SpaceX Tuesday...
Discussion
They've been slowly removing bits of it. They're not allowed to drop it with explosives.
At the moment is just a bloody great lightning conductor. You can see the single lightning tower hovering over the Falcon 9 in the photo above.
Work to clear its' sister pad, 39B, was completed in 2011 after 2 years work. Again, no explosives were allowed.
Here's what that pad looks like now (with pad 39A in the background):
NASA intend to use it for SLS launches. These will roll out to the pad upright on a mobile launcher. It'll be like Saturn V all over again.
There's a video about the site clearance here, including a time lapse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pj8sjgYza4
At the moment is just a bloody great lightning conductor. You can see the single lightning tower hovering over the Falcon 9 in the photo above.
Work to clear its' sister pad, 39B, was completed in 2011 after 2 years work. Again, no explosives were allowed.
Here's what that pad looks like now (with pad 39A in the background):
NASA intend to use it for SLS launches. These will roll out to the pad upright on a mobile launcher. It'll be like Saturn V all over again.
There's a video about the site clearance here, including a time lapse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pj8sjgYza4
More photos here http://projecthabu.com/post/157088764130/for-the-f...
Looks like the old service tower isn't being used at all, other than as a lightning rod
Looks like the old service tower isn't being used at all, other than as a lightning rod
hidetheelephants said:
Given the likely toasting it would get if a launch went wrong, how much of a benefit is that?
It's not the superstructure they're concerned about, but the damage dropping it would cause to the concrete & brick launchpad below. By taking it down a bit at a time they can help preserve the pad itself for later use. Much of the concrete is quite old now and the epoxy glue & steel tie rods have been slowly weakened by the effects of the nearby ocean, Florida's climate and the acidic byproducts of rocket exhaust.
During one of the Shuttle launches (STS-124 - Discovery from Pad 39a in 2008), the blast from the rockets dislodged a 75 by 20 foot section of flame trench wall and threw fireproof bricks as far as the boundary fence.
The SLS will use the tower fitted to the mobile launcher https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/02/ct-2-compl...
Yes, the tower & rocket are transported to the launch pad together on a giant crawler, veteran of Apollo and the Shuttle programs. Once in situ, the crawler backs off out of the way, like before.
You can see the mobile launcher tower in the pad 39B photo I posted on the previous page. At the end of the long approach ramp, you can see the crawler itself.
Here's a couple of videos of them running it out to the pad for testing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBWk6UJxu4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s1pCS5coX4
You can see the mobile launcher tower in the pad 39B photo I posted on the previous page. At the end of the long approach ramp, you can see the crawler itself.
Here's a couple of videos of them running it out to the pad for testing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBWk6UJxu4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s1pCS5coX4
Video embedded in this article http://spaceflightnow.com/2017/02/12/fire-returns-...
I note that, unlike previous practice, the payload isn't attached yet
I note that, unlike previous practice, the payload isn't attached yet
SpaceX is targeting a late morning launch of its tenth Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-10) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is on Saturday, February 18 at 15:01 GMT, with a backup launch opportunity at 14:38 GMT on Sunday, February 19.
Edited by MartG on Friday 17th February 17:37
MartG said:
SpaceX is targeting a late morning launch of its tenth Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-10) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is on Saturday, February 18 at 15:01 a.m. GMT, with a backup launch opportunity at 14:38 a.m. GMT on Sunday, February 19.
... errm 15:01 am ? 14:38am ?SystemParanoia said:
MartG said:
SpaceX is targeting a late morning launch of its tenth Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-10) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is on Saturday, February 18 at 15:01 a.m. GMT, with a backup launch opportunity at 14:38 a.m. GMT on Sunday, February 19.
... errm 15:01 am ? 14:38am ?10:01 and 09:38
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