SpaceX Tuesday...
Discussion
I think it's proving to be much harder to achieve. Because the fairing is on a parachute, it is much harder to control its landing to a pinpoint location. And its also quite hard hauling the boat about in its attempt to be directly underneath it at just the right moment.
Maybe they should try and waterproof the fairings so they can be recovered out of the water.
Maybe they should try and waterproof the fairings so they can be recovered out of the water.
Eric Mc said:
Maybe they should try and waterproof the fairings so they can be recovered out of the water.
This Surely it would be easier/cheaper to build the fairings from materials resistant to saltwater corrosion, so they could be refurbished by simply hosing them down with fresh water then dry them in a kiln ? Also design their parachute attachments so they dangle at an angle which will minimise impact damage with the water.
Zoobeef said:
Or put larger round parachutes on them to slow their descent more and hook them with a helicopter and then that places them into the net.
The fairings are really very big. I can't think of a helicopter that would be big or powerful enough (and available to SpaceX) that would be able to snag something the size of a three storey building in a safe way.Zoobeef said:
Online puts the weight at 1-2 tons so plenty of helicopters that could lift it. It's being able to cope with it swinging, especially on capture.
Exactly, it's not just the weight. It's capturing it safely and then controlling what is a large and bulky, swinging object that is dangling under your helicopter. Also, all this is happening a few hundred miles out to sea, so getting a helicopter out there is not easy.FurtiveFreddy said:
How about making the fairing more aerodynamic with some extendable control surfaces so the angle of descent was steerable?
I'm sure there's been several meetings about this with lots of ideas discussed. ''A big net" seems to be the favoured one so far.
For something to actually fly, it needs to be correctly aerodynamically balanced. Having pop out wings on their own would not be sufficient to make it fly. Adapting the fairings so they could fly and steer themselves would require ballast to be added plus control equipment which all adds weight - and cost. I'm sure there's been several meetings about this with lots of ideas discussed. ''A big net" seems to be the favoured one so far.
I think a steerable parachute is the best option. I think making the fairing waterproof would be the simplest option - although I'm sure there are all sorts of compromises associated with that too.
JUST IN: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will be at NASA's Johnson Space Center on Aug. 3 for the announcement of our NASA Commercial Crew Program astronauts who will be launching from the U.S. for the first time since 2011. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration will announce the crews that will fly on The Boeing Company and #SpaceX spacecraft to International Space Station. Watch live next Friday at: www.nasa.gov/live. Details: https://go.nasa.gov/2mLohf4 #LaunchAmerica
How about attaching a line to a large helium balloon which is floated up from the centre of the net. If the fairings could trail something that could then snag onto this line and guide it down in a semi controlled manner to a more accurate landing position. The fairings would still have their descent controlled by the parafoils, but they wouldn't be able to stray so far off track. Probably a silly impractical idea but fun to think outside the box
AJLintern said:
How about attaching a line to a large helium balloon which is floated up from the centre of the net. If the fairings could trail something that could then snag onto this line and guide it down in a semi controlled manner to a more accurate landing position. The fairings would still have their descent controlled by the parafoils, but they wouldn't be able to stray so far off track. Probably a silly impractical idea but fun to think outside the box
The balloon would need a lifting force greater that the payload, so it would be huge.FurtiveFreddy said:
How about several inflatable balloons similar to the Beagle Mars lander which cushion the impact and allow them to (mainly) float on the sea and not get too wet?
They're retrieving them largely undamaged, mechanically. now. It's the brine contamination that's the problem. The times they are a'changing...
After 25 years, military told to move from “expendable” to “reusable” rockets
THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/07/congress-r...
After 25 years, military told to move from “expendable” to “reusable” rockets
THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/07/congress-r...
Up next on Saturday, August 4th, another Falcon 9 launch - from SLC-40 in Florida. (06:19 - 08:50 UK time). With a drone ship landing to follow hopefully.
This one carrying the Telkom-4 satellite, which at 5800 kg is pretty hefty. It will be the second heaviest payload on a recoverable SpaceX mission; Beaten only by Telstar 19 Vantage a few days ago.
This may be a brand new Block 5 core, or it could be the first reflight of one.... All will become clear when they do the static fire (likely Tuesday).
If it is a reflight, it'll be core B1046, the one that took the Bangabandhu 1 satellite up in May. They gave it a thorough once over for obvious reasons, but it is thought to be back at Cape Canaveral now.
It wouldn't be a record turn around for a rocket, but it would be for a landing ship recovery.
This one carrying the Telkom-4 satellite, which at 5800 kg is pretty hefty. It will be the second heaviest payload on a recoverable SpaceX mission; Beaten only by Telstar 19 Vantage a few days ago.
This may be a brand new Block 5 core, or it could be the first reflight of one.... All will become clear when they do the static fire (likely Tuesday).
If it is a reflight, it'll be core B1046, the one that took the Bangabandhu 1 satellite up in May. They gave it a thorough once over for obvious reasons, but it is thought to be back at Cape Canaveral now.
It wouldn't be a record turn around for a rocket, but it would be for a landing ship recovery.
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