The Falcon 9 static fire is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST today

Perhaps I am just a sucker for foolish consistency, but looking at the
pictures at http://www.spacex.com/updates.php I got to wondering - why
are two of the three visible hold-down units blue and the third gray?

rick jones
--
oxymoron n, Hummer H2 with California Save Our Coasts and Oceans plates
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

Pat Flannery wrote:
On 3/10/2010 2:15 PM, Rick Jones wrote:
Perhaps I am just a sucker for foolish consistency, but looking at
the pictures at http://www.spacex.com/updates.php I got to
wondering - why are two of the three visible hold-down units blue
and the third gray?

They didn't want to be seen as taking sides in regards to The War
Between the States? ;-)

Ah, but what color is the fourth hold-down?-) And which War would that
be - the one back in the 1860's, or the one going-on today with the
fighting over Constellation?-)

rick jones
--
oxymoron n, commuter in a gas-guzzling luxury SUV with an American flag
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

Pat Flannery wrote:
It is interesting to see the fact that NASA's manned program is
basically just a giant public works/pork barrel operation out in the
open.

Indeed. While the chances are small, I suppose a successful first
flight of Falcon9 might help cause a few shirts to loose their
stuffing. But it is always more difficult to unseat someone from an
entrenched position.

rick jones
--
a wide gulf separates "what if" from "if only"
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

On 3/10/2010 2:15 PM, Rick Jones wrote:
Perhaps I am just a sucker for foolish consistency, but looking at the
pictures at http://www.spacex.com/updates.php I got to wondering - why
are two of the three visible hold-down units blue and the third gray?

They didn't want to be seen as taking sides in regards to The War
Between the States? ;-)

Pat

On 3/10/2010 5:53 PM, Rick Jones wrote:
Ah, but what color is the fourth hold-down?-) And which War would that
be - the one back in the 1860's, or the one going-on today with the
fighting over Constellation?-)

It is interesting to see the fact that NASA's manned program is
basically just a giant public works/pork barrel operation out in the open.

Pat

SpaceX Reviewing Data After Test Abort

Quote:

"Engineers at Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX)
are reviewing data after an automatic abort of its nine-engine
Falcon 9 launch vehicle on the pad at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Fla., on March 9.

The engines did not ignite for a planned 3.5-second static test,
although flames appeared briefly beneath the rocket on the
pad at Launch Complex 40, and a cloud of black smoke drifted
away from the kerosene-fueled launch vehicle."

See:

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gener... channel=space

"Jeff Findley" wrote in
:

The Falcon 9 static fire is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST today
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

Looks like there was a test firing today (Saturday, 3/13/10)
at around 12:30. Very few details and no close video coverage,
so we'll have to wait for details/pictures/video from SpaceX.

Hopefully things went well enough that only paperwork stands
in the way of a launch as early as next month.

--Damon

On 3/13/2010 11:05 AM, Damon Hill wrote:
"Jeff wrote in
:

The Falcon 9 static fire is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST today
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

Looks like there was a test firing today (Saturday, 3/13/10)
at around 12:30. Very few details and no close video coverage,
so we'll have to wait for details/pictures/video from SpaceX.

This time it worked: http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

Pat

On 3/13/2010 3:33 PM, Pat Flannery wrote:

This time it worked: http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html

Some photos of the test he
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon...100314gallery/
The more I see of that thing, the more Russian it looks. :-)

Pat

Some more photos he

http://www.comspacewatch.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=33690

Dave