Beittil Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 Weather is due to winds and clouds associated with Winter Storm Grayson. https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2018-01-02-winter-storm-grayson-southeast-ice-northeast-snowstorm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 Slips to Saturday, Jan 6 Upper level winds forecast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthdci Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 3 hours ago, DocM said: Slips to Saturday, Jan 6 Upper level winds forecast. would it put back falcon heavy since they are on different pads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 Likely as Zuma is a personnel hog. Not necessarily a 1:1 slip ratio though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Emn1ty 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 And here we go.... Orbit destination is no longer "LEO," just "orbit." Hmmm.... Weather now 80% Window: 2000-2200 Eastern (0100-0300 UT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted January 8, 2018 Global Moderator Share Posted January 8, 2018 ^ Coverage now live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xendrome Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 Webcast Live - http://www.spacex.com/webcast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted January 8, 2018 Global Moderator Share Posted January 8, 2018 Making it look easy. Need some infrared cameras for these night time landings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) Smooootthhhhhh.... Ninjaed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 ZUMA, there & back Unobscured Vision 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 Someone tracked S2 all the way to SECO-1. Neat footage of S2 sep and the landing too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beittil Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 Yeah that John Kraus photo is totally my new background on my phone now DocM 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiver Veteran Posted January 8, 2018 Veteran Share Posted January 8, 2018 On 06/01/2018 at 11:24 PM, DocM said: And here we go.... Orbit destination is no longer "LEO," just "orbit." Hmmm.... Weather now 80% Window: 2000-2200 Eastern (0100-0300 UT) <snip> 2 Could this be something like the Boeing X-37? My head told me launches were always secret but wiki tells us the launch dates so I'm guessing I'm way off here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 58 minutes ago, Skiver said: Could this be something like the Boeing X-37? My head told me launches were always secret but wiki tells us the launch dates so I'm guessing I'm way off here. SpaceX launched one of the two X-37B's last September and it was a very public launch. This is very, very different in that the agency it belongs to won't say so and even minor leaks are non-existent. Even NRO claims its birds, giving them the NROL-## ,(NRO Launch) designation before launch and USA-### after they're on station. Skiver 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) CNBC and WSJ/Dow Jones are running with stories, based on Twitter rumors, that ZUMA either malfunctioned or didn't separate from the F9 upper stage. The WSJ/Dow Jones story is by Andy Pasztor, who is notoriously anti-SpaceX, and CNBC ran with his story. Northrop Grumman says we don't comment on classified launches. SpaceX says F9 performed nominally, and so far insider info says the same. We also have the tweet below by a regular satellite tracker showing F9's S2 where it should have been, when it was supposed to be there, before the planned re-entry over the Indian Ocean. Strategic Command has also listed ZUMA as USA-280, seeming to indicate it made orbit. There is also independent tracking video of S2's burn, and the LaunchNet callout of fairing separation. Take these rumors with a massive dose of salt until something official comes from N-G or the govt. saying otherwise. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/highly-classified-us-spy-satellite-appears-to-be-a-total-loss-after-spacex-launch.html https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-spy-satellite-believed-lost-after-spacex-mission-fails-1515462479 Edited January 9, 2018 by DocM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) More: N-G made the payload adapter, they didn't use the standard SpaceX adapter. If it didn't separate from the upper stage.... https://www.wired.com/story/spacexs-top-secret-zuma-mission-launches-today/ Quote > Veteranaerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman built the payload, according to a document obtained by WIRED and later confirmed by the company. The company says it built Zuma for the US government, and it’s also providing an adapter to mate Zuma with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. But that’s where information starts tapering off. > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) And....an astronomer at Harvard-Smithsonian Edited January 9, 2018 by DocM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John. Subscriber¹ Posted January 9, 2018 Subscriber¹ Share Posted January 9, 2018 Would it be possible that, if it did fail to separate due to the custom payload adapter, that SpaceX forced it to come down with S2 as they couldn't control S2 properly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 The upper stage was programmed to come down after a couple of orbits anyhow, orbital debris mitigation, so if the satellite didn't separate it was coming down as well. +John. 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiver Veteran Posted January 9, 2018 Veteran Share Posted January 9, 2018 3 hours ago, DocM said: The upper stage was programmed to come down after a couple of orbits anyhow, orbital debris mitigation, so if the satellite didn't separate it was coming down as well. Straight down to a certain leaders house in North Korea? What is the likely hood of us finding out whether it was successful or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingskippy Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 SpaceX says F9 performed nominally and there was confirmation of fairing deployment. Everything else besides delta v and trajectory is on NG. Maybe they should have gone with SpaceX's payload adapter..... This mission has been so f***ing weird since the get-go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) Statement by Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, Quote For clarity: after review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night. If we or others find otherwise based on further review, we will report it immediately. Information published that is contrary to this statement is categorically false. Due to the classified nature of the payload, no further comment is possible. Since the data reviewed so far indicates that no design, operational or other changes are needed, we do not anticipate any impact on the upcoming launch schedule. Falcon Heavy has been rolled out to launchpad LC-39A for a static fire later this week, to be followed shortly thereafter by its maiden flight. We are also preparing for an F9 launch for SES and the Luxembourg Government from SLC-40 in three weeks. It's looking more and more like (a) the mission went as planned, perhaps a hypersonic or reentry vehicle test or the vehicle pulled a disappearing act, (b) the custom Northrop-Grumman supplied payload adapter failed to separate the vehicle from the upper stage, or (c) the vehicle failed after separation. Pick one. Edited January 9, 2018 by DocM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 Dr. Marco Langbroek has put it all together on his satellite tracking blog, and he's skeptical of the failure story, https://sattrackcam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/fuel-dump-of-zumas-falcon-9-upper-stage.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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