SpaceX Tuesday...
Discussion
Falcon Heavy booster on its way for test firing
http://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-most-...
http://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-most-...
Yes, you can see the nose cone under the shrinkwrap. That's the easy way to spot them.
Regular Falcon 9s & the Falcon Heavy centre rocket are fitted with the blunt interstage which is slightly longer than a nose cone.
The one photographed is also a pre-flown rocket. Formerly used on the CRS-9 mission and now modified to be a side booster.
The other side booster is actually a pre-flown rocket too.
That one was used on the Thaicom 8 mission and came home chained to the drone ship with a severe list on it.
Regular Falcon 9s & the Falcon Heavy centre rocket are fitted with the blunt interstage which is slightly longer than a nose cone.
The one photographed is also a pre-flown rocket. Formerly used on the CRS-9 mission and now modified to be a side booster.
The other side booster is actually a pre-flown rocket too.
That one was used on the Thaicom 8 mission and came home chained to the drone ship with a severe list on it.
FourWheelDrift said:
Easy - vacuum outside, 2bar inside 
MartG said:
As the initial missions will be carrying crew to the ISS, which already has EVA suits aboard, I think SpaceX's own EVA suit is lower priority in development
I'm sure that will be the case. If they want to go to Mars, they must be working on an EVA suit of their own. The problem with the current NASA EVA suit is that it can't be used for walking. It's specifically designed for Zero G - which is a legacy of the Shuttle era.MartG said:
FourWheelDrift said:
Easy - vacuum outside, 2bar inside annodomini2 said:
MartG said:
FourWheelDrift said:
Easy - vacuum outside, 2bar inside 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbAF1EExpekAnother successful mission. 
That was the 40th Falcon 9 launch & the 15th successful landing.
I imagine SpaceX was sweating this one more than usual, because despite getting the 1st stage back OK, this was almost certainly going to be a loss maker for them.
The FORMOSAT-5 is only a little (475 Kg) satellite, but they've had a circa-$25 million contract to launch it since 2010. Originally on a Falcon 1 rocket in 2014/15, but SpaceX cancelled the Falcon 1 in order to focus on the Falcon 9. The satellite was again due to go up on a Falcon 9 last year, but was delayed again after the pad explosion. Last years launch would have shared the ride with a second cargo module called Sherpa, which is a carrier vehicle for numerous (90) tiny satellites. Unfortunately, the operator pulled out due to the delays and rebooked them on other rockets. So yes, a Falcon 9 was complete overkill, but a contract is a contract.
That was the 40th Falcon 9 launch & the 15th successful landing.
I imagine SpaceX was sweating this one more than usual, because despite getting the 1st stage back OK, this was almost certainly going to be a loss maker for them.
The FORMOSAT-5 is only a little (475 Kg) satellite, but they've had a circa-$25 million contract to launch it since 2010. Originally on a Falcon 1 rocket in 2014/15, but SpaceX cancelled the Falcon 1 in order to focus on the Falcon 9. The satellite was again due to go up on a Falcon 9 last year, but was delayed again after the pad explosion. Last years launch would have shared the ride with a second cargo module called Sherpa, which is a carrier vehicle for numerous (90) tiny satellites. Unfortunately, the operator pulled out due to the delays and rebooked them on other rockets. So yes, a Falcon 9 was complete overkill, but a contract is a contract.
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