SpaceX Falcon Heavy (updates & maiden flight)

[DocM]

Bye-Bye Starman 

[FloatingFatMan]

So, will there be any way to get pics from Starman in the future?

[Slugsie]

I don't think so. There was something said about a 12 hour battery life for the car, and it doesn't have solar cells so once the battery is flat that's it.

[SALSN]

4 hours ago, DocM said:

 

So did they miss their target, or did they intentionally give it everything they had?

[anthdci]

1 minute ago, SALSN said:

So did they miss their target, or did they intentionally give it everything they had?

probably gave it what it had, it was a test after all.

[Skiver Veteran]

That launch was amazing, I have to admit I was a little pessimistic about this launch and part of me didn't think it would get off the ground. I had it streaming on my phone as I was doing other stuff and I remember looking down and thinking holy **** that thing just took off. 

 

The two boosters landing at pretty much the same time was just a thing of beauty!

 

It's a shame about the centre core, I've still not seen any news on what happened to it but I'm sure it will come out eventually and they'll right whatever went wrong. 

 

I'm rewatching the stream on the TV now to enjoy it in all of its magnificence 

[Blue-Vision]

Projections met reality. They meant to give it the beans. Just about to the orbit of Ceres was the plan, so.  

[anthdci]

Really need some new hi-res images of this launch for my desktop background.

[SALSN]

3 minutes ago, anthdci said:

Really need some new hi-res images of this launch for my desktop background.

I was thinking a framed picture of the two boosters right before they land :-D

[patseguin Global Moderator]

Anyone know how long that live stream from the car will be on? Would be cool to see a livestream of it approaching Mars.

[Skiver Veteran]

1 minute ago, patseguin said:

Anyone know how long that live stream from the car will be on? Would be cool to see a livestream of it approaching Mars.

I think in the press conference they said the batteries they installed had a rough 12-hour life and there are no solar panels so once it's dead it's dead.

[patseguin Global Moderator]

19 minutes ago, Skiver said:

I think in the press conference they said the batteries they installed had a rough 12-hour life and there are no solar panels so once it's dead it's dead.

Well, that stinks! They should have put a solar powered camera on it with a 24/7 livestream, That would have been riveting to watch as it approached any space bodies. I suppose they figured it'd be a waste as most of the time it would just see black?

[DocM]

52 minutes ago, patseguin said:

Well, that stinks! They should have put a solar powered camera on it with a 24/7 livestream, That would have been riveting to watch as it approached any space bodies. I suppose they figured it'd be a waste as most of the time it would just see black?

 

Frequency use time was limited by the FCC STA (permit) to the life of the upper stage. If it had been a real mission probe the STA conditions would have been different.

 

This FH was 2 Block 3 cores, a Block 4 center core, and an FH "Frankenstage" (nickname)  upper stage.  The booster cores were only running at 92% throttle, not full bore.

 

The mission was to test the 6 hour upper stage coast and reignition for USAF EELV launches. That box checked off, they put the pedal to the metal to see what she had. They expected to go just past Mars orbit, but overshot and almost got as far as Ceres.

 

All future FH's will use Block 5 cores at 100% throttle, and will do much better.

 

And,

 

(check the embedded link,)

 

 

Edited February 7, 2018 by DocM

[TrevorLahey]

2 hours ago, anthdci said:

Really need some new hi-res images of this launch for my desktop background.

They've got some here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/

[TrevorLahey]

Quote

Elon Musk said on a conference call with reporters that the launch "seems to have gone as well as one could have hoped with the exception of center core. The center core obviously didn't land on the drone ship" and he said that "we're looking at the issue." Musk says that the core ran out of propellant, which kept the core from being able to slow down as much as it needed for landing. Because of that, the core apparently hit the water at 300MPH, and it was about 100 meters from the ship. "It was enough to take out two thrusters and shower the deck with shrapnel," Musk said. That should be worth seeing on video: "We have the video," Musk confirmed, "it sounds like some pretty fun footage... if the cameras didn't get blown up as well."

https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/06/spacex-falcon-heavy-center-core-lost/

 

Hopefully we can see that in the next, how not to land an orbital rocket booster video

 

and I'll have to look for the Countdown Net Audio for the next launch:

 

[DocM]

This stage was going about 1,000 m/s faster than the fastest landed stage, and the boostback burn was long, so.....guess they found the edge of that envelope.

[+Raze Subscriber²]

Anyone else notice the similarities to the opening sequence of Heavy Metal and Spaceman and his car?

[TrevorLahey]

8 minutes ago, DocM said:

This stage was going about 1,000 m/s faster than the fastest landed stage, and the boostback burn was long, so.....guess they found the edge of that envelope.

Any opinions on how they are going to fix that?  Will Block 5 help?

[CrashG]

18 minutes ago, Raze said:

Anyone else notice the similarities to the opening sequence of Heavy Metal and Spaceman and his car?

Yup, sure did.

[DocM]

31 minutes ago, bguy_1986 said:

Any opinions on how they are going to fix that?  Will Block 5 help?

 

Block 5 will help, as would larger TEA-TEB (igniter) tanks - they ran out. 

 

Bye....

 

[DocM]

Jonathan McDowell is with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, working on Chandra & quasars. Also a satellite tracker.

 

I think SpaceX now has the attention of the science community.

 

 

 

 

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

Lightfoot: acting NASA Administrator

 

 

[DocM]

DEIMOS has spotted Starman and his Roadster (at low-left of center, heading for ~2 o'clock)

 

http://www.elecnor-deimos.com/deimos-sky-survey-spacex-starman-tesla/

 

 

[Blue-Vision]

That thing is zipping right along.  As any sportscar should be.