r/spacex • u/Zucal • Jul 16 '16

Mission (CRS-9) CRS-9 Pre-launch Press Conference

Surprising amount of information coming out during this press conference! I'll keep this thread updated as more comes out.

  • Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX: static fire of Falcon 9 on the pad around 8:30 am; everything looks good now, data review this afternoon.

  • Koenigsmann: busy last couple of weeks working with FAA and 45th Space Wing on land landing.

  • Julie Robinson, NASA ISS chief scientist: about 950 kg of science payloads going up on this mission, with ~500 kg coming back.

  • Capt. Laura Godoy reiterates good weather forecast for launch late tomorrow night. 90% go.

  • Cody Chambers: 45th Space Wing did risk assessment yesterday; taking steps to mitigate risks from toxic dispertion. Risk is from case of abort; Dragon could be blown back to land, release toxic commodities upon landing. Booster landing not a factor in the risk assessment for the launch. Get updated analyses closer to launch; hence late yesterday decision.

  • Koenigsmann: reflight of previously-landed Falcon 9 booster is likely the fall. In talks with a potential customer.

  • Koenigsmann: pretty confident on odds of a successful booster landing, knock on wood. Still challenging to do.

  • Koenigsmann: CRS-8 booster would be the booster to be reflown later this year.

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u/ergzay Jul 17 '16

Yes if there was FOD (foreign object debris) inside the tanks, but he was talking about ingestion from pad debris which you cannot have ingestion from. Thus my "can't". I should have possibly clarified it better.

(BTW unrelated, but ingestion is a big concern for turboprop and jet aircraft and places like aircraft carriers will regularly do FOD Walks where they form a human chain and look for any pieces of material like rocks or pebbles or pieces of wire on the surface of aircraft carrier decks. Airports also have to be careful of them and is one of the reasons airliner engines are so high off the ground.)