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Dragon capsule parachute test



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 21st 10, 08:23 PM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
Pat Flannery
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Posts: 18,465
Default Dragon capsule parachute test

Unlike Orion, Dragon's parachutes actually work:
http://www.onorbit.com/node/2431

Pat
  #2  
Old August 22nd 10, 05:41 AM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
David Spain
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Default Dragon capsule parachute test

Pat Flannery wrote:
Unlike Orion, Dragon's parachutes actually work:
http://www.onorbit.com/node/2431

Pat


Says they are starting with water 'splashdowns' for the crewed version with
the intension of moving to land 'dustdowns' with addition of deployable
landing gear and thrusters at some point in the future.

That should help reduce costs. What are their landing options in case of
bad weather at the primary landing site?

Dave
  #3  
Old August 22nd 10, 05:43 AM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
Sylvia Else[_2_]
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Posts: 458
Default Dragon capsule parachute test

On 22/08/2010 2:41 PM, David Spain wrote:
Pat Flannery wrote:
Unlike Orion, Dragon's parachutes actually work:
http://www.onorbit.com/node/2431

Pat


Says they are starting with water 'splashdowns' for the crewed version
with the intension of moving to land 'dustdowns' with addition of
deployable landing gear and thrusters at some point in the future.

That should help reduce costs. What are their landing options in case of
bad weather at the primary landing site?

Dave


Land somewhere else?

Sylvia.
  #4  
Old August 22nd 10, 05:47 AM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
David Spain
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Default Dragon capsule parachute test

Sylvia Else wrote:

Land somewhere else?

Sylvia.


Doesn't anyone sleep around here, or do you all live on the Left Coast or
Asia?

Droll Sylvia... Care to clue us in as to 'where' else is?
Central Park in Manhattan?

The other option is also to stay in orbit longer...

Dave
  #5  
Old August 22nd 10, 05:58 AM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
Sylvia Else[_2_]
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Posts: 458
Default Dragon capsule parachute test

On 22/08/2010 2:47 PM, David Spain wrote:
Sylvia Else wrote:

Land somewhere else?

Sylvia.


Doesn't anyone sleep around here, or do you all live on the Left Coast or
Asia?


I'm in Australia. Mid Sunday afternoon here.


Droll Sylvia... Care to clue us in as to 'where' else is?
Central Park in Manhattan?


It appeared to me that a craft that returns by parachute and descends
pretty much vertically onto shock absorbing landing gear doesn't really
have much in the way of requirements for its landing area, beyond being
reasonably large, moderately flat, and devoid of significant obstacles.

There would have to be plenty of suitable places, including most of
Australia (might not be reachable from the particular orbit, but that's
another matter).

Sylvia.
  #6  
Old August 22nd 10, 06:13 AM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
David Spain
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Default Dragon capsule parachute test

Sylvia Else wrote:
On 22/08/2010 2:47 PM, David Spain wrote:
Doesn't anyone sleep around here, or do you all live on the Left Coast or
Asia?


I'm in Australia. Mid Sunday afternoon here.

....

There would have to be plenty of suitable places, including most of
Australia (might not be reachable from the particular orbit, but that's
another matter).

Sylvia.


I thought the ISS routinely passes over Australia? So what would you charge
SpaceX for landing rights to your back yard? Would they need venomous snake
and/or other large carnivorous reptile insurance?

:-D

Dave

  #7  
Old August 22nd 10, 06:30 AM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
Sylvia Else[_2_]
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Posts: 458
Default Dragon capsule parachute test

On 22/08/2010 3:13 PM, David Spain wrote:
Sylvia Else wrote:
On 22/08/2010 2:47 PM, David Spain wrote:
Doesn't anyone sleep around here, or do you all live on the Left
Coast or
Asia?


I'm in Australia. Mid Sunday afternoon here.

...

There would have to be plenty of suitable places, including most of
Australia (might not be reachable from the particular orbit, but
that's another matter).

Sylvia.


I thought the ISS routinely passes over Australia? So what would you
charge SpaceX for landing rights to your back yard? Would they need
venomous snake and/or other large carnivorous reptile insurance?

:-D


Such risks are grossly overstated. The main concern would be that the
astronauts would be bundled into an off-shore immigration detention
centre and lost in the system before anyone considers the possibility
that they weren't actually claiming refugee status.

Sylvia.
  #9  
Old August 22nd 10, 03:21 PM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
David Spain
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Posts: 2,901
Default Dragon capsule parachute test

On 8/22/2010 9:03 AM, Jeff Findley wrote:
In , lid
says...

It appeared to me that a craft that returns by parachute and descends
pretty much vertically onto shock absorbing landing gear doesn't really
have much in the way of requirements for its landing area, beyond being
reasonably large, moderately flat, and devoid of significant obstacles.

There would have to be plenty of suitable places, including most of
Australia (might not be reachable from the particular orbit, but that's
another matter).


Great Plains in the US. It's big, it's flat, and it's fairly devoid of
high concentrations of people.

Plus, a lifting capsule design has some lift in the hypersonic regime,
so you can aim for a particular landing area. Also, for final descent,
you can use steerable parachutes. NASA spent some time and money
developing one for X-38 which may be suitable for use on a capsule.


That all makes sense but I was hoping someone might be able to share some
insights into SpaceX plans. Currently they are testing near San Diego, so
is it a safe assumption that becomes the primary landing site? One would
think coastal Florida would be a better option to reduce costs however.
But also it helps to have options.

I got the impression from the article that the plan is to proceed first
with crewed water landing capsules that eventually evolve into ground
landing capsules rather than wait until the design is refined into ground
landing capsules first.

In either case, if the launch point is Cape Canaveral, it makes sense to
make that area the primary landing site as well. Florida is suitable to
either modes. And if their landing accuracy is as good as their claims it
might not be necessary to be totally devoid of population. Besides a little
space tourism/voyeurism is good for the local economy...

Dave

  #10  
Old August 22nd 10, 04:09 PM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
Jochem Huhmann
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Posts: 606
Default Dragon capsule parachute test

David Spain writes:

Pat Flannery wrote:
Unlike Orion, Dragon's parachutes actually work:
http://www.onorbit.com/node/2431

Pat


Says they are starting with water 'splashdowns' for the crewed version
with the intension of moving to land 'dustdowns' with addition of
deployable landing gear and thrusters at some point in the future.


I fear this will happen shortly after they start to routinely recover
both first and second stages of the Falcon 9...

I really don't see why they should even try that. It surely adds quite a
bit of mass which comes straight out of the payload and the time/cost
savings would only be significant if they fly very often.


Jochem

--
"A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no
longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
 




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