Falcon 9: NASA Jason 3 mission thread


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Just now, DocM said:

They've said a 30% loss rate for ASDS is their target, and 12 foot waves don't make it better.

Indeed they don't. All it takes is one good upswell and you get another hard landing.

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1 minute ago, Emn1ty said:

I was actually thinking... why don't they balance it with gyroscopes and such so that the waves have little effect on the platform? I

They have 4 mosterous Thrustmaster stabilization pods on ASDS, what's used to stabilize oil rigs. A gyro large enough to cancel ocean waves isn't in the vards because of physics 

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Just now, DocM said:

They have 4 mosterous Thrustmaster stabilization pods on ASDS, what's used to stabilize oil rigs. A gyro large enough to cancel ocean waves isn't in the vards because of physics 

Ah, makes sense

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Any other launcher would be discarding S1, here SpaceX is plugging away...and through the hardships, they'll succeed...:)

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Yeah, I was thinking that independent suspension with shock absorption and gyros would be the next logical upgrade also. Those landings aren't exactly soft even in the best of circumstances. 12-foot seas make things nearly impossible to keep upright though, so yeah. Bad day to try a sea landing.

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"Unfortunately, we are not standing upright on the drone ship at the moment but the good news here is the primary mission is still on track," said John Federspiel, a SpaceX lead mechanical design engineer hosting SpaceX hosting the company's webcast.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/01/17/falcon-9-jason-3-mission-status-center/

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Restart of the second stage's Merlin 1D vacuum engine is expected at T+plus 55 minutes, 6 seconds, or at 11:37 a.m. EST (2:37 p.m. EST) and will last for 12 seconds. Spacecraft separation will follow at T+plus 55 minutes, 48 seconds.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/01/17/falcon-9-jason-3-mission-status-center/

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Jason 3 separation! The Jason 3 satellite has been released from the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, beginning a five-year mission to measure the oceans from orbit.

Jason 3's two solar panels will unfurl in a few minutes.

Separation was into a 1320 x 1305 km orbit.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/01/17/falcon-9-jason-3-mission-status-center/

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pyrotechnics released solar arrays, sequence started, will be 20 to 25 minutes for confirmation of sequence and health.

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Final SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 successfully launches Jason-3

 

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While the second stage was making its first burn, the first stage performed manoeuvres of its own to facilitate its landing attempt. This was considered a purely experimental objective, with no bearing on the overall outcome of the launch.

 

To facilitate recovery, the first stage restarted three times after separating from the rocket.

 

The first of these was a boostback manoeuvre to change the stage’s trajectory and put it on course for the ASDS. This began about 100 seconds after stage separation; four minutes and 25 seconds after liftoff.

 

The stage then made a burn at around the seven minute mark in the flight, to slow itself as it reenters the atmosphere, before finally restarting shortly before landing in order to slow its speed. The landing attempt was approximately eight and a half minutes after launch, although video from the ASDS was lost prior to confirmation it was unsuccessful.

mission data at the link...

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/01/spacex-launch-jason-3/

:)

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14:57
Pyros fired to begin deployment of the two solar array panels, but confirmation of a good deployment and a power positive state on the Jason 3 spacecraft will come in about 20 minutes when the satellite passes over a ground station in Fairbanks, Alaska, NASA says.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/01/17/falcon-9-jason-3-mission-status-center/

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One item re: the leg failing

 

@elonmusk
However, that was not what prevented it being good. Touchdown speed was ok, but a leg lockout didn't latch, so it tipped over after landing.

 

Due to this being an older NASA contract the launcher version and configuration was frozen as an F9  v1.1. As such, they couldn't use the F9 FT which has the revised and high strength legs.

 

An F9 FT may well have pulled it off.

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Looks like comms were good on release, video blurr due to eclipse, telemetry was good, comm blank out period normal, comm acquisition good, commands being sent to Jason 3...looks good...

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So this is actually really good news! Despite the rough sea state the stage had the right velocity and Elon seems to imply that ASDS movement were no problem, but rather that one leg! Looking forward to SES-9

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