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#1
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
I note that the launch manifest page says that there are several
launches out of Canaveral in 2011. Any news on when the first is, and what these missions are? I'd assume dragon in-orbit extended GNC testing, with real solar cells. Any surprises? Recovery of first stages still continues to be a 'we'd like to do it' priority? |
#2
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On 12/10/2010 3:35 PM, Ian Stirling wrote:
Recovery of first stages still continues to be a 'we'd like to do it' priority? SpaceX is stating they still want to do it, but considering the complete lack of success they've had with it so far in both the Falcon 1 and 9, at some point they are going to be tempted to ditch the whole concept in favor of greater payload capacity to orbit by removing the weight of the recovery system from the first stage. What they need to do is stick some live video cameras on the first stage so they can see what's going wrong with the recovery process as it descends. Pat |
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On 12/10/2010 05:35 PM, Ian Stirling wrote:
I note that the launch manifest page says that there are several launches out of Canaveral in 2011. Any news on when the first is, and what these missions are? I'd assume dragon in-orbit extended GNC testing, with real solar cells. Two more COTS Demos, 2 and 3. 2 will be the first flight of the "full-up" Dragon and will perform two flybys of ISS. 3 will be the first to approach and be berthed to ISS. |
#4
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On Dec 11, 12:48*pm, "Jorge R. Frank" wrote:
On 12/10/2010 05:35 PM, Ian Stirling wrote: I note that the launch manifest page says that there are several launches out of Canaveral in 2011. Any news on when the first is, and what these missions are? I'd assume dragon in-orbit extended GNC testing, with real solar cells. Two more COTS Demos, 2 and 3. 2 will be the first flight of the "full-up" Dragon and will perform two flybys of ISS. 3 will be the first to approach and be berthed to ISS. they want top dock on flight 2 after first checking out in formation flying.. sounds good to me |
#5
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:28:21 -0800 (PST), "
wrote: Two more COTS Demos, 2 and 3. 2 will be the first flight of the "full-up" Dragon and will perform two flybys of ISS. 3 will be the first to approach and be berthed to ISS. they want top dock on flight 2 after first checking out in formation flying.. sounds good to me ATV and HTV docked on their first flights. Shuttle did a flyby first and docked on the second Mir flight. Brian |
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On 12/11/2010 01:49 PM, Brian Thorn wrote:
On Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:28:21 -0800 (PST), " wrote: Two more COTS Demos, 2 and 3. 2 will be the first flight of the "full-up" Dragon and will perform two flybys of ISS. 3 will be the first to approach and be berthed to ISS. they want top dock on flight 2 after first checking out in formation flying.. sounds good to me ATV and HTV docked on their first flights. ESA and JAXA had a lot more NASA and RSA oversight before their first flights. In airport security terms, SpaceX is getting a couple of waves with the metal detector wand while ESA and JAXA got the full body cavity searches. |
#7
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
Pat Flannery writes:
Okay, leaving the odd anal references to one side, both ATV and HTV never even tried out their maneuvering systems in orbit before the flights in which they were allowed to berth with the ISS. Dragon has already done that on its first orbital flight, and can also check out if everything is working right on flight two before attempting to get close enough to the ISS for the robotic arm to grab. As long as they can make sure that everything works as expected before getting near the ISS it's indeed hard to see what could be gained by putting this off to another flight. 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 |
#8
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
In message tatelephone
Pat Flannery wrote: On 12/11/2010 7:41 PM, Jorge R. Frank wrote: they want top dock on flight 2 after first checking out in formation flying.. sounds good to me ATV and HTV docked on their first flights. ESA and JAXA had a lot more NASA and RSA oversight before their first flights. In airport security terms, SpaceX is getting a couple of waves with the metal detector wand while ESA and JAXA got the full body cavity searches. Okay, leaving the odd anal references to one side, both ATV and HTV never even tried out their maneuvering systems in orbit before the flights in which they were allowed to berth with the ISS. The first ATV spent about 3 weeks in orbit exercising various systems before docking, although 10 days of that was waiting for a shuttle mission. The HTV spent a week doing similar tests. Both test programmes included simulated approaches and collison avoidance manoeuvres. Anthony |
#9
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On 12/11/2010 7:41 PM, Jorge R. Frank wrote:
they want top dock on flight 2 after first checking out in formation flying.. sounds good to me ATV and HTV docked on their first flights. ESA and JAXA had a lot more NASA and RSA oversight before their first flights. In airport security terms, SpaceX is getting a couple of waves with the metal detector wand while ESA and JAXA got the full body cavity searches. Okay, leaving the odd anal references to one side, both ATV and HTV never even tried out their maneuvering systems in orbit before the flights in which they were allowed to berth with the ISS. Dragon has already done that on its first orbital flight, and can also check out if everything is working right on flight two before attempting to get close enough to the ISS for the robotic arm to grab. The really damning part though is that SpaceX developed both the Falcon 9 and dragon for around $600 million...around the cost of a single Shuttle flight. In contrast, Constellation ate up $9 billion dollars by February of 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/science/02nasa.html ....produced some boiler plate capsules, an escape system, and a flyable kinda-sorta Ares 1 that didn't even have a first stage that was identical to the one that was going to be used for an operational vehicle, with only a aerodynamic model for the second stage and Orion. Pat |
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Future F9/Dragon flights.
On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:28:21 -0800, Pat Flannery
wrote: In contrast, Constellation ate up $9 billion dollars by February of 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/science/02nasa.html ...produced some boiler plate capsules, an escape system, Which is no small task. The LAS is about the same as Apollo's and Apollo's was more powerful than the Redstone that launched Mercury, remember. and a flyable kinda-sorta Ares 1 that didn't even have a first stage that was identical to the one that was going to be used for an operational vehicle, with only a aerodynamic model for the second stage and Orion. And a Launch Pad. And Five-Segment SRB. And completed Orion to Critical Design Review. Not to dismiss SpaceX's accomplishment, but Constellation did more than you imply. A lot more. Brian |
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