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SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 31st 12, 09:33 PM posted to sci.space.policy
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

"The world's first commercial space
cargo ship dove through Earth's
atmosphere and splashed down in
the Pacific Ocean early Thursday
(May 31), ending an historic test
flight to the International Space
Station.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule made
a water landing off the coast of Baja
California, Mexico at 11:42 a.m.
EDT (1542 GMT). Recovery ships
have spotted the capsule and are en
route to collect the vehicle to tow to
Los Angeles."

See:

http://www.space.com/15939-spacex-dr...g-pacific.html
  #2  
Old May 31st 12, 09:38 PM posted to sci.space.policy
Rick Jones
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

SpaceX have an image up on their website in the Updates section now.
I guess the expectation is someone will clean-up Dragons with a
scrub-brush for re-use? The thing looks just as scorched as a Soyuz
to my peanut gallery eyes.

--
The glass is neither half-empty nor half-full. The glass has a leak.
The real question is "Can it be patched?"
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...
  #3  
Old June 1st 12, 02:52 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Sylvia Else[_2_]
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending HistoricTest Flight

On 1/06/2012 6:38 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
SpaceX have an image up on their website in the Updates section now.
I guess the expectation is someone will clean-up Dragons with a
scrub-brush for re-use? The thing looks just as scorched as a Soyuz
to my peanut gallery eyes.


Presumably residue from the heat shield.

Aesthetics apart, does it matter if a less than pristine capsule is
launched when it's reused?

Sylvia.


  #4  
Old June 1st 12, 10:04 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Alan Erskine[_3_]
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending HistoricTest Flight

On 1/06/2012 11:52 AM, Sylvia Else wrote:
On 1/06/2012 6:38 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
SpaceX have an image up on their website in the Updates section now.
I guess the expectation is someone will clean-up Dragons with a
scrub-brush for re-use? The thing looks just as scorched as a Soyuz
to my peanut gallery eyes.


Presumably residue from the heat shield.

Aesthetics apart, does it matter if a less than pristine capsule is
launched when it's reused?

Sylvia.



I remember the 'rust' (oxidation) on the Shuttles too. Hardly pristine.
  #5  
Old June 1st 12, 11:25 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Jochem Huhmann
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

Sylvia Else writes:

Presumably residue from the heat shield.

Aesthetics apart, does it matter if a less than pristine capsule is
launched when it's reused?


No, but I'm also sure that the outer covers (it's not the pressure
vessel you're seeing there) will not be reused anyway. And if they will
be reused they will get a fresh coat of paint. You surely don't want
even pieces of peeling-off paint floating around at the ISS.


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
  #6  
Old June 1st 12, 11:40 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Bob Haller
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending HistoricTest Flight

On Jun 1, 6:25*am, Jochem Huhmann wrote:
Sylvia Else writes:
Presumably residue from the heat shield.


Aesthetics apart, does it matter if a less than pristine capsule is
launched when it's reused?


No, but I'm also sure that the outer covers (it's not the pressure
vessel you're seeing there) will not be reused anyway. And if they will
be reused they will get a fresh coat of paint. You surely don't want
even pieces of peeling-off paint floating around at the ISS.

* * * * 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


can space x put advertising on the boosters and capsules for added
bucks?
  #7  
Old June 1st 12, 04:26 PM posted to sci.space.policy
Brian Thorn[_2_]
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

On Fri, 1 Jun 2012 03:40:34 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

can space x put advertising on the boosters and capsules for added
bucks?


It is their rocket to do with as they please. How lucrative that would
be, I don't know, as most rocket launches these days get no media
coverage. After the next Falcon 9 or two and the Falcon Heavy debut,
there won't be much coverage of Falcon launches either.

Brian
  #8  
Old June 1st 12, 05:53 PM posted to sci.space.policy
Rick Jones
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

Sylvia Else wrote:
On 1/06/2012 6:38 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
SpaceX have an image up on their website in the Updates section now.
I guess the expectation is someone will clean-up Dragons with a
scrub-brush for re-use? The thing looks just as scorched as a Soyuz
to my peanut gallery eyes.


Presumably residue from the heat shield.


Aesthetics apart, does it matter if a less than pristine capsule is
launched when it's reused?


Only from an emotional standpoint I suppose and the effect it has (or
not) on a potential passenger's willingness to board (once we get past
the point of flying steeley-eyed missile-men). Still, I don't recall
Shuttle's looking all that soiled at launch.

rick jones
--
No need to believe in either side, or any side. There is no cause.
There's only yourself. The belief is in your own precision. - Joubert
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...
  #9  
Old June 1st 12, 07:27 PM posted to sci.space.policy
Jeff Findley[_2_]
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Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

In article ,
says...

Sylvia Else wrote:
On 1/06/2012 6:38 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
SpaceX have an image up on their website in the Updates section now.
I guess the expectation is someone will clean-up Dragons with a
scrub-brush for re-use? The thing looks just as scorched as a Soyuz
to my peanut gallery eyes.


Presumably residue from the heat shield.


Aesthetics apart, does it matter if a less than pristine capsule is
launched when it's reused?


Only from an emotional standpoint I suppose and the effect it has (or
not) on a potential passenger's willingness to board (once we get past
the point of flying steeley-eyed missile-men). Still, I don't recall
Shuttle's looking all that soiled at launch.


The shuttle's tiles did show some "streaking" after several flights, but
it wasn't as prominent as what is seen on Dragon.

The bottom of Dragon is protected by an ablative heat shield which
deposited some of its soot higher up on the craft. If you've ever seen
a "flown" Apollo capsule in a museum, you'll see they look quite similar
to a flown Dragon. No doubt SpaceX will want to clean and paint the
upper surface (or simply replace the outer panels with new ones) before
reusing a Dragon so the soot does not change the thermal properties of
the craft in orbit. That and it looks better to launch a shiny
spacecraft than a dirty one. :-)

Jeff
--
" Ares 1 is a prime example of the fact that NASA just can't get it
up anymore... and when they can, it doesn't stay up long. "
- tinker
  #10  
Old June 2nd 12, 10:06 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Jochem Huhmann
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Posts: 606
Default SpaceX Dragon Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending Historic Test Flight

Jeff Findley writes:

The shuttle's tiles did show some "streaking" after several flights, but
it wasn't as prominent as what is seen on Dragon.

The bottom of Dragon is protected by an ablative heat shield which
deposited some of its soot higher up on the craft. If you've ever seen
a "flown" Apollo capsule in a museum, you'll see they look quite similar
to a flown Dragon. No doubt SpaceX will want to clean and paint the
upper surface (or simply replace the outer panels with new ones) before
reusing a Dragon so the soot does not change the thermal properties of
the craft in orbit. That and it looks better to launch a shiny
spacecraft than a dirty one. :-)


Another thing to consider ist just scale. The "streaking" on the shuttle
looks much less prominent compared to the size of the craft. Dragon is
much smaller though.

Look at this picture of a landed shuttle:

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/03/42/63.../3/628x471.jpg

It looks not much better than Dragon if you look closely. And then: some
photos of the current Dragon were from a side that was very sooted --
look at this photo, it doesn't look half as bad
http://pic.twitter.com/OqF7ghXZ


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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