SpaceX Updates (Thread 9)

[Jim K Global Moderator]

6 minutes ago, PaulRocket said:

Apparently Falcon 9 Block 5 will feature an inconel heat shield:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39167.msg1719169#msg1719169

 

Has this ever been done before? What are the implications?

The X-15 skin was Inconel X ... I believe the shuttle used Inconel studs on the SRBs (not sure about the studs between the shuttle and ET), the Saturn's first stage engine thrust chambers were Inconel as are the Merlin's manifolds.  

 

Anyway ... I would suspect that this may allow the first stage to come in a lot hotter and/or allow for faster turnaround times?  (Purely speculation).

[Unobscured Vision]

Interesting material ... lots of high-temp uses, and it's better all-around than Titanium when heated. It's great stuff. There are other uses for it too -- many of the newer uses are "embargoed", though. Many, many iterations of Iconnel going back a long time that have different properties for different applications. That's why it's an "Icon".  

[DocM]

The main post on the bottom of my leg  prosthesis is a:pp made of an  Inconel variant. Strong, corrosion-resistant, etc. Tesla also uses an Inconel protective shield for their car batteries. Plenty of collision resistance.

 

Metallic heat shields have been used before, X-15  being one example.  Some of them quite exotic, such as those which use thorium alloys - which has a side effect of being slightly radioactive. Others are made of metallic ceramics. These tiles are usually mounted on standoffs which hold them above from the less thermally resistant  airframe.

 

Block 5's Inconel heat shields will probably replace those ablatives made of cork and SPAM* around the Octaweb.

 

* SpaceX Proprietary Ablative Material, which is used as the outer shell of Dragon, Dragon 2 and elsewhere.

Edited September 14, 2017 by DocM

[Unobscured Vision]

Yep, I agree. Replacing the "consumables" with resistant materials at this point will do wonders for reuse and turnaround times.  It'll go from 1~3 months to a little under two weeks or less. Probably less. 

[FloatingFatMan]

On 9/10/2017 at 2:16 AM, DocM said:

Perhaps so, but it looks a lot better than the Mr. Baggy Pants ACES suit. 

I didn't mean it as a BAD thing, Doc. Bike leathers can look cool!

 

[DocM]

Falcon 9 failed landing demo reel. Note the F9R Dev-1 in-flight abort is in there under failed engine sensor.

 

 "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."

~~Elon Musk (recently paraphrased by a USAF General before Congress)

 

 

[+John. Subscriber¹]

EDIT: Whoops forgot to refresh before posting! Sorry @DocM

 

It's really good to see they can post things like this without people losing faith as it's been proven time after time that each of these was a lesson.

 

[DocM]

 

[+John. Subscriber¹]

24 minutes ago, DocM said:

Falcon 9 failed landing demo reel. Note the F9R Dev-1 in-flight abort is in there under failed engine sensor.

 

 "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough."

~~Elon Musk (recently paraphrased by a USAF General before Congress)

<snipped>

Ah, the CRS-6 landing! With the little thruster that could. Bless it, it tried so hard!

[+John. Subscriber¹]

Sorry for wall of posts, full version of "How NOT to land an orbital rocket booster" is available here: 

 

 

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

14 minutes ago, John. said:

Sorry for wall of posts, full version of "How NOT to land an orbital rocket booster" is available here: 

 

I love the music and commentary - "It's not an explosion, it's just a rapid unscheduled disassembly"

 

The stuff these guys are doing is simply phenomenal 

[DocM]

A government launch right out of the gate. This would put it in the April to June window.

 

COSMIC = Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate, a joint venture between Taiwan and the US via NASA (JPL) and NOAA

 

 

Edited September 15, 2017 by DocM

[DocM]

Per NASASpaceFlight.com, the post-Irma checkouts have been completed and Echostar 105/SES-11 is still on for October 2nd, static fire on Sept.ember 29.

 

The sets  up another 2-day double-header with the Iridium NEXT #3 launch on October 4th at Vandenberg AFB.

 

This will be the last LC-39a launch before the Falcon Heavy/Commercial Crew refit break, and also indicates that the LC-40 repairs are nearing completion.

