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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
SpaceX launch (Orbcom mission to deploy several satellites) is scheduled
to take place this Sunday. This is the V 1.2 version of Falcon 9 which features increased performance from the Merlin engines, partially facilitated by sub-cooled LOX (near its freezing point) and cooled kerosene (to 20 degrees F). Also, this will be the first landing attempt on land. The landing attempt will take place at a former launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station that SpaceX has converted into a landing facility (by adding several circular concrete pads). If the launch and the landing are both successful, this will be huge for SpaceX. Jeff -- "the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer |
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
On 12/19/15 8:49 PM, Fred J. McCall wrote :
Jeff Findley wrote: SpaceX launch (Orbcom mission to deploy several satellites) is scheduled to take place this Sunday. This is the V 1.2 version of Falcon 9 which features increased performance from the Merlin engines, partially facilitated by sub-cooled LOX (near its freezing point) and cooled kerosene (to 20 degrees F). Also, this will be the first landing attempt on land. The landing attempt will take place at a former launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station that SpaceX has converted into a landing facility (by adding several circular concrete pads). If the launch and the landing are both successful, this will be huge for SpaceX. I think what SpaceX was trying to do as an intermediate step (landing on a barge) is actually harder than the next step (return to launch and land on a pad). I hope this works so they can certify bringing it back to an active launch site. I agree. I think SpaceX knew this all along. I don't think they considered the barge landing as an intermediate step in the sense that it was easier to do. I think they tried landing on a barge at first because it was safer. Alain Fournier |
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
On 12/19/15 11:20 PM, Jeff Findley wrote :
In article , says... On 12/19/15 8:49 PM, Fred J. McCall wrote : I think what SpaceX was trying to do as an intermediate step (landing on a barge) is actually harder than the next step (return to launch and land on a pad). I hope this works so they can certify bringing it back to an active launch site. I agree. I think SpaceX knew this all along. I don't think they considered the barge landing as an intermediate step in the sense that it was easier to do. I think they tried landing on a barge at first because it was safer. More importantly, because government regulators and Air Force range safety officers thought it was safer. In reality, a returning, nearly empty, Falcon 9 first stage is *much* less of a danger than a fully fueled Falcon 9 first and second stage just clearing the tower. For example, note the extensive damage to the pad when one of the Antares engines failed shortly after lift-off. Now that was a bad day. I don't think I would say that: "a returning nearly empty Falcon 9 first stage is much less of a danger than a fully fuelled Falcon 9 first and second stage just clearing the tower". There is no doubt that the fully loaded rocket is *much* more energetic and can make a bigger bang. But it is outgoing, the returning vehicle is incoming. Unless there is a problem with the autodestruct, the departing rocket won't do much damage to anything but the launch tower and the ocean. The returning rocket will do a much smaller bang but you don't know where, therefore you can't really clear the area of humans or valuable assets. The two cases offer very different kinds of dangers. I'm not saying that it shouldn't be done, that it is too dangerous or anything of the kind. Just like I'm not saying that rocket launches are too dangerous and shouldn't be done. I'm a fan of vertical landing à la SpaceX. But one should be aware that there are some risks, even if these are small, and try to mitigate those risks. Alain Fournier |
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
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SpaceX return of first stage.
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) Great! Alain Fournier |
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SpaceX return of first stage.
In article , says...
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) Great! Alain Fournier And the launch of the 11 Orbcomm satellites appears to have gone well too. So happy customer, and happy SpaceX employees. I was not able to watch it live, but watched the landing a couple of times on the TV already (Chromecast is a great thing). First stage landing is at about 42:00 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5bTbVbe4e4 Awesome job! That landing looked picture perfect to me. I remember the days of DC-X discussions in sci.space and thought this day would never come after the X-33 program failure. SpaceX has done what the US government has never been able to do via cost-plus contracts, which is recover a liquid fueled first stage intact very near the launch site. This is heads and shoulders above dunking an SRB in the ocean (submersion in salt water is typically not good for aerospace hardware). And it's actually flying, which NASA's X-33 "winner" never did. Yea, I'm rambling. This day will go down in history! Well, space history anyway. :-) Jeff -- "the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer |
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
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SpaceX launch and landing attempt scheduled for Sunday
perhaps the rockets exhaust moves the bardge laning more difficult.
since a pad landing is easier and safer its not a problem, get the stage back, inspect and refurb and fly again. the lower costs by reusing boosters will make SLS look worse |
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