SpaceX Tuesday...

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Toaster

2,938 posts

192 months

Sunday 19th March 2017
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MartG said:
Yes - though the Block 5 Falcon 9 will increase the payload limit a bit, in future it is likely that payloads that heavy will use Falcon Heavy with the 1st stage and boosters being recovered - or the cost of an expendable launch being reduced by using a 2nd hand ( or 3rd or more hand ) first stage
Interesting thought about reusable boosters being dispensable thank you.

Toaster

2,938 posts

192 months

Sunday 19th March 2017
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RobDickinson said:
Dont bother he has the memory of a goldfish
such naive comment and no I do not read all posts, memory of a goldfish! come on is that the best insult you can manage?

Eric Mc

121,774 posts

264 months

Sunday 19th March 2017
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Beati Dogu said:
The most recent Dragon supply capsule will be released from the ISS on Sunday morning, with a Pacific splashdown a few hours later.

NASA will be livestreaming it from 08.45 am UK time, with the release itself scheduled for 09.11.

It's carrying around 2.5 tonnes of cargo with it.
Live link -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdmHHpAsMVw

MartG

20,620 posts

203 months

Sunday 19th March 2017
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Toaster said:
MartG said:
Yes - though the Block 5 Falcon 9 will increase the payload limit a bit, in future it is likely that payloads that heavy will use Falcon Heavy with the 1st stage and boosters being recovered - or the cost of an expendable launch being reduced by using a 2nd hand ( or 3rd or more hand ) first stage
Interesting thought about reusable boosters being dispensable thank you.
Yes - if they determine that a stage can be reflown X times, it would make sense for the Xth flight to be expendable

Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Sunday 19th March 2017
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SpaceX have confirmed that the Dragon capsule splashed down successfully. So just the matter of picking it up & shipping it back to California in a day or two.

MartG

20,620 posts

203 months

Sunday 19th March 2017
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Beati Dogu said:
SpaceX have confirmed that the Dragon capsule splashed down successfully. So just the matter of picking it up & shipping it back to California in a day or two.


Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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Looking good. cool

The next ISS resupply mission (CRS-11) will re-use a Dragon capsule for the first time. Probably not this one though, due to the turn around time.


They want to launch a Dragon II to the ISS in November. When it comes back they're still going to drop it in the ocean, but they'll try to use its rockets to place it down with accuracy. That should be good. Perhaps they'll move on to drone ship landings after that; Who knows.

smack

9,727 posts

190 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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Has anyone watched rocket (or shuttle) launch in Florida? I was out there in November, but further up the coast the night of a launch.

What is to know if I wanted to do it?

Eric Mc

121,774 posts

264 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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MartG said:
It looks surprisngly unscathed.

Sylvaforever

2,212 posts

97 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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On one of their hosted launche bids they were on about third generation of dragon heatshield with enhanced robustness and acoustic protection for surface landing..

p1stonhead

25,489 posts

166 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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Eric Mc said:
MartG said:
It looks surprisngly unscathed.
What would you be expecting out of curiosity? Do they normally get a bit beaten up? I thought heat was the only real issue?

Eric Mc

121,774 posts

264 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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I was just thinking of how an Apollo Command Module looked - or even the Soyuz re-entry modules, when they come back.

AshVX220

5,929 posts

189 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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smack said:
Has anyone watched rocket (or shuttle) launch in Florida? I was out there in November, but further up the coast the night of a launch.

What is to know if I wanted to do it?
I moved out here in October last year and have seen two launches from my house (about 30 miles away as the crow flys). Still massively impressive, I want to see a launch up close and the Cape Canaveral Website has information about that;
https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/events/events-c...

I'm determined to make the trip over to see the SpaceX F9H go up in the summer, I think that'll be an amazing experience, as all three first stages are supposed to come back. smile

GTO-3R

7,458 posts

212 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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What is the capsule made of? Looks to be some sort of ceramic?

I'm a relative newcomer to all things SpaceX but I find it bloody fasinating smile

Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Monday 20th March 2017
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GTO-3R said:
What is the capsule made of? Looks to be some sort of ceramic?

I'm a relative newcomer to all things SpaceX but I find it bloody fasinating smile
It'll be mostly carbon fibre, built around an alloy pressure vessel.

In terms of size it's about the same as the Apollo capsules. Taller, but not quite as wide at the base.

The heat shield material was developed by SpaceX & NASA and is made from carbon fibre impregnated with resin, called PICA-X. (Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator - X). They make it in house and it's applied to the base in large tiles.

https://sagansense.tumblr.com/post/63755928256/pic...

http://www.spacex.com/news/2013/04/04/pica-heat-sh...

Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Tuesday 21st March 2017
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SpaceX have been playing with their new drone ship toy.

http://imgur.com/a/7c9ug

Meet Optimus Prime. Normally it would be stored in an armoured hanger to the side of the deck. When ready, they'll drive it out under the splayed legs of a recently-landed rocket. Four hydraulic arms reach up and attach to the hold down points / leg mounts as it clamps itself down to the steel deck; Presumably with electromagnets.

A bit more sophisticated than welding it to the deck with chains and overshoes. Also safer if it negates having to get a support ship alongside and people transferred to and fro.

MartG

20,620 posts

203 months

Friday 24th March 2017
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"Technicians are closing up the SES 10 communications satellite inside the Falcon 9 rocket's nose fairing this morning at Cape Canaveral as launch engineers prepare for a hold-down firing of the Falcon 9 rocket's main engines as soon as Sunday. Launch of SpaceX's first reused Falcon 9 booster from pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center is targeted for no earlier than Wednesday, March 29. "

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/24/ses-10-fligh...

MartG

20,620 posts

203 months

Monday 27th March 2017
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Looks like this weeks launch will slip to Thursday

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/03/24/ses-10-fligh...

Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Monday 27th March 2017
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The landing ship flotilla left port a couple of days ago, but the static fire test slipped to today.

They've just entered the range's 6 hour long static fire window now. It runs from 3 pm to 9 pm UK time.


If it all goes OK, the launch window itself will open on Thursday 30th March at 11 pm and remains open for 2.5 hours.




Zoobeef

6,004 posts

157 months

Monday 27th March 2017
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Sooo, if it lands, who will be the first to reuse it for a third time?

Will they ever get to a point where there will just 2 pools of rockets. "New" and "used" regardless of how many times?
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