 

Hang on to your hats, it's going to be an interesting Q4. 

Edited September 20, 2017 by DocM

[DocM]

NSF post

 

[DocM]

Part 1 of 2 stories about the new Brownsville LNG terminals, this one confirming a feed to SpaceX's facility at Boca Chica. Maybe more in part 2, and from Elon Musk next Friday in his IAC 2017 Mars/BFR update. 

 

https://riograndeguardian.com/400-million-port-of-brownsville-shipbuilding-contract-finalized/

 

MCALLEN, RGV – A $400 million contract between Honolulu-based Pasha Hawaii and Keppel AmFELS has now been finalized and as a result, two new Liquefied Natural Gas-fueled container ships will be built at the Port of Brownsville.

Eduardo A. Campirano, port director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville, announced the news at a Rio South Texas Economic Council meeting. He said 700 new jobs would be created. Campirano also gave an update about a natural gas pipeline coming into the Rio Grande Valley, liquefied natural gas terminals at the port, and SpaceX.


Eduardo A. Campirano


“I am delighted to say that the contracts were signed and contractors are on site starting the production expansion for those facilities. The Valley is going to be in the shipbuilding business in a big way,” Campirano said.
>

[DocM]

Part 2

 

Part 2

 

http://riograndeguardian.com/campirano-elon-musk-may-have-bigger-plans-for-boca-chica/

 

Quote

 

McALLEN, RGV  Eduardo A. Campirano, port director and CEO of the Port of Brownsville, says he would not be surprised to see Elon Musk announce even bigger plans for SpaceXs rocket-launching site at Boca Chica.

>

"I know Elon Musk is expected to speak on the 29th and everyone holds their breath to see what" he says. "I think he has made some indications that there may be some bigger plans for Boca Chica than initially anticipated,"0 Campirano said, in response to a question from Mike Willis on the South Texas Manufacturers Association.

 

"If you recall, at one of them, everyone kind of said he was crazy when he talked about launching rockets to Mars and he will be sending people. I would not be surprised to hear at one of his upcoming forums where he will just say when it is going to occur."

>

"They are moving forward with plans for Boca Chica. They have been working on their launch pad, that is going to happen. We have been told they have pushed the rocket launches back a year. So, instead of 2017 it is 2018. It seems to be on schedule. If there are any changes to that it will be potentially be because something else is going on. We are excited to see that (the International Astronautical Congress) going on. And then, of course, the university (UTRGV) is starting to do some of the preliminary work on Stargate (at Boca Chica). All that stuff goes hand in hand."
>

 

 

[DocM]

This applies to the BFR, and don't forget his IAC talk will be webcast on the YouTube SpaceX channel.

 

 

 

[Unobscured Vision]

And Australia is gonna be joining the active Space community very soon. As in launches and way more. (Bout time. ) They've supported NASA since the beginning, and we've always had a special place in our heart for our peeps down under.  Sorry Brits ... the secret's out now. We've been cheating on ya with Aussies. 

 

Seriously though, this is fantastic news. And if Elon is down there already, there's deals being made for SpaceX assistance. Bet on it. As much as SpaceX is allowed to help.  

 

[+John. Subscriber¹]

so aside from the 0530 wake up call to watch this, I'm seriously looking forward to whatever is announced.

 

[DocM]

A follow-on to Musk's IAC2017 Mars presentation,

 

Gwynne Shotwell at Stanford

 

"Road to Mars"

 

October 11 at 6:30PM PDT

 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gwynne-shotwell-road-to-mars-tickets-37968773624

[DocM]

Instagram full text,

"elonmusk Simulation of how the SpaceX Interplanetary Spaceship and Rocket design would work. Will be unveiling the new version on Friday afternoon at IAC Adelaide. Certain aspects of the new design and its applications will be unexpected."

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by DocM

[DocM]

 

[Unobscured Vision]

I'm hoping to see the footage of baby Raptor operating at Merlin-D (Block-5) plus power levels. We all remember the "aftermath shot" of the scorched earth it left behind ... I wanna see that test.  

[DocM]

 

[DocM]