SpaceX rockets and launches
- Thread starter rover07
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Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
*thinks about getting up at half six*
*looks at bottle of beer*
I'll just catch up on it after the event this time
*looks at bottle of beer*
I'll just catch up on it after the event this time
MrSki
Who am I to say you're wrong
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Currently scheduled for Friday, at 19:30 UK time, is the fifth Spacex commercial cargo flight to the ISS. A routine mission by now. What's got space geeks excited though, is that this time they plan to land the 1st stage on this barge in the Atlantic.
Don't get your hopes up. SpaceX themselves give it a 50/50 chance. It'll be truly amazing if they manage it.
Don't get your hopes up. SpaceX themselves give it a 50/50 chance. It'll be truly amazing if they manage it.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
All the parts are in place for this to work now.
The barge itself has four steerable engines that allow it maintain a position to within 3m of a fixed GPS location. The Grasshopper test vehicle has demonstrated 1m accuracy when landing from a translated position 1km up. The first stage has demonstrated re-entry and touchdown (zero velocity at zero altitude)
It's steering the stage during final descent that will be the trickiest bit. The landing zone has to be narrowed down to a tiny little rectangle. If they can do that, then it's just treading the same ground as Grasshopper.
In my mind, they'll either miss by a large amount, or land bang on the X.
The barge itself has four steerable engines that allow it maintain a position to within 3m of a fixed GPS location. The Grasshopper test vehicle has demonstrated 1m accuracy when landing from a translated position 1km up. The first stage has demonstrated re-entry and touchdown (zero velocity at zero altitude)
It's steering the stage during final descent that will be the trickiest bit. The landing zone has to be narrowed down to a tiny little rectangle. If they can do that, then it's just treading the same ground as Grasshopper.
In my mind, they'll either miss by a large amount, or land bang on the X.
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
Well the turkey and Christmas's pud won't be getting to the iss in time for Christmas. Im quite irked as I won't have internet access to see how the launch landing goes for that week
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Launch in 25 minutes. Watch live here: http://www.spacex.com/webcast/
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Well, the Spacex stream closed within minutes: Thanks for watching, join us for the next attempt which may be as close as Friday. Kthnxbye.
Nasa is still showing the launch platform, but commentary says that's it for today.
"Actuator drift late in the count terminated the count."
Friday launch attempt. 05:09 am (Eastern Time?)
Nasa is still showing the launch platform, but commentary says that's it for today.
"Actuator drift late in the count terminated the count."
Friday launch attempt. 05:09 am (Eastern Time?)
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Fuel is one of the smallest cost items. A few hundred thou, compared to the $70m cost of launch.
Recovery costs are not that low with this ocean-going method, but it's still loads cheaper than building an entirely new 1st stage. Even this rudimentary first go at reusability should see launch prices cut by at least half. If they can return the stages to land where they took off from, and the 2nd stage too, and perform similar "gas 'n' go" operations as an airliner, then launch costs could be 1/100ths of current prices.
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
The key question is how many times they can re-use it. To hit 1/100th then they'll need to be re-using the same booster several hundred times. I don't know enough to say it's not possible but it does feel very ambitious.
Firstly it's a high level of re-use, the entire shuttle program only did 135 missions spread over 5/6 hulls. Secondly there isn't the market at the moment to support that sort of level of re-use, although that would presumably come somewhere along the line as less polished re-use pushes down the price.
Firstly it's a high level of re-use, the entire shuttle program only did 135 missions spread over 5/6 hulls. Secondly there isn't the market at the moment to support that sort of level of re-use, although that would presumably come somewhere along the line as less polished re-use pushes down the price.
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Practice makes perfect, every thousand-mile journey starts with a single step and all that. It's okay to fail at this stage. But if we persevere we should end up with with a highly reliable reusable vehicle that will result in lower costs.
My uneducated mind dreams of the day when we deploy a working 'space lift', which would result in a giant leap in space exploration. In the meantime, let the rocketboys have their fun.
My uneducated mind dreams of the day when we deploy a working 'space lift', which would result in a giant leap in space exploration. In the meantime, let the rocketboys have their fun.
MrSki
Who am I to say you're wrong
2hats
Dust.
Just a little too hard...
e2a: the Dragon capsule is motoring along fine, on target for the space station. Post launch news conference at about 1130UTC.
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