SpaceX Updates (Thread 7)

[Unobscured Vision]

DD, the editor is messing up on you again. It's okay, Photobucket links are fine. I opened them in a new tab and beheld the yummies.

 

There were a few images of the Launch Tower that I needed to do a double-take on .. my reaction was "wait -- what?!" (in a good way!) ... ahhh ... the concrete mountain finally getting its' upgrades is a welcome sight.  

 

Thank you for finding those. We all win.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

6 minutes ago, Unobscured Vision said:

DD, the editor is messing up on you again. It's okay, Photobucket links are fine. I opened them in a new tab and beheld the yummies.

 

There were a few images of the Launch Tower that I needed to do a double-take on .. my reaction was "wait -- what?!" (in a good way!) ... ahhh ... the concrete mountain finally getting its' upgrades is a welcome sight.  

 

Thank you for finding those. We all win.

This editor seems to be okay for awhile, then it gets cranky on me....almost like site work changing things?

 

Some posts have the proper spacing...next day, it's toast....

 

Just did an edit to warn others of my mess....

 

[DocM]

Now it can be told....

 

The original visiting vehicle schedule was for Cygnus OA6 to fly on March 10, then Dragon CRS-8 with BEAM to fly on March 20. 

 

Now there has been a last minute payload added to the Cygnus OA6 manifest, mandating it to be moved right to NET March 20. This moves Dragon CRS-8 to NET April 1.

 

Orbital ATK ‏@OrbitalATK
Due to additional cargo processing needs from @NASA, #OA6 launch is now set for NET March 20. Will keep you posted on official date.

 

 

[Unobscured Vision]

Wonder what they're adding to the payload?

[Draggendrop Veteran]

May be critical parts for the environmental controls...there have been a few failures on ISS the last few weeks with no spares left.

[DocM]

The CRS2 source selection document is out, documenting NASA's competition scoring 

 

Max score: 1000

 

SpaceX (Dragon 1&2): 922

OrbitalATK (Cygnus): 880

SNC (Dream Chaser): 879

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Good scores...I've got the pdf over in the selection thread for anyone who's curious...I have not read it yet.

[PaulRocket]

Does anyone know what happened to the engines of the Jason-3 core? They recovered the Octaweb and some engines appeared to be intact, so some suggested they might test fire the intact engines but I haven't heard anything since. Here are some pictures:

http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/01/20/spacex-rocket-wreckage-back-on-shore-after-near-miss-at-landing/

[DocM]

No one has said, but odds are they went to Hawthorne for analysis.

[PaulRocket]

Would be interesting to find out if they would be able to fire them again...

 

[DocM]

That'll probably be an L2 SpaceXer report. May or may not get out.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Space X McGregor Texas 9 28PM CST

video is 1:26 min.

 

Published on Feb 6, 2016
Space X McGregor Texas 9 28PM CST

 

 

 

[Unobscured Vision]

That's an awful lot of noise and fumes/dirt/stuff. What, pray tell, are they test firing? Could it be ... "that which cannot be specified just yet"? 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

There have been a few long duration tests the last few days, captured by a reddit poster who lives next door. L2 may know, reddit does not. The tests are neat with lots of steam from the water deluge system...almost sounds like cranking out cores and testing, if this keeps up for a while.....

[Unobscured Vision]

The real question is "how many cores at once and in what configuration?" Would said cores perhaps be in a characteristic 3-by-1 design? 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Don't tease...I'll have to start my happy dance...

 

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[Unobscured Vision]

I wouldn't know. I'm as keen as everyone else to find out.  

[Unobscured Vision]

Darn it, now I've got ideas for SpaceX T-Shirts and more posters.

 

"WWMD -- What Would Marty Do" with a picture of him and the space tape.

"Marty and the Wonder Workers" -- in the style of those NASA Travel posters to the exoplanets

"Full Thrust" -- A Falcon 9 FT doing a gravity turn in the same style

"Heavy Duty" -- Obviously a Falcon Heavy in the same Travel Poster style sitting on a launchpad

"Visions" -- Elon Musk, looking into the distance at Dragon, Dragon 2, Falcons 1, 9, Heavy, then Mars, then an outline of .. something new. Done in the style of the Travel Posters (maybe).

 

A few other ideas.

 

Wonder how much SpaceX would charge for licencing? And ... would Elon and Marty be okay with using their likenesses? 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

A poster of Elon with white cat, in the volcano lair, pressing the BFR launch pad button to uncover the lake.   

[Unobscured Vision]

2 minutes ago, Draggendrop said:

A poster of Elon with white cat, in the volcano lair, pressing the BFR launch pad button to uncover the lake.   

Now we're talking.  Like I said before, as long as I get a name tag, I'll work for him. The people with the name tags don't get attacked by the Secret Agents.

[DocM]

SpaceX board member and VC Steve Jurvitson interviewed after the TechCrunch awards. Listen to how he characterizes the Mars system.

 

 

 

[Unobscured Vision]

Oohhoooh ... "in development" ....  

 

Excuse me whilst I do the happy dance. With pixies. And unicorns. In a field of kittens. While Morgan Freeman narrates.  

 

 

 

He needs to narrate a SpaceX video.

[DocM]

Oops from McGregor via NASASpaceFlight.com

 

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39350.msg1490190#msg1490190

 

CRS-8 test stand static fire Friday: good
CRS-8 non-fire mechanical test Monday: malfunction

 

Damage to engine hardware. Checking to see if fast repairs can be made, they need to return it to Hawthorne or need do a stage swap. NASA in the loop.

[Unobscured Vision]

Ouch.  

[flyingskippy]

When they say non fire mechanical mechanical test that damages engine hardware, could that mean spinning up turbos, cycling valves, thrust vector ranges, etc?