SpaceX Updates (Thread 7)

[Blue-Vision]

3 hours ago, jjkusaf said:

Missing a couple of Merlin engines on the back of that food truck .... otherwise .... looks great!

 

If Spaceballs could do it ... so can SpaceX

This is so full of win, I don't know where to even begin ... only thing that's missing is "Raise Your Hands", the side pan camera, and the SpaceX paintjob.  

[DocM]

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

To be on FORMOSAT-5/Sherpa launch

 

 

// For the Solar Chow Wagon...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

FH test article

 

Looks like this one...

 

 

[DocM]

That Dragon is CRS-9, which is looking like late June,

 

That's a prototype Falcon Heavy booster nose cone, not flight hardware. Could add an upper level or two and camp out in that thing. FH is gonna be a beast.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

extra data...

 

reference the above newest Dragon v1...

 

This one is D1-11 which is flying on CRS-9.
D1-12 will fly on CRS-10.
CRS-11 will be the first Dragon capsule to be reused using pressure hull of Dragon D1-6.
D1-6 was CRS-4
CRS-11 will be DR1-? (Dragon v1 reusable - #)

NASA has stated new launchers. NASA has not said that cargo craft can't be refurbished.
Various avionics and thrusters have already been reused in Dragon, Elon statement approx 2 years ago...

reference-EchoLogic/reddit

will require verification, but source usually accurate.

 

pressure vessel (hull)

 

----------------------------

Remember the launch delay due to the barge.....

 

 Waivers of Ship Protection Probability of Impact Requirement

A Notice by the Federal Aviation Administration on 05/10/2016

 

summary

Quote

This notice concerns two petitions for waiver submitted to the FAA by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX): A petition to waive the requirement that a waiver request be submitted at least 60 days before the effective date of the waiver unless good cause for later submission is shown in the petition; and a petition to waive the requirements that exclude persons in waterborne vessels from the collective risk criteria and limit the probability of impact on waterborne vessels to 1 × 10 −5.

full submission at...

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/10/2016-09685/waivers-of-ship-protection-probability-of-impact-requirement

[Draggendrop Veteran]

ooops          forgot this...

 

another image of the FH booster test article

 

image source

 

resembles wind tunnel mock-up model

 

link

 

 

 

link

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

2 minutes ago, Draggendrop said:

ooops          forgot this...

 

another image of the FH booster test article

 

image source

 

resembles wind tunnel mock-up model

 

link

 

 

 

link

 

That's pretty.  Would like to purchase one and sit it up in my living room.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

In reference to pressure hull reuse, McGregor storage

 

SpaceX

 

--------------------------

 

Found some eye candy for Falcon "hold down", thought it was neat and dropped it here....

 

Link has images of moving mechanism

Falcon holddown mechanism test, 2015, Vandenburg

 

 

Closed               

 

 

Open

 

 

Pin between landing legs is the hold down points, also used for jack/chain stabilizing on ASDS

 

FH will have 4 additional actuators for hold down.

 

[+John. Subscriber¹]

Might be just me but that looks like a big couple of cracks at 00:14?

 

[Blue-Vision]

Carbon scoring marks due to reentry. If that had been metal tears, I promise those would have been a lot longer and we'd see more of them, there would have been buckling/folding nearby as well as blowouts and breaches. In other words, we'd see a lot more damage, and SpaceX would have been forthcoming about it.  

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Dunno if it is cracks, some sort of structural damage or just scoring marks (hard to tell really) ... but ... if it is damaged ....

 

DATA!!!

 

Gotta remember ... SpaceX didn't have high hopes for this thing returning in one piece ... so even if there is some sort of structural damage ... they have the whole thing to study versus bits and pieces.

 

[DocM]

These were seen on CRS-8 and it was said they were surface streaks - carbon as Unobscured Vision said. Tears that size and it would have crumpled during the Suicide-Slam.

[DocM]

Some damage after all

 

 

 

[Blue-Vision]

Doh.  Wonder how bad.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

My guess would be an octaweb shielding degradation/burn through, of which caused increased pressure to push out those lower access panels. Probably a bit for expensive, than wanted, for a reusable...but this is what they need for data and improvements...still a massive win on the landing, particularly with the damage.

 

 

[Blue-Vision]

Well, DD, you called it. Octaweb looked like it was on fire, you said ... you may have been right. There's no visible damage on the rest of the rocket, so a high-v entry could have messed with it. Could explain the "leaking and burning".

 

Would make a slightly stronger case for a Chem or Carbon Snuff system to put out any fires at landing; but it's not gonna help anything during a high-v boostback or entry. Problem is any chem or carbon is gonna clog up the Merlins ...  ... and that's a no-go.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

They will have a good jump, with the data, to button her up to better withstand the heat/pressure. She landed fine with an admirable control system. This will only get better. After all, this is stuff that is hard to simulate, one needs to do it and see what to improve.

 

This is a total win either way....she landed, under control and presented a book rack of data for the hot and fast returns.....next.....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

with "rocket socks".....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Full size image

 

 

image link

 

This and 3 more on SpaceX flickr...

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

 

Three cores together will give an idea of FH's size......

[Blue-Vision]

Yep, it landed with damage -- no idea how bad, but it's damage and it held up all the way to landing. That speaks to the robustness of the platform.  

 

1.3 Upgrades are in-progress, so this'll be one more thing to look at and improve where needed. I'm sure they're looking at the telemetry very carefully to see what happened, when and where it happened at. Among the things that are special about Falcon-9 Rockets ... they're smart. Nothing, nothing happens to them that SpaceX can't account for later on.

 

Take the failed strut last year. Think ULA could have figured that one out? Nope. Not a chance. And since then SpaceX has added more sensors, just to make sure it doesn't take that long to figure it out if it happens again.

[flyingskippy]

Which lower access panels were blown out? I wasn't able to see anything on their flicker account. 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Just now, flyingskippy said:

Which lower access panels were blown out? I wasn't able to see anything on their flicker account. 

Down by the legs, two panels were off prior to landing on ASDS. The area can be seen on landing video. Apparently they were designed to come off when a pressurization occurs above the octaweb....referenced in a reddit thread...need to confirm still

[flyingskippy]

I just checked the vid and didn't see anything. I could be looking in the wrong area too though.  I did see a green flash after engine shutdown characteristic of the TEA-TEB ignition system. Maybe the ignition system took some damage as well. 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Talking about this area right @Draggendrop?

 

 

Whereas the other barge landing looks like it had a black panel across.

 

 

 

Still...phenomenal ... data ... plus they'll be able to reuse something from it.