I am at the McGregor facility, I will stop by for some BBQ sometime.

[Cloudy2Clear]

@heto8youol That WILL be amazing & loud too. Latest scuttlebut says SPACE-X adding 1,200 more jobs here at the 1st of 2012. McGregor gonna grow & get expensive...sigh...

Time to open up our Bar-B-Q place by the beer barn. Stop by & have some. Barbara Sue's Bar-B-Q & other good eats. Couldn't resist the plug ;-)

[heto8youol]

@Cloudy2Clear i dont know if you know, but they have a new rocket coming out thats going to be 3 falcon 9 first stages strapped together, that should be even louder but probably even more amazing

[bswift5]

@PiZzAbOy21888 My granfather lived and worked there all his life. He was with phillips 66 and hercules and rocketdime.