SpaceX Tuesday...
Discussion
London424 said:
I still can't figure out what we're seeing in the pic...can anyone explain?
Here's a better shot - test footage of a launch and landing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgLBIdVg3EM
Very Tintin on the Moon.
If you think that's impressive, here's what they want to do with the forthcoming heavy lift version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ca6x4QbpoM
It seems that SpaceX have a more powerful Merlin 1D engine debuting later this year - details are sketchy but it's rumoured to have 20% more thrust
http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/20/ses-signs-up-...
http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/20/ses-signs-up-...
Work proceeding on assembly building at LC-39A for Falcon Heavy - pity thay had to dig up the crawlerway though 
http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/25/falcon-heavy-...
http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/25/falcon-heavy-...
Makes sense to assemble the rocket as close to the pad as possible.
When Pads 39A and B were planned they thought at one point they envisaged having 6 Saturn or Nova capable pads. So, at that time (1962/63) it made sense to have all the assembly systems in one spot.
With two different organisations now using the pads, commonality of assembly isn't an issue any more.
The Falcon 9 Heavy is going to be a Saturn 2 1/2 more or less - so a pretty large and capable booster.
When Pads 39A and B were planned they thought at one point they envisaged having 6 Saturn or Nova capable pads. So, at that time (1962/63) it made sense to have all the assembly systems in one spot.
With two different organisations now using the pads, commonality of assembly isn't an issue any more.
The Falcon 9 Heavy is going to be a Saturn 2 1/2 more or less - so a pretty large and capable booster.
Having just finished reading the two volume history of the building of LC-39 ( see links below ) I can confirm that originally 3 pads were planned in order to sustain an expected flight rate of at least 12 Saturn C-2/C-3 launches per year - this was when the moon mission was expected to be based on assembly of the lunar spacecraft in Earth orbit ( EOR mission ).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gateway-Moon-Building-Kenn...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moon-Launch-History-Saturn...
The kink in the crawlerway to pad B is where the road to pad C would have joined - it would have been placed to the north of the current pad B. The VAB was planned to be able to accommodate 4 fully stacked launch vehicles with space to expand the building to add another 2 high bays if needed.
The building of the Falcon Heavy assembly building on the crawlerway ( if it is in fact on top of it - the photos are a little ambiguous ) will prevent access to pad A for anything else e.g. SLS - seems a little shortsighted to me and will no doubt be very expensive to re-instate in the future should pad A be needed for other launch vehicles.
In other SpaceX news - they have just signed the first two payloads to be launched from their new Texas spaceport http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/25/ses-reserves-...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gateway-Moon-Building-Kenn...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moon-Launch-History-Saturn...
The kink in the crawlerway to pad B is where the road to pad C would have joined - it would have been placed to the north of the current pad B. The VAB was planned to be able to accommodate 4 fully stacked launch vehicles with space to expand the building to add another 2 high bays if needed.
The building of the Falcon Heavy assembly building on the crawlerway ( if it is in fact on top of it - the photos are a little ambiguous ) will prevent access to pad A for anything else e.g. SLS - seems a little shortsighted to me and will no doubt be very expensive to re-instate in the future should pad A be needed for other launch vehicles.
In other SpaceX news - they have just signed the first two payloads to be launched from their new Texas spaceport http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/02/25/ses-reserves-...
Eric Mc said:
With two different organisations now using the pads, commonality of assembly isn't an issue any more.
Aren't Boeing and one other (I want to say Orbital Systems off the top of my head) using it as well as NASA and SpaceX?Eric Mc said:
The Falcon 9 Heavy is going to be a Saturn 2 1/2 more or less - so a pretty large and capable booster.
And if they manage to make it fly home like in the video it will be gobsmacking :-)scubadude said:
Eric Mc said:
With two different organisations now using the pads, commonality of assembly isn't an issue any more.
Aren't Boeing and one other (I want to say Orbital Systems off the top of my head) using it as well as NASA and SpaceX?
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