SpaceX Updates (Thread 7)

By DocM
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Grand Master

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Had a chuckle from this.....
from Nasawatch........

ICYMI @BlueOrigin recreated Alan Shepard's 1st flight - without Alan Shepard - but they can re-use the rocket - unlike Alan Shepard's rocket

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2015/11/what-blue-origi.html

:D 

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Grand Master

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They in NO WAY anyone can compare the two flights. Are you kidding me?! Shepard's flight was legendary, groundbreaking, and historic ... Blue Origin's, not in any of those categories, sorry. An achievement, sure. But now it's just s**t talking, and it's unbecoming.

NASA Watch needs that post (and their resident Poster) "checked" by Wayne Gretsky. Let them experience a real "Great One". Not mediocrity, which is sadly what the new idea of "greatness" seems to have set the bar at now.

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Grand Master

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They in NO WAY anyone can compare the two flights. Are you kidding me?! Shepard's flight was legendary, groundbreaking, and historic ... Blue Origin's, not in any of those categories, sorry. An achievement, sure. But now it's just s**t talking, and it's unbecoming.

NASA Watch needs that post (and their resident Poster) "checked" by Wayne Gretsky. Let them experience a real "Great One". Not mediocrity, which is sadly what the new idea of "greatness" seems to have set the bar at now.

Actually, I think that what he was getting at, is that this was already partially done, for altitude, only the rocket was "dumped"....kind of like, nice accomplishment...don't over do it.....:woot:

This quabble is actually good for the future of space....We have two "large" players, bankrolled themselves, having a bit of fun, both respecting each other...it shows they both care deeply about what they are doing.........something the old trough feeders can't comprehend.....:)

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Grand Master

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Oddball info....

Possible SpaceX debris found off the Isles of Scilly, UK, sometime today.....7 photo's at the link....

http://imgur.com/a/Ybb6f

Location is shown in this link....

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/49°57'40.0"N+6°20'59.0"W/@49.9242027,-6.3828143,72455m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

courtesy of reddit....

:)

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Grand Master

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Debris identification solved by reddit/SpaceX sleuths as part of CRS 4....god job beating everyone to the puzzle, although MSM are still reporting it as CRS 7 because the Coast guard was guessing. The debris was slimmed down to 3 flights, then comparison to lettering was done, because of subtle differences in placement.

After several people helped narrow it down to three rockets, this was the last step to confirm it is indeed CRS-4. The beak of the falcon in the logo lines up with the right edge of the letter "o", and the bulge on top of the "n" is slightly different.

 

 CRS-4 launched from Cape Canaveral on September 21, 2014, sending a Dragon Spacecraft with mousetronauts and cargo to the International Space Station. After the first stage separated it performed a retropropulsion and attempted a soft water landing. This piece found across the Atlantic Ocean is the first sight of it since then.

 

CRS-4, although being a ISS flight, did not have landing legs due to a core switch with AsiaSat 6. This resulted in F9-012 (CRS-4), being the 13th flight of Falcon. Because it did not have the capacity to land, it instead performed a retropropulsion and landing burn on the water, that was famously captured by NASA via thermal imagery.

We never did learn what the final result of CRS-4 was though. SpaceX nor NASA never shared the outcome. Because of this, many of us presumed it had failed or not gone to plan. The condition of this piece of debris says it might've just worked after all. 

 https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/3ugqa1/the_rocket_part_found_in_scilly_uk_is_from_crs4/

BPBIzwa.thumb.jpg.ce3c6f75a5a7c42af74c37

DNS1Ity.thumb.jpg.902a795e3d0d6a26f7968a

 

Interstage of SpaceX CRS-4, Tresco, Isles of Scilly

video is 0:20 min

 

Commercial Rocket Test Helps Prep for Journey to Mars

video is 2:37 min

Published on Oct 17, 2014

NASA successfully captured thermal images of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on its descent after it launched in September from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The data from these thermal images may provide critical engineering information for future missions to the surface of Mars.

 

 

well done......:) 

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Grand Master

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Saw larger pics. That type of barnacle takes well over a year to grow to that size & density, so it can't be CRS-7. CRS-4 is far more likely for that the above reasons.

I noticed the barnacles as well (imgur)....had to be awhile for that growth.....and the composite panel is relatively intact, honeycomb structure, which is why it floats, ...no CRS-7...:)

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Grand Master

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bits and pieces for "old news"

A piece of SpaceX rocket just washed ashore after spending over a year at sea, and the pictures are incredible

http://uk.businessinsider.com/spacex-rocket-washes-ashore-in-scilly-2015-11

good read, what you already know, but some good pictures...like this one...

CRS4.thumb.jpg.5c75dbf8728603ee75a05977d

comparison from NSF...

15qShQd.thumb.jpg.b3d6781fb71da29407443d

and 37 large pictures here...great shots.....

http://imgur.com/a/8nWWw

:D

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Grand Master

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bits of info....

 

 

 

Pad 39A panoramic shot....

 

bpjL13f.jpg

 

 

 

Pad landing article.....

 

SpaceX May Try Land-Based Rocket Landing This Month, NASA Official Says

 

falcon-landing-site-art.thumb.jpg.a956e0

SpaceX is developing reusable Falcon 9 rockets to make spaceflight more affordable. The company plans to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rockets (shown in this animation still) at its Landing Site 1 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Credit: SpaceX

 

 

Quote

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX may try to make history with its next launch later this month, returning its rocket to a landing pad rather than an ocean-based platform, a NASA official said today (Dec. 1).

Carol Scott, who works technical integration for SpaceX within NASA's Commercial Crew Program, told reporters here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today that SpaceX's first attempt at a land-based rocket landing may be coming sooner than the public expects.

"You know how they want to fly the stage back, right? Their plan is to land it out here on the Cape [Canaveral] side," Scott told reporters. [Video: Watch SpaceX Try to Land a Falcon 9 Rocket]

 

 

SpaceX declined to comment on Scott's remarks when contacted by Space.com.

more at the link....

http://www.space.com/31248-spacex-may-try-land-based-rocket-landing.html

:)

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Grand Master

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CRS-4 in the news again........this time for an award from Flickr....one of the top 25 photo's of 2015.....

 

http://blog.flickr.net/en/2015/12/01/flickrs-top-25-photos-in-2015/

 

16661753958_9f61f777e7_osssss.thumb.jpg.

 

image is available for download, in various sizes, from the link above, right click on article image and open new link .....

:)

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Grand Master

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So long as it wasn't an issue with the vehicle itself. Ya gotta believe that SpaceX is gonna be white-knuckled right up until ISS docking. I would be too, if I was Elon and the Gang -- there's a lot riding on this flight going off without problems.

 

And if the S1 Landing is a success ... they're gonna have a party like none other. :yes:

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Grand Master

DocM

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12 hours ago, DocM said:

The FB page reports a long engine test today, which was heard 25 miles away.

A second test yesterday - an upper stage this time. Sounds like they're cranking stages through fast, preparing for a busy run at LC-40.

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